In his previous life while watching anime, Kei Yamanaka used to really dislike Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado as a pair.
At times, he even thought they acted like Danzo's henchmen.
But after living in this world for over a decade, he gradually overturned those initial impressions of the two.
Truth be told, these two were genuinely among the rare good people within Konoha's leadership!
Homura Mitokado held himself upright and principled, always sticking to his own bottom line.
Although he often worried too much and questioned whether others' tasks had been completed properly—making him seem like someone who stuck his nose into everything—
In reality, he only offered suggestions without ever directly interfering. That was just part of being a senior advisor.
As Tobirama Senju's apprentice, Koharu Utatane had the good of the collective carved into her very bones.
Strict, serious, and harsh-spoken, she still placed the village above all else.
She'd be the first to propose wiping out the Uchiha clan if they ever threatened the village, or when Danzo opposed Hiruzen Sarutobi's reinstatement as Hokage, she'd turn around and question where exactly Danzo was during the Nine-Tails attack.
The reason both lived long enough to reach the age of the indestructibles and still remained as senior advisors of Konoha,
Wasn't just because of their status as apprentices under the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
The reason many people hated them wasn't because they did anything wrong—
It was simply because they didn't side with the main character recklessly.
Early on, Naruto used to go on and on about bonds, always preaching the Ninja Way, often treating Konoha's ninja regulations as if they didn't exist.
If he decided to go after Sasuke, nobody could hold him back. If he wanted to seek out Orochimaru, no persuasion would work.
Konoha, at its core, is a military organization.
Such reckless disregard for rules would naturally put Koharu and Homura at odds with him.
Just look at how Naruto, once he matured, completely changed his early attitude of disrespect toward them, instead showing them daily respect?
It wasn't because the two elders had changed.
Rather, it was the grown-up Naruto realizing that without rules, nothing can function properly.
To protect Konoha, one must first uphold its rules. If everyone ran wild, Konoha would collapse.
As for Tsunade...
As Zhuangzi once said: "Never urge others to be kind unless you've endured their pain."
Tsunade lost both parents at a young age, left only with Great-Grandfather Hashirama, Second Grandfather Tobirama, Mito Grandma, and her younger brother Nawaki.
Her Great-Grandfather gave his life defending Konoha in battle, passing away from injuries before she even grew up.
Not long after, Second Grandfather died too, going out to sign an alliance pact for Konoha.
Her little brother barely finished saying he'd become Hokage to protect Konoha before dying as well.
Just when she finally met a warm-hearted man who vowed to become Hokage and protect Konoha, he died right before her eyes during a mission.
Hardly back in Konoha seeking comfort from Grandma, only to hear Grandma declare her need to protect the Konoha Hashirama left behind—before vanishing herself to seal away a tailed beast!
This woman was basically the Xu Fugui of the Naruto world!
Putting himself in her place, Kei Yamanaka truly felt unable to bear so much tragedy.
If it happened to him,
He might not necessarily come to loathe Konoha bitterly,
But from that point on, he'd definitely have a deep aversion to the whole idea of 'protecting Konoha.'
Who the fuck had the nerve to bring this up in front of him?
He'd go through their entire damn family tree just to make them take turns guarding Konoha.
So regarding the friction between Tsunade and Koharu Utatane,
he actually wanted to say to Koharu: "I know you're doing it for Konoha's good, but cut her some slack. She only has one page left in the family registry!"
The commotion in the hospital room didn't last long.
Thanks to Hiruzen Sarutobi's masterful persuasion skills, Koharu—who had just clashed with Tsunade and was feeling a bit embarrassed—excused herself and left immediately.
Homura Mitokado, seeing there was nothing else for him to do, simply followed her out.
The two walked to the entrance, politely nodded at Kei Yamanaka, then turned and left Konoha Hospital.
"Can we begin now?"
With the troublesome ones finally gone, Danzo Shimura spoke up impatiently.
How could he not be anxious!
