A Little Bit of Luck (Part 2)

The complicated thoughts of everyone present aside, Yamanaka was carefully probing Hanyu's memories.

That was simply how ninjas operated, and it was even more true of those who specialized in mental techniques... If the person whose mind he was entering turned out to be a spy, he could run into a trap at any moment and might even be attacked in turn.

But all that caution was completely wasted on Hanyu.

In Hanyu's memories, Yamanaka saw how he had met the Second. That was naturally the most important part. As for going further back to see how Hanyu had wandered around during his "childhood," what kind of war had ravaged his hometown, how both his parents had died, and tracing his memories all the way back to his birth, there were no signs of alteration or concealment. Yamanaka only skimmed through that part, and all of it was enough to show that Hanyu had a "clean background."

So Yamanaka could confirm that everything Hanyu had said about meeting the Second was true. He also ruled out the possibility that Hanyu was a spy from another village.

Then Yamanaka naturally released his jutsu and reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, looking somewhat tired. "There's nothing wrong. Everything he said about the Second is true, and his identity checks out as well."

By that point, Hanyu's actual condition no longer mattered. The crucial thing was that the Second's death had been verified a second time.

Still, Yamanaka had been somewhat careless in his investigation. It wasn't that he hadn't taken his task seriously; he'd simply been too "conventional"... He had examined Hanyu's memories in a straight line, tracing them from the present all the way back to his birth. That was enough to reveal the kind of life Hanyu had lived.

But it was only enough to reveal this lifetime. If Yamanaka had been able to pass the point of Hanyu's birth and look further back, he would have made a landmark discovery that would have shocked him... But that possibility didn't exist, because Yamanaka had already completed his task. His actions could hardly even be called a mistake. Who could have guessed that an ordinary person would be hiding such a secret?

And so, by a twist of fate, Hanyu truly passed the test and became an ordinary outsider with no threat to Konoha. It had to be said: a little bit of luck had come his way. At the same time, he had brought the village important news about the Second's whereabouts, so he had, in a sense, done Konoha a service. The others were therefore happy to honor his agreement with the Second. In other words, he was allowed to stay in the village and live in peace from then on.

"Take this child to the hospital. There's nothing more for him here... It's obvious that he's in pretty bad shape."

Hanyu had completed his mission, and even if only out of "humanitarian concern," he should be taken to the hospital. But... the one who had just stopped him from leaving was Shimura Danzō, and now Shimura Danzō was the one saying this.

He had made this arrangement before the Acting Hokage could, which was enough to make people look at him twice. After all, given Shimura Danzō's perfectionist nature... or, more precisely, how especially gloomy he had become after the Second's death... why would he bother arranging anything for an outsider?

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded to the medical ninja, approving Danzō's arrangement. Only then was the unconscious Hanyu carried away.

By the time Hanyu woke again, dusk was approaching. Compared to the heavy, sluggish feeling he'd had when he was forcibly woken earlier, he felt much better now.

His body had recovered from the high fever. Hanyu found himself lying in a hospital bed and propped himself up into a sitting position. His upper body was wrapped in bandages—he was in a hospital, and his wounds had been carefully treated.

However, the black veins on his injured arm were still there, and Hanyu couldn't help frowning at the sight.

He took the hospital gown hanging nearby and put it on. But when he tried to stand, a wave of dizziness swept through his weakened body.

"You'd better not move around for now. The strain on your body and mind will make you feel unwell. But don't worry, you'll recover soon." A man who looked like a doctor entered the room. He happened to see Hanyu trying to force himself up, so he warned him.

"Doctor, what happened to me? How bad is it?" Hanyu asked. Since he didn't know his memories had been probed, he paid no attention to the doctor's mention of mental strain. Otherwise, he would have been beside himself by now.

What Hanyu cared about was what had happened to him—in other words, what the black marks on his arm were.

"As for your external injuries, there's nothing to worry about. But I don't think that's what you're asking..." As he spoke, the doctor came closer and rolled up Hanyu's sleeve, exposing the black markings on his arm. "If you mean these, they're a typical case of chakra erosion... Oh, chakra is the energy used specifically by ninjas."

Hanyu more or less understood what the doctor meant. After thinking it over, he said, "The wound on my shoulder came from accidentally getting hit by the Second's jutsu. The Hokage himself was a powerful ninja, and the jutsu he used was very powerful too. Could this be the chakra you mentioned..."

"Chakra," the doctor repeated, emphasizing the technical term.

"Right. So could that be what caused the chakra erosion?"

The markings had spread from the Water Release wound on Hanyu's shoulder, so it wasn't hard for him to make that guess.

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

"Yes." Hanyu gestured for him to go on.

"The reason you were able to defeat your enemy was that you also have chakra within you. Our examinations have confirmed that beyond doubt. The chance of chakra erosion causing its victim to develop chakra is virtually nonexistent. So we suspect that when you came into contact with the Second, he sealed some of his own powerful chakra inside you to ensure you could reach Konoha. Perhaps it was the combined effect of these two things that led to your current condition," the doctor said.

"..." Hanyu doubted that the Second would have sealed chakra inside him while on the verge of death, but the doctor had said he was only guessing. So Hanyu continued, "Can the chakra erosion in my body be relieved or eliminated? Could it cause any serious harm?"

"It could be fatal if it gets serious," the doctor said, delivering the shocking news without batting an eye.