The Pledge

When Mizuki opened his eyes again, he was lying in a white hospital room.

"Saved. It seems I'm fine; it's all over."

Steadying his mind, Mizuki raised his right hand to take a look. His arm was pale, devoid of any color, and thin as a stick—a far cry from the sturdy limb he once possessed.

"Just moving my hand feels like a chore. Looks like I'll be resting for quite a while. Huh? Is that Tsubaki?"

A person was slumped over by the bedside; it was his fiancée, Tsubaki Chie.

Mizuki reached out and stroked Tsubaki's hair. "It's good to be alive."

Before setting out on this mission, Mizuki hadn't been naive about the dangers, but he hadn't expected to be injured to this extent. Fortunately, he had prepared thoroughly, or he truly wouldn't have made it back.

"Konoha's strength and prestige are no longer enough to deter the enemies stirring in the shadows. Even without the threat of the Akatsuki organization, peace will not last long."

Ever since the death of Sakumo Hatake, who had rendered such distinguished service in the last Great Ninja War, the defection of Orochimaru—one of the Sannin—the departure of Jiraiya and Tsunade, and the death of the Fourth Hokage during the Nine-Tails' attack over a decade ago, Konoha had long been in a state of transition, with only the Third Hokage struggling to hold things together. The Land of Fire, despite occupying the most fertile land and resources, suffered from a severe lack of combat power. It was no wonder other ninja villages were secretly sabotaging and testing Konoha's strength. With opportunists like Hozuki Suigetsu and rogue ninja like Zabuza Momochi ready to be exploited, Mizuki had unfortunately walked straight into the line of fire on this mission. And soon, with the upcoming Chunin Exams, it would be no surprise that the Sand Shinobi would fall for Orochimaru's seduction and join forces with the Sound Village to attack Konoha. In the face of profit, alliances were nothing but a joke.

"Mizuki, you're awake?" Mizuki's stroking had woken Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki, thank you for your hard work," Mizuki said. "I'm fine now."

"I thought you would never wake up," Tsubaki sobbed, throwing herself onto Mizuki. "When you were brought back, I thought you were dead. It's so good that you're okay."

"Cough, cough, I am fine," Mizuki said weakly, "but if you don't get up, I'm going to have a problem."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Tsubaki scrambled up and wiped away her tears. "I was just too excited."

"Help me sit up, Tsubaki," Mizuki said. "My whole body feels uncomfortable, like I've been asleep for a very long time."

Tsubaki helped him up and replied, "You've been asleep for a week. Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro brought you back first; Ibiki only returned yesterday."

"Are Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro alright?"

"They should be fine. They came to see you yesterday."

"That's good." Mizuki felt relieved; the green potion's effects were far better than he had imagined.

"Peel me some fruit. I'm starving."

"Of course you're hungry after not eating for so many days," Tsubaki said, picking up a fruit knife to peel an apple. "Don't move, I'll feed you."

"Alright, but only if it's sweet."

In the Hokage Office, the Third was facing Ibiki Morino.

"I've read your mission report. Thank you for your hard work," the Third asked, "How much longer until Kakashi returns?"

"Estimated in about half a month, no more than a month at most," Ibiki added. "Aside from Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro escorting the severely injured Mizuki back first, Izumo, Kotetsu, and I waited until Kakashi and the others had recovered before completing the handover and returning. There shouldn't be any issues."

"Hmm," the Third acknowledged Ibiki's arrangement. "Has it been confirmed that Sasuke Uchiha has awakened the Sharingan?"

"Yes, it is certain."

"Hmm, awakening it at twelve—a rare genius even for the Uchiha." The Third tapped the desk, pondered for a moment, and asked, "The report mentioned an anomaly with the Nine-Tails. What exactly happened?"

"We didn't see the specifics. By the time we arrived, it was already over. According to Kakashi, it was just Naruto Uzumaki getting emotional, causing the Nine-Tails' chakra to leak. There shouldn't be any danger."

Hearing this, the Third let out a long sigh of relief. "The goal of this mission has been achieved, then."

"Next, I will tell you some intelligence outside the scope of the mission. I need you to answer me seriously in your capacity as the Interrogation Squad leader," the Third said, his expression turning grave. "It concerns Hayate Gekko, Aoba Yamashiro, and Mizuki."

"What's wrong? Are they severely injured?" Ibiki asked in surprise.

"Listen to me," the Third said, gathering his thoughts. "According to Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro, they were attacked by the Mist Assassination Squad. After a bitter struggle, they killed three and repelled one. This matches the situation in your report perfectly. However, that is not the issue."

"Both Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro mentioned that when they were in a desperate situation with the battle turning against them, it was Mizuki who used a potent secret medicine that allowed them to hold on and turn the tide. This potion healed their near-fatal wounds and restored their combat ability in a short time. Mizuki used a higher dosage than both of them combined, which allowed him to fight one-against-two in that desperate situation, killing one and severely wounding another, until Gekko and Yamashiro recovered to win through numbers."

