Hotaru knew the danger hadn't passed, but despite the immediate threat, she felt a flicker of professional unease. This was the second woman to appear by Hayate's side, and her arrival had been... unconventional.
Seeing Hayate, Sasuke, and Lee still discussing Shizune's presence, she spoke up to break the trance. "Boss, you mentioned Daredevil's master and the leader of the Chaste. What exactly is going on here?"
Hayate turned to Sasuke and Lee. "We'll discuss Shizune's specifics once we're back." Then he looked at Hotaru. "You weren't there the day Kingpin settled the final payment, so there are details you missed."
"When Sasuke was bringing Madam Gao back, he was intercepted by a vigilante called Daredevil. Lee ended up killing him with a couple of strikes. The old man with the cane you saw is Daredevil's master, Stick. He's blind, just like his student. He must have gathered some intelligence and decided to come for revenge."
"As for the Chaste, it's an organization Stick founded. He has a group of followers—essentially ninjas similar to the Hand."
Hotaru nodded, the pieces clicking into place. "Boss, in the future, if we hit the small ones, we really should eliminate the elders at the same time. Otherwise, having someone like that taking potshots from the shadows is far too dangerous."
Hayate gave a slightly awkward smile—it wasn't an easy point to argue. "Note taken. From now on, if we move, we pull them out by the roots. Once we get out of here, we'll wipe out Stick and his 'Chaste' once and for all."
"The Chaste? More like the Chased," he added dryly.
Hotaru didn't press further, shifting her focus back to the immediate crisis. "Boss, what's the plan? If we stay here, the gas will eventually reach us. When that happens..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. They were trapped in a dead end. If the gas concentration didn't drop, everyone underground was on a countdown to extinction.
The twenty remaining Adjudicators looked toward Hayate with desperate eyes, clinging to any hope of survival. None of them wanted to die such a suffocating, helpless death.
Hayate maintained a confident smile. "Don't worry. Let's wait for Shizune to report back. I already have a plan to get us out."
Seeing his composure, Hotaru stopped questioning. She wandered over to Lee and Sasuke to satisfy her curiosity about the new arrival. If their lives weren't in immediate danger, she was going to figure out who this woman was—especially after hearing terms like Jōnin and Medical Ninja.
Unfortunately, Lee and Sasuke knew as little about Shizune's personal history as Hotaru did. Instead, they gave her a crash course on the ninja ranking system: Genin, Chūnin, Jōnin, and the specialized role of a Medical Ninja.
The information left Hotaru reeling. Knowing that Sasuke and Lee—as powerful as they were—were only Genin, her estimation of Shizune's power skyrocketed.
She consoled herself with the fact that she was a secretary and Shizune was a doctor; their roles shouldn't overlap. Of course, Hotaru had no way of knowing that Shizune was also an exceptionally skilled administrative assistant.
As they spoke, frantic footsteps echoed from the tunnel. Everyone went on high alert until Shizune emerged, supporting several staggering Adjudicators. The others rushed forward to help pull the men to safety.
Shizune approached Hayate. "I've checked the perimeter. The gas isn't potent enough to stop us. With our strength, we can simply hold our breath and fight our way through."
She glanced at Sasuke and Lee. It was clear she was referring to the four of them, not the normal humans.
"However," she continued, "I don't have any tools or herbs here. I can't formulate an antidote or a neutralizing agent on the fly. I brought back those who hadn't inhaled a lethal dose; after some basic treatment, they'll recover. But the others... they are already gone."
A somber mood fell over Hotaru and the survivors. These were their comrades, men who had survived gunfights only to be taken out by a cowardly cloud of yellow smoke.
Hayate listened and weighed two options. He could lead the four ninjas in a blitz to slaughter Stick's men and then carry the survivors out one by one. It was feasible, but the risk of the gas reaching the cavern before they finished was too high.
Then he looked at the ceiling above the pit where the Dragon Bone had been. He chose the more direct route.
"Shizune, thank you. I have a different way."
Hayate stepped into the deep void left by the Dragon Bone. He bit his thumb, his hands blurring through seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a massive puff of smoke, Aoda—the hundred-meter-long blue python—appeared. The cavern was cramped for a creature of its size, and Aoda coiled its massive body into the pit, its head looming over the group.
"Lord Hayate, what is your command?"
The Adjudicators had seen a lot today, from lightning hands to glowing eyes. By now, they were trying to take a giant snake in stride. If not for their trembling legs, they might have actually pulled off the "calm" look.
Shizune, however, was stunned. "You... you are a contractor of Ryūchi Cave?"
Hayate glanced at her, remembering she hadn't had time to process all the "world lore" the system had dumped into her mind. "Shizune, check the new information in your head later; it'll make more sense. Aoda, look at the ceiling. I need you to burrow a direct path to the surface and carry my people out of here."
Aoda nudged the earth above with its snout. "No problem, Lord Hayate."