While others were lost in their own complicated thoughts, Yamanaka, who was currently probing Haseo's memories, appeared extremely cautious.
This was typical behavior for a ninja, especially those specializing in mental manipulation techniques. Once a mental intrusion began, if the target turned out to be a spy, traps might lie in wait and there was always the risk of counter-infiltration.
Yet all this caution was entirely unnecessary when applied to Haseo.
Inside Haseo's memories, Yamanaka witnessed how he had met The Second Hokage. Naturally, this was the most crucial part. As for delving even further back into Haseo's early life—how he had wandered from place to place as an orphan, what kind of wartime destruction had befallen his hometown, and how both his parents had perished—it showed no signs of being altered or hidden. This portion of the investigation was only cursory, but it clearly showed that Haseo was someone with a "clean background."
Therefore, Yamanaka could confirm that Haseo's account of meeting The Second was truthful, ruling out any possibility that Haseo was a spy sent by another village.
Soon after, Yamanaka naturally released his technique and, somewhat exhausted, reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi and others, "No problems detected. Everything he said about The Second Hokage is true, and his identity poses no concerns either."
At this point, Haseo himself had become irrelevant; what mattered was the confirmation of The Second Hokage's sacrifice—for the second time.
Still, in hindsight, Yamanaka had acted somewhat carelessly during the probe—not due to lack of diligence, but because he followed too "standard" an approach. He explored Haseo's memories linearly, starting from the present and working all the way back to birth, enough to understand the course of Haseo's entire life so far.
But only this life.
If Yamanaka had gone beyond Haseo's birth—if he had dared to look further back—he would have uncovered a sensational discovery. Unfortunately, that remained purely hypothetical, because now Yamanaka had completed his mission. His actions couldn't even be considered an error; who could possibly suspect such secrets lying within a seemingly ordinary person?
Because of this coincidence, Haseo truly passed the test, being regarded as a harmless civilian outsider to Konoha. There was no denying he'd caught a bit of good fortune. Moreover, since he had brought vital news regarding The Second Hokage's fate, logically speaking, he had contributed greatly to the village. Therefore, everyone was willing to accept his prior agreement with The Second. In other words, he was allowed to stay in the village and lead a stable and peaceful life.
"Send this child to the hospital. He has nothing more to do here… Clearly, his physical condition is in terrible shape."
Haseo had already fulfilled his role. Even on humanitarian grounds alone, sending him to the hospital made sense. However, the one who had just stopped him from leaving earlier was Danzo Shimura—and now it was Danzo Shimura making this suggestion again.
By acting before the Acting Hokage could make a decision, Danzo's behavior started to stand out.
After all, considering Danzo Shimura's meticulous and fault-finding personality...to be precise, he had become especially gloomy after the incident involving the Second Hokage...there was no way he'd bother making careful arrangements for an outsider.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly toward the medical ninja, showing his approval of Danzo Shimura's arrangement. Only then was Haseo carried away from the scene in an unconscious state.
...
When Haseo woke up again, it was almost dusk. This time he felt much better than when he'd been woken up forcefully while completely exhausted.
His body had already recovered from the high fever. Haseo found himself lying on a hospital bed. He half-sat up and saw that his upper body was wrapped in bandages — so he was in a hospital. His wounds had obviously been fully treated.
However, dark vein-like marks still lingered on his injured arm, causing Haseo to frown involuntarily.
He casually grabbed the patient gown hanging beside him and slipped it over his body. But just as he prepared to get up, a dizzy spell suddenly overwhelmed his weakened form.
"Better stay still for now. Pushing yourself physically or mentally might make you feel worse. But don't worry — you'll get better soon enough," said a man who looked like a doctor. He entered the ward just in time to see Haseo trying to force himself upright, offering this warning.
"Doctor, what happened to me exactly? How bad is my condition?" Haseo asked directly. Since he didn't know his memories had been probed, he didn't think much of the doctor's mention of "mental strain." Otherwise, he would definitely have been agitated right now.
What really worried Haseo now was what had actually happened to him — plain and simple… what was that black mark on his arm?
"As for external wounds, there's nothing serious. But I suppose that's not really what you're asking about..." The doctor approached Haseo, rolled up his sleeve, and exposed the dark patterns running along his arm. "If you're referring to this, it's a classic case of chakra corrosion phenomenon...Oh, 'chakra' refers specifically to the energy used by ninjas."
Haseo mostly understood the meaning behind the doctor's words. Thinking for a moment, he responded, "The wound on my shoulder happened because I carelessly got hit by a Ninjutsu from the Second Hokage. As a powerful ninja himself, the technique he used was naturally very strong. Could this be what caused...?"
"Chakra," the doctor emphasized the terminology once again.
"Mm, so that explains the chakra corrosion?"
Since the dark traces had spread outward from his shoulder's [Water Release] wound, Haseo could reasonably guess as much.
Yet the doctor shook his head, "Not necessarily, or at least not entirely. I heard that before coming to our village, you defeated an enemy ninja from another country? And even earlier than that, you were merely an ordinary person?"
"That's correct," Haseo gestured for the doctor to continue.
"The reason why you can defeat enemies lies within your possession of chakra too. According to our examination, this wasn't hard to confirm."
"Chakra corrosion has left your body nearly unable to produce chakra on its own. So we believe that when you encountered the Second Hokage, he must have sealed part of his own powerful chakra inside you—to keep you alive until you reached Konoha. It might be the combination of these two factors that caused your current state," said the doctor.
"..." Haseo remained deeply skeptical. Would the Second Hokage, even at his final moments, really go so far as to seal some of his own chakra into another person? But since the doctor had already made it clear that this was just a theory, Haseo pressed on. "Can the chakra corrosion within me be relieved or removed? Could it cause any serious harm to my health?"
"It could be fatal," the doctor replied, delivering yet another bombshell.
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