"Okay, it's just the three of you left." Ignoring the aggrieved Raikage, Tsunade helped Shizune remove the explosive bugs and then turned her gaze to Ishikawa and the other two.
"Because your chakra levels are too low, the bugs inside your bodies are probably no bigger than natto. But don't celebrate just yet! Because they're too small, it's difficult to perform surgery. I'll have to use Katsuyu's chakra to stimulate the bugs to grow—at least until they're visible!"
She then gave Ishikawa a meaningful glance. As Tsunade explained, Ishikawa and the others felt warm chakra from the slug seep into their bodies.
In the span of a single breath, the chakra replenished their exhaustion and quickly restored their strength. At the same time, it accelerated the explosive bugs growth.
"It's appearing, Lady Tsunade!"
"Me too!"
The two younger brothers quickly pulled open their shirts, revealing their chests and yelping. On each of them, a fist-sized bulge was wriggling violently under the skin.
"Stop whining!" Tsunade snapped, and with swift, precise strokes of her chakra scalpels, she cut and removed the bugs from both of them in one clean motion.
"Me too! Over here!" Ishikawa shouted urgently. By now, the bulge on his chest had already formed the full outline of a bug, more than twice the size of his younger brothers'.
"Oh! I completely forgot there was one more." Tsunade clapped her hands as if suddenly remembering something important, ignoring his cries.
"Yes, and Karai! Karai's still waiting for rescue outside the town!" the Raikage shouted anxiously, still not fully submerged in the slug's healing body. He pointed out Karai's location to Tsunade.
"Alright, I'll go now." Tsunade nodded, and chakra exploded from her feet. In an instant, she vanished from atop Katsuyu, leaving Ishikawa behind, speechless in the wind.
"You did it on purpose! You definitely did it on purpose! Lady Tsunade, I really didn't mean it earlier!" Moments later, Ishikawa's anguished wail echoed through the town.
"Hmph, serves you right for running your mouth." The Fourth Raikage snorted, adding insult to injury. Though the wound on his chest still ached and his breathing was uneven, his mood now was like a refreshing mountain spring.
"Get that 500 million ready, Lord Raikage~" Ishikawa shot back defiantly. The sarcasm in his tone made the Raikage's breathing hitch again. Thinking of the massive medical bill, his heart clenched.
So infuriating! Tsunade had just been trying to scare the brat, but he really had to pay 500 million Ryo! No matter how he looked at it, it made his blood boil!
Happiness doesn't disappear, it just transfers. Watching the Raikage's furious expression, Ishikawa laughed loudly despite the pain in his chest!
On the other side, Tsunade, who had just left the town, suddenly came to a stop.
"So… the side effects have started?" She raised her arm and looked at the rapidly aging skin. Touching the wrinkles on her face, she muttered softly.
Creation Rebirth is a regeneration jutsu that consumes cells. The drawback is that excessive cell usage prevents the body from maintaining its youthful state. And this isn't just reverting to her actual age—it's worse.
She had left earlier because she sensed slight cellular changes in her body. It wasn't just a matter of vanity; it was also about that staggering 500 million Ryo fee.
Tsunade wasn't sure whether the Raikage might try something after seeing her weakened. After all, how could he possibly know the major flaw in her jutsu?
"Looks like I'll need to replenish a ton of protein before rescuing everyone! Whether he survives or not depends on how long that guy can hang on..." she muttered, veering off toward the town meat shop.
As the town finally settled and time flowed on, the darkness of night slowly gave way to the light of dawn…
---
Meanwhile, the two brothers were squeezed out of the slug half an hour after the operation because their wounds were too small. After them, Shizune, Kakashi, and Amai were also cured and separated from the slug one after another.
After Shizune confirmed that Ishikawa was temporarily fine, Kakashi gave Ishikawa a look that told him to take care of himself and immediately took Taro and Jiro to clean up the battlefield.
In the world of the ninja, even corpses are valuable treasures. But dealing with corpses is also extremely dangerous, especially enemy corpses! Kakashi had to seize this opportunity to personally teach the two of them a lesson and collect the spoils.
The Cloud Ninja Amai also went to retrieve the Sugi Village Ninja Scroll under the Raikage's instruction. It would be a huge loss if they failed to recover the scroll after making such a great sacrifice.
"Here she comes, Lady Tsunade is back!" Suddenly, two figures rushed in from afar, catching Shizune's attention as she exclaimed.
Instantly, Ishikawa and the Raikage, who had both been waiting impatiently, turned their eyes in that direction.
"Karai, it's Karai! Great, he's still alive!" Seeing the figure behind Tsunade from a distance, the Raikage couldn't help but be overjoyed.
He had been worried about Karai's safety since Tsunade hadn't returned for a while—but now it seemed there was no need for concern!
It seems Tsunade just wants to tease that Konoha brat.
"Lord Raikage…" Almost at the same time Raikage called out, Karai heard his voice and immediately came to his side.
In less than half a minute, both figures landed atop the slug's head at nearly the same time.
"Kid, do you know you were wrong?" Without addressing the Raikage's side of things, Tsunade, now calm, crossed her arms and looked at Ishikawa with a smile.
"I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I won't dare do it again..." Ishikawa quickly nodded, realizing that Tsunade was giving him a way out.
Even though he knew she likely wouldn't really kill him, who could be sure that the explosive bugs inside his body wouldn't suddenly react? Ishikawa wasn't about to gamble with his luck—he wasn't particularly good at that kind of thing.
"Hmph, I'm sure you won't dare do it again." Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, then formed hand seals quickly, igniting chakra scalpels in both hands.
With two swift strokes, before Ishikawa could react, two glowing blue arcs sliced across his chest. Instantly, a sharp pain burst in his mind, and cold sweat poured from his forehead and back—he almost blacked out from the agony.
But in the very next second, Ishikawa felt his body sink slightly as though falling into a hot spring. A soothing warmth enveloped him, and the wound on his chest began to tingle and mend—flesh regrowing rapidly without him even seeing it...
"Hey, you two!" Looking at the explosive bugs under her feet, Tsunade turned and called to the Raikage. "You have one day to send the medical fee. Otherwise, if I can remove the worms, I can also put them back."
"What? One day? That's too tight!" Amai, who had just arrived, turned pale and instinctively tried to stall for time.
But Tsunade gave him no opening. "As long as Kumogakure agrees, one day is plenty. Just one day. If I don't see the money tomorrow, I'll pack the bugs right back in."
With that, Tsunade turned away and walked toward Kakashi without another glance. Did they think her Sannin title was for show? Delay invites disaster. How could Tsunade not understand such a simple truth?
"Let's go and send an emergency contact signal." Watching the silent and subdued Raikage, Amai gritted his teeth and turned to leave.
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