"There should be no problem with the secret scroll, Lady Tsunade." Kakashi quickly reviewed its contents and cross-checked them with what his Sharingan had copied earlier. After confirming, he put the scroll away and gave Tsunade a reassuring nod.
"Don't worry. We're sincere." Kumogakure's Amai replied stiffly. "The remaining five hundred million ryo for the medical fee will be delivered soon. Please begin the treatment, Lady Tsunade..."
"F-Five hundred million Ryo? Lady Tsunade, did I hear that right? Is it really five hundred million Ryo for medical treatment?" Shizune, who had mostly sobered up thanks to the hangover medicine, blurted out in shock, stunned by the massive figure.
Five hundred million Ryo! If Kumogakure really kept their promise, then Tsunade-sama's crushing debt would be wiped clean. What's a miracle? This is a miracle!
I'll pay off all her debts with this. No more gambling. I won't let Lady Tsunade keep wasting money! As for the rest?
She must set it aside and make it last—at least two years... no, one year... well, maybe just six months without any new debts or needing to hide from debt collectors.
Debt-free? That's wishful thinking. Shizune couldn't even dream that far ahead.
"Shizune, don't make a scene and embarrass me." Tsunade frowned, pretending to be annoyed, but deep down she was relieved.
Now that Shizune was awake, the blood-related parts of the surgery wouldn't be a problem.
Her expression grew serious as she looked around at the ruined building. "Of course, we need a quiet place for the treatment. But before that—you need to clean up the mess here first."
Compensation for the destroyed izakaya was necessary, but there was no way she was footing the bill. After all, it was the Raikage and his men who started this mess!
"No problem." Amai gave the shattered izakaya a glance and nodded. At such a critical juncture, he couldn't afford to let small things damage the bigger picture.
"Good." Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to the Fourth Raikage. "If you want me to treat you, you'll have to explain everything clearly. I need to know exactly what's inside your body and what it does before I begin."
"I'll handle that!" Amai quickly stepped forward to stop the Raikage from speaking. How could he let the Raikage explain such a shameful matter?
"This all started because we attempted to steal a secret jutsu from Sugi Village..."
"Stealing again? Hah! That's just so typical of Kumogakure." Tsunade scoffed immediately, unable to resist.
The leader of a major Hidden Village shamelessly tried to rob a minor village, only to end up in such a miserable state—nearly dying in the process. It was ironic beyond belief.
"So that's why Sugi Village was tied down." Kakashi, Ishikawa, and the other two Genin were momentarily stunned, then suddenly understood.
No wonder Sugino Village had been too preoccupied to even handle a mere C-rank mission. It turns out that Raikage and his team had basically looted them!
Although Amai tried to downplay it, it was obvious that Sugi Village had taken heavy damage, possibly even entering a lockdown state.
"Let me take it from here…" The Raikage cut in shamelessly, his deep voice buzzing as he tried to reclaim some dignity.
At the same time, he subtly signaled Amai to settle the compensation for the destroyed izakaya.
"We started off smoothly. But just after obtaining the secret scroll, Sugi Village hired Nokizaru Group as mercenaries to chase us down and take it back..."
Hearing the Raikage's self-righteous tone—acting as if he were the victim—Tsunade, Kakashi, Ishikawa, and the others all stared at him with open contempt.
So, it's okay when you rob someone, but not when they fight back? Really?
"Ahem..." Even the thick-skinned Raikage couldn't hold back a bit of embarrassment under their blatant looks of disdain. "Anyway, now's not the time to argue about that. After we encountered the Nokizaru Group..."
"Wait."
Just as the Raikage was quickly explaining last night's pursuit while suppressing his fury, Tsunade's expression suddenly changed as something clicked in her mind.
"You mean… you were hit by the parasitic bomb after that blinding white light?"
The Raikage gave a heavy nod. "And as chakra is used, the bomb rapidly grows until it explodes. Because of this, one of my subordinates blew himself up, and another could be sacrificed at any moment."
At that moment, the Raikage's expression shifted drastically. "Leave the rest to Amayi. Tsunade, come with me—Karai must be saved first!"
"Don't be hasty. I need to confirm something first." Tsunade spoke calmly, then turned to Kakashi. "Tell me where that thing is."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Without wasting a word, Kakashi activated his Sharingan—its three tomoe spinning rapidly, amplifying his visual insight.
Instantly, he observed the chakra flow within the Raikage's body. Amid the uniform chakra circulation, a faint, differently colored chakra source appeared clearly within the Raikage's abdomen.
"There." Following Kakashi's gesture, Tsunade formed a set of hand seals, activated her Palm Healing Technique, and struck the designated location.
"Pah…" Though surprised by the sudden move, the Raikage suppressed his reflex and stood still, allowing Tsunade to slap his abdomen with her medical technique.
"Lady Tsunade, it's absorbing your chakra!" Kakashi's voice rang out beside her as his Sharingan focused sharply on the Raikage's abdomen.
Just as Kakashi warned, a bug-shaped bulge emerged under Tsunade's palm, wriggling faintly as if something alive stirred beneath the skin.
"As expected." Tsunade wasn't surprised. This reaction was within her calculations. She had deliberately provoked a response to observe what this parasite would evolve into under chakra stimulation.
"Raikage, activate your Lightning Chakra Mode now." Taking two steps back, Tsunade's tone grew sharp as she stared at the squirming lump with focused eyes.
"What are you planning?" Though skeptical, the Fourth Raikage followed her instructions and surged lightning chakra through his body, igniting arcs of electricity along his limbs.
As the chakra spread, the insect-shaped bulge quivered briefly, crackling with lightning… then abruptly fell still, no longer absorbing chakra.
"It's been paralyzed by the lightning! It stopped absorbing chakra." Kakashi called out again, his Sharingan flashing scarlet.
"So that's the reason..." Tsunade's eyes narrowed in realization.
"No wonder the Raikage—who's used the most chakra—seemed unaffected. His Lightning Chakra Mode unintentionally paralyzed the parasite, preventing it from absorbing chakra fast enough to grow and explode."
"So… this thing is useless to me?" The Raikage asked, breathing heavily, clearly annoyed. Was his money just being wasted?
"Useless?" Tsunade snorted. "Unless you constantly maintain the Lightning Chakra Mode to keep it suppressed, it'll still absorb your chakra, just more slowly."
Then her gaze sharpened. "It seems that white light was the key delivery method. Most likely, it contained cell-level explosive larvae cultivated by the Nokizaru Group. Once inhaled through the nose or mouth, they burrow inside the body to feed on chakra and eventually turn the host into a living bomb."
"What?! Cell-level exploding bugs?" Everyone's expressions darkened instantly.
The cell level—completely invisible to the naked eye. How does one even defend against something like that?!
"Hehehe… figured out our little trick? Then allow me to show you the power of the Exploding Bugs… one more time!!"
The worst-case scenario happened. What you fear will come to you.
Just as the tension reached its peak, five black shadows with glowing red eyes appeared silently on the branches surrounding the clearing. Before anyone could react, a blinding white light burst from the tree, flooding the area like daylight—dazzling and disorienting.
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