The Leaf Genin looked at the enemy with fury and looked at Shizune with helplessness
[Skill Gamer's Mind has activated]
but he soon calmed himself down. 'Not now Daichi. Don't lose focus. Stabilize sensei's vitals. That's more important.'
Daichi ignored Orochimaru's taunting smile and jumped to where Jiraiya and Kakashi were.
He placed his teacher on the ground and restarted the healing. But even so he was thinking of ways to save his fellow apprentice. 'Shizune is a valuable hostage. That's why he went for her. As long as she lives, Orochimaru has the advantage and he knows that. He won't kill her. At least for a short while. He'll be looking to stall, trying to stop me from healing sensei. I can use that to my advantage.' Daichi told himself.
As he was making his plans, the Snake Sannin was surprised. 'He has incredible self control. Even with Shizune in my hand, he didn't act rashly. He knows that Tsunade's life is the priority and he immediately restarted her treatment. It seems getting him to stop will be tricky.'
"Let her go, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya growled in anger as he looked at the enemy.
"Kukukuku… Sure. Just give me Tsunade." Orochimaru chuckled as he looked at the angry Toad Sage.
At that moment Shizune weakly opened her eyes and spoke. "Don't… worry about… me. Save her."
Orochimaru tightened the grip on Shizune's neck. "Now, now Shizune. If you really have no value for your own life… I might just take it."
Orochimaru strengthened his paralysis poison. He wanted to make sure she didn't use any suicide technique and put him at a disadvantage.
Kakashi and Jiraiya knew that Orochimaru wouldn't kill Shizune immediately. But they also knew they couldn't rashly attack him now.
As the Leaf ninjas faced Orochimaru, Kakashi and Jiraiya were stalling for the arrival of the Second Hokage. 'Where is he? He should have been here by now.'
"How did you escape from him?" Jiraiya suddenly asked.
Orochimaru chuckled. "I didn't escape. The one you faced before was a special clone. A bait I set out for the Second Hokage to take."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed at that information. 'A trap. No wonder he didn't press forward more aggressively when we were fighting before.'
"You've created some special methods to stop the reanimation jutsu, haven't you? I must say, I didn't expect that."
Jiraiya and Kakashi remained alert and silent. They didn't want to give out any secrets.
"Well it doesn't matter if you don't answer. They did their jobs." The Snake Sannin's eyes soon fixed on the boy performing the healing jutsu. 'Trapping the Second with that forbidden jutsu took more out of me than I thought. But still, it won't keep him away for long. I need to get some samples from her at the very least. Or all my efforts and sacrifices would have been in vain.'
He looked at Daichi and his eyes narrowed. 'If he gets her strong enough for the Hokage to teleport her out of here, it would ruin all my plans. I need to stop him from healing her.'
A smile spread across the Sannin's face "You've done impressively for a Genin so far. It's about time you and I talked."
Immediately Kakashi stepped closer to his student. Despite Orochimaru's words, Daichi kept up his medical ninjutsu.
Orochimaru, standing several paces away, regarded the young shinobi with an amused, almost pitying expression. His golden eyes gleamed in the dim light. "You're wasting your time, Daichi," he murmured, voice smooth as silk. "Look at her. Her body is breaking apart with every second. The serum is consuming her from the inside out. Every ounce of healing you provide only prolongs the inevitable."
Orochimaru's tone turned slightly soft, almost coaxing. "Daichi… Her suffering is plain to see. Her body is agonizingly tearing itself apart. If you have any mercy in your heart, wouldn't you let her final moments come swiftly?"
Daichi didn't respond as his hands continued their precise movements. His chakra kept flowing into Tsunade's body in delicate waves. He could feel the internal battle raging within her. Her cells were regenerating only to be torn apart again, her chakra pathways fluctuating wildly, fighting against the transformation Orochimaru had forced upon her. It was a war of attrition, one she could not endure forever.
Daichi exhaled through gritted teeth, left hand pulsing with healing chakra on Tsunade's midsection, holding back the spread of jagged wood spikes. 'He's just trying to break my will.' He refused to glance up at Orochimaru, all attention fixed on Tsunade's faintly quivering body.
A soft chuckle escaped Orochimaru's lips. "I admire your persistence, but let me offer you a different perspective," he said, taking a step closer. "Her pain is immeasurable. You claim to be her student, her successor in medical ninjutsu… yet you let her endure this agony when you could grant her peace."
"Daichi, he's just playing mind games with you." Jiraiya warned the boy even though he didn't need it.
Shizune let out a muffled cry from Orochimaru's grip, but her eyes pleaded with Daichi not to falter. That was all the more reassurance the boy needed.
