When Mizuki opened his eyes again, he was already lying in a white hospital room.
"Saved. Seems like I'm okay. It's all over."
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Mizuki lifted his right hand and looked at it. His pale arm, drained of all color, thin as a skeleton's, bore no resemblance to the strong limb he once had.
"Just moving my fingers feels exhausting. Guess I'll need some serious rest for a while. Hmm? Is this… Tsubaki?"
Beside the bed sat a figure hunched over—his fiancée, Chiharu Tsubaki.
Mizuki reached out and gently stroked her hair. "It's good to be alive."
Before leaving on this mission, Mizuki hadn't underestimated the dangers involved. But he never expected to end up injured so severely. Fortunately, they'd prepared thoroughly; otherwise, he might not have made it back at all.
"The strength and reputation of Konoha can no longer deter the enemies lurking around us. Even without the Akatsuki threat, peace won't last."
Ever since the death of Sakumo Hatake—who achieved legendary feats during the previous Great Ninja World War—and the defection of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, plus the departure of Jiraiya and Tsunade, followed by the Fourth Hokage's death more than a decade ago during the Nine-Tails attack, Konoha had fallen into a state of imbalance. Now only the Third Hokage struggled to keep things together. Despite occupying the richest land in the Land of Fire, Konoha suffered from a serious lack of battle-ready forces. So it's no wonder rival ninja villages constantly tested Konoha's limits behind the scenes. Add extremists like Suigetsu Hozuki and opportunists like Zabuza Momochi—rogue ninjas always ready to strike—and Mizuki's mission had unfortunately collided with bad luck. And not long afterward, when the Chunin Exams began, it wasn't surprising that Suna trusted Orochimaru's deceitful persuasion and conspired with Otogakure to attack Konoha. When profit comes into play, any talk of allies becomes nothing but a joke.
"Water-Moon, you're awake?" Tsubaki stirred under Mizuki's gentle touch.
"Chiharu, I'm sorry to worry you," Mizuki said. "I'm fine now."
"I thought I'd never see you wake up again," she sobbed, flinging herself onto him. "When they brought you back, I thought you were already dead. I'm just so glad you're okay."
"Cough... cough... I am okay," Mizuki replied weakly, "but if you don't get off me soon, I might not stay that way."
"Oh! Sorry!" Tsubaki sat up, wiping away tears. "I got carried away."
"Help me sit up, Tsubaki," Mizuki said. "I feel so uncomfortable all over. I must've been asleep for days."
Tsubaki helped him upright. "You've been asleep for a whole week. Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro brought you back first. Ibiki only returned yesterday."
"How are Hayate and Aoba doing?"
"They should be fine. They visited you yesterday."
"Good." Mizuki relaxed. [Green Agent] worked much better than expected.
"Can you peel me some fruit? Feels like I haven't eaten in days."
"You haven't eaten anything for a whole week—of course you're hungry!" Tsubaki picked up a knife and started peeling an apple. "Don't move. I'll feed it to you~"
"All right. Don't give me anything sour."
...
Inside the Hokage's Office, the Third sat facing Ibiki Morino across his desk.
"I've read your mission report. You did well," The Third continued, then asked, "How much longer before Kakashi returns?"
"About half a month, at most no more than one month," Ibiki replied. He added, "Except for Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro, who escorted Mizuki back early due to the injuries sustained during the mission, Kotetsu Izumo and I stayed until Kakashi's team recovered before completing the handover and returning. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Hmm," The Third acknowledged Ibiki's arrangement, "Has it been confirmed that Sasuke Uchiha has awakened the Sharingan?"
"Yes, definitely."
"Hmph, awakening it at just twelve—he truly is a rare prodigy, even among the Uchiha." The Third tapped the table lightly, then thoughtfully asked, "The report mentioned some abnormal activity from the Nine-Tails. Just how serious was the situation exactly?"
"We didn't witness the exact details ourselves; by the time we arrived, the situation had already stabilized. According to Kakashi, it was simply the Nine-Tails' chakra leaking due to Naruto Uzumaki's intense emotional outburst. It should pose no danger."
At this, The Third let out a long sigh of relief: "Then you could say the goal of this mission has basically been achieved."
"Now," The Third's expression turned serious as he continued, "I'll tell you about some intelligence beyond this mission. As head of the interrogation unit, I expect truthful answers from you—regarding Hayate Gekko, Aoba Yamashiro, and Mizuki."
"What happened? Could they have been seriously injured?" Ibiki asked in surprise.
"Hear me out first," The Third organized his thoughts and said, "According to Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro, they were attacked by Mist's assassination squad. After a bitter battle, they killed three enemies and drove off another one. This matches perfectly with the account in your report. However, the problem isn't there."
"Hayate and Aoba both mentioned that during a desperate battle when they were cornered and in an extremely disadvantageous position, Mizuki used an extremely effective secret medicinal formula which allowed them to last long enough to turn the tide and win. This medicine instantly healed their near-fatal injuries and restored their fighting ability. And the dose Mizuki consumed exceeded the combined amount taken by the two of them, enabling him to hold off two enemies alone, killing one and severely injuring another. With Hayate and Aoba recovering later, they overwhelmed their enemy together."
