Root's second underground base.
Only a dozen Root Ninja remained, keeping the base operational. Although short-staffed, everything was still orderly.
Inside a heavily guarded room, respirators and various monitoring machines lined the walls, with tubes and sensors all connected to a medical bed in the center.
Danzo lay on the bed, his body covered by a thin medical sheet, his chest rising and falling faintly.
A black shadow emerged from under the bed, climbed up the bedpost, burrowed into his arm, covered most of his body, and then hid itself under the bandages.
Then, Danzo sat up from the bed and called out in a low voice.
"Someone."
A figure flashed into existence in the empty space of the room, kneeling on the ground with a mask on, in a respectful posture.
"Danzo-sama."
"Spread the word in Konoha, say that..."
Danzo briefly gave his orders, and after the Root Ninja left, he lay back down on the bed and fell into a coma again.
It was as if his previous moment of lucidity had never existed... A rumor began to circulate quietly among the Konoha civilians.
The "White Fang abandoning his mission" incident, which had caused such a stir recently, had a new development.
White Fang deeply regretted his wrong actions and, to show his remorse, attempted to commit suicide to atone for his sins.
At first, everyone was a little disbelieving, as this was an outcome they dared not even imagine.
But with a little inquiry, one could learn that someone had indeed brought a blood-soaked White Fang to the Hospital for emergency treatment one night, and he was still lying in the intensive care unit, not yet awake.
So, did we kill him?
Were we too harsh...?
Someone raised a question.
But soon many people stood up, proclaiming the—
Justice.
—of that massive condemnation.
If we were wrong, why would Hokage-sama order The Police Force to release the person?
If everyone was not wrong, why would White Fang ultimately choose to commit suicide to atone for his sins?
If you ask me, we won!
We fought against a Ninja Lord who had done wrong, and in the end, we made him admit his mistake!
Yes, we were not wrong!
It turns out everyone's voice is so important... As long as we all loudly rebuke someone, we can make him realize he's wrong!
Countless seeds were planted in their hearts, nourished by drops of malice and darkness, waiting for the day they would break through the soil.
When the righteousness of their own actions was acknowledged, the "White Fang's suicide" narrative became the "truth."
Even many low-ranking Ninja from civilian backgrounds began to believe that he had indeed admitted his mistake and committed suicide.
Even if someone felt the facts were otherwise, they couldn't produce strong evidence.
Those who knew what truly happened that night, besides the participants, were only a handful of Anbu, but without the Hokage's orders, they could not disclose such top-secret information that had been sealed.
As for the Medical Ninja who participated in the rescue, by the time they realized what was happening and wanted to speak up for Sakumo, it was too late.
Their faint explanations could only be drowned out by the irrational, surging tide... Hiruzen Sarutobi guessed the culprit after receiving the report.
He sent people to confirm the situation, but the Medical Ninja said there were no signs of the person waking up.
Perhaps it was a contingency plan.
He thought.
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