The Raikage and Tsunade, bull-like eyes glaring, sat on opposite sides of a large rock in the courtyard, staring each other down.
Seeing the Raikage and his two subordinates soaked and disheveled, Touye lowered her head in embarrassment. After all, it was their side that was in the wrong. They had stood him up, and for an entire night at that.
But Tsunade showed no sign of embarrassment, looking at the Raikage with perfect composure.
Fearing a full-blown battle, the young ninja proposed they settle things not with a direct fight, but with arm wrestling. Tsunade readily agreed—she had never feared anyone in the ninja world when it came to strength. The Raikage, equally confident in his own power, had no objections. And so, the contest began.
Touye took each of their right hands and had them clasp. "Ready... Begin!"
The moment she finished speaking, two terrifying auras erupted, forcing her to leap back to safety.
And the auras were still rising, leaving Touye and the others staring in stunned silence.
"Amazing... So this is a battle between Kage-level masters..."
The two of them, right hands locked, glared at each other. A thick, yellow, flame-like chakra enveloped Tsunade, while the Raikage was cloaked in the same lightning-like chakra she had seen the night before.
The frightening auras continued to climb. The solid ground beneath them began to crack under the pressure, and the very spot where they sat was slowly sinking.
The four spectators could no longer keep their footing and had to slowly back away.
The scene was as intense as any real battle.
Though dust was kicked up by their nearly tangible auras, Touye's sharp eyes could still see a wicked smile on Tsunade's face. The Raikage's hand was slowly being pushed down.
Even though she knew he would turn the tables in the end, Touye couldn't help but shout, "Lady Tsunade has the upper hand! The Raikage is about to lose!"
"Ah!" Shizune and the two Cloud ninja gasped in unison.
"Yes!"
"Impossible!" The Cloud ninja couldn't believe their eyes as they stared at the two figures, now nearly obscured in the swirling dust. "Lord Raikage is being overpowered in a contest of strength?! And by a woman!"
In the center of it all, the Raikage was equally shocked. He had assumed Tsunade was revered only for her medical ninjutsu, that her combat prowess was just exaggerated rumor. He had never imagined that her reputation was so well-earned. Her strength was truly formidable. Leaving all else aside, her raw power was far greater than his own.
*But... the life of my subordinate hangs on this match. So... I absolutely cannot lose!*
At that thought, the Raikage's eyes changed. The lightning around him flared brilliantly. Then, his right arm suddenly fell back on its own, only to snap forward again at incredible speed.
The two had been locked in a struggle of pure force. When the Raikage suddenly retreated, Tsunade didn't have time to react. Her hand pressed forward with momentum, but her power momentarily dissipated. In that instant, the Raikage's hand returned.
A weakened Tsunade versus an all-out Raikage. Before she could even mount a counter-attack, her hand was slammed down onto the stone platform. The tremendous force shattered the stone into pieces, leaving a large crater in its place.
The scene fell silent. Tsunade stared blankly at her pinned hand, seemingly unable to believe that she had actually lost.
After a long moment, she stood up gracefully. "Ah... I lost. You won with speed, not strength, but we agreed to arm wrestle, not a test of strength. A loss is a loss. As we agreed, I will treat your companion."
The Raikage's face showed no joy. Though Tsunade had admitted defeat, the fact remained that he had used a trick to win. His pride stung, but because of his subordinate, he couldn't say anything. The feeling was utterly vexing.
***
Having lost the contest, Tsunade's group followed the Raikage to a rocky mountain. Inside a cave, they found the ninja who had been parasitized by the bug.
Like the Raikage, he had dark brown skin. A massive, spider-like tumor protruded from his exposed chest, pulsing steadily.
Without waiting for the Raikage to speak, Tsunade stepped forward, her hands glowing with green chakra. "Mystical Palm Technique!"
After a moment, she withdrew her jutsu and turned to the Raikage. "How long has he been like this?"
"About a day." Although he disliked Tsunade, she was here to save his subordinate's life, so he did his best to soften his expression. But his face was naturally fierce, and his attempt at a peaceful look was somewhat comical.
"A day, huh..." Tsunade nodded, looking thoughtful. "We don't have much time. Your subordinate has been parasitized by a creature called an Explosion Bug—I don't remember the exact name. These bugs are microscopic and can enter the body through respiration or even the pores. They travel through the bloodstream to a vital point in the chest. When the host uses chakra, the bug absorbs it as nourishment and grows rapidly. Once it reaches a critical point, it will... explode."
The Raikage's eyes narrowed, as if recalling a bad memory.
Tsunade ignored his expression and continued, "From your description, Raikage, you should have been parasitized as well. But for some reason, the parasite failed to grow..."
"Impossible!" the dark-skinned ninja on the stone slab suddenly struggled to sit up. "According to what you said, the bug absorbs chakra when we use it and then explodes. But Lord Raikage definitely used his chakra back then! Why didn't the bug explode?"
"Hmm..." Tsunade pondered for a moment.
It was then that Touye, who had been standing nearby, spoke up. "I think... it might be because the bug didn't have time to absorb it..."
"How so?" Tsunade looked at the girl, her eyes encouraging.
Reassured by Tsunade's approval, Touye's confidence grew. "From what I've seen of Lord Raikage's fighting style, he tends to unleash a single, thunderous strike in an instant, then immediately suppresses his chakra to avoid unnecessary waste... So, I was guessing, could it be that Lord Raikage's movements are too fast? He mobilizes his chakra for an attack and then suppresses it again before the bug even has a chance to absorb it."
A look of satisfaction crossed Tsunade's face. "Exactly. That was my thought as well. You reasoned that out well, Xiao Ye. You deserve praise."
The girl scratched her hair and looked down, embarrassed.
