Chapter 164: The Hidden Flame Village of the Land of Fire

"What's wrong with him?"

Sasuke also sensed that something was amiss. Although the sealing was indeed successful, Kimimaro's breathing rhythm seemed irregular.

Sasuke could clearly feel that Kimimaro's breathing had become very weak, yet it hadn't stopped. Instead, it maintained this fragile state.

Sasuke looked toward Kabuto, waiting for his explanation.

"It seems that his Kekkei Genkai disease has been suppressed by the Tailed Beast's chakra."

"Tailed Beast chakra itself provides Jinchūriki with a strong regenerative ability. However, it also imposes a tremendous burden!"

"And Lord Kimimaro's condition seems to be so poor that his current state and the burden of the Tailed Beast chakra have formed a strange balance."

"This is largely thanks to Lord Sasuke's multiple seals, which have nearly perfectly sealed the Tailed Beast chakra!"

"But even so, the Tailed Beast remains a significant burden for Kimimaro!"

Sasuke frowned. He understood Kabuto's explanation.

In other words, Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai disease had indeed been alleviated thanks to the Tailed Beast chakra. His method had worked. However, because Kimimaro's body was in such terrible condition, he couldn't fully bear the burden of the Tailed Beast chakra.

This resulted in his current unresponsive state.

What was this? All that effort for nothing?

"Since the Kekkei Genkai disease has been alleviated by the Tailed Beast chakra, can we treat him now? If his body gradually recovers, he should be able to wake up, right?"

Hearing this, Kabuto nodded.

"Theoretically, yes, but I'm powerless. I'm sorry, Lord Sasuke. My medical skills are far from sufficient for this level of treatment!"

"Perhaps… only Lady Tsunade can do it!"

Tsunade again?

Sasuke smiled wryly. He hadn't paid much attention to the profession of medical ninja before. However, now it seemed that every problem he faced required the help of a medical ninja.

For a moment, Sasuke even entertained a new thought.

Should he try learning some medical ninja techniques himself?

For instance, something like the Mystical Palm Technique.

At times, such abilities might prove invaluable.

"Looks like I'll have to seek out Tsunade again!"

Kimimaro had saved his life. Sasuke felt obligated to repay that debt as much as he could. Seeking Tsunade one more time was no big deal.

"Lord Sasuke! If you plan to ask Tsunade for help, I'm afraid… it'll be very difficult…"

Sasuke smiled. "I know that. But I have to try!"

Kabuto sighed lightly. "No, the difficulty I'm referring to stems from another reason."

It seemed something had happened.

"Speak!"

Sasuke turned to Kabuto.

Meanwhile, Guren and Haku also appeared curious. What had happened?

"During the time Lord Sasuke set out to capture the Three-Tails, chaos broke out in Konoha."

Chaos in Konoha?

This wasn't something that occurred in the original story!

Even though Sasuke had been cautious, the storyline had still shifted. However, he had mentally prepared for such changes long ago. He just hadn't expected it to happen so abruptly.

Sasuke: "What happened in Konoha?"

"After Lady Tsunade returned to Konoha, she had disagreements with Danzo, who was about to become the Fifth Hokage!"

"To vie for the position of Fifth Hokage, the two sides clashed violently!"

A civil war?

A battle for the Hokage's seat was one thing, but an actual civil war?

This was unprecedented in Konoha's history!

Kabuto then began recounting the recent events in Konoha to Sasuke.

Danzo was very close to becoming the Fifth Hokage. If only Tsunade had returned to Konoha a few days later, Danzo might already have taken the position.

But sometimes, fate plays strange tricks.

After hearing the whole story, Sasuke could understand. After all, when one's goal is so close to being achieved, only to have the prize snatched away at the last moment, anyone would be furious let alone Danzo.

However, Danzo's methods were rather extreme. He opted to use underhanded tactics.

And Tsunade, with her fiery temper, didn't hold back either. She chose to fight back directly.

The Konoha civil war was on the verge of erupting.

The outcome?

"Danzo was expelled from Konoha. Taking the remnants of his Root ninja, he moved to the most prosperous town in the Land of Fire and established a new ninja village under the banner of the Fifth Hokage!"

"The Hidden Flame Village of the Land of Fire!"

Hearing this name, Sasuke chuckled.

So, this was a complete departure from Konoha's legacy, severing ties with the First and Second Hokage's influence. Danzo's ambitions truly knew no bounds.

Even after being expelled from Konoha, he still managed to create a Hidden Flame Village, controlling one of the Land of Fire's key towns and capturing a large portion of its financial resources.

While Tsunade had secured Konoha, the problems were far from over.

Konoha might be a ninja village, but it still required economic support. Maintaining such a large force of ninja demanded substantial funds.

"Konoha is now mobilizing its ninja forces to prepare for a campaign against Danzo. At the same time, Danzo, claiming the title of Fifth Hokage, is rallying Konoha-affiliated ninja throughout the Land of Fire to counterattack Konoha!"

"Both sides are currently in the preparation stage, but one thing is certain: a civil war in the Land of Fire is inevitable!"

Konoha-affiliated ninja aren't limited to those in the village itself.

The vast Land of Fire requires ninja to provide security, and there are significant numbers of Konoha ninja stationed outside the village.

In the original storyline, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, how many ninja armies were mobilized?

Each village fielded an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 ninja.

In a place like the Hidden Stone Village of the Land of Earth, they could easily muster tens of thousands of ninja.

No single village could contain such large numbers of ninja.

Thus, the confrontation between Danzo and Tsunade in Konoha was merely the opening act.

Currently, Danzo appears to be at a disadvantage, given that Tsunade is not only strong but also supported by Kakashi and others.

However, the greatest contributor to Danzo's expulsion was Might Guy.

The Blue Beast of Konoha unleashed his full power, single-handedly crippling Danzo. Yet, Guy paid a steep price, suffering severe injuries and nearly dying only saved by Tsunade's intervention.

After hearing all this, Sasuke seemed rather excited.

"I didn't expect that while I was capturing the Three-Tails, such a major event would occur in the ninja world!"

"It's a pity I couldn't witness Konoha's civil war firsthand. I feel a bit regretful now!"

Haku, Guren, and Kabuto: "Uh…"

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