As he spoke, the Third flipped to a page in Ibiki's report. One of the photos was taken after the three of them had rendezvoused with Ibiki. Their disheveled state was still vivid, especially Mizuki, whose gruesome appearance had long since lost his usual look.

"Seeing this, I knew how perilous it must have been. According to Hayate Gekko, Mizuki fell into a coma once the side effects kicked in. But before the effects wore off, it was an unbelievable miracle drug."

"After they returned, the village conducted detailed examinations on them, but the results were vastly different."

"Hayate Gekko had the best outcome. He didn't have many wounds, just one fatal one on his abdomen, but that was already healed. What's particularly incredible is that his long-standing physical issues from early injuries have greatly improved; his damaged heart and lung functions have significantly increased. Aside from some physical exhaustion, there are almost no sequelae, and his body is even better than before. A single dose solved problems that Konoha's medical ninjas couldn't fix for years."

"Aoba Yamashiro's recovery was passable. He showed signs of severe poisoning and a serious leg injury, but nothing critical, though he was weak from blood loss. A few tissues showed signs of overgrowth, and there were extra bone spurs on some joints. However, after surgery, he is fine."

"The most troublesome case is Mizuki. He had no fatal wounds, though the chest puncture was the most severe, it didn't hit any vital organs. He suffered severe blood loss, and there wasn't a single muscle on his body that hadn't been repeatedly torn and healed. The village's medical ninjas told me that if this were an ordinary ninja, they would have died countless times over. Yet, Mizuki is still alive. Although he is in a deep coma, it is merely a side effect of extreme physical exhaustion. While it will significantly impact his lifespan in the future, at the very least, as long as Mizuki can wake up and recover slightly, there will be no problems."

"How could such a miraculous potion exist in the world?" Ibiki asked, unable to believe it.

"It's impossible," the Third affirmed. "Powerful effects inevitably come with side effects. We conducted some experiments using the samples from Aoba Yamashiro, and the results were horrific. While the survival rate of the test subjects was indeed high, the vast majority..." The Third paused, then continued, "If a human were to use it, I believe they would definitely feel that death would have been better."

"I see. That makes sense. So, does that mean the three of them were just lucky in a special situation?" Ibiki asked.

"Likely. For now, it seems this was an accidental product of Mizuki's experiments, and this mission was the first time it was used on a person. It appears to be a forbidden drug that shouldn't be used lightly; it shouldn't be circulated until the side effects are improved."

"Should the remaining potion in Hayate Gekko's possession be confiscated?"

"No need, just leave it as is," the Third denied. "There's no need to give Mizuki special instructions either. As the inventor of the potion, he surely knows its effects well and won't use it recklessly."

"Understood. Then, what was it you wanted to ask me earlier?"

"It's about Mizuki."

As expected, Ibiki thought.

"Regarding Mizuki's situation, as the head of the Interrogation Squad, you must be perfectly clear on the details. So, do you believe Mizuki is currently trustworthy?"

"I believe Mizuki can be trusted, Lord Third," Ibiki said solemnly. "Based on my observations, Mizuki's current actions are worthy of a Konoha ninja." A thousand words could not compare to a single act of loyalty; if a ninja who had risked life and limb for Konoha in a moment of crisis could not be trusted, who else would be willing to give their all for the village?

"I understand."

Suddenly, an Anbu figure appeared and reported, "Lord Third, we have just received intelligence: Mizuki has woken up."

"Very well." The Third nodded and instructed, "Starting today, lift all investigations and surveillance on Mizuki. You may both withdraw."

"Yes."

At Konoha Hospital, in Mizuki's room, as the sky darkened, Mizuki grew tired after eating and soon fell asleep. As time passed, people finishing their busy days began to head home one after another. Then, a knock sounded at the door of Mizuki's room.

"Come in, it's unlocked," Tsubaki Chie replied.

A person pushed the door open; it was Iruka.

"Why are you here? You've been through so much trouble these past few days, Iruka."

"You're too kind, Miss Tsubaki. I received plenty of help from Mizuki in the past, but I've been useless and haven't been able to do much for him, so this is the least I can do," Iruka said. "How is he today? Is he feeling any better?"

"He woke up a moment ago, ate a little, and fell back asleep. He kept clamoring for beef hot pot, saying he wanted to turn the hospital room into a kitchen because he hates the hospital food," Tsubaki said with a smile.

Iruka was happy to hear this. "That's wonderful. If he has that much energy, he'll surely be fine. You should take care to rest as well, Miss Tsubaki; you've been working too hard these past few days. I won't disturb you any further, I'll be going now."

"I'll tell Mizuki you stopped by. Goodbye~"