Naruto: The dungeon I developed went viral throughout the entire ninja world.

Chapter 36 The System's Gift, Dying Power

Inside the Illusionary Dojo.

Asuma, carrying Hiruzen Sarutobi on his back, gradually disappeared into the night.

Roy stood at the door, watching the father and son walk away, and didn't forget to say a "polite" word.

"Take care and don't bother seeing me off."

He waved gently, then closed the shop door.

Roy stretched, and although the warm-up exercises had taken place in another dimension, they had still allowed him to loosen up his muscles a little.

It felt pretty good to beat up the Naruto; it was more comfortable than getting a massage several times in a row.

He walked behind the counter and sat down, eagerly bringing up the system panel.

Tonight is a night of harvest, and he is looking forward to today's reward.

[Event settlement in progress...]

[Event: Night Raid, Counterattack, and a brutal beating of the Third Hokage.]

[Impact Level: S-Rank (Although the process is unknown, the outcome will lead to a change in power in Konoha).]

[Gained Destiny Points: 30000.]

Looking at that string of zeros, Roy whistled, suddenly rich overnight.

With these points, the shop's facilities can be upgraded again, and you might even unlock some more advanced scenarios.

"And this too."

Roy tapped the air, and a gray card appeared out of thin air, landing in his palm.

An eerie black chakra flowed across the surface of the card.

The card depicts a standing coffin with the lid half open, revealing a blurry face, making it look like an NPC.

[Special Item: Impure World Reincarnation - One-Time Trial Card.]

[Effect: No sacrifices or DNA required. Can resurrect one deceased person, whose strength is limited to 80% of their pre-mortem value. Duration: 24 hours. The deceased person will absolutely obey the host's commands.]

"nice one."

Roy played with the cards, requiring no sacrifices or DNA.

This means he can pull out any powerful figure from the Pure Land at any time to use as a henchman.

His gaze fell on the Kaguya-hime card hanging on the wall. Although it wasn't unlocked yet, he smiled slightly.

"There are quite a few good things buried in the mass graves of Konoha."

"Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Minato Namikaze..."

"Even Madara Uchiha."

Roy became more and more excited as he thought about it.

If we drag all these ancestors out, we can show them what Konoha has become in this state.

The scene was absolutely spectacular.

Roy put away the card, feeling satisfied with what a great day, and turned off the lights to go to sleep.

Tomorrow, there's another dog-eat-dog drama about power to watch.

Konoha Hospital, Special Care Ward.

Hiruzen Sarutobi awoke in excruciating pain.

He opened his eyes and saw the hospital ceiling again, feeling like he was becoming a regular here.

"hiss……"

Even the slightest movement makes my bones feel like they're falling apart.

His face, in particular, was so swollen that he had difficulty even opening his eyes.

"Old man, you're awake?"

Asma's slightly tired voice came from beside the bed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head.

Asma's eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that she had been watching over him all night and looked like she hadn't slept well at all.

"What am I doing...?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was muffled, he had lost several teeth, and his lips were swollen.

Furthermore, there are gaps in my memory.

He remembered going to that shop, intending to assassinate the shop owner. And then…

Then everything went blank, and I woke up here.

"Asuma... what happened?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"You fainted in front of someone's shop."

Asma sighed and placed the peeled apple on the table.

"The store manager said you were trying to stage an accident, so I had to carry you back. The medical team checked you out, and it's all...external injuries."

Asma felt a pang of sadness, after all, his father was quite old, and his face was truly a pitiful sight.

"Old man, did you get so angry on the Hokage Rock yesterday that you fell down?"

Did he fall?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also stunned.

He's a ninja, how could he possibly fall like that, even if he was careless?

But the injuries were real, and he had no memory of the battle.

Was it really because I was getting old? Was my bodily function declining, and the sudden stress caused me to go into shock and fall?

A deep fear gripped him; he wondered if he had Alzheimer's or sleepwalking, and he himself lost confidence.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open.

The two elderly people walked in without even knocking.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu are two high-ranking advisors to Konoha.

Their faces were gloomy, and they looked displeased.