Daichi's fingers clenched slightly for a moment as he pressed his palms down, directing more chakra into Tsunade's body to keep her stable. His voice was low but firm. "You want me to let her die so you can take her body, right?"
Orochimaru's lips parted in a sardonic smile. "Hmph, so what? It doesn't change what you're doing. In your attempts to 'save' her, you're prolonging her agony. You've seen her convulsions, her body warping. The serum is devouring her from within; every breath is torture. Letting go is the greatest mercy you could show her."
"Shut your mouth you bastard. You're the one who did that to her in the first place." Jiraiya was furious and his palms dug into his flesh with how tight he was clenching his fist.
But the Snake Sannin ignored him and continued with his words. "True. But in my hands, she would pass painlessly, and I would make use of what remains. You know as well as I do that even if she recovers, she will never be the same. The serum has done its work. Her body is forever changed. But with my knowledge, with my expertise, I can ensure that her value is not wasted."
Kakashi tensed, lightning flickering across his fingertips, but Jiraiya lifted a hand to keep him from launching an attack. Both recognized that even a slight miscalculation could cost Shizune her life.
Shizune's expression twisted in horror as she listened, but her lips wouldn't form the words. Jiraiya's teeth ground audibly as he fought the urge to hurl an attack.
At this time, as he was healing her, a memory came to Daichi's mind.
—-
Fire Capital – Two Years Ago
The streets of the Fire Capital were unusually quiet that evening. Daichi followed Tsunade through the narrow alleys toward a temporary medical post. He had been training under her for several months now, learning the intricacies of advanced medical techniques. That night, however, had not been like the others.
A shinobi had been brought in, his body barely clinging to life. His wounds were grave. Gaping lacerations, shattered ribs, a pierced lung. Even to Daichi's trained eye, there was no saving him.
Shizune was healing him as best she could but after examining him, Daichi spoke. "Sensei, his chakra is depleted, his organs are failing and he's lost too much blood. There's nothing more we can do. He's in agony right now. Shouldn't the best thing we can do is to let him go peacefully?"
Tsunade had not looked up from her spot. "Daichi," she said, voice steady despite the foregone outcome. "A medic-nin must never give up on treatment until their patient's dying breath. That is the first rule. No matter how impossible it seems. Until the very last moment, we do not give up."
Daichi had frowned, confused and frustrated. "But sensei, his odds—"
"Don't talk to me about odds." Tsunade's tone had been sharp, but not unkind. "We aren't fortune tellers. We don't decide who lives or dies when treating someone. That's not our role. Our job is to fight for our patients until there is truly nothing left to be done."
Shizune and Daichi had pressed their glowing hands against the man's chest and torso, stabilizing his breathing for just a little longer. They had stayed with him until his final breath, ensuring that when the end came, it was not in agony but in peace.
Daichi had watched in silence and the lesson seared itself into his mind.
—-
Return to Present
'Rule one, sensei. I won't let you down.'
Daichi's hands held steady as he forced more healing chakra into Tsunade's battered torso and recited the words like a mantra. "Rule One. A medic ninja must never give up on treatment until their patient's dying breath."
The Leaf Genin's firm voice wiped the smile off of Orochimaru's face. "You're asking me to betray the first rule of medical ninjutsu. To abandon my teacher while she's still fighting for her life." His voice was stronger now. "That's something I will never do."
Orochimaru's serpent-like gaze narrowed. "So that's how it is. The first rule, is it?" A soft chuckle hissed from his lips. "Yet from my vantage point, you've already broken the second rule."
A subtle smirk curved Orochimaru's mouth. "Coming here, fighting me, this is the epitome of the 'frontlines.' You are in direct combat territory, no matter how you spin it."
Jiraiya's jaw clenched in frustration, but Daichi spoke before anyone else. "I never set foot on the frontlines." He paused to carefully twist a protruding wooden spike from Tsunade's side, flicking it away so it wouldn't regrow. "Danzo was the one who confronted you in my place. He took that role."
At that, Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged a brief glance. It was true; Daichi had largely remained with Tsunade or Shizune, never engaging Orochimaru directly except in fleeting moments. 'He abided by that principle in his own way.'
Orochimaru flicked his gaze around. "And your teacher, Kakashi, also shielded you. And Jiraiya, my dear old teammate, is standing guard. That's your grand defense?" He half-laughed in disbelief. "How convenient."
Daichi's brow furrowed, ignoring Orochimaru's mockery. "Yes. That's the second rule: a medic ninja must never go to the frontlines. And I didn't. You might not see the distinction, but I had no illusions about fighting you. My place was, and is, by sensei's side."
