Hiruzen coughs with rather smelly breath as I pull him onto my back with straps.
This place is almost busted. Traces are too evident.
Time to move.
But where to... I don't have any more hideouts around here.
And going out of the village is out of the question.
I can't maintain Hiruzen without life support... in case his heart gives out.
The Reaper Death Seal—although he used the advanced version—has left his chakra networks twisted and curled.
It's eating away at his muscles and organs. The poor fellow has lost ten kilos in the span of four days, and his blood sugar is off the charts.
His pancreas is out of commission.
He's on insulin right now, and I have dialysis ready in case his kidneys start giving out as well...
But it will compromise stealth.
We need to get him to the hospital.
Get him treated or steal some equipment.
"Where to?" he asks.
"Hospital," I answer.
"Hmph... you think they can do better than what you were doing here?" he asks with a chuckle.
I have no answer to that.
"Either way, Hokage-sama. We can't stay here." I tighten the straps.
Hiruzen suddenly kicks me lightly.
I look behind me with raised eyebrows.
"Oh! Sorry about that," he says.
Hiruzen's legs are dangling—thin, emaciated, and almost rotting.
I put him down and gently tuck them into the carrier with him.
"I'm sorry..." I murmur.
"It's not your fault, kid," he says.
"I'm sorry." My eyes water up.
"Come on, kid... this isn't the time for waterworks. Let's get out of here." He grabs my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," I murmur again as I try to find even a semblance of pulse in those legs.
Maybe I should've let him die instead of watching him waste away slowly like this... limb from limb.
It is my fault.
I chewed more than I can swallow again.
Hiruzen grabs my head.
"Sasuke Uchiha!" he calls me by my full name.
My spine straightens.
"Your teammates are out there doing their best," he says.
Eyes sharp as ever.
"You keep doing your part. Trust them and trust yourself," he says.
I avoid eye contact.
"Even if they do find Jiraiya, there is no guarantee he will know where Tsunade-sama is. Even her approximate location will take weeks to figure out," I murmur.
"Just keep me alive until then," he says.
I look at him, wondering at the absurdity of his command.
"Kid! It's Tsunade we're talking about! The Slug Sage! As long as you keep me alive, she will make me whole again!" he says.
"You sure?" I ask with a shaky voice.
"Trust this old man, kid. I've seen her do miracles with my own eyes." He gives a thumbs-up.
I look at his eyes again.
They are glowing—not his usual just-old-wise-man look, but a glowing will to live.
It's as if the pain and disability are nothing but an obstacle in his mission.
And I'm his trusty steed who will carry him through hell.
Then that's what I'll do.
I set aside the weird thoughts to the back of my head and step on.
With a heart about to jump out of my chest, I step into the sunlight.
It stings on my skin and blinds my eyes.
As it clears, the sheer density of the crowd hits me.
I know Konoha is a big place where big players play around.
But this... this is on another level. The Chunin Exams have opened the village, and people from across the continent are here.
Even the barren red-light district has filled up with all sorts of people.
How many ANBU are among them? How many Root?
How many of them are looking for me?
I've done this before. I've played hide-and-seek in these crowds many times.
But this time... I'm alone.
It's just me and my bag of tricks.
"Don't bother with transformation jutsu," Hiruzen whispers.
"They are good enough to see through that. Walk along the crowd and walk against the shadow," he says, looking over my shoulder.
I do as he says.
"Do you feel any signature?" he asks.
"12 and 3 o'clock," I inform.
"Get beside the cart in front. Walk four meters following it," he says.
I follow a cart, trying to avoid someone I can't even see.
"Get below it," he commands.
I do as he says.
"That's a good grip you got there, kid," he praises.
A pang of guilt shoots through my throat—it's less because of my grip, more because he has lost so much weight.
"Crawl out to the right," he says.
I drop down and crawl out, entering another alleyway.
"I don't feel any usual signature in front," I inform.
"Don't just look for big chakra signatures, Sasuke," Hiruzen whispers.
