A Little Bit of Luck (Part 2)

Setting aside the complex thoughts of those present, the Yamanaka ninja currently probing Hanyu's memories appeared exceptionally cautious.

A ninja's attitude is always like this, and those specializing in mental manipulation are even more so... Once the person whose mind they are invading turns out to be a spy, they could encounter a trap at any moment, leading to the possibility of a counter-invasion.

However, this caution of his was entirely wasted on Hanyu.

Within Hanyu's memories, the Yamanaka saw the process of his encounter with the Second Hokage, a part that was naturally of the utmost importance. As for looking further back at Hanyu's "childhood," how he wandered from place to place, what kind of war his hometown suffered, how both his parents died, and tracing it all the way back to his birth—these memories contained no traces of being modified or hidden. This part of the probe was merely a cursory glance, and all of this was sufficient to prove that Hanyu was a person of "clean background."

Therefore, the Yamanaka could be certain that Hanyu's description of his meeting with the Second Hokage was true, and he also ruled out the possibility of him being a spy from another village.

Following this, the Yamanaka naturally released his jutsu and reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others with a hint of fatigue, "There are no issues. Everything he said regarding the Second Hokage is true, and his identity is also beyond reproach."

At this point, what Hanyu actually was no longer mattered; the key was that the sacrifice of the Second Hokage had been verified a second time.

However, in terms of results, this probe by the Yamanaka was still somewhat careless. It was not that he did not take his mission seriously, but rather that he was too "conventional"... He adopted a linear method to probe Hanyu's memories, tracing them from the current point in time all the way back to Hanyu's birth, which was sufficient to show what kind of experiences Hanyu had in this life.

Yet, it was only this life. If the Yamanaka had been able to cross Hanyu's birth point and look further back, he would have made a groundbreaking and shocking discovery... But such a hypothesis was invalid, for the Yamanaka had already completed his mission. His behavior could not even be considered a mistake; who could have imagined that such secrets were hidden within an ordinary person?

Thus, it was precisely due to this twist of fate that Hanyu truly passed the test and became an ordinary outsider with no threat to Konoha. It must be said that a small stroke of luck had descended upon him. At the same time, because he brought the village major news regarding the whereabouts of the Second Hokage, logically speaking, he had rendered a service to Konoha, so everyone was happy to acknowledge the promise he made with the Second Hokage. In other words, he was allowed to stay in the village and live a stable life for a long time.

"Send this child to the hospital; there is nothing left for him to do here... It is clear that his current physical condition is very poor."

Hanyu had already completed his mission, and even if only out of "humanitarian" considerations, he should be sent to the hospital. However... it was Shimura Danzō who had just stopped him from leaving, and it was also Shimura Danzō who was saying this now.

He had made such arrangements before the acting Hokage could, which was even somewhat eye-catching. After all, given Shimura Danzō's fault-finding personality—or more accurately, he had become exceptionally gloomy after the Second Hokage's incident—he would never have bothered to arrange anything for an outsider.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded at the medical ninja, signaling his approval of Danzō's arrangement, and only then was the unconscious Hanyu taken away from there.

By the time Hanyu woke up again, it was already near dusk. Compared to the heavy, sickly feeling he had when he was forcibly awakened earlier, his current state was undoubtedly much better.

His body had recovered from its high fever. Hanyu found himself lying on a hospital bed. He propped himself up to a half-sitting position and saw that his upper body was wrapped in bandages—this was a hospital, and his injuries had been meticulously treated.

However, the black vascular marks on his injured arm still remained, which made Hanyu frown involuntarily.

He casually grabbed the hospital gown hanging to the side and put it on. Then, as he prepared to stand up, a wave of dizziness assaulted his weak body.

"It would be best if you didn't move around for now. The physical and mental stress will make you feel uncomfortable. But don't worry, you will recover soon." A person who looked like a doctor walked into the ward and happened to see Hanyu trying to force himself up, so he warned him thus.

"Doctor, what happened to me? What exactly is my condition?" Hanyu asked. Since he did not know he had been subjected to a memory probe, he did not pay attention to what the other party meant by "mental stress"; otherwise, he would certainly be feeling uneasy right now.

What Hanyu cared about now was what had happened to him, or to put it more bluntly... what the black marks on his arm were.

"As for the external wounds, there is no problem, but I don't think that's what you are asking about..." As he spoke, the doctor walked up to Hanyu, pulled back his sleeve, and exposed the black patterns on his arm. "If you are referring to this, it is a typical phenomenon of chakra erosion... Oh, 'chakra' refers specifically to the energy used by ninjas."

Hanyu roughly understood what the other party meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The wound on my shoulder was caused by accidentally being hit by the Second Hokage's jutsu. The Hokage himself is a powerful ninja, and the technique he used was also quite potent. Could this be the cha... you mentioned?"

"Chakra," the doctor emphasized the technical term once more.

"Yes, so could this be the cause of the chakra erosion?"

The marks were spreading from the Water Style wound on Hanyu's shoulder, so it was not difficult for Hanyu to make such a guess.

However, the doctor shook his head. "Not necessarily, or at least not entirely. I heard that before coming to the village, you defeated a ninja from an enemy country? And before that, you were merely an ordinary person?"

"Yes," Hanyu signaled for the other party to continue.

"The reason you were able to defeat the enemy lies in the fact that you also possess chakra. Through our examination, this is not a difficult thing to determine. The possibility of chakra erosion causing the victim to generate their own chakra is almost zero. Therefore, we speculate that during your contact with the Second Hokage, he sealed a portion of his own powerful chakra into your body to ensure you reached Konoha. Perhaps it is the interaction between these two situations that has led to your current condition," the doctor said.

"..." The Second Hokage, in his dying moments, had sealed his chakra into him? Hanyu was very skeptical, but the doctor had already said it was merely a guess. Thus, Hanyu continued to ask, "Can the chakra erosion on my body be alleviated or eliminated? Will there be any serious harm?"

"If it's serious, it could be fatal," the doctor said, dropping a bombshell.