Chapter 34: The Technique to Extract Subtle Toxins
Now that the poisoned ninja was out of danger, Nan prepared to leave.
But just as he turned, he suddenly remembered—he had left the man's two teammates trapped in a genjutsu.
He quickly released the illusion.
The two ninjas, unaware of what had just occurred, only remembered trying to stop a child from approaching their wounded teammate. Then—darkness.
Now, fully conscious, they found that same child standing in front of them... with a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan glowing in his eyes.
"That's the Uchiha's kekkei genkai—Sharingan! And a three-tomoe at that...
Wait—are you that Uchiha prodigy? The legendary medical-nin—Uchiha Nan?"
They had never heard Nan was already at the three-tomoe stage, but his name was well-known throughout Konoha—even to battle-hardened shinobi who spent most of their time away from the village. And at his age, there could only be one child with a fully matured Sharingan: Uchiha Nan.
Realizing who he was, the two finally understood: Nan wasn't there to harm their teammate. He was there to save him.
Nan didn't waste time with pleasantries. He explained simply,
"Your teammate's condition was too urgent. I didn't have time to explain, so I used genjutsu to restrain you. My apologies."
The two shinobi quickly bowed their heads in embarrassment.
"No, we're the ones who should apologize. We were just worried... We'd been waiting so long for someone to come treat Kyosuke. When we saw you approaching him, we panicked and assumed the worst. We're sorry."
Kyosuke—their teammate's name. Their worry was understandable, and Nan didn't blame them.
Now that they knew Nan was a medical ninja, they quickly asked the most important question:
"How's Kyosuke doing now? Did he get hit with that new Sand Village poison?"
They were visibly nervous. The poison from Sunagakure had proven incurable thus far. If Kyosuke had been exposed to it, things looked grim.
Kyosuke had numerous wounds from Senbon needles—each likely coated with that potent toxin. And from the rate of onset, his case might be even worse than the earlier victims.
Seeing their concern, Nan reassured them:
"Yes, he was poisoned with that same new Sand toxin.
But I've already cleared most of it from his system. His natural healing should handle the rest."
"What?! Cleared it?" the two exclaimed in disbelief.
At first, they were devastated to hear that it was the Sand's new poison. They had assumed that meant a death sentence. But Nan's next sentence shocked them.
He had neutralized it?
They looked at Kyosuke again. He was still unconscious, but his face—once twisted in pain—was now calm. His condition did seem to have stabilized.
"Is he... really going to be okay?" they asked, still stunned.
Nan nodded and explained again:
"I used ninjutsu to extract the majority of the toxin, then activated his self-healing through medical techniques. The small residue left in his system is no longer a threat. He'll recover—no doubt about it."
The two were finally convinced. Their expressions relaxed for the first time in hours. They bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Thank you... thank you so much!"
Nan simply nodded,
"No need to thank me. This is my duty."
But he couldn't linger. There were still many others who needed treatment. Without further delay, he turned and headed toward the next patient.
However, their conversation had already caught the attention of those nearby.
After all, the news that someone had successfully cured a victim of the new Sand poison... was beyond astonishing.
Their voices had carried, and whispers quickly spread throughout the camp.
"Did you hear? Someone actually managed to cure one of the poisoned?"
Another voice rang out, skeptical and curious:
"Seriously? I thought they said there was no cure. How did someone suddenly figure out a way to neutralize the poison?"
The first voice replied with excitement:
"I heard it was that prodigy from the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Nan! He just arrived at the camp with the medical support team from HQ. Apparently, he's the one who discovered the antidote."
News of the breakthrough spread like wildfire. It wasn't long before it reached the ears of the camp commander.
Startled and hopeful, he asked the messenger:
"Someone's figured out how to cure the poison? Who found the method?"
The subordinate quickly reported:
"It's a medical ninja named Uchiha Nan. He just arrived with the new medical support team. Word is, he cured a poisoned ninja as soon as he got here—and since then, he's been successfully treating more and more cases."
The camp commander had heard of Nan before. He knew that Nan's mother had once been the head of a Konoha medical outpost that had fallen to a Sand ambush—one of the key events that had worsened tensions with Sunagakure.
She had been a highly respected medical ninja, and rumors had long circulated that her son had inherited her remarkable talent.
Still, the commander hadn't expected this: that young Uchiha Nan, alone, had cracked the code behind a poison that had stumped all of Konoha's medical corps.
Even though he trusted his subordinates, the commander wanted to see it with his own eyes. He needed to hear directly from Nan how the cure worked. Only then could he feel truly at ease.
He quickly made his way toward Nan's location with his escort.
At that moment, Nan was in the middle of detoxifying another patient. When told that the camp commander wished to see him, he simply replied that he couldn't leave yet—his patient still needed him.
The commander didn't insist. Instead, he quietly stepped to the side to observe.
And what he saw left him awed.
Though not trained in medical ninjutsu himself, the commander could clearly recognize the precision and composure Nan displayed—his confidence and control were unmistakable.
He watched as Nan calmly activated a chakra scalpel and made a precise incision along the poisoned ninja's side. Then, with just a few quick hand seals, Nan conjured a water-style jutsu—a small, dense sphere of water formed in his palm.
With expert control, Nan guided the sphere into the incision, slowly and steadily.
The sphere began to penetrate deep into the patient's internal organs, absorbing the embedded toxins. As the once-clear water darkened, Nan gradually drew it back out. The tainted liquid pulsed with poison.
He dispelled the water sphere, leaving only the concentrated toxins, which he promptly incinerated with a controlled Fire Release technique.
He repeated the process several times, each round drawing out more poison. Slowly, the patient's pale, sickly face began to regain color. His labored breathing eased.
Nan knew the most dangerous toxins were gone. He closed his eyes, focused, and began using Mystical Palm Technique—sealing the incision and stimulating the ninja's natural recovery process to clear away the final traces of poison.
By the end of the treatment, the ninja was resting peacefully, his condition stable.
Nan let out a soft breath and deactivated his Sharingan. Despite his ample chakra reserves, treating so many people with the Sharingan activated was beginning to take its toll. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead.
Finally, he turned toward the camp commander who had been waiting patiently. It was time to speak.
And for Nan, it was also a much-needed moment to catch his breath.