After several days of travel, Veigar, along with Might Guy, Genma, and Ebisu, who were caring for Might Duy, safely and smoothly returned to Konohagakure.
When the five of them appeared at Konoha's main gate, Anbu ninja emerged and immediately escorted Might Duy to Konoha Hospital, where Tsunade, who had returned to the village earlier, was already waiting.
As for Might Guy, he naturally followed them. Genma and Ebisu, on the other hand, each returned to their own homes and families.
Veigar, with Samehada on his back and the sealing scrolls containing the other four swords, followed another Anbu ninja to meet Hiruzen.
At Konoha Hospital, upon seeing Might Duy, who was still severely injured and disfigured, Tsunade immediately began her diagnosis.
Only after seeing Might Duy did she truly understand the immense side effects of the forbidden jutsu he had used.
...
Konoha Village, Hokage Residence.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen, seated in the Hokage's chair, stared intently at the standing Veigar.
At this moment, although only Hiruzen and Veigar were in the Hokage Residence, every ninja clan in Konoha Village had learned that Veigar had returned to the village with the ninjatō.
More than half a month had passed since Hiruzen decided to use the spoils of war that Might Duy and Veigar had seized from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist as leverage in negotiations with the Mist. They all understood one thing:
Hiruzen wanted to obtain the Samehada from Veigar, and this matter would likely not be simple.
Now, Veigar had returned to the village with the Samehada, and the outcome of Veigar's private meeting with Hiruzen was, of course, a matter of great interest to them all.
Without much unnecessary talk, Veigar, who had no good feelings left for Hiruzen, took out the scroll sealing the four swords and immediately released the seal.
"Lord Third, these are the four swords you wanted, the spoils of war Duy-senpai brought back with his life."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
Veigar's words were neither angry nor displeased; they were extremely calm, yet to Hiruzen's ears, they were exceptionally grating.
Looking at the four swords laid out on his desk, Hiruzen silently nodded, then looked directly at Veigar and said:
"I hope you can hand over the Samehada."
"In exchange, I can give you an S-rank jutsu recorded in the Forbidden Scroll."
The allure of an S-rank jutsu wasn't particularly great for Veigar, and besides, he had no intention of handing over the Samehada now.
"Lord Third, do you believe me?"
"Regardless of whether you bring these four swords to the negotiating table, Kirigakure will absolutely not withdraw from this war."
"Besides, I don't lack ninjutsu right now, and the Samehada is of great use to me at the moment."
"So, I apologize, but I cannot hand it over."
"Lord Third."
As a politician who had cultivated his position in Konoha for many years, in his value system, he believed that Veigar's reluctance to surrender the Samehada was simply because the bargaining chip he offered wasn't enough.
So, he decided to raise the stakes.
"What do you want?"
"As long as you're willing to hand over the Samehada, I can promise you on my authority."
Veigar shook his head once more, stating clearly to Hiruzen:
"You want me to hand over the Samehada? Fine!"
"But not now."
"At least for three years, I won't hand it over."
Hiruzen utterly failed to understand why Veigar was so fixated on a single blade and explicitly stated he wouldn't hand over the Samehada for three years.
"Why three years?"
Veigar suddenly sneered:
"It's my spoil of war, and I'm its master now."
"If Kirigakure can't wait, they can come directly to me for it."
"Lord Third, you are the Hokage of Konoha, not the Mizukage of Kirigakure."
Having gained strength, Veigar's mindset had undergone a significant change. In front of Hiruzen, Veigar expressed his anger for the first time.
Hiruzen was momentarily stunned after hearing Veigar's words, then he heard Veigar say:
"Lord Third, you don't know the Samehada's ability, do you?"
"Let me tell you, without it, Duy-senpai would have died on the battlefield long ago."
"You want me to hand it over now?"
"One word: impossible."
Looking at the furious Veigar before him, Hiruzen suddenly thought to himself:
'Could it be that the Samehada's special ability is powerful medical jutsu?'
'Is that why Veigar doesn't want to hand over the Samehada?'
Seeing Hiruzen fall silent, Veigar changed his tone and said:
"I'm going to Konoha Hospital now to assist Tsunade-sama in treating Duy-senpai."
"As for the report on the Samehada, it will be on your desk later."
With that, Veigar turned and left the Hokage's office. Hiruzen did not utter a sound to stop him.
After a long while, Hiruzen let out a faint sigh and said:
"Danzo, what do you think about this matter?"
Danzo Shimura emerged from the shadows. His gaze was remarkably calm; no one but himself could guess what he was thinking.
"Let's first see if what Veigar says is true or false!"
"However, I believe what Veigar said is very likely to be true."
Danzo stared at the spot where Veigar had left, without moving at all.
Hiruzen also nodded, and the Hokage's office fell into silence.
At this moment, Hiruzen and Danzo were both thinking that if the Samehada truly possessed unparalleled medical abilities:
Even if Kirigakure declared war on Konoha right now, they would not hand over the Samehada.
They clearly understood that wars broke out due to interests, and they ended for interests.
If the Samehada's medical ability could reach the powerful extent they imagined, it would undoubtedly bring immense benefits to Konoha. From then on, Konoha would have a medical ninja whose lineage could be continuously passed down.
An ordinary medical ninja's value wasn't great, but a medical ninja who could save a shinobi on the verge of death after activating the Eight Gates Formation—their value would be immeasurable.
Just look at Tsunade's standing in Konoha and her reputation in the ninja world for comparison.
It was truly rare, one of a kind.
At this moment, Hiruzen and Danzo didn't realize they had almost been led astray by Veigar.
Too imaginative, thinking too much.
Veigar's words were indeed easily misinterpreted.
That Veigar could save Might Duy after he activated the Eight Gates Formation was fundamentally due to his mastery of the Ultra-Fast Regeneration Technique.
But it was undeniable that without the Samehada's ability, Veigar could very well have failed to save Might Duy's life; its role was crucial.
So, what Veigar said was accurate.
What Hiruzen and Danzo understood was also accurate.
The mistake was that the two of them overthought it.
Leaving the Hokage Residence, Veigar headed straight for Konoha Hospital. Upon learning that Tsunade was examining Might Duy, Veigar immediately appeared outside the hospital room.
"Guy, what's the situation now?"
Seeing Might Guy waiting at the hospital room door, Veigar, who had just arrived, immediately asked.
"Veigar, you're here."
"Tsunade-sama is conducting the examination. I believe Tsunade-sama will definitely be able to wake my dad up."
Might Guy firmly believed everything he said, even flashing his sparkling teeth.
Veigar reached out and patted Might Guy's shoulder, everything conveyed without words.
——————————
TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]