Konoha Village is a large ninja village formed by the union of many ninja clans.
From its founding until now, some powerful clans in the early days have gradually declined.
Meanwhile, some families that were not prominent at first now have increasing numbers of people.
There was once a family that could rival the Uchiha in genjutsu.
This family was called the Kurama clan. But unlike the Uchiha clan, which had many talents and a large population, this once-glorious clan declined rapidly after reaching its peak due to dwindling numbers.
In recent generations, every member born into the Kurama clan hoped to restore the clan's former glory.
Every few generations, the Kurama clan would produce someone with power surpassing the rest of their generation. And in this generation, the one born with such talent was Kurama Yakumo.
But fate is a strange thing.
Though Kurama Yakumo had outstanding genjutsu talent, she had been weak since childhood and, even at over seven years old, had not enrolled in the academy.
Because as soon as she trained for a while, she would feel anxious and short of breath, eventually fainting.
———
[Kurama Clan's Estate]
"Dad, please let me go to school. I can definitely become a ninja!", Kurama Yakumo, unable to enroll, had been pestering her parents for a long time.
Kurama Murakumo sighed and said, "With your body, you simply can't extract too much chakra. It's better to give up."
Though Kurama Yakumo looked delicate, she was extremely stubborn. Upon hearing her father's words, she immediately retorted, "Father, I'm just unwell now. Once I recover, I'll be fine."
Yakumo's mother, Uroko, felt sorry for her daughter and chimed in from the side, "Murakumo, now that Tsunade-sama has returned to the village, why don't we go see her?"
"Her medical ninjutsu is so powerful. Let's ask her to examine Yakumo's body."
Kurama Murakumo hesitated for a moment. After all, the Kurama clan had already declined. Now the entire clan was sparsely populated, not even having two jonin. They had no connections with Tsunade either.
Uroko saw her husband hesitate and immediately understood what he was thinking. She persuaded him, "At this point, what face is there to worry about? Even if not for Yakumo, think about the future of the Kurama clan."
Hearing this, Kurama Murakumo agreed. His daughter Kurama Yakumo had such high talent in genjutsu, if her health could be cured, this might be a turning point for the clan's rise.
"Alright, I'll take Yakumo to see Tsunade-sama tomorrow."
Kurama Yakumo's face showed a bit of joy, "Father, if Tsunade-sama treats me, will my illness be cured?"
Kurama Murakumo, seeing his daughter finally raise some hope, didn't want to disappoint her now, "Mm, you've probably heard of Tsunade-sama's name. With her help, your body will surely improve."
"She's been away from Konoha for many years, but now she's just returned. I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow."
Hope appeared in Yakumo's eyes, "That's great. Once I'm better, I'll definitely become a ninja."
But Yakumo didn't notice that her parents exchanged a glance, their eyes full of worry.
———
Kurama Murakumo soon brought Kurama Yakumo to Konoha's hospital.
Tsunade happened to be in the hospital and agreed to meet with Kurama Murakumo.
"…That's the situation. I hope Tsunade-sama can take a look at Yakumo's condition," Kurama Murakumo had visited Konoha Hospital several times before and was quite familiar with the place.
He was also holding some previous medical reports.
As a medical ninja, Tsunade didn't put on airs.
Seeing the frail Kurama Yakumo looking at her full of hope, Tsunade didn't refuse.
"Let me see the previous examination results."
Kurama Murakumo quickly handed all the documents to Tsunade.
Tsunade slowly read through them.
The more she read, the deeper her frown became. Meanwhile, the hearts of Kurama Yakumo and her father sank little by little.
After a while, Tsunade put down the documents in her hands.
"Sorry, I'm powerless to help."
As soon as Tsunade said this, Kurama Yakumo's face turned even paler.
Realizing that even the most powerful medical ninja had given up on her, Kurama Yakumo's tears immediately fell.
"Tsunade-sama, aren't you the best medical ninja? Why can't even you cure me?"
Kurama Murakumo quickly scolded, "Yakumo! Don't speak nonsense!"
Then immediately apologized to Tsunade, "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama. She's just a child and doesn't understand. Please don't take it to heart."
Tsunade didn't take offense at a child. She walked around her desk and softly asked Kurama Yakumo, "Can you tell me why you insist on becoming a ninja?"
"I want to restore the Kurama clan's glory and lead our family to prosperity!"
Kurama Yakumo's words were resolute, and the stubbornness in her eyes moved even Tsunade.
Tsunade thought for a moment. She had just read the report.
The problem with Kurama Yakumo's body was that her vitality kept draining. It was as if a leech were constantly sucking her energy.
If the cause couldn't be found, it naturally couldn't be cured.
Even if Tsunade herself weren't here, the doctors in Konoha Hospital weren't fools either.
They had done full-body examinations on Kurama Yakumo and found no issues.
That meant the problem wasn't physical.
When it came to matters of the soul, Tsunade wasn't well-versed.
But there were people in Konoha who were.
Tsunade nodded slightly, "There's someone who might be able to find the cause of Yakumo's illness."
"As for whether or not you want to seek him out, that's up to you to decide."
Kurama Murakumo asked in confusion, "Who?"
"Orochimaru."
Kurama Murakumo's face turned pale, with a trace of fear.
The Kurama clan had once been powerful, and he had some connections in Konoha.
He knew exactly what kind of person Orochimaru was.
Whether or not he defected wasn't the point.
The issue was that Orochimaru treated human life like grass.
If Orochimaru found the cause of Yakumo's illness and deemed her valuable, then what Kurama Murakumo had to worry about was whether Yakumo would become one of Orochimaru's test subjects.
Tsunade saw Kurama Murakumo's expression and knew he understood the danger of Orochimaru, "I'm just telling you this possibility. As for what to do, you must decide for yourselves."
"If you make up your mind, I can introduce you."
"I understand. Thank you, Tsunade-sama. We'll think about it."
Kurama Yakumo was still very polite.
Hearing this, Tsunade knew Kurama Murakumo had backed off and shook her head, "Sorry I couldn't help."
"It's getting late. We'll take our leave now," Kurama Murakumo led his daughter out of the hospital.
A trace of contemplation appeared in Tsunade's expression. Although she had been to Orochimaru's place once, everything she saw there was what Orochimaru wanted to show her.
She didn't really know what things were like.
Orochimaru now belonged to the Uchiha. The disconnect between him and Konoha was too great.
If Orochimaru could interact more with the village, Konoha could be more stable.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.