When Daichi was tending to Shizune, Jiraiya and Tobirama approached the medical bed in the center of the lab. The overhead lights revealed Tsunade lying with her arms and legs strapped down by thick metal restraints.
Dull tubes were connected to her forearm and inner elbow and were dripping a faintly transparent fluid. Her complexion looked pale with her eyelids sealed in a coma-like stillness. She had several wooden protrusions throughout her body.
"Oh Tsunade…" Jiraiya said, voice cracking. He swallowed the bile rising from his stomach at seeing her state and forced down his surge of emotion. 'What did he do to you?'
Tobirama was silent but behind the mask he had a livid face. "She's alive, but unconscious."
Jiraiya then observed the seals plastered around the edges of the table. 'This is Orochimaru's sealing style all right.'
In the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen who was watching everything through his connection with Tobirama was just as angry as the two. 'Orochimaru, I'll never forgive you for this.'
The old Kage could feel the rage bubbling beneath the Second Hokage's skin and he knew Jiraiya must also be feeling the same.
In the lab, Tobirama immediately kept his emotions in check and began observing the seals Orochimaru put in place. He also noticed another seal covering the Senju's body from top to bottom.
"This seal. The one originating from her forehead. What is that?" Tobirama asked Jiraiya, pointing to the lines that began from the middle of Tsunade's forehead.
"That's something she created for herself. The Strength of a Hundred Seal. She uses it to store chakra for when she needs it." Jiraiya replied as he had seen that seal on more than one occasion.
The Second Hokage's eyes narrowed. 'So this seal is similar to the one Lady Mito had…'
Tobirama glanced at the other white-haired ninja and saw that he was still in shock at seeing her state.
"This isn't the time to break down. We need to get her back to the village as quickly as possible. We can still save her." Tobirama's words startled Jiraiya and gave him hope. The two of them immediately got to work.
The Toad Sage began studying the seals as fast and as accurately as he could. "These seals are here to restrain her. But they're not interfering with her chakra system."
"They will only activate if she focuses her chakra outwards. It leaves her internal system untouched otherwise." Tobirama spoke and then hovered over the array of seals, scanning them carefully. "She's bound by multiple layers. Paralysis seals, chakra suppression tags, and I sense at least one self-destruct trap. Possibly an explosion tag or something more insidious." He knelt, lightly touching a splayed parchment on the side of the table with two fingers.
'Sure enough', faint lines of sealing formula glowed under his touch. "There are explosion tags," he confirmed, shifting his gaze to Jiraiya. "If we try to undo her chains without neutralizing them first, the tags might activate. And there's something else… a body cremation seal. It's set to incinerate the captive if the release isn't done in a precise sequence."
Jiraiya's features hardened. "That bastard. He wanted no one to retrieve her body if something went wrong." Anger flared in his eyes, but he exhaled slowly to regain composure. "All right, we'll remove them one by one."
Tobirama drew a small, specialized sealing knife from within his ANBU gear. He gestured at Jiraiya to take position on the opposite side of the operating table. "We can do this together. I'll handle the anchors, you keep the chain's seal from flaring."
"Got it." Jiraiya set his jaw, focusing on the first talisman. A black slip with swirling red script, pinned near Tsunade's left wrist. 'If this is torn incorrectly, it'd likely explode or worse.'
He pressed his fingers onto the edges, feeding a trickle of chakra in the exact ratio needed to stop its activation. The seals glowed blue and then disappeared.
"Your sealing jutsu skills are impressive." Tobirama spoke as he slipped his knife beneath a small tab at the top of the seal. He cut the adhesive line free quickly and with surgical precision.
"Thanks, but compared to you and my late student I'm still lacking." The Toad Sannin replied as he studied the traps in front of him.
A faint crackle of energy sparked across the parchment, but Jiraiya steadied it and made several hand seals. The ink glow dulled, then was extinguished. 'Another one down.'
They quickly repeated the process on a series of tiny tags running along the table's perimeter. Each was a potential trigger, each requiring delicate teamwork.
Near Tsunade's ankles, a script of thick lines created for a lethal combination of paralysis and chakra suppression. With a tense silence, Jiraiya and Tobirama peeled them away carefully, disabling each sub-seal in turn. Their combined expertise prevented any surges or backlashes.
At the final chain link was an interlocking seal that wrapped around her midsection. Tobirama paused, brow furrowing. "This is the body cremation seal," he murmured. "A bit more complicated."
Jiraiya studied it, noticing the script's structure folding back on itself in multiple spirals. One twist of the seal's lines and it would trigger a wave of intense fire, presumably to reduce Tsunade's entire form to ash. The Toad Sage clenched his fists. 'Damn you, Orochimaru.'
"But thankfully, I've dealt with this type of seal before." Tobirama spoke and immediately wrote down several counter seals.
Working in tandem, they unraveled it, exerting gentle chakra at certain pivot points. Slowly, the final seal layers parted and came undone. Immediately the chain slackened as the lethal jutsu lost all tension.
Tsunade's body remained unharmed, though she still lay motionless, trapped in her coma. Jiraiya looked at the chains attached to her ankles and wrists and immediately used all his strength to break them apart.
Daichi, now done healing Shizune, guided her closer to Tsunade's side. Tobirama and Jiraiya had a few more seals to break Tsunade free but they stopped to let the two best medics examine her condition.
