Chapter 62: Violent Soul Binding
Chapter 62: Violent Soul Binding
Inside the Hokage's Office, only three people remained—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Mizuki.
After listening to their report, Hiruzen seemed quite surprised.
"You're saying this might work, Mizuki?"
"There's a high chance we can keep him alive," Mizuki replied carefully. "But I can't say for sure if there will be any side effects. I've never tested this method on a human before."
Hiruzen nodded and thought for a moment before asking, "What do you need?"
Hearing this, Mizuki finally felt relieved. When it came to matters of life and death, Hiruzen always had difficulty making decisions. But as long as Hayate remained alive, there would always be a way to heal him. In the worst case, when Tsunade returned, she could solve the problem far more effectively than any of them.
---
Night had fallen completely, and the Konoha Hospital was no longer as bustling as it had been during the day. In a quiet, dimly lit room, Mizuki and Yamanaka Inoichi made their final preparations.
Mizuki meticulously checked every sealing formula and preparatory materials, ensuring that nothing was overlooked.
Sitting nearby with his eyes closed, Inoichi suddenly spoke.
"Nervous?"
"Yeah," Mizuki admitted with a bitter smile. "The thought that someone's life is entirely in my hands… It's not a pleasant feeling."
"You've been through plenty of battles, haven't you? Shouldn't you be used to this by now?"
"You're right," Mizuki conceded. "But this is different from fighting an enemy on the battlefield."
He wasn't wrong. The original Mizuki—someone cold enough to kill his own comrade during a mission—probably wouldn't have cared at all. But Mizuki, as he was now, found himself feeling more human.
"Still, I have to admit," Mizuki sighed. "It's a lot harder when the one in danger is someone on your own side."
"Yeah," Inoichi murmured. "Every time this happens, it never gets easier."
"…So you're not nervous?"
"Not my problem," Inoichi shrugged. "I'm just here to do my job. You're the one with the crazy plan—you figure it out."
"…Right." Mizuki grimaced. This was his mess, after all.
Just then, a masked ANBU operative knocked on the door.
"It's time. Everything is ready—follow me."
---
Inside a sealed chamber, a complex sealing array covered the floor. Moonlight Hayate lay at its center, his condition still critical.
"Let's not waste time," Inoichi said. "The longer we delay, the worse it gets."
"Understood."
Mizuki stepped forward and carefully painted sealing marks across Hayate's body, ensuring they aligned with the formation's nodes.
Once preparations were complete, he turned to the four ANBU members who had been waiting.
"Begin."
The four ANBU immediately sat at equal distances around the room, channeling their chakra into the formation. A translucent barrier rose, enclosing the chamber, and the symbols on Hayate's body began to glow faintly, resonating with the formation.
"Inoichi, you're up."
"Right," the older shinobi muttered, stepping forward and performing the Mind-Body Transmission Jutsu.
BZZZT!
"…Huh?" Inoichi frowned. Unlike the last time he attempted this technique, something was resisting him.
He glanced at Mizuki.
"This seal of yours… it's actually working?"
"Of course," Mizuki smirked. "Otherwise, why would we be doing this?"
Seeing that the method was effective, Inoichi proceeded cautiously, ensuring that his mental dive into Hayate's consciousness wouldn't trigger another collapse.
Meanwhile, Mizuki anxiously observed from the sidelines.
This was a gamble.
Even though he was confident in theory, he knew that anything involving the mind and soul was extremely unpredictable. A single mistake could be permanent.
But his approach was simple—brute force.
He had taken inspiration from Kakashi's Summoning Contract, which contained a hidden technique, and combined it with his research on mental energy aggregation (the same principle behind his flower shop sign absorbing residual spiritual energy).
If his calculations were correct, the technique would stabilize Hayate's mind long enough for Inoichi to extract the necessary information without breaking him completely.
In short, Hayate's soul was currently shattered—but instead of allowing it to crumble, Mizuki's method would forcibly glue the fragments together.
To put it crudely:
Inoichi was about to punch Hayate's consciousness hard enough to dislocate it.
Mizuki was going to violently snap it back into place before it fell apart completely.
Would this cause side effects? Possibly.
Would Hayate lose some memories? Very likely.
Would it be better than dying? Absolutely.
---
Minutes passed.
Mizuki looked at the four ANBU, whose chakra was now visibly straining under the load of the formation's barrier.
"How's it going?" Mizuki asked.
Inoichi, his forehead glistening with sweat, finally withdrew his hand from Hayate's temple.
"It's done." He exhaled. "Your method made it harder, but it worked. I got what we needed."
"…Good. Now, it's my turn."
Mizuki walked up to Hayate, crouched down, and placed his hand on the unconscious man's forehead.
"Hold on just a little longer."
The sealing marks across Hayate's skin began moving, rippling toward Mizuki's palm like ink being drawn into a well.
"Damn, this is taking longer than I thought," Mizuki muttered, feeling the strain. This method required far more chakra than expected.
The formation trembled, and the four ANBU began showing signs of exhaustion.
"Hang in there," Mizuki called out to them. "Almost done."
Finally—
SHRRRRIP!
The last of the sealing energy condensed, forming a web-like symbol across Hayate's forehead.
It shimmered for a moment… then sank into his skin, disappearing completely.
The formation's glow faded, and the barrier dissipated.
"…Damn," Mizuki gasped, slumping onto the floor, completely drained.
Immediately, the waiting medical-nin rushed in to check Hayate's condition.
"His vitals… they're stable!"
Mizuki let out a weak chuckle.
It worked.
Hayate had survived.
For now.
---
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