The Visit

Fortunately, the doctor was just prone to dramatic pauses. He continued, "However, your condition isn't that serious. Compared to when you first arrived at the hospital, the marks on your body have already faded slightly in just a few short hours, so they should disappear before long."

Could things really be that simple? Hanyu wore a skeptical expression.

"If you are still worried about your own condition, then my advice is to control your chakra as soon as possible and use your own energy to resist the external erosion. That is the most orthodox method available." Sensing Hanyu's anxiety, the doctor offered his recommendation.

"I understand." Given that it had come to this, Hanyu could only nod.

Chakra, ninjas—all of this was far too unfamiliar. For Hanyu, he did know a few things about Naruto and the ninja world, but the source of this knowledge was merely the manga he had read during his youth in his past life. Not to mention the accuracy of his memory at this very moment, could the content displayed on paper or the script of a story ever compare to the true information density of a living world?

Therefore, Hanyu knew his memories could only ever serve as a reference, not as a baseline for understanding the world.

"You can rest easy in the hospital. After all, a rare specimen like you has great research value," the doctor said, half-jokingly. Medical ninjas were the busiest of their kind; he couldn't stay here chatting with Hanyu forever. However, before turning to leave, he seemed to remember something and pulled a small glass bottle from his pocket.

"Right, this is the debris removed from your body earlier. You can keep it as a little souvenir." With that, the doctor left the ward.

Hanyu stared blankly at the glass bottle. The bottom was covered with a layer of tiny blade fragments; the largest were the size of a fingernail, while the smallest were no bigger than nail clippings.

Looking at these things, he suddenly realized something—when he was caught in the surprise attack by the Second Hokage, he had been carrying the ninja tools belonging to the Cloud Village rogue ninjas, Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He couldn't recall their names, but he knew they could be traced back to the Sage of Six Paths.

Whether it was the gourd or the banana-leaf fan, they were all created and used by the Sage of Six Paths.

Perhaps due to metal fatigue or because they were long past their warranty, both items had shattered under the Second Hokage's Water Severing Wave... and in this world, there was a law: anything or anyone associated with the Sage of Six Paths was either extremely fortunate or utterly disastrous.

Hanyu had been peppered with the shards of the broken ninja tools at the time, and since the previous owners of those tools always liked to cut things and store all sorts of messy items inside them... well, at this point, Hanyu was no longer worried about chakra erosion; he was worried about "cross-contamination."

Thinking this, Hanyu gently pulled back a bandage on his body. The small wound beneath it also bore those same black, eroded marks.

Was it really like this?

Hanyu knew things wouldn't be that simple. Yet, as things stood, he could only hope that events would unfold as the doctor had just said, and that these marks would naturally dissipate before long.

His worry was by no means groundless; it was well-founded. But the problem was... his concerns were perhaps too far-reaching. The so-called crisis wouldn't just happen in the future; it was happening right now.

Not long after the doctor left the ward, another unexpected visitor arrived.

"Hanyu... that is your name, correct?"

"You are..." Hanyu recognized the identity of the young face before him, but he had to suppress his surprise and pretend to be completely ignorant of the man—Shimura Danzō, the shadow beneath the light of Konoha. Of course, at this young age, he might not have reached the level he would later attain, but it had to be said that his face was already somewhat unsettling.

"Shimura Danzō." The man stated his name, then explained his purpose. "I must say, Hanyu, your arrival and the news of the Second Hokage are matters of sufficient importance, both to Konoha and to the entire ninja world."

"No, no, it's not that important..."

Shimura Danzō cut off his meaningless modesty directly. "This is not a compliment; I am merely stating a fact. At this stage of the Ninja World War, a major event has occurred that is enough to influence the course of the war—whether it is the alliance between Cloud and Konoha, or the further deterioration of relations due to the deaths of the Hokage and the Raikage, these are events that can sway the world's situation. And now, apart from you, no one knows what actually happened at the alliance ceremony."

"It is not just news of the Hokage, but also the Raikage, and even the attackers, the Cloud rogue ninjas Kinkaku and Ginkaku. This is intelligence that every ninja village wants to get their hands on... and such intelligence is currently in your possession."

The more Hanyu listened, the more wrong it felt, and he couldn't help but frown. "Wait, apart from the whereabouts of the Hokage, I know nothing about the other things you mentioned."

The truth was exactly as Hanyu said, but such an explanation seemed pale and weak to Danzō. He continued, "No, as long as Konoha believes you know everything, then in the eyes of other villages, you do know everything... Once you brought back news of the Hokage, the development of the situation was no longer up to you."

"I am merely an insignificant little person..."

"Cloud, Mist, Sand, and others—whether during war or peace, Konoha always sends spies to hostile and potentially hostile villages. Likewise, other villages send spies to Konoha. No matter how strictly one guards against it, this is something that cannot be eradicated."

"In other words, I have become bait without even realizing it?" Hanyu said. By this point, Danzō's intent was clearly laid bare. "In order to find out what happened at the alliance ceremony, to determine the future relationship between Konoha and Cloud, and to further speculate on the trajectory of the war, spies from other villages lurking in Konoha will target me, the 'insider,' right?"

The development of the situation had ultimately exceeded Hanyu's expectations.

Shimura Danzō did not answer his question directly, but instead said, "Spies have no reason to ignore such vital intelligence, even if they face the danger of exposure... And accordingly, when they begin to concentrate their activities, it will be the perfect time for Konoha to purge them."

A strange, dark light flickered in his eyes, and his tone was not one of discussion, but merely the announcement of a "predetermined plan."