Then Tsunade's expression turned serious. She addressed the Raikage. "Your subordinate doesn't have much time. The bug's pulsation is slowly synchronizing with his heartbeat. I estimate that once they match perfectly, the bug will detonate. We are out of time. We must begin the surgery immediately!"
The Raikage stared hard at Tsunade. "Can I trust you?"
Tsunade nodded. "Of course. Who do you think I am?"
***
"What?! You want *us* to be the lead surgeons?!" Touye shot to her feet in shock.
"What are you panicking for? Look at Shizune. She's not surprised at all. You still lack training," Tsunade said nonchalantly, her arms crossed.
"Er..." The girl sat back down sheepishly. "Why us? Wouldn't there be a better chance of success if you did it yourself, Lady Tsunade? If we fail, I doubt the Raikage will let us off easy..."
"Hmph. You're already thinking about failure before you've even begun. If you always hold on to that kind of attitude, you'll never become a strong warrior," Tsunade said, her face growing stern as she admonished the girl.
Touye paused, then lowered her head. "Yes... I'll correct that."
Shizune put an arm around the girl and whispered in her ear, "You've been with us for a while now. You should know about Lady Tsunade's condition..."
A jolt went through Touye. *How could I have forgotten?* Tsunade had hemophobia. To remove the bug from the ninja, they would have to cut open his chest. The amount of blood...
Tsunade's expression seemed distant. She shook her head. "Shizune's skills are excellent. As long as there are no complications, it will be a success. I'm having you assist as an extra precaution. If something goes wrong, you can freeze the man to stabilize him. Even if everything goes well, you can use your Ice Release to help stop the bleeding."
"Right. I understand!" Touye nodded firmly.
Just then, the Raikage strode over, his face a mask of fury. He roared at Tsunade, "Are you planning to let these two kids operate?! I trusted *you* to do this, not them! You have to do it yourself!"
"Shut up!" Tsunade barked, her cold gaze fixed on the Raikage. "Since you've decided to entrust this matter to me, then trust my decisions. If my subordinates make a mistake, I will take responsibility and fix it! But right now, you! Will! Immediately! Get out and wait!"
The Raikage was stunned by her outburst. It had probably been a long time since anyone had dared to speak to him like that. For a moment, he was at a loss for words...
After a long pause, his expression shifted through several shades of anger before he finally stomped his foot and marched out of the cave.
"Alright, we're short on time... Get ready. I've already made the boast. The rest is up to you two to live up to it..."
With that, Tsunade stood up, dusted herself off, and also walked slowly out of the cave.
"Then let's begin." Shizune smiled at the girl, then took out a scroll and formed a hand seal. With a puff of smoke, a set of knives, forks, and other dining... ahem, scalpels and forceps appeared.
After sterilizing the dining... that is, the surgical tools with fire, Shizune administered an anesthetic to the Cloud ninja. Soon, he drifted into a deep sleep.
"Let's start. Xiao Ye, you'll hand me the tools from the side. If anything goes wrong, use your Ice Release to freeze the wound and prevent major bleeding. Understood?" Shizune said sternly, her face covered by a surgical mask.
"Yes! Leave it to me!" the girl replied with equal seriousness.
And so, the sur... dinner party... began.
"Scalpel!"
"Gauze!"
"Hemostat!"
***
Outside the cave, the Raikage stood at the entrance. Tsunade stood in front of him, both with their backs to the cave mouth.
Given the limited conditions, the two surgeons had no time to wipe away any blood that wasn't obstructing the procedure. It dripped from the edge of the stone slab onto the floor below.
And who were the two people standing outside? The sound of dripping blood, though faint, was perfectly clear to their trained ears.
Suddenly, the Raikage noticed that Tsunade's shoulders were trembling slightly.
*Is this...*
The Raikage's pupils constricted. He slowly stepped forward. "I never thought... that rumor was actually true..."
After a long silence, Tsunade hugged her shoulders and lowered her head. "It's laughable, isn't it? A medical ninja... suffering from hemophobia... What a huge... cosmic joke..."
The Raikage was silent, not knowing what to say. In the end, he could only let out a quiet sigh.
"Xiao Ye, wipe my sweat..."
Though Shizune wore a mask, the girl could hear the deep exhaustion in her voice and see it in her eyes. As she wiped the sweat from Shizune's brow with a towel, Shizune continued, "We're almost at the final step. All that's left is to remove the bug. But it's grown very large by now. The slightest misstep will cause it to explode. Not only this man, but even we won't have time to escape. So, I have to rely on you, Xiao Ye! The instant I sever the connection between the bug and the patient, you must immediately freeze the bug with all your power. It has to be frozen solid. If any part of it is missed, death awaits us!"
She paused, taking a shallow breath. "And the patient's chest cavity is wide open and completely vulnerable. If even a wisp of your cold air escapes, it will kill him. So, please, be extremely careful!"
At that moment, the Cloud ninja, who had kept his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. "Please... do what you must... It's a miracle I've even survived this long. If it can't be helped, it's alright. Don't feel any burden..."
His words startled both Touye and Shizune. Shizune glanced at him and said urgently, "We have to hurry. We're running out of time! Get ready!"
"Right!"
Shizune held a scalpel in her right hand while her left glowed with the green light of healing chakra. With a flick of her right wrist, the last and most critical connection between the parasite and the Raikage's subordinate was severed.
The girl's eyes widened, her teeth clenched tight. In the chaos, she reacted a split second too late.
The dislodged bug's white body was already starting to glow with a faint red light.
"Xiao Ye!" Shizune screamed.
"Aaaaaah!"
The girl slammed her hands together above the bug. A wave of icy energy washed over the pale creature, freezing it a solid blue-white. The faint red glow finally dimmed.
"Hah..."
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