Especially when they saw Hiruzen Sarutobi wrapped up like a mummy in his hospital bed, the two of them felt no sympathy whatsoever. Instead, they felt nothing but dissatisfaction towards the Hokage and wished they could cripple him right now.

"What are you doing here?" Asma frowned, blocking the way in front of the hospital bed. "The doctor said the old man needs to rest."

"Get out of the way, Asuma."

"Turn to the next room," Xiaochun said coldly.

"Now is not the time to rest. The situation is already critical. If this continues, Konoha might as well disband."

Mitomon bypassed Asuma and walked to the bedside.

He stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said solemnly.

"Hiruzen, the daimyo's document officially took effect this morning."

"Cut the budget by 50%, do you know what that means? The mission center is in chaos, the Chunin are on strike."

"besides."

Mitokado Yan was somewhat uneasy, but continued talking.

"There's movement at Root. Although Danzo is imprisoned, his henchmen are gathering. The intelligence department intercepted the signal; Danzo wants to take advantage of the chaos to do something."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened in surprise; Danzo, that old buddy, was indeed getting restless.

Even though my previous treatment of him was a form of protection, why is this guy so impatient?

"Hiruzen".

Xiaochun, who had just turned to her room, continued to ask.

"Are you physically capable of handling the situation?"

"If you're no longer capable, step down as soon as possible. Choose a substitute Hokage to stabilize the situation first, and then deal with the rest gradually."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

Good heavens, so that's the key point. This isn't a visit to see someone in the hospital; it's a blatant attempt to force someone out of the country.

At this critical juncture for Konoha's survival, the first thing these two advisors considered was the transfer of power, and of course, their more important concern was whether they could retain their own positions.

Looking at his two old comrades-in-arms of decades, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill in his heart, but as much as he felt cold, he was even more furious.

His own fear of losing the power of Hokage overwhelmed the physical pain.

"abdicate?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to sit up.

"You're overthinking it, I'm not dead yet!"

He reached out and gripped the Hokage hat hanging above his bed, but his hand trembled violently.

Now, let alone forming hand seals, he's not as nimble as the old man next door when it comes to even picking up something, but he still refuses to admit defeat.

"I am the Third Hokage, the hero of Konoha!"

"As long as I have a breath left, I will remain Hokage!"

"Help me up!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared at Asuma.

"I need to see the daimyo. I also need to negotiate with that shop owner. I can manage!"

His face was contorted in grotesque contortions, and his already swollen face looked even uglier now.

The greed for power and the madness of a dying struggle are on full display at this moment.

Asma felt a pang of sorrow looking at his father's state, but as a son of three generations, he couldn't say much to the old man.

But he still reached out and supported Hiruzen Sarutobi's arm.

"rise……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, his feet barely touching the ground.

The hidden injury in his abdomen, the spot where Roy kicked him yesterday, suddenly erupted.

This is also a "gift" left by Roy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his legs went weak.

She collapsed back to the floor, knocking over the vase on the bedside table in the process.

The vase shattered, and water spilled all over the floor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lay in the puddles, panting heavily, like a dying fish.

He really couldn't stand up anymore.

The atmosphere in the ward was very awkward at the moment. This was no longer the Naruto character; he looked completely embarrassed.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, both seeing the disappointment in each other's eyes.

This person is completely ruined, beyond saving.

"Let's go."

Xiaochun turned around as she changed dorm rooms.

"Go and convene a meeting of the Jonin team, and let Shikaku take charge."

"Hiruzen is no longer suitable for making decisions."

The two consultants left the ward without looking back, as if discarding a useless tool.

"Old man..."

Asuma carried Hiruzen Sarutobi back to bed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face.

Although he was truly unwilling, he was powerless to do anything about it.

Outside the window, a small black mouse was perched on the windowsill.

His eyes coldly observed everything that was happening in the ward.

They gained full insight into the Hokage's critical illness, his refusal to relinquish power, and the disloyalty of his advisors.

Then, it slipped away through the crack in the wall and slid into the darkness deep within Konoha.