A hush descended, broken only by Shizune's ragged breaths in Orochimaru's clutches. Jiraiya advanced one tentative step, raising his hands in a partial seal, but Orochimaru tensed, pressing a snake fang closer to Shizune's shoulder as a silent warning.
Kakashi shot a glance at Daichi. 'He can keep healing, but not indefinitely. Tsunade's body is near its limit. We need a plan.' A fresh bead of sweat trickled down his temple, heart pounding. 'Orochimaru's still strong enough to fight if we press him, but if we do that, Shizune might die…'
Orochimaru sniffed the air, a twisted satisfaction danced in his gold eyes. "Is Tsunade's life truly worth more than Shizune's, Daichi? Which rule will you cling to now?"
Jiraiya, fists trembling, barked, "Stop it, Orochimaru! Don't try pitting them against each other."
The Snake Sannin shrugged. "Why not? You all cling to these so-called principles… let's see how consistent you can be when you're forced to choose."
Daichi's lips parted in a soft exhale, but he spoke without looking up. "I won't choose. I'll save them both. That's the essence of rule one. Never give up on any life you can save." The resolute quiet of his voice surprised even Jiraiya.
A faint laugh bubbled up from Orochimaru's throat. "Ah, the idealism of youth… Daichi… you cling to those rules of Tsunade's. But don't think for a moment it means you're safe. Outnumbering me is no guarantee you'll walk out of here alive. Actually…" His lips curled into a poisonous grin, exposing the faint glimmer of fangs. "I'm feeling rather vindictive, and I hate leaving loose ends. After all this fuss, perhaps I'll kill you, then pay a visit to your loved ones."
Daichi's features remained calm, eyes pinned on Tsunade's injuries. His only response was to intensify the healing aura, ignoring Orochimaru's venomous words.
"Mmm?" Orochimaru's brow twitched faintly, displeased at the lack of reaction from the boy. "What? No witty comeback? No retort? No fear or anger? You disappoint me, boy. I expected more from the student of a Sannin. Are you so callous, or are you perhaps simply numb? If you're not afraid for yourself, you should at least be terrified for Shizune."
At the mention of Shizune's name, the snake Sannin squeezed her throat harder, forcing a ragged cough from her lungs. Her eyes briefly rolled back in her head.
Kakashi tensed, lightning dancing on his fingertips. Jiraiya's jaw visibly clenched, knuckles whitening. They both recognized how precarious the situation was. One misstep could crush Shizune's windpipe. But even so, Daichi didn't flinch.
Orochimaru's gaze flicked over Daichi. "Your stoic demeanor is wasted, you know. Fear and desperation would serve you better. Let me guess… you still cling to that nonsense about the third rule? 'A medic ninja should always be the last of their platoon to die,' was it?" He let out a condescending laugh. "Don't be foolish. In a real battlefield, do you truly think that's realistic?"
At those words, Daichi finally lifted his eyes, leveling them on Orochimaru. His right hand remained steady, maintaining the vital healing lines that prevented Tsunade's organs from collapsing. "Yes," he said quietly. "Because that's the duty of a medic ninja: keep everyone else alive, and if anyone is to die last, it should be us."
Shizune's half-lidded eyes flickered with a spark of relief, even as she struggled for air. Jiraiya and Kakashi felt a faint swell of pride in Daichi's resolve.
Orochimaru's lips pulled back, baring teeth in a slow, savage grin. "Such lofty ideals. But let's see if you can live by them when pressed…"
Orochimaru's fingers tightened ever harder around Shizune's neck. She choked, her feet kicking weakly in the air.
"Stop it, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya barked, stepping forward.
"I wouldn't do that Jiraiya." Orochimaru's murderous intention stopped the Toad Sage from taking a step further.
Kakashi's brow furrowed. 'I can't stand here and do nothing, but any reckless move and Shizune's finished. What do I do?' He cast a quick sideways glance at Daichi.
The young medic kept his face angled downward, but there was a moment, a single heartbeat, when their eyes met. 'He wants me to do something.' Kakashi realized.
Time seemed to slow down. A single, silent moment stretched between them. 'He's waiting for the exact second we can attack.'
The corners of Daichi's mouth tightened, and Kakashi read the silent message in the younger man's eyes in an instant. A moment later, Daichi gave the faintest nod, a silent signal. Kakashi answered with his own subtle tilt of the head, acknowledging the plan.
Orochimaru, missing the silent exchange, continued his mocking monologue. "You Leaf shinobi… always so full of pointless bravado. Tsunade taught you these rules, yes? But she never told you how often they failed, did she?"
Daichi showed no outward reaction. Instead, his free left hand slid into his pouch. His grip closed around a kunai. 'We have one shot… Here it goes.'
—-------------------
Author's Note:
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