"Feel the density, the intensity, motive, movement," he says.
I concentrate.
That apple-candy guy looks awfully suspicious.
Speaking in signs with someone.
I follow his gaze and end up on some beggar by the street.
"So... the ANBU work in pairs?" I say.
"You are a quick learner," he says as I settle down a bit.
"Hokage-sama... I don't think my hideouts will work with how good the ANBU are. We need something more solid," I say with concern.
Hiruzen rubs his beard.
"I know a place... which will hide us and give you enough machines to keep me alive," he says with a smirk.
"Really? Where is it?" I ask.
"I don't know," he says with a shrug.
I sigh. Yeah... he was joking, of course.
"The little flower is working on it," he says.
"Is she?" I ask.
"She actually dropped by once when you were sleeping," Hiruzen says.
"Oh..." I feel disappointed.
"Don't be sad. You were sleeping so peacefully the girl didn't have the heart to wake you up," he says.
I sigh... I wish she did. Looking at her smiling face would've been way better than sleep.
"I gave her a mission," he says.
"What? Bust out Mizuki-sensei?" I ask.
"Oh! Sasuke Uchiha, you are sharp. Why do you think that?" he asks.
"Because Mizuki-sensei was working for Orochimaru. He has to have an undiscovered hideout somewhere in the village to be able to influence an academy instructor," I guess.
Hiruzen stays silent.
"Am I wrong?" I ask.
"No... in fact... you are on point. How do you know so much?" he asks.
"He was there that night," I inform.
Hiruzen stays silent again.
I look around—gotta find a hotel to cozy up in.
One of those love hotels looks cool.
Hiruzen will disguise as the drunk girlfriend, me the dashing middle-aged guy trying to get laid.
Should work...
"How did you know he was there?" Hiruzen asks.
It seems my answers are more important than maintaining stealth.
"I stole and copied the contents of the scroll that day. I saw Mizuki-sensei take the scroll and go to their meeting spot. Only to be ghosted by Orochimaru and end up being Naruto's punching bag," I say honestly.
"Well, that explains why you know so much about forbidden jutsu," Hiruzen says with a sigh.
I look around again. Staying here any longer would mean certain capture.
"How much did you decipher?" he asks.
I raise my eyebrows at the question.
What is he up to?
"All of it," I take the bait.
Hiruzen stays silent.
I slip along the crowd and enter the love hotel.
"Give me your hand," he commands.
He uses my fingers to weave hand signs, and as if Hiruzen read my mind, he transforms us.
Him being the drunk handsome slim guy and me the fat and tall lady who seemed to have catfished an innocent boy into getting laid.
Not what I had expected... but I can make do.
There is a similarly fat lady at the front.
Guess he used her as a reference.
Smoke comes out of her lips like a chimney.
Her eyes slowly fall on me, then on Hiruzen.
I look at her the same.
"He isn't some ninja, is he?" she asks.
I shake my head, trying to look as intimidating as her.
She eyes me one more time and gives us a key, and I slide in a large ryō coin.
I settle Hiruzen down on the bed and hook him up to a dialysis machine.
Trying my best to twist off his chakra networks around his legs.
My chakra isn't enough to do much in this situation, but if I can get his blood flowing, it might survive.
Hiruzen winces in pain.
That's a good sign.
I pour chakra and directly IV a chakra pill in liquid form into the veins on his foot.
It seems to be working. I do a plantar reflex—his toes are fanning out.
His leg is still paralysed, but at least I won't have to cut it off.
"Ehm," he clears his throat.
My head snaps at him.
"Do you feel any pain in any other place?" I ask.
"No... em... not at the moment, I don't," he says.
I sigh.
"So, did you decipher the third chapter?" he asks.
I raise my eyebrows.
"What... chapter, Hokage-sama?" I ask.
"I'm talking about the scroll," he says.
Oh... I forgot. Fuck...
"Em... yes. It was about the soul transfer jutsu," I say.
"The Yamanaka specialty," Hokage nods.
I nod too.