He'd already undergone a thorough examination at Root Base, but none of the medical ninja there could find the cause.
Orochimaru had also admitted his inability to help.
A few days ago, a monk named Chukaku from Fire Temple had come by, but even he couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Several Root ninja sent to the Land of Demons to consult a shrine maiden hadn't even gotten to see her, receiving only the vague hint: "Only the one who tied the bell can untie it."
Did he look like he didn't know only the caster could undo it?
The real issue—just who the hell had cast this damned jutsu?!
"The test results."
Tsunade had no mood to waste time here with Danzo and immediately got down to business.
Tatsuma Aburame promptly handed over a thick stack of medical reports—an inch thick or more.
Tsunade flipped through each report quickly, her brows knitting tighter and tighter.
"A minor rejection reaction. Decline in cellular activity caused by natural aging. No unusual chakra signatures detected. The problem clearly isn't physical. I'm afraid I can't help with this."
She hadn't even finished skimming the first dozen pages before announcing her diagnosis.
"…No further tests?"
Danzo clearly struggled to accept this conclusion.
Meanwhile, standing near the doorway, Kei Yamanaka listened thoughtfully, casting a glance at Danzo's skill listing interface.
He noticed the Blue-Tier Skill [One Eye with Three Tomoe]—which had previously topped the list—was gone completely.
As suspected.
If he actually believed Tsunade could fully cure him, this old bastard wouldn't have given up his Sharingan without a fight.
"Senior Elder Danzo, your body is fine. Further exams will only yield the same result. As for whatever condition you're experiencing, perhaps consulting experts in Yin Release would be better."
Tsunade's gaze flicked toward Kei Yamanaka, who was peeking in from the doorway.
Inside, both Danzo and Hiruzen instinctively followed her line of sight.
Danzo's expression darkened further.
Seeing this, Hiruzen could only step forward to invite Kei into the room.
"Kei, you should already have some understanding of Senior Elder Danzo's condition."
"Tsunade Onee-chan gave me a brief explanation earlier."
Inside, Kei cursed inwardly—he knew Tsunade wasn't above playing dirty.
He had only come here to mock Danzo a little and maybe even offer some system-based 'treatments' to avenge Gailiu-zi's unjust death.
She didn't want to get involved with Danzo Shimura, but she couldn't just shift the blame onto him either!
He really was the hidden puppet master!
"How do you feel about this?"
The Third didn't find Tsunade's words inappropriate in the least.
If Danzo's body was intact, then naturally they should consider Yin Release—which governs mental fortitude—what else made sense?
The Yamanaka Clan had always been experts in Yin Release, and Kei Yamanaka was especially regarded as an elite within the clan.
Not only was he skilled in the clan's secret techniques, but he also possessed formidable Genjutsu abilities.
If they didn't ask him, who else could they turn to?
"Hokage-sama, even if we consider Yin Release, it still requires chakra to activate a jutsu. In Danzo's case..."
Kei Yamanaka put on a conflicted expression.
This obvious hesitation wasn't enough to deceive the Third.
"You may speak freely."
"I once studied ancient sealing techniques and came across records from the Warring States era—Shinigami that seal souls, Zoma that devour memories, Moryo that manipulate dark power..."
Kei tried his best to steer the blame elsewhere.
Upon hearing this, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura furrowed their brows.
Those kinds of forces weren't exactly what ninja typically dealt with.
"Cough... Of course, there are ways to resolve Danzo's condition."
Kei swiftly changed direction.
Years of experience told him that when it came to deflecting blame, subtle hints were sufficient.
People always trusted their own observations and conclusions more than what someone else told them.
Too much explanation might lead to suspicion.
"What method?"
A flicker of faint hope crossed Danzo's grim expression.
"Right now, Elder Danzo keeps getting attacked in the head. Why not learn a technique similar to the Hydrification Technique? Even if your head bursts, you can still regenerate."
Kei presented the best solution available.
At that moment, both the Third and Danzo fell silent at the same time.
[Hydrification Technique]
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