Chapter 59: Shimura Koka and Danzo's Ambition
There was no other way; they had to keep him.
All the medicines had been used up.
The child was completely fine.
The Medical Ninja said that unless they used violent means to extract the child from within, he would continue to grow until he was fully developed and ready to be born.
Fortunately, Konoha had plenty of Medical Ninja capable of performing C-sections.
They were excellent in terms of safety.
Worst case scenario, after the matter was resolved, they could transfer them to Danzo's Root.
Then, no one would dare to gossip behind their backs.
Afterward, they would change the birth date and publicly declare him as a surviving orphan of the Sarutobi Clan.
"What's the point of telling me all this now? Our entire clan was wiped out, my elder brother and sister-in-law are dead, yet you haven't even formed a retaliatory unit. Is Fujiwara Chiye really that terrifying? Or are you afraid of losing this Hokage position?"
Asuma Sarutobi, with his bulging belly, looked at the ceiling in despair, not even glancing at his father the entire time, as he calmly questioned the Third Hokage.
"Sigh, I know you blame me, but as Hokage, I have my own difficulties. First, the identity of the culprit is still unknown. Even if he truly is Fujiwara Chiye, Konoha, after the annihilation of the Sarutobi, Uchiha, and Shimura clans, is no longer capable of sending out a unit to pursue him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
Asuma Sarutobi shrieked hysterically, "Who else could it be, capable of using Yuhi's genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, besides him? Although he was wearing a mask at the time, even if he turned to ash, I would recognize him. And he himself admitted it."
"That's precisely why I issued a warrant for his arrest. However, the fact that Fujiwara Chiye's body appeared in plain sight is also an undeniable truth. His mask and sword are also missing. Because of this, many people in the village are still speaking up for him, saying that he was framed. I am also under a lot of pressure," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, full of helplessness.
"Say whatever you want. Anyway, you're the Hokage." Asuma Sarutobi's tone calmed down, and he casually asked, "Old man, how is Yuhi doing now?"
"Qianye's matter was a huge blow to her; she still hasn't emerged from the shadow. She has now voluntarily applied to step down and be transferred to the Medical Department."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply, vaguely recalling his disciple Orochimaru, and then added, "After you give birth, you can go and see her."
"Go see her? In this ghastly state I'm in? What right do I have to see her? Am I supposed to tell Yuhi that I've become a eunuch? And that I'm pregnant?"
A self-mocking smile appeared on Asuma Sarutobi's face, followed by a hint of malice in his pupils. All of this had to be blamed on Fujiwara Chiye; he was the one who destroyed the Sarutobi, he was the one who ruined his lower body (PS: not a typo. Or you can just use 'life').
Hiruzen Sarutobi also felt pity for his son but still asked the doubt in his heart, "Your belly appeared on the night of the clan massacre. Do you remember if the culprit did anything else to you besides raising a butcher's knife?"
Hearing this, Asuma Sarutobi pondered for a moment, recalling the nightmarish scene. Vaguely, he seemed to have been forced to drink something before losing consciousness.
"After he castrated me, he seemed to pour some liquid into my mouth, and then I was kicked away and lost consciousness."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and quickly asked, "Old man, when I faced Fujiwara Chiye, he seemed to harbor a lot of resentment towards you and the Sarutobi. Tell me honestly, did you push him into a corner, which led to this retaliation?"
Others might not know the true nature of his father, but he certainly did.
Hypocritical, dark-hearted, ruthless, calculating, and extremely cunning. He had chosen to become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja precisely because he couldn't stand his father's ugly demeanor.
But then he found that the Daimyo was still the same.
No better than his Old man, so he simply returned.
He was single-mindedly focused on pursuing Yuhi and then becoming Hokage through his own 'efforts'.
Who knew such a change would occur?
"Who told you this? I have always held him in high regard, allowing him to become Yuhi's disciple. I even made an exception to promote him to Jonin. How could I have wronged him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi got up without changing his expression, walked to the candlestick, and turned his back to his son.
He looked at the candlelight, a little lost in thought.
In reality, he also had some regrets.
He regretted not seeing Qianye's true nature sooner, having nurtured such a menace.
Now, it was too late to say anything.
But life had to go on as usual.
He could only hope that someone in the black market would be able to kill Qianye, and if not, finding his body would also suffice.
That way, at least they could confirm who the culprit was.
Unlike now, where the clan was wiped out, and they couldn't even confirm who the culprit was.
"When can I leave this place?" Asuma Sarutobi skipped the previous topic.
As the saying goes, a father knows his son best, and vice versa.
As for whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had pushed Qianye into a corner, Asuma Sarutobi no longer cared that much; he only knew that they were now sworn enemies.
Once his body recovered, he would transform into an avenger, spending his entire life tracking Qianye's whereabouts.
If he ever encountered Fujiwara Chiye again, he would surely kill him.
"The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow night. After the surgery, you'll need about half a month of rest to fully recover." Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, then added, "Afterward, I will announce that this is a survivor of the Sarutobi Clan, and you are his father. Have you thought about what to name the child?"
"Tomorrow?" Asuma Sarutobi let out a long sigh, his sharp voice tinged with a complex emotion.
He was also going to be a father, but unfortunately, the mother wasn't his beloved Yuhi.
All of this had to be blamed on the demon Fujiwara Chiye.
He was the one who ruined him.
Thinking of this, unwillingness, malice, confusion... and a faint, almost imperceptible hint of delight, and many other emotions flashed across Asuma Sarutobi's eyes, finally transforming into a sigh. He murmured to himself, "Let's call her Mirai Sarutobi."
Whether it was a son or a daughter, they would carry the hope of the Sarutobi Clan's revival.
Meanwhile, while Asuma Sarutobi was naming his daughter, Danzo was having a terrible time.
Having consumed the Mother and Child River Water a day before Asuma Sarutobi, he had reached his delivery date.
Due to the transplanted First Generation Cells, ordinary anesthetics had little effect on him.
Because of this, he endured the pain of a ruptured abdomen to deliver the child.
"Wah, wah…"
With a baby's cry, Danzo's child was born.
It was a daughter.
The Root Medical Ninja responsible for the delivery quickly stitched Danzo's wound.
Danzo, enduring the intense pain, immediately ordered his subordinates to test his daughter for the aptitude to inherit Wood Release.
The result greatly surprised Danzo, "Lord Danzo… Lord Danzo, we detected partial genes similar to Shodai(1st)-sama in the young lady."