Konoha Sanatorium Hospital - An Unexpected Reaction
While exchanging polite greetings with the medical staff he encountered along the way, Naraku made his way into the hospital and inquired about Tsunade's location. He walked directly toward the designated ward.
However, just as Shihouin Naraku located the correct room and stepped into the medical ward, before he even had an opportunity to speak, an unexpected situation unfolded.
Tsunade noticed his arrival and called him over. "Naraku, come and take a look at this..."
"It's you!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Kurotsuchi, who had been lying motionlessly on the hospital bed with completely lifeless eyes, suddenly widened her gaze and stared directly at Shihouin Naraku as he entered the room.
What was happening?
Kurotsuchi's muscles tensed dramatically, completely ignoring the excruciating pain radiating from her broken legs. She pointed at Naraku with obvious fury and shouted, "Grandfather, it's him! Kill him immediately!"
There was unmistakable fear evident in her slightly trembling voice.
The veteran ninja Ōnoki, who had experienced countless battles throughout his long career, observed his granddaughter's reaction and felt his own lips trembling involuntarily with emotion.
"You... don't come any closer! Get out of here right now!"
When Naraku had taken only a few steps closer to the bed, Kurotsuchi began struggling desperately, attempting to curl herself up defensively in the corner of the room.
"It's alright, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." Ōnoki quickly moved closer to the bed, using his short stature to block Kurotsuchi's direct line of sight to Naraku, trying desperately to calm his granddaughter's obvious panic and terror.
Naraku simply shrugged nonchalantly and walked out of the ward with unhurried steps.
Perhaps because the source of her fear had departed, combined with everyone's continued reassurance, Kurotsuchi slowly began to calm down and eventually accepted examination by the medical ninja. However, she continued to sob quietly from time to time.
Hospital Corridor - A Philosophical Discussion
"Oh? You haven't left yet?"
Tsunade emerged from the ward and turned to discover Naraku standing with his hands casually placed in his pockets, his back resting against the wall while he blew at the loose strands of hair hanging over his forehead out of apparent boredom.
"How do you feel about it? Seeing that you've left such a psychological trauma on such a young girl, do you experience any sense of guilt or remorse?" Tsunade patted Naraku's shoulder gently, a playful expression dancing in her eyes.
"Feel guilty? Why should I feel guilty about anything?"
Naraku looked toward Tsunade with genuine curiosity. "To show mercy toward one's enemies on the battlefield is to be cruel and unfair to one's own comrades and allies!"
"Since she made the conscious decision to enter the battlefield, she should have been fully aware of the brutal cruelty that war inevitably brings!"
"She's certainly not the only person who sustained injuries during the fighting. With so many casualties among Konoha's shinobi forces, who exactly should we be feeling sorry for?"
"If she truly wants to blame someone for her current condition, she should direct that anger toward her grandfather Ōnoki, because it wasn't Konoha Village that initiated this conflict, but rather Iwagakure!"
"To be completely precise, it was her own relatives who started this war and pushed her onto the battlefield in the first place. Therefore, the only person she has any legitimate right to hate is the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ōnoki!"
Naraku's voice carried clearly, and his words were undoubtedly transmitted into the nearby ward. The soft sobbing sounds from inside obviously began to weaken and eventually disappeared entirely.
Tsunade's playful expression faded completely. Naraku's perspective aligned perfectly with her own professional viewpoint.
As a dedicated ninja of Konoha Village, Shihouin Naraku had been actively eliminating enemy forces, and there was absolutely nothing morally wrong with his actions.
Tsunade, who had personally participated in multiple wars throughout her career, was definitely not a soft-hearted woman. Her beloved brother Nawaki and her lover Dan had both died on various battlefields. Who could she realistically blame for those devastating losses?
She had been forced to bear all of that emotional pain entirely by herself!
Therefore, Tsunade felt no particular sympathy for Kurotsuchi's current suffering. The girl had come seeking medical treatment, and Konoha would provide that treatment for profit. The arrangement was exactly that simple and straightforward!
Gesturing for Naraku to accompany her as they departed, Tsunade began explaining the medical situation as they walked. "The girl's legs sustained severe injuries. Although Iwagakure's medical team treated her initially, the best they could accomplish was preventing her condition from deteriorating further."
"Her left leg has multiple comminuted fractures and significant nerve damage. This is the preliminary conclusion I reached after conducting a thorough examination. The specific severity cannot be fully estimated at this time, but it's not an insurmountable challenge. I'm confident that particular injury can be successfully healed."
"However, her right leg was completely severed below the knee. That type of damage is beyond my current capabilities to repair."
