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Zabuza swore that this would be the last time he listened to Midorima's advice—and the only reason he was doing so now was because Midorima had once saved his life.
From this point onward, no matter what Midorima said, Zabuza wouldn't heed it.
Unless he had lost his mind.
Zabuza stared at the unappetizing meal in front of him, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately forced himself to eat it.
"What the hell is this? Are we just going to sit here and rot in a prison cell?" Suigetsu Hōzuki kicked over his food tray, his entire body trembling with frustration.
"If you hadn't taken down three Konoha shinobi, we wouldn't be in this mess," Zabuza shot back, glaring at Suigetsu with a throbbing headache.
Two days ago, he had arrived at the outskirts of Konoha with the Hōzuki brothers.
According to his plan, since Haku had already gone ahead to the village, it was highly likely that he had met with Tsunade by now.
If that were the case, Tsunade would have sent someone to escort them, and they could have immediately begun treatment for Mangetsu Hōzuki.
But things didn't go as planned.
Haku was nowhere to be found, and by the time Zabuza returned, Suigetsu had already knocked out several Konoha shinobi—only to be captured by Shikaku Nara's tactics and left hanging upside down from a tree.
The sight had made Zabuza's head spin. After explaining their intentions, Shikaku showed him the "masterpiece" Suigetsu had left behind—three Konoha shinobi who had nearly been beaten to death.
Of course, Suigetsu hadn't gotten off unscathed either, sporting two fresh black eyes.
"We were referred by Asachi Midorima," Zabuza attempted to reason.
Shikaku stared at him as if he were an idiot.
"They don't know who Midorima is," Suigetsu muttered from his upside-down position, cheeks puffed in anger.
"When the Hokage returns, she will see you. If you try anything before then, I guarantee the only way you'll meet her is as corpses," Shikaku warned.
And so, Zabuza agreed to wait—on the condition that they be placed in a cell rather than left hanging.
Suigetsu bristled at Zabuza's scolding but, after a moment of thought, grumbled, "I was just worried about my brother! He was already hanging by a thread, and after all this time on the road, who knows how many days he has left…"
Zabuza nearly smacked him. What a way to jinx things.
Even if such words had to be spoken, they should have come from him, not Suigetsu.
After finishing his meal, Zabuza glanced at Mangetsu, who lay motionless on the floor. His skin was deathly pale, lips cracked and dry—at this rate, he really might not make it.
"Mangetsu, we're in Konoha now. Whether you live long enough to see Tsunade is up to you," Zabuza sighed.
The cell fell into silence, broken only by Suigetsu's occasional sighs.
Then, the lock on the cell door clicked.
Both Zabuza and Suigetsu looked up to see a young woman with short, ear-length hair step inside.
"You're from Kirigakure?"
"Yes," Zabuza answered.
"Midorima sent you?"
"Yes."
"Come with me. The Hokage will see you now."
Suigetsu blinked. Just like that? They were going to meet the Hokage?
It didn't feel real.
After two days in this cell, he had resigned himself to merely being released at best. Never had he imagined they'd get an audience with the Hokage herself.
"Seems like Midorima wasn't lying," Suigetsu muttered.
As two shinobi carefully lifted Mangetsu and carried him out, Suigetsu moved to follow—only for the woman to block his path.
"What's the big idea?" Suigetsu yelped.
"Just a warning," she said coolly. "The Hokage is only agreeing to this because of her personal relationship with Midorima. Don't say anything unnecessary. If you do, that shinobi might not leave Konoha alive. Don't mention your identities. Just remember—you're here because his condition was too severe for anyone else to treat."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Suigetsu's eye twitched. "Somehow, I get the feeling Midorima has more pull here than he ever did in Kirigakure."
Two years ago, Midorima couldn't even get an audience with the Mizukage. Now, thanks to a letter from him, they were meeting the Hokage directly.
"What, you'd rather he stayed in Kiri and waited to die?" Zabuza retorted.
"No! I'm just saying… when do I get to be like that?" Suigetsu hurried after him.
"In your dreams."
"…"
Shizune led the three of them to the medical ward, where Tsunade personally examined Mangetsu's injuries.
At that moment, both Suigetsu and Zabuza held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
Whether in status or medical expertise, Tsunade stood above all others in the shinobi world. Though they might have complained in private, neither dared disturb her now.
Nearly an hour passed—an hour in which the two nearly burned with impatience—before Tsunade finally stepped away from the bed and exited the room.
Her expression was complicated as she looked at Suigetsu and Zabuza. "I've been dealing with some urgent matters these past few days… and your identities are too sensitive. I couldn't risk others finding out, which led to all these misunderstandings. My apologies."
Suigetsu shook his head, eyes locked on the room. "Lady Tsunade… how is he?"
Tsunade sighed. "There's one good news and two bad news. Which do you want first?"
Seeing the gravity in her expression, their hearts tightened.
"Just tell us everything," Zabuza said.
"Very well. The good news is that his body does contain toxins—a significant amount. This means his condition is indeed linked to poisoning. With surgery and treatment, we should be able to alleviate the symptoms and possibly restore him to normal."
She paused. "Now, the bad news. First, because you waited so long, some of the toxins have seeped deep into his organs. The treatment will take a very long time."
"Second… we've detected abnormalities in his blood. We don't yet know the cause, but if it's related to his Kekkei Genkai, the situation could become complicated. That said, don't panic. Right now, it's just an anomaly. His body hasn't shown any adverse reactions yet."
Suigetsu's emotions churned.
Happy? How could he be? But devastated? At least his brother wasn't in immediate danger.
Zabuza, on the other hand, exhaled in relief.
For him, this was the best possible outcome. Mangetsu had once been the biggest obstacle in his path to becoming Mizukage. Now, with the current Mizukage under Akatsuki's control, he needed Mangetsu's strength.
This dilemma had tormented him—but now, Mangetsu's condition seemed to have resolved it.
Seeing Suigetsu's dazed expression, Tsunade offered a few words of comfort before instructing the medics to prepare for surgery. She then walked to the window, taking a deep breath of the night air.
"Lady Tsunade… everything will be alright, won't it?" Shizune asked, noticing her unease.
"The surgery isn't minor, but it should be fine," Tsunade murmured, shaking her head as if to reassure herself.
"I wasn't just talking about the surgery… I meant Lord Jiraiya. He should be reaching Amegakure soon," Shizune said quietly.
Tsunade unclenched her fist, revealing a palm damp with sweat.
"Itachi's with him," she forced a smile. "He'll be fine… There's no way anything could happen to him."