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Tsunade - Ch 16
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 16:03:00 +0000 UTCChapter 16: Gai's Plea for Help, Again
"Tsunade-sama, please perform surgery on Lee!"
Maito Gai began with a deep bow, expressing his request with utmost respect, almost on the verge of clinging to Tsunade's leg and weeping.
However, if he dared to actually touch her, Tsunade's iron fist would surely crack his skull open.
"I understand Lee's situation. I just finished treating Kakashi today. Let Lee rest for now, and I'll treat him tomorrow. Is that alright?"
"Of course! No problem, Tsunade-sama!" Gai bowed again, his forehead hitting the floor with a resounding crack that made Hikari's skin crawl.
[Gai really treats Lee like his own son... If Tsunade can heal Lee, he could one day open all Eight Gates and sweep through the Four Great Shinobi Villages without a problem!]
[But that would be a waste... The Eight Gates should be saved for Madara after he’s revived!]
["When it comes to taijutsu, even I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge you as the strongest..." That legendary scene must not be missed!]
Wait a minute.
Madara's revival? What’s going on with that?
The only people still alive who understand the terror of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara are old-timers like Tsunade, Ōnoki, and Kakuzu.
Even the students of the Second Hokage don't have a clear sense of what happened back then.
The Ghost of the Uchiha, representing the pinnacle of combat power in the shinobi world...
If he were to be revived, could Konoha withstand him?
Tsunade had her doubts.
---
"Kakashi! It's so great that you're awake!" Gai, who had just stood up, saw Kakashi open his eyes in bed and immediately lunged forward, embracing him tightly.
"You were unconscious for so long, I was worried sick! I worked tirelessly to take care of you every day. Even when the nurses offered to help, I refused because your well-being was the most important!"
Flash!
White Fang gleamed once more as Tsunade instinctively stepped back and left the room.
As a straightforward woman, she really couldn’t handle such an... affectionate scene between two men.
Kakashi's face turned ashen.
At that moment, he felt an odd sensation from his lower back.
'No way... My purity... It's gone!'
'Gai, you bastard! You may not care about finding a woman, but I still do!'
Kakashi wanted to cry but had no tears. With this, any hope of finding a girlfriend in the hospital was completely shattered.
"Ahem... Gai, carry on. See you later!"
Hikari gave a quick nod before swiftly slipping out the door, ignoring Kakashi's pleading gaze as he shut it behind him.
[Whew, that was terrifying... I always knew these two weren’t normal, but I never expected Gai to be so... assertive. I wonder who's on top and who's on the bottom.]
Thud!
Another fist landed on Hikari’s head.
"What's wrong, Tsunade-sama? If you keep hitting me like this, I'll report you!" Though the punches didn't really hurt, being hit on the head by a woman was extremely irritating for him.
[Woman, if you hit my head again, I swear I'll smack your butt tonight!]
Tsunade: ###
How should she handle this?
She clenched her fists, barely holding back the urge to punch him again.
She still couldn't quite figure out the extent of Kamizuki Hikari's abilities. Better safe than sorry... What if he really did sneak into her room at night to spank her, her dignity as the Hokage would be shattered.
And the worst part? She wouldn’t even be able to tell anyone about it!
"Come on, let's go drinking!"
Whether she was happy or sad, Tsunade drank. Even now as Hokage, she had mostly given up gambling, but alcohol? No way.
She threw an arm around Hikari’s neck, her ample chest pressing against his face.
[Woman, are you seducing me?!]
[I admit defeat... Let this storm rage on!]
---
Inside the hospital room.
Now that he had recovered some strength, Kakashi pushed against Gai’s face.
"Get off me! You're crushing me!"
"Hehe, I was just too excited!" Gai grinned but finally let go, slipping off the bed and taking a seat nearby.
"I was so worried about you while you were unconscious."
"Kakashi, my eternal rival, I knew you wouldn't go down so easily!"
Looking at the ever-enthusiastic Gai, Kakashi couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Maybe... there was still hope in this world.
Gai was an idiot... but an irreplaceable one.
"I'll be discharged in two days. Let's have a rematch then."
"Really?!" Gai’s eyes sparkled. "Usually, I have to beg you to compete with me. This time, you actually suggested it!"
"What should we compete in?"
"A 100-kilometer run? Handstand walking? Mountain climbing? Whatever you choose, I'm in!"
Kakashi sighed in exasperation. He and Gai were complete opposites—Gai was always full of energy, while Kakashi was completely drained.
"Let's just play rock-paper-scissors. Quick and easy."
"No way! That's boring! How about hide-and-seek?"
"No, that's way too childish."
---
At the izakaya.
Two empty bottles sat before Tsunade, while Kamizuki Hikari had only finished one.
"Hikari, I'm counting on you tomorrow. I really don't have full confidence in treating Lee’s injury."
It was around three or four in the afternoon, the time when the izakaya was least crowded. Aside from Tsunade, the Hokage, who dared to ignore the rules, most ninjas would only come for a drink after dark.
"Tsunade-sama, with your medical ninjutsu, treating Lee should be a piece of cake!"
[Relax, girl. Tomorrow, I’ll use Yang Release to enhance Lee’s body. I won’t let him go down so easily.]
Lee's leg injury was caused by using the Eight Gates to kick through Gaara's defense, allowing sand to infiltrate his body and cause fractures. To heal him, they needed to open his leg bones, remove the embedded sand and debris, and then use medical ninjutsu to rapidly stimulate bone regeneration.
If it were an external or even nerve-related injury, Tsunade wouldn’t have any issues.
But dealing with an injury inside the bone? Even she found it troublesome.
The procedure was time-consuming, and prolonged exposure of the bone was dangerous. It required meticulous cleansing and swift regeneration.
Even Tsunade hesitated when faced with such an operation.
Had she not heard Hikari's inner thoughts, which gave her the confidence to proceed, she might have delayed the surgery even further to ensure better preparation.
...
Tsunade's drinking could only be described in one word.
Intense.
She was a true warrior among women.
A bottle of sake, about 200 milliliters, was gone in three gulps. The number of empty bottles in front of her increased at an alarming rate.
