Chapter 138: Mayflies Born in the Morning and Dying at Dusk
Inside an inn somewhere in Konoha.
"That Ramen Shop is indeed strange." C put down his teacup, his expression grave. "Aside from the anti-detection barrier, I also sensed the presence of other barriers in the shop, but I don't know exactly what they are since they weren't activated."
"Additionally, the patrol density of the Security Force nearby is clearly higher, and there are even people suspected to be Konoha Anbu keeping watch. As soon as I started a conflict in the shop, the Security Force arrived."
"Whew—" Nurui whistled. "With such tight surveillance, they're clearly protecting something important."
"Perhaps, but that defense isn't something the few of us can break through; the risk is too high." Darui leaned lazily against the window. "Give up on that shop and choose a more stable target."
"What about that Genin named Haruko? How's his strength? Will he affect the 'plan'?"
"That guy... should not be a Genin at all." Recalling the scene at the time, C frowned.
"He was able to notice my perception, and he didn't care at all even when I showed hostility. He might have the level of a Jonin."
"Hey, hey, is that okay?" Nurui leaned forward. "Even though we want that kid Atsui to lose, if he's seriously injured or even killed..."
"That guy seems to have a prejudice against us Hidden Cloud Village, but he seems very rational. As long as Atsui surrenders in time, there shouldn't be a problem. Compared to Haruko, I'm more worried about Atsui; he's too young."
"I'll remind him." Darui turned around. "More importantly, we have to select a 'target' first..."
...
Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Haruko was calculating whether he should spend the afternoon researching the Word Binding Jutsu he hadn't really touched, when the shop door was pushed open.
The one who came wasn't a customer, but an Anbu wearing a cat mask.
"Yo, on official business today, Uncle Cat?" Haruko greeted.
The Anbu walked to the counter and lowered his voice: "Hokage-sama is looking for you. Let's go now."
"Now?" Haruko raised an eyebrow. "What's the rush?"
"You'll know when you get there."
Haruko shouted toward the back kitchen: "I'm heading out for a bit!"
"Got it, leave the shop to me."
Hearing Kaguya Kaede's response, Haruko followed the Anbu out the door, but the further he walked, the stranger it felt.
"Konoha Hospital?"
Looking at the building in front of him, Haruko was somewhat surprised.
In the hall, Haruko saw the figure of the Third Hokage; for once, he wasn't smoking.
"Haruko, I heard you had a bit of an unpleasant encounter with Hidden Cloud Village yesterday?"
"He was the one being impolite first. Scanning around on someone else's turf is like entering a house without knocking and insisting on peeking into the master bedroom. I was already very restrained by not giving him a beating."
Haruko shrugged and followed the Third Hokage further into the hospital.
"Actually, you did quite well yesterday. In the face of Hidden Cloud Village, blindly yielding is indeed not the way."
The Third Hokage chuckled and glanced at him from the side. "However, while showing strength is fine, you must not go any further... Konoha cannot afford to fall into the quagmire of war right now."
"I understand." Haruko nodded. "But as for you, calling me here shouldn't be for this, right?"
"Don't be in a hurry... we're here."
Passing through the corridor, the two stopped outside a patient room.
Through the glass window, Haruko saw a woman with blue hair lying on the hospital bed. Her face was as pale as paper, and faint cracks were visible on her exposed skin, as if she were a piece of broken porcelain that had been forcibly glued back together.
'Is this... Kagero?"
Haruko's momentary expression of surprise did not escape the Third Hokage's eyes.
"Do you know her?"
"I don't." Haruko frowned. "Did this woman use some kind of Forbidden Jutsu? The injuries on her body are quite unusual."
"That's one of the reasons I called you here." The Third Hokage gave him a deep look. "She was found near Katsurayama Mountain yesterday by the squad tracking Shiranami. Only the wreckage of a battle and her, on the verge of death, were at the scene, so they brought her back."
"She seems to have used a Forbidden Jutsu that overdraws life force. Ordinary medical methods can't cure her; they can only barely keep her alive."
"So you want me to heal her for questioning?" Haruko scratched his head in annoyance. "I can try, but I don't guarantee it'll work."
"Just do your best." The Third Hokage replied perfunctorily. "Besides that, there's another reason I called you."
Haruko had a premonition that something troublesome was coming.
"This child was conscious for a while, but she seems to have been traumatized. She basically doesn't respond to questioning. The only thing she said was that she wanted to see " Konoha's Haruko "."
'Damn! Not again!"
Haruko feigned a confused expression: "See me? Why?"
"You'll have to ask her yourself." The Third Hokage pushed open the door to the patient room. "Anyway, see if you can treat her. Then try to get some information out of her. If it really doesn't work... we'll just have to call the Intelligence Division. It's just that given her physical state, she might not survive a memory reading."
Haruko curled his lip and followed him into the room.
Observing from a close distance, Kagero's delicate, porcelain-doll-like face was even more moving than through the glass.
The faint cracks on her skin made it seem as if she would shatter with just a little force, bringing a kind of ethereal beauty. Describing her as a fragile beauty with a short life couldn't be more apt.
Gently placing his hand on her heart, he sent Chakra into her body.
From the perspective of his perception, the inside of this body was already riddled with wounds, far more serious than it appeared on the outside.
The eruption of the Forbidden Jutsu "Mayfly Jutsu" had not only drained her physical energy but was also like a violent earthquake, shattering the meridians in her body inch by inch.
This is the mayfly—born in the morning and dying at dusk. After a momentary peak of brilliance, all that remains is endless desolation.
What Haruko found most difficult to deal with was the exhaustion of her Spiritual state.
When he tried to deeply perceive her vital signs, he couldn't feel a single spark of life, only a dead abyss.
Like a puppet discarded in the rain after being played with until it was boring, she had even lost the instinct to repair herself.
'This isn't just being traumatized... her heart is completely dead."
"How is it?" Seeing Haruko's face darken, the Third Hokage asked.
"The situation is worse than I thought. Her body is like a leaky sieve. Anyway, I'll first try to patch up these holes so her life doesn't leak away completely."
Haruko tried using the Mystical Palm Technique, and as expected, it didn't work. Her body's depletion was too severe; it simply couldn't naturally generate new cells to repair itself.
"In that case..."
Immediately, Haruko tried to infuse a bit of Natural Energy into her body to make up for the depletion. When he used the Mystical Palm Technique again, it indeed had an effect.
The Third Hokage watched Haruko's actions and nodded with satisfaction.
It wasn't that no one had tried the Mystical Palm Technique, but none had succeeded. The fact that Haruko could see through the reason for the technique's failure in such a short time showed that he had indeed received Tsunade's true teachings.
"It seems she can be healed. I'll leave her to you then."
"Yeah, the physical injuries can be healed, it just takes some time. As for whether she'll talk... that depends on whether she's willing to speak herself."
"It's fine. If all else fails, we'll leave it to the Intelligence Division."
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