Sakura opened the large bundle and began setting up her makeshift operating room. A folding bed, a shadowless lamp, a tray stand, and even a generator – after considerable clattering and banging around, the assembly was finally complete.
Surveying the environment, which couldn't possibly be more primitive, Sakura cast a pitying glance at Mei Terumi on the cave floor. There was no way to create a sterile field here. This'll have to do, she thought grimly. If you weren't Mei Terumi, I'd have dumped you long ago. But just you wait until you're healed… I definitely need to vent my anger somehow.
With considerable effort, Sakura lifted Mei onto the surgical bed. She then slowly began removing Mei's clothing. Staring at the expanse of pale skin and Mei's chest, Sakura mentally recited, See no evil, touch no evil… Doctors must have the heart of parents… This is just a piece of pork before me… Wait, what am I even thinking?
"Ah, right," Sakura suddenly remembered she'd also nabbed a bottle of disinfectant. After rummaging through her bundle, she produced a spray bottle and began misting the surrounding air and surfaces. Well, it should provide some germicidal effect, at least.
If Tsunade were here, she'd have given Sakura a sharp rap on the head for being so utterly unprofessional.
Only when the distinct smell of disinfectant permeated the air did Sakura stop. She switched on the shadowless lamp, snapped on a pair of blue rubber gloves with two sharp paps, and picked up a scalpel. Just as she prepared to debride the necrotic tissue around Mei's wound, Mei's eyelids fluttered. Slowly, her eyes opened.
"Erk!" Sakura felt the atmosphere suddenly turn awkward. She offered Mei a friendly smile. Under the stark glare of the operating lamp, Mei's pale body was completely exposed, and the scalpel in Sakura's hand glinted sharply, almost blindingly bright.
The bizarre scene left Mei momentarily stunned. From her perspective, Sakura stood over her holding a knife, flashing an evil grin, while she lay naked and vulnerable. An inexplicable wave of terror washed over her.
Seeing Mei's pupils constrict, Sakura acted fast, landing another swift punch to knock her unconscious again before she could scream.
Careless, Sakura berated herself. I forgot to give her anesthesia. Seeing Mei deeply unconscious earlier, Sakura hadn't given it much thought. Who knew she'd wake up? And… damn it, it seemed she'd also forgotten to grab any actual anesthetic from the hospital.
She couldn't just keep punching her into oblivion, could she? While it induced unconsciousness, it certainly wasn't as reliable as proper anesthetic. What if Mei woke up from the pain mid-surgery? Sakura didn't exactly have a third hand to knock her out again.
Wait… the datura powder! Mei should still have some left. Sakura searched through Mei's discarded clothes and soon found a small glass vial containing powder. Opening it, she carefully wafted the scent towards herself with her palm. A pleased look spread across Sakura's face. Yep, that's it. Datura powder.
She grabbed a bottle of water from her supplies, poured the powder in, stirred it briefly, then carefully lifted Mei's head and fed her the mixture.
"That should do it," Sakura nodded with satisfaction, looking down at Mei's face, which was still twisted in a mask of unconscious terror.
With that settled, Sakura began cleaning the wound. The wrist-thick entry and exit points were manageable, but the real problem lay within the abdomen. The Storm Release Laser had obliterated a portion of Mei's small intestine – the part responsible for absorbing nutrients.
Sakura glanced at Mei's figure, noting she was slightly fleshy. She scratched her head, a little embarrassed, thinking, Well, just consider this my way of helping you lose weight.
Thankfully, Sakura had performed several surgeries during her time at the Konoha hospital. Otherwise, she'd be truly stumped by such a severe injury. Standard medical ninjutsu was primarily for accelerating healing and treating closed wounds; open, penetrating trauma like this required surgical intervention.
An unknown amount of time passed. Sakura wiped sweat from her brow. She had finally managed to suture the intestines back together. Now, only the entry and exit wounds remained, one on her abdomen, one on her back. She remembered Master Tsunade teaching her how to handle this: take muscle and skin grafts from another part of the body, suture them over the wound, and use the Mystic Palm Technique to speed up integration and healing.
It was no wonder the procedure was so complicated. Sakura had attacked with the full intention of killing Mei, holding absolutely nothing back. Mei surviving was purely down to luck. Sakura had originally aimed for her heart; perhaps Mei sensed the killing blow and instinctively shifted, or maybe the visual obstruction caused the aim to falter, resulting in the hit to her abdomen instead.
Sakura carefully harvested a piece of muscle from Mei's left thigh and used it to patch the wounds on her abdomen and back. After positioning the graft, she applied the Mystic Palm Technique. Soon, signs of healing began to appear. Next, she took a skin graft from Mei's right thigh and transplanted it onto the wound left on the left thigh using the same method, before finally bandaging everything securely.
Finally finished. Sakura slumped against the cave wall, utterly drained. The surgery had demanded immense concentration; she felt close to collapsing from exhaustion. It was her first time performing a procedure with this level of technical difficulty. Sigh… Why couldn't Master Tsunade have seen this? She might have actually praised me.
