Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Chapter 358

I lay flat on the cold tiles, desperately sucking in air. Medical-nin possessed a terrifying talent for inflicting the absolute maximum amount of agony with each strike. I wheezed, staring blankly at the ceiling. I had desperately hoped that taking a beating might earn me a few extra years on the installment plan.

Ayaka was already pulling her fist back for round two when a sharp knock echoed through the room. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, formed a quick hand sign to dispel the privacy barrier, and calmly returned to her desk. By the time she sat down, she was the picture of perfect professional composure, acting as if she had not just treated my body like a lump of clay.

An ANBU operative wearing a porcelain weasel mask walked into the office. "Lady Ayaka, I was informed that Noa is here. The Hokage requires his presen..." The operative trailed off, tilting his head at my pathetic state on the floor. "Was the hospital attacked?"

Ayaka shook her head without missing a beat. "No. He just tried to weasel out of paying his medical debt."

The operative coughed quietly, shifting his gaze back to me with a hint of genuine concern bleeding through his stoic persona. "Can you move?"

I offered a trembling thumbs up. Stray sparks of static electricity twitched over my knuckles as I forced myself to sit up. Every muscle fiber in my body screamed in protest. "Yeah. Does the ANBU offer free medical assistance?"

Weasel replied in a deadpan tone. "Perhaps, but we need to see the Hokage first. It is an urgent matter."

I groaned, swaying dangerously as I finally got to my feet. "Of course it is. I just hope the old man does not feel the need to hit me too. Everyone else has been taking swings at me since the moment I woke up. You are literally the only person today who has not."

The ANBU shook his head and offered a supportive grip on my shoulder. We turned for the exit, only for Ayaka’s chilling voice to pin us both firmly in place.

"You have exactly one year to clear this debt. Otherwise, I will extract my payment directly from your body, breaking it apart piece by piece in ways that will never heal. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear," I whispered, barely managing to force the words past my bruised ribs. I leaned my weight heavily into my escort and spoke in a frantic panic. "Get me out of here before she changes her mind. I think twelve months is the absolute best I am going to get."

We hobbled down the pristine corridors. Curious onlookers stared openly at my battered state as I was assisted into the busy reception area. Multiple patients paused their conversations just to gawk at us.

"What kind of hospital is this?" a civilian whispered loudly to the front desk receptionist. "Are patients not supposed to leave in better condition than they arrived? That guy looks like he just fought a war in here."

A shinobi sitting nearby stroked his chin and nodded sagely. "It must be some kind of advanced, experimental physical therapy. You know, breaking the bones in a very specific pattern so they heal back stronger."

A collective wave of enlightened murmurs echoed through the room. The entire crowd nodded in profound understanding, watching in awe as Weasel and I finally managed to escape through the front doors.

He body-flickered us directly to the top of a nearby building and released his grip on my shoulder. "Okay. We are alone. You can drop the act now."

The Stormdive nodes flared to life across my skin. Lightning flooded my cells, exciting them as a surge of fresh energy washed through my system. I slowly stood up straight, rolling my shoulders as arcs of electricity danced wildly over my body.

"I was really hoping she would give me a longer extension if I looked pathetic enough." I looked over at the masked ANBU and smiled warmly. "Long time no see, Itachi."

Itachi laughed softly, reaching out to tap my arm. "It is good to see you again, Noa. Sena and I were really worried about you."

I recoiled slightly, giving him a massive, teasing grin. "Oh? It is ’Sena and I’ now? Are you two officially an item?"

Itachi quickly turned his head away, coughing awkwardly into his fist. "We cannot stay here for long. The Hokage is waiting. Also, you owe me a fight."

We launched off the rooftop, leaping gracefully from building to building as the bustling village moved like a blur beneath us.

"And why is that?" I asked, easily keeping pace right beside him.

"Because Shisui is too busy with back-to-back missions, and I have absolutely no one else to spar with," Itachi replied without looking back. "I feel my skills stagnating."

A fake, dramatic tear escaped my left eye. "Is that all I am to you? A simple sharpening stone for your genius?" I asked, starting to cry into the sleeves of my shirt.

Itachi shook his head, muttering quietly under his breath. "I am starting to understand why everyone is hitting you today. You are incredibly exhausting to deal with. Being asleep for so long made us forget that."

I grinned proudly. We crossed the rest of the distance in comfortable silence, finally arriving at the massive Hokage building. We swiftly navigated the interior corridors until we reached the main office, where Itachi knocked firmly on the wooden door.

A powerful, commanding voice called out from within. "Enter."

Itachi opened the door. We both stepped inside, and the very second it clicked shut behind us, a highly advanced privacy barrier instantly snapped into place.

The Hokage’s office no longer looked like the administrative heart of Konoha. It had been gutted and turned into a frontline command bunker. The formal guest couches were shoved haphazardly against the far walls to make room for long tactical tables. Giant topographical maps covered the walls, littered with red and black deployment markers.

Three men occupied the room.

Fugaku Uchiha sat behind his desk, looking noticeably disheveled. The Hokage hat rested ignored next to a towering stack of intelligence reports. His dark eyes carried a sharp, exhausted weight as they locked onto me.

To his right stood Shikaku Nara. The Jonin Commander was hunched over a sprawling map of the border, rubbing his temples with one hand while a lit cigarette dangled loosely from his lips. He did not even look up when we entered, just grunting quietly as if acknowledging something he did not really hear, and moved a marker piece across the board.

And then there was Hirotaka.

He sat comfortably on one of the displaced couches, looking entirely out of place in the middle of the room. With his wide, robust frame, a deeply rounded belly, and a calm, ever-present smile, he looked exactly like a laughing Buddha statue brought to life. He was quietly sipping a cup of tea, totally unbothered by the suffocating tension hanging over the rest of the room. He looked at me with a smile so bright it almost banished the dark mood choking the office.

Fugaku leaned back in his chair, folding his hands together on the desk. "It is good to see you awake, Noa."

Shikaku finally paused his work over the map. He lifted his head, his dark, calculating eyes snapping directly to me through a thin veil of cigarette smoke. "Finally. We are in desperate need of a seal master," he muttered, his voice sounding far more drained than relieved.

Hirotaka chuckled warmly from his spot on the couch. He carefully set his teacup down and approached me, reaching out to give my back a firm pat that nearly rattled my ribs. "It truly is good to see you on your feet, Noa."

I gave them a small bow. "Sorry to worry you all." I opened my mouth to continue, but Fugaku’s stern voice immediately cut through the room.

"Let us save the pleasantries for later," the Hokage said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the cluttered desk as his gaze hardened. "For now, we have a lot to talk about."