Chapter 35: The Treatment Plan
Seeing that Nan had finally finished his work and seemed to be taking a moment to rest, the camp commander stepped forward to speak with him.
After witnessing Nan's fluid and seamless technique earlier, the commander was fully convinced that this young boy truly possessed the ability to neutralize the poison.
"Hello, Uchiha Nan. I'm Nara Takuma, the officer in charge of this camp," he introduced himself.
Nan politely returned the greeting. Nara Takuma continued:
"I heard there was someone who could detoxify the poison used by the Sand ninja, so I came to check it out for myself.
At first, I was skeptical—but after what I saw with my own eyes… I never imagined someone so young could have such capability. You must have trained harder than most people can even imagine."
Nan gave a modest smile and replied humbly, "Not at all. It's mostly thanks to a bit of talent. I've just been lucky—honestly, I haven't put in as much effort as I should have.
In fact, I feel a little ashamed. If I had worked harder, I could probably do even better."
Takuma's mouth twitched slightly.
At first, he thought Nan's gentle tone and expression were signs of humility. But as the boy continued, it became clear that Nan was genuinely proud of his natural gifts.
Had he just said that resolving a crisis that baffled every medic in the entire camp—possibly across multiple camps—was just a product of luck and talent?
Was he implying that the rest of the medical ninja were just fools?
Suppressing his inner frustration, Takuma chose to continue the conversation:
"Can you explain exactly how you cured the poison? That information is extremely important."
Nan claimed he had fully neutralized the toxin, and based on the visible improvement in his treated patients, his claim seemed credible. However, whether the symptoms might recur remained to be seen. Still, there was no doubt his method was effective.
But Nan alone wouldn't be enough.
There were too many poisoned ninjas in the camp—and likely more across other outposts. As the war progressed, there would only be more casualties. One person couldn't possibly treat them all. The best course of action would be to share this technique with others.
Nan understood that well. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn't protect every Konoha ninja by himself.
But he was doubtful others would be able to replicate his method.
Even so, since Nara Takuma had asked, Nan explained the treatment in detail to both Takuma and the head of the medical unit.
After hearing his explanation, Takuma finally understood—but a deep frown settled on his face again.
He and the medical commander discussed briefly. Nan's technique might indeed work, but it relied heavily on a highly advanced medical jutsu called the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.
This jutsu required the user to operate deep within a patient's internal organs, which demanded extremely precise chakra control. Moreover, most medics couldn't even "see" inside the body clearly enough to locate the toxins. The user needed both an intimate understanding of anatomy and strong sensory capabilities to locate and target the poisoned area.
In short, it was an extremely advanced technique—one that very few Konoha medical-nin were qualified to perform.
Even the head of the medical unit admitted that he wasn't confident he could pull it off. It was almost unbelievable that a six-year-old boy could execute it flawlessly.
Feeling ashamed, the medical commander flushed slightly and relayed his thoughts to Takuma.
Was everything really going to depend on Nan alone? That seemed impossible. Takuma's expression darkened at the thought.
Nan could read the worry on his face—they were all thinking the same thing.
He knew the state of Konoha's medical corps well. There were a few who had learned the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, but almost none who could actually perform it. Even he was only able to succeed because of the enhanced perception from his Sharingan and the sensory abilities that came with awakening the Mangekyō.
Before him, only two people in Konoha had ever successfully used this jutsu: Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, and his own mother—Uchiha Saki.
His mother was gone, and Tsunade had long since left the village, disheartened after losing both her younger brother and her lover in the war.
That meant Nan was now the only person in Konoha capable of performing the technique.
The number of poisoned soldiers in Konoha had already reached into the hundreds, by conservative estimates. Nan's chakra was finite, and so was his stamina.
Even if he used Shadow Clones, it was impossible for him to save everyone. And people were still being poisoned every day. Even if he worked himself to death, those he couldn't reach in time would still die.
Nan understood this.
So did Nara Takuma and the medical commander.
There were still no leads on how to synthesize an antidote. And if the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique was the only viable method of treatment, then many would be lost.
And if that happened, it would mean only one thing—
Konoha had already lost this war.
However, Nan wasn't without alternatives.
The reason most other medical-nin struggled with the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique wasn't because the technique itself was inherently difficult, but because there were simply too many factors to consider during the procedure. The margin for error was slim, and failure often meant serious—even fatal—consequences for the patient.
Nan had no such issues thanks to his Sharingan and powerful sensory perception, which allowed him to easily identify the organs or areas that required priority treatment.
Combined with his exceptional chakra control, he could avoid the more delicate or high-risk organs and focus his efforts where they would be most effective. For lighter infections or sensitive regions, he just had to proceed with extra caution.
After treating several patients, Nan had started to gather a fair amount of practical experience.
He noticed that although the wounds and external injuries differed from patient to patient, the most severely affected internal areas were often quite similar.
If he could treat more people and continue refining his observations, he believed he could eventually develop a standardized detox protocol using the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique—a methodical treatment plan that other medical-nin could follow.
Even if they lacked his advanced sensory capabilities, as long as they adhered strictly to his plan—focusing treatment on the organs most commonly infected and avoiding the trickier ones—the treatment would still be effective.
Granted, it wouldn't be as thorough as Nan's own methods. Some residual poison might remain, and full recovery wouldn't be guaranteed. But it would be enough to make a real difference.
At the very least, it could significantly delay the onset of the poison's worst effects—buying precious time for developing an antidote.
Realizing the potential of this plan, Nan immediately shared it with the two commanders of the camp.
He knew he couldn't do this alone. He would need the full cooperation of every medical-nin available in the camp.
Originally, the two leaders had been completely at a loss. They had already started imagining what would happen if Konoha lost the war—and what kind of punishment and blame they would face afterward.
If things went badly enough, they might end up like White Fang of the previous generation—driven to suicide by shame and public condemnation.
Even without thinking that far ahead, just watching their comrades writhe in agony, knowing death was inevitable, was enough to weigh heavily on their hearts.
But after hearing Nan's plan, a spark of hope returned.
There were still uncertainties:
Could Nan really devise a workable protocol?
Would the plan prove effective in practice?
Would the other medics be able to carry it out properly?
All of these questions could only be answered with time and testing.
But the commanders had run out of other options. Nan had given them a direction—and it was the only one they had left.
After a brief discussion, they made their decision:
They would follow Nan's plan.