"According to Ōnoki's explanation, she absolutely refuses to accept any type of prosthetic limb replacement. She demands a pair of legs that truly belong to her original body!"
"I see..." Naraku suddenly smiled with understanding. He was the only medical practitioner who possessed the ability to heal Kurotsuchi's complete injury. "If that's truly the case, then the price for such treatment will be considerably high."
Actually, wait.
Naraku had almost forgotten about Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto. If those two collaborated effectively, they might potentially be capable of treating Kurotsuchi's injuries successfully.
Unfortunately, Ōnoki would never trust Orochimaru's intentions or methods, so realistically he still had only one viable option!
"We'll need to be more aggressive with our pricing this time. Ōnoki definitely isn't lacking in financial resources. That man possesses more wealth than most people could ever imagine."
The Treatment Process
In the following days, after Ōnoki made an exceptionally generous financial donation, Tsunade began the complex process of treating Kurotsuchi's extensive injuries.
However, before the actual treatment procedures commenced, Tsunade provided Ōnoki with realistic expectations about the outcome. She could only address the problems with Kurotsuchi's left leg at present. Regarding the completely severed right leg, there was simply no conventional method available to restore it. If he wanted his granddaughter to recover completely normal function, Naraku represented his only option.
At this point, Ōnoki could only place his trust in Tsunade's expertise and instructed her to proceed with whatever treatment was possible. He would personally approach Naraku to discuss the more challenging aspects of the medical situation.
The initial treatment phase began promptly. Tsunade and her skilled medical team transported Kurotsuchi into the fully equipped operating room. They carefully reopened her left leg, which had begun healing improperly, methodically removed the bone fragments that had penetrated into the muscle tissue one by one, then delicately sutured the severed nerves, realigned the fractured bones, and completed numerous other complex procedures.
If this had been the Tsunade who hadn't yet returned to the village, there would have been less than a fifty percent chance of successfully completing treatment for injuries of this severity.
Nowadays, this type of complex operation was no longer considered particularly challenging.
Having absorbed and mastered the advanced medical ninjutsu techniques and innovative methods developed by Konoha Village over recent years, Tsunade's current medical expertise completely surpassed her own capabilities from before her return to the village.
The surgical procedure was completed successfully!
"Whew..."
Observing Ōnoki's deeply worried expression, Tsunade removed her surgical mask and offered a reassuring smile. "Everything went well. The next phase involves recovery and rehabilitation. Given Kurotsuchi's overall physical condition, the healing process should take approximately one month."
"Thank you so much, thank you..."
Ōnoki expressed his heartfelt gratitude with obvious relief.
"It's perfectly fine. Just make sure to follow the doctor's instructions carefully during the recovery period."
If Ōnoki hadn't provided such substantial compensation, Tsunade wouldn't have performed the surgery personally. After all, as the active Hokage, she still had numerous full-time responsibilities demanding her attention.
Following the detailed instructions provided by Konoha's medical ninja staff, Kurotsuchi began actively participating in various rehabilitation exercises, and the injury to her left leg showed remarkable improvement with each passing day.
Ōnoki felt tremendous relief witnessing this progress, and he began contemplating how he might successfully persuade Shihouin Naraku to treat his granddaughter's remaining injury.
Although he possessed limited knowledge about advanced medical ninjutsu techniques, simply observing his granddaughter's right leg that had been severed at the knee, he understood exactly how extraordinarily difficult it would be to restore it to its original functional state.
Therefore, Ōnoki found himself facing a significant dilemma. Given Shihouin Naraku's elevated status within Konoha Village, how could he possibly convince the young man to provide assistance?
Mission Completion
Setting aside Ōnoki's personal troubles for the moment, the barrier team that Naraku supervised finally completed comprehensive testing of the perception barrier system during this extended period.
Throughout the entire testing process, the perception barrier functioned flawlessly without any technical problems occurring, meaning this crucial mission had been completed perfectly!
Hokage Tower - Career Transition
"The mission was accomplished exceptionally well, Naraku. However, are you truly planning to resign from your position as squad leader?"
Tsunade closed the mission file and asked with serious interest.
"Now that this particular mission has concluded, there's really no compelling reason for me to continue in the barrier division. Under normal operational circumstances, the barrier division only requires Chūnin-level personnel to monitor the systems. Are you really planning to have me remain there permanently, Sensei?"
"That's absolutely true. As the Hokage, I would be demonstrating poor judgment if I assigned you - arguably the strongest individual in the ninja world - to a routine position in the barrier division."
As a super-strategic asset of Konoha Village, Naraku's current importance and value exceeded even that of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!
Of course, allowing him to remain idle was completely impossible!
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