Attitude

Hanyu was a crucial link in this espionage clearance operation, and as such, he had been forced to become an "eyewitness" to the alliance between Konoha and the Cloud Village.

On the surface, all Hanyu knew was the whereabouts of the Hokage following the alliance incident. Now, however, the intelligence he supposedly possessed had been vastly exaggerated, making his value as an information source immeasurable.

Yet, from the moment he arrived in Konoha until now, no more than twelve hours had passed. Judging by the tone of Shimura Danzō, it seemed this news had already spread throughout the entire village.

Most people in Konoha knew that someone had brought back such vital intelligence, and consequently, every spy in the village now knew of the existence of an important information source named Hanyu.

As evidence of this, a ninja squad had burst into the village this morning in an unusually urgent and aggressive manner, heading straight for the Hokage Building. Following that, the high-ranking officials of Konoha held a lengthy emergency meeting.

Regardless, the speed at which the news had spread was abnormally fast... there was no doubt that someone was fanning the flames.

And the person fanning those flames, unsurprisingly, was the very Shimura Danzō standing before Hanyu.

"Compared to seizing such intelligence from the hands of Konoha's high command, approaching me is far simpler. Furthermore... to the spies, I am the most important and credible piece of first-hand information, is that it?"

"If you can understand that, then it is for the best," Danzō said.

His plan could hardly be called brilliant, but it possessed a high degree of feasibility. The only problem was that Hanyu had no ability to protect himself when the spies inevitably struck.

Using Hanyu to flush out spies from other villages was a move that perfectly aligned with Konoha's interests. Not to mention someone like him, who was merely an outsider to Konoha; even the most loyal Konoha-born citizens would be sacrificed when the time came. Prioritizing the interests of the village above all else was one of the fundamental decision-making principles of those in power.

Clever spies would naturally realize Konoha's intentions, yet they would still take the bait. Shimura Danzō's plan was, in essence, an open conspiracy.

The bait was too tempting; there was no fear that the fish wouldn't bite.

Hanyu curled his lip. Did he even have a choice? Whether he understood or not, agreed or disagreed, it made no difference to the execution of the plan.

Shimura Danzō had come here simply to inform Hanyu of this development.

"I agree to the village's arrangement, but before the plan is executed, I have one insignificant little request..." Hanyu spoke up before Danzō could leave.

The man paused, then assumed a listening posture... the current Shimura Danzō did not yet seem as extreme as he would later become; otherwise, he would never have come to Hanyu to explain anything.

At the same time, he had no intention of competing with the acting Hokage for power, nor, of course, did he possess the capability to do so.

Therefore, the actions he took, even if not approved by the acting Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen at the very first moment, still had to be explained to him before the plan truly commenced.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen learned of this, despite his personal reluctance toward such a strategy due to its sacrificial nature—after all, by his own character, he did not want to drag innocent people into a chaotic struggle—he could not oppose Danzō's plan from the standpoint of the village's interests and his position as Hokage.

"As things stand, we can only increase the number of personnel and do our best to ensure Hanyu's safety." Facing Danzō, who had returned from the Konoha Hospital, this was the only arrangement Sarutobi Hiruzen could make. As the person who brought news of the Second Hokage back to the village and properly handled the Hokage's funeral arrangements according to his wishes, Sarutobi, as a disciple of the Second, could not allow someone who had rendered such service as Hanyu to die so easily.

"What is it? Is there another problem?" Seeing Danzō uncharacteristically open his mouth as if to speak, only to stop himself, Sarutobi asked again.

"Upon learning that he was about to be plunged into danger, do you know what that Hanyu said?"

What he said—was it worth caring about? Sarutobi expressed confusion. Fear, begging for mercy, pleading for help? It couldn't be anything other than that, right?

"What he said to me was... 'Can you give me a blade? A kunai will do.'" Danzō repeated Hanyu's original words without missing a syllable.

This was by no means a major request, yet it revealed the fundamental attitude of a person trapped in a desperate situation. Yes, in the end, upon realizing that the situation was unavoidable, Hanyu neither wallowed in self-pity nor feigned helplessness; he made the most appropriate and correct choice:

Fight for his life.

No one was worthy of absolute trust, and a third party could not protect him one hundred percent. Therefore, holding a blade in his own hand would be his final insurance.

"Though he is a bit old, he is... truly a fine seed for a ninja," Sarutobi Hiruzen said after a brief silence.

"Hmm, indeed." For once, Danzō agreed with Sarutobi's point of view.

Having said that, the two men, who already disliked each other, suddenly realized that agreeing with one another was an unimaginable occurrence, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Both men turned their gazes toward the window in unison.

Outside the Hokage's office, within the entire Konoha ninja village, night was beginning to fall without anyone noticing.

On the other side, in that hospital room on the third floor of the Konoha Hospital, Hanyu was also quietly waiting for everything to unfold... If the intelligence he represented was important and valuable enough, then the enemy's actions would become increasingly urgent.

Therefore, if anyone were to prepare to make a move on him, it would only happen after nightfall today. Relatively speaking, if nothing happened today, then nothing would happen afterward.

The bait was tempting, but there was only one piece. It had stirred up trouble from all sides, so those preparing to act would only worry about being too late, not too early.

This feeling of quietly waiting for danger to arrive was truly unbearable. Even though Hanyu considered himself a patient person, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

He did not loathe danger; he only loathed his own powerlessness when facing it... The things he had experienced over the past two days, and the things he was about to experience, were a bit too much.

As the night deepened, Hanyu's nerves grew increasingly taut.

Just then, in the absolute silence of the night, the crisp sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out.