Shizune looked at the others with worry. "Orochimaru… He injected Lady Tsunade with some kind of serum. He said it was something created from the First Hokage's blood. She's in a coma right now." She looked at the person she started considering as her little brother. Fresh tears threatened to form. "She won't wake up, Daichi. I couldn't do anything to help her. Orochimaru… he…"
"Shh… It's not your fault. Please don't cry. She wouldn't want to see you like this." Daichi hugged Shizune close and looked at Tsunade's unconscious form. Sadness and great anger surged in his mind.
[Skill Gamer's Mind has activated]
But his system skill kept his emotions under control.
Shizune's breath hitched at the sight of her mentor lying so still. "Lady Tsunade…" she whispered, tears welling anew. She moved to the other side of the bed, brushing trembling fingers over Tsunade's forehead. "She's so pale… Her pulse is faint."
"Can I examine her?" Daichi stepped closer and asked the two before proceeding.
"Yeah. We've dealt with the most troublesome traps. Once you're sure we can move her in this condition, we'll remove the rest." Jiraiya replied and Tobirama merely nodded.
'Time to see how bad it is…' Daichi placed his palms above Tsunade's chest and they immediately glowed green. As he gathered information on what was happening in her body, he also used his 'Observe' skill.
[Tsunade Senju – Current Status: Comatose]
[Serum Infusion Detected: Modified Hashirama's Blood Serum]
[Effects on the subject's body]
[Cellular Destruction and Regeneration]
[Her original cells are rapidly breaking down under the serum's biochemical onslaught.
Simultaneously, new cells are forming with partial Wood Style gene expression.
Leukocytes in her bloodstream are in a heightened response state, treating the serum as a severe infection. This inflammatory reaction causes severe fever, tissue strain, and potential organ stress.]
.
[DNA Reconfiguration Process]
[The serum forcibly inserts additional gene sequences from Hashirama Senju's lineage and awakens hidden genes in Tsunade's base genetic code.
Multiple gene clusters responsible for chakra nature manipulation, specifically Wood Style, are activating within her body.
If adaptation succeeds, these clusters will stabilize, granting partial Wood Style usage.
If it fails, organ failure and cellular collapse are likely.]
.
[Vital Instability]
[Heartbeat elevated, blood pressure fluctuating, core temperature spiking dangerously.
Chakra pathways are experiencing violent surges and crashes, rendering her natural healing factor partially ineffective.
Risk of fatal complications remains high if the process is not managed or slowed.]
.
[Prognosis]
[Chance of survival depends heavily on external medical support to stave off cellular shock and maintain stable vitals until the rewriting finalizes.
High chance of having a disfigured body if no action is taken.
No known direct antidote available. Attempting to remove or negate the serum now may cause irreparable damage.]
.
[Recommended Actions]
[Provide continuous medical support and chakra stabilization.
Manage extreme fever and shock to prevent immediate organ damage.
Use special serums created to boost the target's body metabolism.
Move target to a more advanced medical facility for further support.
Note: Using the Healing potion provided by the system at this stage could be counterproductive.]
Daichi let out a careful breath and lifted his hand from Tsunade's chest. His mind whirled with the system's data: every frantic detail hammered home just how unstable she was.
Shizune's gaze flicked to Daichi, desperation etched on her face. "What do you see? Is she… is it as bad as I think?"
He clenched his jaw. "She's in a coma," he muttered, confirming what Shizune just said. "And there's some kind of foreign agent in her system."
Shizune clasped Tsunade's hand, tears streaming. "Orochimaru was trying to stabilize his serum using her blood. He wants to awaken… I'm not sure what." She looked up at Daichi, desperation in her eyes. "Can you do anything?"
Daichi's expression tightened. "Her body is in chaos. That serum is basically rewriting her cells to awaken Wood Style traits. If she can't adapt, she'll die." He paused, swallowing the knot in his throat. "We need to keep her vitals stable long enough for the transformation to complete."
Shizune's lips trembled. "So it can be completed? She can survive this?" The faintest hope shimmered in her eyes.
"Maybe." Daichi squared his shoulders. "But it won't be easy. The more healing chakra we provide, the better her chances. Based on her current state we can't just extract the serum or counter it with something else. We have to let it run its course and counter the worst symptoms."
'I might be able to stabilize her, but reversing the serum or waking her? That's uncertain.' Daichi laid his hand gently on Tsunade's chest, feeling for any reaction. He tried to push a small pulse of healing chakra, but found it nearly nullified by the bizarre substance within her. His brow furrowed. "I… can't neutralize it here. We need a better medical facility, and time to analyze the serum."
"Then Jiraiya and I will remove the rest of the containment seals." Tobirama took charge and immediately made a plan. He turned to the female medic in the room. "You keep an eye on Tsunade's status." he turned to the young Genin. "Daichi, you'll take all the valuable chemicals, notes and other materials here. We'll need that data."
"Understood." Shizune and Daichi nodded.
"Here." Jiraiya handed the Genin a large scroll. "This should be able to store everything."
Daichi nodded. Before he got to work he immediately notified his two shadow clones. ''I found sensei and Shizune."
'Finally. How is she?" Dragon asked.
"Doesn't look good. I'll need to run a full diagnosis on her to find out what that bastard did." Daichi replied.
"Just get them out of there. I'm sure we'll figure out what to do once we get them back to the village." The clone disguised as Kimimaro in the Land of Sound gave his advice.
"That's the plan. Dragon. Go ahead. Now there's no need to hold back. Break into that base and take everything." Daichi gave the go signal to his clone.
"Understood." Came the reply and the Genin closed the communication array.
Suddenly Daichi and the others sensed a faint explosion coming from above ground.
"Seems Orochimaru and Danzo have started fighting. We'd better speed up our work." Jiraiya spoke as he looked at the others.
—---------------
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