At this moment, the underground base beneath Konoha's ANBU headquarters had gathered nearly all of the village's top brass.
In the battle against Uchiha Madara, both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Raikage had been gravely wounded after clashing with him directly. Minato had managed to escape Madara's lethal attacks thanks to the mobility of his Flying Thunder God Technique and had only sustained light injuries. Jiraiya, who had forced himself into battle while still recovering from previous wounds, was now even worse off and remained confined to his sickbed. Killer B, on the other hand, had only suffered minor injuries thanks to the Eight-Tails' powerful regenerative abilities.
Hundreds of other shinobi had been killed or wounded. Among the fallen was Konoha Elder Akimichi Torifu, who had been killed instantly by Madara.
With just a single punch, a kick, and one Fire Release ninjutsu, the former disciple of the Second Hokage had been reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.
"Ah… So Torifu is gone, just like that," Mitokado Homura sighed.
"Madara was simply too powerful," Koharu Utatane said, still feeling lingering fear as she recalled that day's bloody battle. However, her mind quickly turned to the pressing issue at hand—the Two-Tails.
Kumogakure was not unwilling to reclaim the Two-Tails; they simply lacked the strength and leverage to do so right now.
The Fourth Raikage's serious injuries had dealt another heavy blow to Kumogakure, which was already reeling from the death of the Third Raikage.
Of course, Konoha's own situation was far from ideal. Not only did they face a grueling battle on another front, but they also had to maintain this fragile peace with Kumogakure.
There was still a real possibility that Kumogakure might eventually turn on them again and launch a direct invasion of the Land of Fire.
"So we're not returning the Two-Tails to Kumogakure for the time being?" Holding onto the tailed beast would require considerable resolve.
"There's no need," Danzō suddenly interjected. "Kumogakure knows they don't have the power to demand the Two-Tails back from us. So they've lowered their expectations and sent envoys to negotiate for Sharingan instead."
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps they were awed by Madara's strength and believe the Sharingan can grant them a massive increase in power."
"Ridiculous," Mitokado Homura scoffed. "There's no way we would hand over any Sharingan to them."
"There's no rush. We can drag out the negotiations slowly. Right now, we hold the initiative regarding both the Two-Tails and the Sharingan…" The Third Hokage, seated in his wheelchair, finally spoke. "Our immediate priority is to help Jiraiya recover from his injuries as quickly as possible, and to find a way to wake Shimizu Uzuki."
"Old man, as long as I get proper rest, I should recover fully in a few months," Jiraiya said from his hospital bed, his gaze shifting to the side where Shimizu lay. "But this kid…"
Something had happened to Shimizu that left Konoha's medical-nin completely baffled.
His body was still alive, but his consciousness had vanished.
In other words, the person had lost his soul.
That was the conclusion reached by Konoha's medical team.
"If his soul is truly gone, does that mean he will never wake up again?" Koharu Utatane asked with a frown.
No one dared to say yes or no. None of them had ever encountered or dealt with such a bizarre situation before.
"Just what kind of technique could directly erase a person's consciousness?!" Jiraiya muttered. "Could it be some extremely advanced sealing jutsu?"
He naturally thought of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, yet he had never heard of any jutsu that was this terrifying.
The Third Hokage let out a soft sigh. "Let's have Uzumaki Kushina take a look first."
This would mean exposing the matter to more people, which also increased the risk of news about Shimizu's current comatose state leaking out.
"If that still doesn't work, then we'll bring Tsunade back and call Orochimaru in as well. Let the two of them examine him."
One represented the pinnacle of medical ninjutsu, while the other was a scientist with deep expertise in the field of the soul.
However, Tsunade's current whereabouts were unknown. Finding the princess of the Senju clan would likely require a considerable investment of Konoha's manpower and resources.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, was the anchor holding the front line at Kikyō Pass together. Recalling him directly could have a significant impact on the current course of the war.
Bringing either of them back to Konoha would consume precious combat strength that the village could ill afford to spare right now.
"Hiruzen, isn't the situation at Kikyō Pass far more critical?" In Koharu Utatane's view, one man's safety—Shimizu's—could not compare to the importance of Kikyō Pass. Shouldn't Konoha be focusing all its efforts on the war right now?
Besides, on a battlefield involving tens of thousands of shinobi, how much difference could even a Kage-level powerhouse truly make?
And even if they managed to wake Shimizu, if doing so negatively affected the outcome of the war, the consequences would be irreversible.
Mitokado Homura shared the same concerns and doubts as Koharu, leaning toward opposition.
Only Danzō remained silent, apparently waiting for the Third Hokage's response.
"Regarding Tobi's identity, I believe everyone has received the ANBU's final report by now. It is clear that the assassination of the Third Kazekage three years ago, the theft of the gold, the attack on the ANBU unit led by Minato, and the attempted theft of the Third Kazekage's handwritten notes were all the work of that individual."
"One could say that this Third Great Ninja War was instigated by the shinobi known as Tobi, and the mastermind behind him was Madara."
"Since then, countless events throughout the shinobi world have borne traces of their involvement. At the very least, we have already confirmed that both Kumogakure and Kirigakure were gradually lured deeper into the swamp of war because of their manipulation."
"Of these two principal culprits, Tobi has already been killed by Shimizu Uzuki, and Madara departed the Land of Fire after his battle with him."
"Such contributions—how could they not be remembered? How could he not be considered a hero of Konoha?"
"The situation at Kikyō Pass is, for the moment, still under control. But we cannot confirm Shimizu Uzuki's current safety."
"If we must weigh every gain and loss even when it comes to saving a true hero, then that would truly be disheartening."
"That may be so…" Koharu Utatane knew full well the magnitude of Shimizu Uzuki's achievements. Abandoning him like this would indeed be cold-hearted. But wasn't the safety of Konoha more important than any single life?
It was at this moment that Danzō spoke up. "I agree with Hiruzen's suggestion."
To everyone's surprise, he had chosen to side with the Third Hokage this time.
Perhaps he had sensed the Hokage's determination, or perhaps there was some other reason—or maybe he truly had Konoha's best interests at heart. He continued, "Given the current state of affairs at Kikyō Pass, Orochimaru's temporary absence shouldn't cause any major problems. After their recent major defeat, the Sunagakure-Iwagakure alliance has become much more restrained."
"As for searching for Tsunade, it will indeed require deploying a substantial number of ANBU members. However, Root can also contribute some of its forces for this task."
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone's eyes turned toward Danzō.
Hadn't Danzō always been at odds with Sarutobi Hiruzen?
What medicine had he taken today?
Could it be that nearly having his throat slit and almost dying recently had caused him to completely change his ways?
"If it is for the sake of Konoha, then it is only natural that Root should do its part."
"Then it's decided," the Third Hokage declared, bringing the brief meeting to a close. "Also, keep the news of Jiraiya's serious injuries and Shimizu's coma under wraps for as long as possible."
"That's all we can do for now."
A truly profound tragedy... our Child of Prophecy.
Jiraiya sighed inwardly.
They had managed to bring the boy back alive, yet somehow he had become nothing more than an empty shell.
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