Ah, right, not quite done yet. Infection prevention. She located an IV drip bag in her bundle, inserted the needle into Mei's arm, and, while she was at it, inserted a gastric tube. This would reduce pressure on the healing intestines and make monitoring easier.
Finding a blanket, she draped it over Mei, leaving her on the operating table. Sakura felt she'd done everything she possibly could. Whether Mei lived or died now was up to her own body.
Too tired to bother cleaning up the surgical mess, Sakura started a fire nearby and began cooking. She had no idea what time it was. After hastily scarfing down a couple of bites of food, she reinforced the camouflage defenses at the cave entrance, then collapsed onto the ground and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.
Sakura had a dream. In it, she was grinding Danzo, that despicable schemer, under her heel. But then, Danzo suddenly transformed into Otsutsuki Danzo and began chasing her relentlessly. She fled helter-skelter, covering her head, as Otsutsuki Danzo took over the world, capturing Master Tsunade, Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin. Just as Sakura was about to be overcome with grief and despair, she startled awake.
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, staring blankly at the sunlight filtering into the cave entrance. She spat vehemently. Ptui, ptui, ptui! What kind of stupid dream was that?!
Stretching lazily, Sakura went to check on Mei. She held her hand near Mei's nose and mouth to feel for breath. Hmm, still alive. Looks like she'll probably pull through.
Seeing Mei hadn't woken up yet, Sakura figured the datura powder hadn't worn off. Whatever. She decided to head into town for some real food and, more importantly, a bath. She might be stuck here for a while. Even if Mei wanted to leave once she recovered, Sakura intended to… discipline her first. What if Mei ran off and came back seeking revenge with a whole posse?
Seriously, what a pain in the neck, Sakura grumbled internally. Can't kill her, can't just let her go. If I were still a Konoha ninja, I'd just kill her and be done with it. At least I had backing then. Now that my support system is gone, I'd better lay low and not make waves. Getting hunted by the entire shinobi world would not be fun.
Mei felt trapped in a nightmare. Previously, she'd only considered ninja significantly stronger than herself as potential counters. But that girl… that child… had used her unbelievable regenerative ability to completely neutralize Mei's jutsu. Though the girl was undeniably powerful in her own right, Mei felt convinced she wouldn't have lost if her ninjutsu hadn't been rendered ineffective.
(And truthfully, she was right. Without Creation Rebirth, Sakura's current arsenal wouldn't allow her to tank Mei's Lava and Boil Releases head-on. Victory would have required sneaky, hit-and-run tactics, not overwhelming force.)
The last image burned into Mei's mind before unconsciousness claimed her again was the girl holding a knife and fork, smiling that wicked smile. The terrifying thought struck her: Is she… a cannibal?! A perverted monster who eats people?!
Sunlight pierced through her eyelids, causing discomfort. Her brow furrowed, eyelashes trembling. Finally, the insistent aroma of roasting meat pulled her fully awake.
I… I'm not dead? Mei surveyed her surroundings – a rock cave. The bed she lay on felt like… an operating table. The rich smell of meat teased her stomach, making it rumble. Something seemed to be inserted into her nose…
Mei reached up, felt the tube, and slowly pulled it out. The movement tickled her throat, triggering a violent coughing fit. As she tried to sit up, sharp pain shot through her legs. Lifting the blanket covering her, she saw both legs were heavily bandaged.
The smell of meat returned, stronger now, and suddenly connected with her deepest fear. With trembling hands, Mei touched the bandages on her thigh. A cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her pupils constricting violently as terror seized her. It's true. A chunk of her flesh was missing.
Just as Mei began struggling desperately to get off the operating table, a voice sounded from nearby.
"If I were you, I'd lie down and behave." Sakura approached, holding a tray. On it were two bowls and a plate. The bowls contained congee; the plate held a piece of roasted meat.
"Didn't expect you to wake up until now. Seems that datura powder works pretty well," Sakura commented cheerfully. She placed the tray on a nearby stone ledge, picked up a bowl of congee, and smiled at Mei. "Here's your Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee. Eat up!"
Mei stared at Sakura's smile – the demon's smile – and heard those words: "Your Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee." She almost screamed. It's made… from my meat?! That roasted meat on the plate… is it mine too?! This lunatic! Eating me herself is one thing, but now she wants me to eat my own flesh?!
Her arm shaking uncontrollably, Mei pointed a trembling finger at Sakura. "You… you… you monster! Just kill me! Kill me now!" she shrieked, her voice choked with terror.
Even for someone who had survived Kiri's Bloody Mist era, facing Sakura – someone seemingly more twisted than anything the Bloody Mist had produced – Mei felt that gruesome past now seemed positively gentle.
"Hm?" Sakura tilted her head, looking at Mei's face, contorted with absolute fear. She was completely baffled. She'd gone to great lengths to save this woman's life, and now she was being called a monster? Would killing her not make her a monster? She couldn't understand it at all.