No sooner had Mizuki finished speaking than a middle-aged man rose to his feet, one hand resting on Hayate Gekko's forehead. With scars across his face and a golden ponytail, he was Ino Yamanaka's father, Inoichi Yamanaka.
"How is he?" the Third Hokage asked.
"Not good." Inoichi Yamanaka shook his head. "His body has suffered severe trauma and has entered a state of self-preservation. If we insist on extracting information, we can only force our way in. The damage to his brain would be impossible to estimate. Given his current condition, it would most likely be a death sentence."
The situation was already clear. If they wanted more intelligence, they would have to snuff out Hayate Gekko's last chance at survival.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took a deep breath.
"The last time we faced a situation like this, Hizashi Hyuga chose to sacrifice himself, didn't he?"
His gaze swept over the eyes around him, all waiting for his decision. The Third Hokage said heavily, "Do everything you can to save him, Mizuki."
"Please give your orders." Mizuki hurriedly answered when the Third Hokage called his name.
"You know the properties of the medicines you created better than anyone. Work with the emergency team. Whatever you need, instruct the hospital directly."
"Yes, I understand."
In the end, the Third Hokage chose to preserve Hayate Gekko's life. After all, killing a fellow villager for vague intelligence of unknown value went against his principles.
After making his decision, the Third Hokage ordered the Anbu beside him, "Urgently assemble all jonin and special jonin in the village. Have them gather in my office for a meeting."
Even without any crucial intelligence, it was obvious that the village's situation was dire. As the dominant power in the ninja world, occupying the greatest share of