"And?" he urges me to go on.
I guess he wants to hear my version of understanding.
"It's a story, Hokage-sama," I say.
"How? It's a jutsu scroll," he says.
"Yes, it is a jutsu scroll. But it tells a story about the interactions of deities with mortals," I say.
Hiruzen strokes his beard, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Give me an example," he says.
I guess we can relax a bit.
"It is said that before all creation, every soul to ever exist was created. The goddess of creation gave birth to the world we know today by bearing it in her womb," I say.
"There are analogies like that," Hiruzen nods with doubt.
"As she gave birth, the fetus was the animals, the amniotic fluid gave birth to water and lands. But aside from that... she left one more thing out that the Yamanaka found and took for themselves."
"Which is?" Hiruzen is almost leaning in.
"It's the placenta. The bag that held the souls. It's the placenta that allows the Yamanaka to house their own souls in other bodies while maintaining connection. And there are no connections stronger than that of a mother and child."
"The cord?" Hiruzen guesses the answer.
"Exactly, Hokage-sama. All these forbidden jutsu that we use for our own purpose tell a story of origin and destruction. The foundation and weakness of the world that we live in," I say with a cliché smile.
I look at his eyes for a reaction.
All I see is a rather childish glint in his eyes.
He is a seal master, all right.
I huff and swat the fly that wanted to sit on his legs.
"I'm pretty sure Hokage-sama has far better understanding of this... my thoughts pale in comparison," I say.
Hiruzen raises his eyebrows.
"No... in fact... this is a common way historians hide the details. Through puzzles and jutsu," Hiruzen nods.
"Why hide it?" I ask.
Hiruzen simply smiles.
"It's not about hiding. Historians and storytellers often don't get a chance to shine and convey their message through this war-torn world. So the ways they delivered stories took creative turns. Some encrypt them to make sure the younger generation is ready to digest the information. And some..."
He runs out of breath.
"Some?" I urge.
"Some do it for fun," he simply shrugs.
"For fun?" I can only look at the ground at such sarcasm.
"Yes... People won't believe bullshit like that if you don't put it along with some absurd jutsu." Hiruzen drinks his medication like he is taking a sake shot.
That shot didn't go down.
It started with a violent cough and with blood.
He falls from the bed to the floor.
His liver has given out due to rapid fibrosis, and the veins on his neck burst.
Blood spraying everywhere.
I forcefully block his vein by punching his chakra point in the armpit.
It made him lose his hand... but that immediately stopped the bleeding.
"Hokage-sama, direct your chakra around your stomach," I instruct.
He silently does so flawlessly.
His liver hasn't failed yet... but kidney is gone.
I won't be able to keep him alive with what I have.
I need replacements.
I've never done a transplant surgery.
I need a surgeon.
I need an operating theater.
I need a hospital.
"Hokage-sama," I call.
"What I'm about to do... is going to be borderline treasonous..." I say.
Hiruzen chuckles.
"More treasonous than kidnapping the Hokage?" he asks.
"I'm going to hijack the hospital," I answer.
Hiruzen looks at me, surprised... but that slowly turns into a smile.
As if I'm about to invade an enemy village.
"What's the plan?" he asks.
"I need a hostage," I say.
His smile turns into a smirk.
"Who are we talking about?" he asks.
"Hinata Hyuga. The princess of Hyuga is at the hospital right now," I answer.
"What else?" he asks.
"I need... a bomb," I say hesitantly.
His smirk is so hard that I can't see his eyes.
"Aaa... I know just the place to find what you are looking for, kid," he says.
He gets up on his bed in one smooth motion like the previous blood work didn't happen.
"I know, Hokage-sama... this is not the best solution... but..." I say with a shaky voice.
"Tell me, Sasuke," he asks with a loud voice.
I shut up and listen.
"Do you... intend to die for this?" he asks.
I take a long, hard breath.
"No... I will get married... have kids and die of old age," I say with a smile.
The same answer I gave to Nidaime.
Hiruzen smiles.
"Let's do this."