While speaking, The Third flipped through a page in Ibiki's report containing a photograph taken when the three reunited with Ibiki. The battered state of the three in the photo clearly showed how dangerous the situation had been, especially for Mizuki, whose face was so disfigured it was barely recognizable.
"Seeing this made me realize just how dangerous the situation must have been at that moment. According to Hayate, Mizuki eventually collapsed into unconsciousness due to severe side effects after the effects wore off. Before that, it was practically unbelievable—an almost miraculous drug."
"When they returned to the village, thorough medical examinations were conducted on all three ninja, but the results varied greatly."
"Hayate's condition turned out best. He sustained relatively few injuries. Although there had been one critical wound in his abdomen, it has long since healed completely. Even more surprisingly, the chronic physical issues resulting from previous serious injuries have improved significantly. His previously damaged heart and lung functions have seen substantial recovery. Except for some general fatigue, he shows almost no lingering side effects—and actually, his overall health is better than ever. A single dose resolved issues that Konoha's medical ninja had been unable to treat for years."
"Aoba's recovery was moderate—he exhibited symptoms of severe poisoning and suffered a serious—but non-fatal—injury to his leg. His physical weakness primarily stemmed from significant blood loss."
"There are signs of tissue overgrowth in a few areas, and some joints have developed bone spurs. However, everything's fine now after surgery."
"Mizuki's case is the most severe. He has no fatal injuries—the most severe being a penetrating chest wound, but it didn't hit any vital organs. The biggest issue is the massive blood loss. Almost every muscle in his body has undergone repeated cycles of tearing and healing. The Medical Ninja from the village informed me that an ordinary ninja would have perished multiple times under such circumstances, yet Mizuki is still alive. Though he remains unconscious due to severe physical depletion, this is simply a side effect of his extreme physical exhaustion. While it will significantly affect his lifespan later on, at least for now, as long as Mizuki wakes up and undergoes slight recovery, there won't be any problems."
"How could there possibly be such a miraculous medicine?" Ibiki asked incredulously.
"It's impossible," the Third Hokage affirmed. "Such powerful effects must come with severe side effects. We did some experiments using samples we obtained from Aoba Yamashiro. Although the experimental version indeed has a relatively high survival rate, the majority—most of them—" the Third paused thoughtfully before continuing, "If considering human use, I believe they would undoubtedly wish they had died instead."
"I see. So does this mean those three were simply exceptional cases who got fortunate?"
"Mostly. Currently speaking, this seems to be an accidental byproduct of Mizuki's experiment. This mission was also the first time it had ever been used on humans. It appears this is a forbidden drug that shouldn't be easily used; it shouldn't be spread until its side effects are improved."
"Should we retrieve the remaining pills from Hayate Gekko?"
"No need. Just leave it as it is," the Third refused. "No explanation is needed for Mizuki either. As the inventor of this drug, he must clearly understand its effects and won't misuse it."
"I understand. Then what exactly did you want to ask me previously?"
"It's about Mizuki."
"As expected," Ibiki thought.
"Regarding Mizuki's situation, as head of the interrogation unit, you surely know everything well. So tell me, do you think current-day Mizuki is trustworthy?"
"I believe Mizuki can be trusted, Third Hokage," Ibiki replied solemnly. "Based on my observation, Mizuki's actions so far haven't disgraced the identity of a Konoha ninja. [One act of loyalty speaks louder than a thousand words.] If even a ninja who has risked life and death for Konoha cannot be trusted, then who will devote themselves wholeheartedly to the village?"
"I understand."
Suddenly, an Anbu appeared and reported, "Third Hokage, we've just received intelligence: Mizuki has awakened."
"Hmm, good." The Third nodded approvingly and ordered, "Starting today, remove all investigations and surveillance on Mizuki. You may both withdraw now."
"Yes sir."
At Konoha Hospital, in Mizuki's hospital room, as night fell, Mizuki, having eaten something, felt tired and soon drifted off to sleep. As time passed, people who finished their daily work gradually returned home. Suddenly, there came knocking sounds from outside Mizuki's hospital room door.
"Come in, the door isn't locked," Chiharu Tsubaki called out.
Someone pushed open the door and entered—it was Iruka.
"Why did you come? Sorry to trouble you these past few days, Iruka."
"Tsubaki-san, you're too kind. I've received a lot of help from Mizuki in the past, and I've always felt ashamed that I couldn't do more to help him. I can only do these small things now," Iruka said. "How is he today? Is he feeling better?"
"He just woke up earlier, ate something, and then fell asleep again. He kept saying he wants hot pot—like the kind we make at home—and even suggested turning the hospital room into a kitchen. He keeps complaining that the hospital food tastes terrible," Tsubaki replied with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Iruka looked pleased: "That's great news! If he has that much energy, it can't be anything serious. Tsubaki-san, you should also try to get some rest—you've been really tired these past few days. I'll take my leave now so as not to disturb you."
"I'll let Mizuki know that you've already visited. See you later~ 😊"
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