Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice-Chapter 52: The Real Vegetable

"Holy shit!"

As soon as Kamizuki Hikari pushed open Danzo's bedroom door and laid eyes on his current state, he couldn't help but let out a curse.

What stood before him was a humanoid tree trunk. Danzo's legs had turned into roots burrowing deep into the ground, and from his head sprouted thick green foliage. Only the aged face embedded in the middle of the tree hinted at his former identity.

Tsunade was silent.

'With him looking like this, you're asking me to save him? Do you think I'm a god or something?'

Originally, when Tsunade heard Danzo was a "vegetative state" patient, she assumed it was the usual kind—brain damage leading to a coma. She never expected that he'd literally turned into a plant.

A real plant and a vegetative state are not the same thing, alright?

'If someone actually manages to bring him back, I'd willingly ask them to be my teacher.'

Tsunade grumbled silently, then turned her sharp gaze on Yamanaka Fū. "As a member of the Yamanaka clan, you should be familiar with Yin Release. Did you find any clues when extracting Danzo's memories?"

'Hikari acted alone—I hope he covered his tracks. If Danzo somehow recorded his appearance, things could get messy.'

No matter how much Tsunade or the other shinobi clans of Konoha despised Danzo, as long as he remained one of the village's elders, his death couldn't go uninvestigated. If any evidence pointed to Kamizuki Hikari, Tsunade would have to take action.

Don't get her wrong — it's not about targeting Hikari, but about burying Root along with Danzo.

Some might call it ruthless, but as a leader, these were the choices she had to make.

In Tsunade's eyes, Kamizuki Hikari mattered more than the entire Root combined. Sacrificing Root to protect him was a no-brainer.

Yamanaka Fū shook his head, full of regret. "Danzo-sama no longer has any soul resonance. I used our clan's secret technique to probe, but there wasn't even a fragment of memory left."

"Then how the hell am I supposed to save him?" Tsunade couldn't help but blurt out.

Yamanaka Fū lowered his head in silence.

His job was to ask for help, not explain how to help.

"Kakashi, use your Sharingan. See if there's any chakra still flowing inside Danzo." Tsunade gave Fū a fierce glare, then turned to instruct Kakashi.

Kakashi suppressed the excitement bubbling in his heart, lifted his forehead protector, and let his Sharingan examine Danzo.

"This is..."

"Danzo-sama's chakra pathways have fused completely with the tree. He's now drawing nutrients from the earth on his own — he's basically surviving like an actual tree."

"Also, there's something on the left side." Kakashi noted.

Tsunade stepped forward, placing her hand gently against the trunk. Green chakra glowed around her fingers, and her expression darkened.

"Wood Release chakra... Yamanaka Fū, were you aware that Danzo was experimenting with the First Hokage's cells?"

Those cells were extracted from her grandfather's corpse. She had only suspected it before, but now, having confirmed it, Tsunade was ready to throw punches.

"Tsunade-sama, this was an experiment the Third Hokage personally ordered Danzo-sama to conduct. After Danzo-sama's arm was injured, he used the First Hokage's cells to heal it. It was all for Konoha!"

[Hah! For Konoha? That's Uchiha Shin's right arm, isn't it? Danzo did all of this for himself, not for the village.]

[Konoha doesn't need people like him. Disgusting!]

'Uchiha Shin?'

'Could it be that, besides Sasuke, there were other surviving Uchiha?'

That thought flashed through Tsunade's mind as her gaze landed on Danzo's right arm.

*Snap!*

Her hand moved like lightning.

A circular hole appeared where Danzo's right arm once was. Tsunade raised her clenched fist and turned back to Yamanaka Fū. "If the First Hokage's cells were just for healing, then tell me... what the hell is this?"

Yamanaka Fū opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

As one of Danzo's most trusted men, he knew far more than most.

Before he could answer, Tsunade opened her hand — revealing a blood-red eyeball.

"A Sharingan?" Kakashi was stunned.

As one of the only two known shinobi in Konoha who possessed the Sharingan, Kakashi recognized it instantly — even from just the outline.

"Tch."

"What a guy, Danzo. And what a wonderful Root you built."

Looking at the silent Fū, Tsunade sneered, then turned to Nara Shikaku. "Shikaku, summon the ANBU. Investigate all Root members—select suitable candidates to join the ANBU."

"Understood."

Shikaku gave a quick reply and left immediately.

Shikaku didn't ask what would happen to the "unsuitable" ones. He already knew—they deserved death.

These shinobi had endured Danzo's hellish training, warping their minds beyond redemption. Releasing them into Konoha would only bring harm.

The ones who could be trusted would stay. The rest... could accompany Danzo into the afterlife.

"Kakashi, head to the medical lab and retrieve a preservation containers."

"Tsunade-sama—"

Yamanaka Fū finally spoke up — but before he could finish, Hikari suddenly struck.

As a Root shinobi, Fū's reflexes were undeniably sharp.

Even with most of his guard focused on Kakashi—Konoha's elite—he'd still kept a wary eye on the seemingly harmless Hikari.

"Mind Body Switch—"

His hands barely lifted before his body was yanked off-balance. His face smashed into the the floor.

*Crack!*

Stone proved far harder than flesh, leaving half of Fū's face bruised and swollen.

"Shut the hell up. Since when does a nobody like you get to question Tsunade-sama's orders?!"

Fū wanted to resist, but found he could no longer sense his chakra. His clan's secret techniques had been rendered completely useless.

"Who... who are you?!"

"No—you're not human! You're a demon!"

*Snap!*

A soft, bone-shifting sound echoed.

Hikari released Fū and stood up, glancing at Kakashi who still hadn't moved.

"What are you waiting for? Go get the containers—this is a Sharingan we're talking about!"

"R-Right! On it!"

Kakashi's shock was hard to describe.

Ever since awakening the Mangekyō and seeing that strange white mist around Hikari's body two days ago, he'd suspected that Hikari was hiding something. Though he'd tested the waters a few times without results, his gut told him he was right.

Now that it was confirmed, Kakashi didn't know what to feel — beyond stunned.

"Is he dead?" Tsunade glanced at the crumpled Fū on the ground.

"Not yet."

"Good. If he died, we'd have trouble explaining it to the Yamanaka clan."

"Explain what? Yamanaka Fū attempted to assassinate the Hokage. The fact that we're not executing his entire clan already shows Tsunade-sama's mercy!"

"Honestly, I never expected Danzo to end up like this." Tsunade mused. "Do you think he's alive or dead?"

"Maybe alive. Maybe dead. Or maybe alive but wishing he were dead."

"Ugh, enough!" Tsunade shot Hikari a glare, a rare playful pout on her face — one that made Hikari's heart skip a beat.

"Stop trying to play dumb, or I'll punch you!"

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TL note: Uchiha Shin is a character from Boruto. He was Orochimaru's former test subject. It's fine if you don't know him—he's not canon at all!

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