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His entire arm was soaked in blood.
Leo hadn't expected this at all.
This technique was supposed to be entry-level, yet it drained him so hard that his arm suffered unimaginable backlash. By the final moment, he couldn't even move, let alone run.
Shizune examined his wounds, panic rising in her voice. "We need to get you to a hospital right now!"
"We can't go to the hospital!"
Leo forced the words out through clenched teeth. "If we go, Lady Tsunade's situation will get exposed. Just patch me up for now—heal the surface wounds first."
"This…"
Shizune hesitated, but after a moment, she realized he had a point.
Beside them, Tsunade was still trembling, stuck in her fear.
Shizune gritted her teeth. "Alright. I'll do it."
But cold sweat was already streaming down her forehead.
She had learned plenty of medical theory and techniques, but her chakra reserves were low, and she lacked enough field practice.
A surgery like this was extremely difficult for her.
Kurenai spoke up. "I've practiced basic medical ninjutsu for a little over half a month… I only know the basics, but can I help?"
"Yes!"
Shizune lit up in relief.
Kakashi stood to the side in silence.He had never trained in medical jutsu—he definitely couldn't help.
Shizune explained exactly how to assist and what Kurenai should do. She didn't need much from her—just enough medical chakra to stimulate cell activity and ease some of the strain on her.
Time trickled by.
The wounds on Leo's arm slowly started to knit together.
In exchange, sweat completely covered Shizune's forehead.
After a long while—
"Kakashi, I need a hand."
"What is it?"
Kakashi stepped forward immediately.
Leo raised his uninjured arm and formed half of the Snake seal.
Kakashi understood.
He gathered chakra and completed the other half.
Then—
Ox, Rabbit.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave.
The two of them cast it together, unstable and incomplete, producing only a weak stream of water—nowhere near the proper technique.
But Leo only needed it to wash his hands.
Blood washed away.
His arm, overall, was mostly healed.
"Let's move somewhere else."
"Right."
Shizune understood what he meant. She and Kurenai supported Tsunade and led her away to an area without blood on the ground.
A long time passed.
Tsunade finally calmed down. Her expression was dark as she treated the hidden damage inside Leo's arm.
When she finished, she didn't say anything for a long while.
Only after quite some time did she speak. "As you all saw… in my current state, I can't even complete basic treatment."
Silence fell.
Tsunade's condition was essentially severe post-war psychological trauma. Real recovery depended mostly on herself.
As for talking her through it…
Someone like Tsunade wasn't going to recover just because of a few comforting words.If it were that simple, Jiraiya and the others would've succeeded long ago.
Leo let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
Tsunade, however, had already regained control.
Or rather—she had recovered earlier, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to treat Leo's arm at all. She hadn't spoken earlier only because his situation had dragged her back into painful memories.
Tsunade shook her head. "Enough about that. Leo, how did you learn that technique just now?"
"Your strength normally isn't that explosive, so I kept watching. I figured it was some kind of chakra-driven burst effect."
"I didn't have the power to push you out of bounds, but if I could mimic it well enough to draw your attention, I could use explosive tags to finish the job."
After explaining, Leo lowered his head with a guilty expression.
Even Kakashi's mask couldn't hide his shock.
He just… watched?
And then learned it?
No—strictly speaking, Leo had only been experimenting.If he failed, the noise would draw attention, and the real key was the explosive tags.
And yeah… there had definitely been an explosion.
Tsunade listened and couldn't help saying, "Your idea was clever, but way too reckless. Techniques that require high-speed chakra concentration can have severe consequences if you fail. You can't just imitate them on a whim. You're lucky it worked."
Of course it worked—he only used it after he was sure he'd figured it out.
Leo grumbled internally.
Outwardly, he looked like a kid admitting a mistake.
"I'm sorry!"
Tsunade shot him a glare, but didn't continue scolding.
After all—
Someone who could figure out the structure of a technique after watching it a few times and then actually pull it off… that kind of talent was absurd.
This kid's comprehension was off the charts.
Only one person in her memory could match it—
Orochimaru.
Her thoughts drifted back to the past.
Kakashi was also replaying the earlier fight in his mind.
Sometimes, he seriously wondered whether he was the rookie genin, not the one-to-two-year-veteran chūnin in front of him.
The atmosphere grew quiet.
"Leo, you're amazing. I couldn't learn that even if I wanted to."
Shizune looked at him with pure envy.
Tsunade said, "Your body is too weak, and your chakra control isn't exceptionally good. If you tried to learn this forcefully, you'd end up just like him—probably worse."
Shizune stuck her tongue out.
Tsunade lectured them again.A technique like this was something everyone wanted to learn, but the bar was incredibly high. Not just anyone could pull it off.
Finally, Tsunade looked at Kurenai.
"Do you want to give it a try?"
"I'm sorry. My strength is far too low. But I'd still like to receive your guidance, Lady Tsunade."
Kurenai bowed.
Tsunade nodded. "Fine. One more won't make a difference."
She drew a circle on the ground.
Kurenai first used genjutsu, but Tsunade broke it instantly. Then she tried combining clones with illusions and explosive tags to disrupt Tsunade's control.
But every time—
Tsunade saw through it with perfect precision and countered immediately.
Before long, Kurenai was defeated.
"Alright. Let's go one by one."
"....."