Chapter 59: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Chapter 59: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place
As soon as Mizuki finished speaking, a middle-aged man with a scarred face and a golden ponytail, who had been gently touching Moonlight Hayate's forehead with one hand, stood up. It was none other than Yamanaka Inoichi, father of Yamanaka Ino.
"How is it?" asked the Third Hokage.
"Not good." Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head. "His body has suffered immense trauma and has entered a self-preservation state. If I forcefully extract information, I can only do so by brute force, which would cause irreparable damage to his brain. Given his current condition, such an attempt would undoubtedly result in his death."
The situation was now clear: if they wanted more information, they would have to sacrifice Moonlight Hayate's last chance of survival.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took a deep breath.
'The last time I was faced with such a situation, it was Hyūga Hizashi who chose to sacrifice himself…'
Scanning the surrounding faces, all waiting for his decision, the Third Hokage finally spoke in a firm voice, "Do everything possible to save him. Mizuki."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Mizuki quickly responded.
"You are the most familiar with the properties of the medicine you created. Coordinate with the emergency medical team. If you need anything, instruct the hospital accordingly."
"I understand."
In the end, the Third Hokage had chosen to preserve Moonlight Hayate's life. Sacrificing a comrade for uncertain intelligence went against his principles.
Having made his decision, he turned to the Anbu beside him. "Summon all Jōnin and Special Jōnin to my office for an emergency meeting."
Even if they had no substantial intelligence, it was evident that the village was facing a precarious situation. Konoha, as the dominant force in the ninja world, relied on its strength to deter threats. If its power weakened, enemies might rise in unison against it. Sarutobi Hiruzen, a veteran leader, understood the gravity of the situation—preparations had to be made.
As the Hokage left, Mizuki officially took on the role of temporary medical ninja.
Moonlight Hayate's condition was dire. His body was on the brink of collapse, but aggressive medical ninjutsu could overburden his remaining life force.
"Reduce the frequency of medical ninjutsu. Only use it in critical situations. Focus on keeping him stable with nutritional supplements," Mizuki instructed the medical team.
"But if we stop now, he might not survive," one of the medics protested.
"Trust me. If you keep forcing it, he won't last until nightfall," Mizuki insisted. "Ignore the wounds on his limbs—just keep his vital organs functioning. I'll take responsibility."
After a moment's hesitation, the medical team followed Mizuki's orders.
Though Mizuki was only a half-baked medical ninja, his understanding of biology and medicine, albeit incomplete, was enough to provide useful input. The rest of the work followed standard emergency protocols.
"If only Lady Tsunade were here…" one medic muttered.
"Don't stop the chest compressions. Keep his body temperature stable," Mizuki said. "Of course, if Tsunade-sama were here, that would be ideal. But you all have your own roles to play. The medical corps can't rely on just one person."
Tsunade's absence had left a glaring gap in Konoha's medical expertise. Even the standard Healing Palm technique was now a rarity in the hospital. The decline was astonishing.
---
Mizuki worked tirelessly through the night. By the time he left the hospital, the streets were deserted. But he could feel watchful eyes on him from the shadows.
'The security has tightened again.'
In the distance, the Hokage's office lights were still on. After a moment's thought, Mizuki walked toward the building.
Upon reaching the office, he knocked on the door.
"Who's there?"
"Mizuki, reporting in."
"Come in."
As Mizuki entered, he was surprised to see another figure in the room—Shimura Danzō.
"This is unusual," Mizuki remarked.
"It's late. What brings you here?" asked the Third Hokage.
"It's about Moonlight Hayate." Mizuki replied. "He has been stabilized for now and is out of immediate danger. However, his life force has been severely drained. From here on, this is beyond my ability—perhaps even beyond the reach of medical ninjutsu."
Hearing this, Danzō interjected, "I've already said it—we should have extracted the information while we had the chance. We could have planned accordingly. If you won't do it, I will."
The Third Hokage remained silent for a long moment before turning to Mizuki. "You may leave now. Keep today's matters confidential."
"I understand," Mizuki responded immediately. He wasn't foolish enough to spread this kind of sensitive information.
Dragging his exhausted body home, Mizuki found his fiancée, Chihiro Tsubaki, waiting for him.
"You're still here?" He felt a pang of guilt. If he had known she was waiting, he would have come home earlier.
"It's fine. I just wanted to make sure you were safe," she replied softly.
"I was just helping out. Nothing happened to me." Mizuki tried to reassure her.
"I see." Tsubaki hesitated before asking, "Is war coming?"
Lately, the village had been sending out large numbers of shinobi, and there was an increasing number of reports of wounded ninjas returning. The atmosphere in Konoha was tense.
For those who had lived through the last great ninja war, the current signs were unmistakable.
Mizuki pulled Tsubaki into his arms. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
He didn't deny the likelihood of war, and his intelligent fiancée understood his meaning.
Outside, Mizuki could afford to play dumb. But at home, Tsubaki deserved to know the truth—to prepare for what was coming.
---
The next morning, despite his exhaustion, Mizuki forced himself to get up early. Sakura was waiting for him. He might have been lazy for himself, but he couldn't let his bad habits ruin someone else's dream.
Opening the door, he was surprised to see a visitor standing outside.
"You?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow. "What brings you here?"
It was Uzuki Yugao.
"I came to thank you." She bowed deeply. "During the last mission, you saved Hayate's life. And this time, if not for you, he wouldn't have survived."
"You don't need to be so formal. The Wave mission was just business, not a personal favor. And this time… we don't even know if he'll make it."
Mizuki hesitated, then added, "To be honest… he's not out of danger yet."
Even if Hayate had survived the attack, he still had another trial ahead of him—Danzō.
If he didn't regain consciousness soon, he could very well be silenced.
If Hayate had simply died in battle, it would have been tragic, but understandable.
But if he ended up being killed by his own village for political reasons…
Then yet another sorrowful name would be added to the Memorial Stone.
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