บท 213: 213
The sun had begun to set when Shisui, Sakumo, and Haruto finished their grim discussion. The danger was too great, and the uncertainty of Daichi's fate weighed heavily on them. They had agreed to bring the caravan back to the Hidden Leaf Village for further investigation. The mission was compromised, but they needed to ensure the safety of their team and complete what they could.
Daichi had been taken ahead by Minato. His condition was unknown, and the thought of their comrade lying at the edge of life and death gnawed at them. Minato, the fastest among them, had rushed Daichi back to the village hospital as quickly as possible. None of them knew whether Daichi would survive, but they had no time to dwell on it. The mission wasn't over yet.
As they made preparations to move the caravan, they heard the rustling of leaves and the sound of approaching footsteps. Two Jonin, flanked by two teams of chunin, arrived at the scene. Relief washed over them, but tension lingered as the newly arrived shinobi began explaining what had happened.
"The Hokage sent us," one of the Jonin said, his expression serious. "A mole was discovered in the mission hall. This mission was a trap from the start."
Sakumo's eyes narrowed as the gravity of the situation set in. A mole in the mission hall? That explained why things had gone wrong so quickly. They had been set up, led straight into danger. He clenched his fists at his sides, his mind running over the details of the mission. No wonder it had felt wrong.
"Minato realized the danger as soon as it became clear," the other Jonin added. "That's why he rushed ahead. He knew you were in trouble. We followed, but we weren't fast enough to keep up."
The explanation didn't ease the weight on Haruto's shoulders. His thoughts remained with Daichi, whose fate still hung in the balance. Even with the explanation, the revelation of the mole, it all felt distant. The only thing that mattered was getting Daichi home safely—and that was already out of their hands.
With the arrival of the two Jonin and the chunin teams, the situation was swiftly brought under control. The Jonin immediately took charge, securing the area and detaining the caravan members. The mission had been designed to lure them into a trap, and now they were fully aware of it.
The chunin worked efficiently under the direction of the Jonin, ensuring that the caravan would no longer pose a threat. They moved quickly, interrogating the captured members and setting up a perimeter around the area. The mission had fallen apart, but at least they now had the upper hand.
Haruto stood nearby, his hands still stained with Daichi's blood. He had been covered in blood before—blood from enemies, from missions that went wrong—but this was different. This was Daichi's blood, and it clung to him like a weight he couldn't shake off. It wasn't the usual numbness that followed battle. This was personal, the blood of a friend.
He looked down at himself, his shirt and vest soaked through with crimson. Without thinking, he began stripping off his blood-soaked shirt, followed by his vest, and tossed them aside like they were nothing. The air felt cool against his bare skin, but he didn't care. He didn't care what people thought, didn't care how it looked. His mind was too consumed by Daichi's condition to worry about appearances.
His body ached from exhaustion, but his thoughts were solely on Daichi, who had been rushed away by Minato. The unknown weighed heavily on him. He had done what he could, but now it was out of his hands.
Sakumo turned to Haruto and Shisui, his voice low and steady. "Let's return to the village. We've done all we can here."
Without a word, they nodded in agreement. The mission had been compromised, and they had no reason to stay any longer. Their thoughts were with Daichi, but they had their orders. They would return to the village and wait for news. For now, all they could do was hope.
Sakumo took the lead, running with his genin at a steady but urgent pace. They didn't stop. They didn't speak. The mission was over, but Daichi's fate weighed on all of them like a heavy cloud. Haruto pushed forward, his mind replaying the images of the battle and Daichi's collapse over and over.
Thanks to his tier 2 stamina, Haruto was able to recover enough to keep pace, though exhaustion clung to him. They didn't stop nor talk, knowing the only thing that mattered was getting back as quickly as possible.
The journey felt endless, but finally, after a full day of running, they reached the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. Exhausted, hungry, and worn down, none of them paused. They didn't care about the physical discomfort, the aching limbs, or the fatigue dragging at their heels. They had one destination: the hospital.
The hospital doors loomed ahead, and as they pushed through them, their steps slow and heavy, they saw Minato and Kushina waiting. Minato's face was calm, but the concern in his eyes was unmistakable. Kushina stood beside him.
Before Haruto could say a word, Kushina moved toward him, her eyes filled with emotion—an emotion that told Haruto, without words, that Daichi had been saved. He was alive.
Without hesitation, Kushina wrapped her arms around him in a tight, warm hug. Haruto stood frozen for a moment, the unexpected gesture catching him off guard. His mind, still clouded with exhaustion and worry, struggled to process it. The weight of Daichi's uncertain fate had been lifted—at least for now.
"Thank you," Kushina whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for saving him."
Haruto stiffened, feeling the weight of her gratitude press against the walls he had built around himself. He hadn't been the one to save Daichi—at least, that's what he kept telling himself. He had done what he could, but it hadn't felt like enough. Even now, with Daichi alive, Haruto couldn't shake the feeling that more should have been done.
For a brief moment, Haruto stood there, unsure of how to respond. His body was worn down to the bone, and his mind was too tired to form any coherent thoughts. But in Kushina's embrace, something inside him began to soften. The wall he had built around his emotions slowly cracked.
Tsunade stood at a distance, watching the scene unfold. Her sharp eyes took in every detail—the exhaustion in Haruto's posture, the vulnerability in his eyes. She had never seen him like this before. He had always been so composed, so controlled. But now, standing here, with Daichi's blood still on his hands and Kushina's arms around him, he looked… human. Fragile, even.
Tsunade's thoughts drifted to her own past. To the faces of the people she had loved and lost. Dan. Nawaki. She knew that look in Haruto's eyes all too well. It was the same look she had carried after losing them. The look of someone who had brushed against the edge of loss and had come out the other side, forever changed.
She sighed inwardly, her chest tightening as memories of her own failures surfaced. There were some things even a medical-nin couldn't fix. Some wounds never truly healed.
As Kushina pulled back, her eyes still filled with gratitude, Haruto let out a long, shaky breath. He had given everything he had to save Daichi, and he was alive. And in that moment, he allowed himself to feel the weight lift, if only just a little.
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