56: Chapter 56 Death Countdown and Sunagakure's Desperate SituationThe wind howled in my ears, shattering all sounds into a discordant wailing.
The shadows of the trees stretched into blurry green lines on my retina, receding rapidly.
The figure in front suddenly staggered.
Temari's chakra is out of control.
From the moment she received that intelligence, the eldest princess of Sunagakure had been in a precarious state, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
There was a momentary break in the chakra absorption force beneath her feet, and she almost fell off the tree trunk dozens of meters high.
A hand steadily supported her elbow.
Without any unnecessary movements, use leverage, correct, and return to the center of gravity.
Naruto released his grip, but his speed did not decrease in the slightest.
"No need to slow down."
"Keep going at full speed."
His command was brief, piercing through the howling wind and striking Temari's eardrums.
Temari gritted her teeth, forcibly suppressing the surging soreness and panic in her chest, and readjusted her breathing to catch up with the group.
"But.Kankuro."
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat too dry to make a sound.
Naruto didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed straight ahead, and his voice was as calm as if he were reading an insignificant report.
Tell me the details.
"What?"
Temari paused for a moment.
"Kankuro's poisoning symptoms."
Naruto repeated himself, speaking very quickly, "If you want him to live, tell me every single detail you know right now."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, instantly clearing Temari's confused mind.
She took a deep breath, desperately trying to recall the terrible news brought by the scroll.
"Complete paralysis."
She spoke haltingly, her voice trembling.
"Difficulty breathing, accompanied by severe convulsions."
"The skin.the skin has turned a strange purplish-black color.Our medical ninjas say it's a mixture of heavy metal toxins and some kind of biological toxin, with an extremely complex composition.Chakra that enters the body will be absorbed."
"Absorb chakra?"
Kakashi turned his head to the side, a hint of seriousness flashing in the one eye that was exposed.
"Even the Sand Village's proud poison experts are helpless?"
Temari nodded in despair.
"The medical team said.they've never seen this kind of poison before."
[Ding!You have received 8500 units of the ultimate [Panic] from Temari!]
[Ding!You have received 7800 "Helplessness" items from Temari!]
Naruto stared at the numbers flashing on the system panel, his heart completely unmoved.
This level of despair is not enough.
Only when all hope is extinguished can a miracle command the highest price.
"There's a situation ahead."
Kakashi suddenly raised his hand and stopped abruptly.
The four of them landed on the thick tree trunk at the same time.
In the jungle ahead, several extremely thin threads reflected a cold luster in the sunlight, almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.
It was a puppeteer's trap.
Kakashi crouched down, lifted his headband, and his crimson Sharingan spun rapidly, analyzing the dense flow of chakra before him.
"Explosive tags, poison needles, and trigger-activated puppet mechanisms."
"The arrangement is exquisite."
Kakashi gave it extremely high praise, even with a hint of apprehension.
"Is this the work of Sasori of the Red Sand?"
"Even during a retreat, they can easily set up a killing formation that would give even a Jonin a headache."
"It will take twenty minutes to go around it."
Kakashi quickly calculated the time cost.
"There's no time for that!"
Temari's eyes were red with anxiety; Kankuro couldn't wait that long!
"I'll clear the way."
Kakashi didn't waste any words, and blue arcs of electricity danced between his fingertips.
"Follow my footsteps, don't make a single mistake."
He took the lead and charged into that deadly trap.
Naruto followed behind, watching Kakashi precisely avoid every thread and dismantle every explosive tag.
This is the quality of Konoha's number one technician.
Professional, efficient, and reassuring.
It is precisely because of teammates like these that he can comfortably remain a bystander who reaps the rewards of emotions.
After passing through the trap zone, the view suddenly opened up.
The sky was covered by a thick layer of yellow sand, and the dry, hot air instantly dried out the moisture from the skin.
A massive cliff face appeared at the edge of the sky.
We've arrived at Sunagakure.
An oppressive, deathly silence filled the air.
When the ninjas guarding the village entrance saw Temari return, they didn't show any joy on their faces.Instead, they all lowered their heads and avoided her gaze.
Naruto was very familiar with that expression.
That is the instinctive human reaction of escape and shame when faced with an irreversible disaster.
Temari's heart clenched violently.
She didn't even bother to greet the elders who came to greet her, and rushed into the village like a madwoman.
Naruto and the others followed closely behind.
At the village entrance, two elderly figures blocked their way.
A short, withered old woman and an equally frail old man.
Chiyo, Ebizo, is an advisor to Sunagakure.
Chiyo's cloudy old eyes swept over the group, finally settling on Kakashi's signature white hair.
White teeth.
The old woman's wrinkled face twisted instantly, hatred blazing in her eyes.She charged forward like an arrow, her withered fingers hooking out, aiming straight for Kakashi's throat.
"Misunderstanding!That's Sakumo Hatake's son!"
Ebizo shouted immediately.
Kakashi had no choice but to block the attack, his arm going numb from the impact.
This old woman has astonishing strength.
Chiyo stopped what she was doing, snorted coldly, and her gaze swept over Naruto and Sakura again, finally landing on Naruto's excessively young face.
"Konoha only sent this many people?"
Her tone was filled with undisguised contempt and disappointment.
"One clone ninja, two greenhorns""Little devil."
"This is what you call an ally?"
"It seems that Tsunade doesn't care about the lives of Sunagakure either."
[Ding!You have received 6500 "Disdain" from Chiyo!]
[Ding!You have received 5800 [Resentment] from Chiyo!]
Naruto ignored the old woman's taunts.
He merely glanced at the so-called Sand Village legend, then walked past her without pausing, heading straight towards the direction where the chakra reaction was most chaotic.
"lead the way."
He spoke to the Sand Village Chunin next to him who was already terrified.
The chunin glanced at Chiyo subconsciously, and seeing that the elder did not object, he ran ahead cautiously.
Sunagakure Hospital.
Intensive Care Unit.
The strong smell of medicine mixed with a nauseating stench of decay filled the entire room.
On the hospital bed lay an object whose human form was no longer discernible.
Kankuro.
His face, which was originally painted with purple patterns, was now swollen like a purplish-black eggplant, and his skin was covered with fine blood droplets.Every breath he took was accompanied by the sound of his lungs rupturing.
Several Sand Village medical ninjas in white coats surrounded the bed, sweating profusely, but helpless.
Temari rushed to the bedside and, seeing her younger brother's miserable state, her legs went weak and she collapsed to her knees.
"Kankuro."
She covered her mouth, and tears streamed down her face.
"How is the situation?"
Chiyo walked in, leaning on a cane, her voice hoarse.
The lead medical ninja turned around, took off his mask, and revealed a face full of exhaustion and despair.
He shook his head.
"Lady Chiyo, we did our best."
"The toxin has invaded the bone marrow, destroying the entire nervous system.We've tried to understand the poison, but we simply can't neutralize it."
How much longer can he live?
Chiyo interrupted his nonsense.
"At most.half a day."
The medical ninja's voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
"If I don't force myself to use chakra to prolong my life, I might not even last two hours."
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Only the beeping of the monitoring equipment sounded like a final countdown.
Temari lay by the bedside, her sobs suppressed and desperate.
Chiyo closed her eyes, her fingers gripping the cane turning white from the force.
it's over.
With the Wind Shadow captured, the only heir is also going to die.
The future of Sunagakure was completely severed at this moment.
[Ding!The emotional intensity in the scene has reached its peak!]
[Ding!You have received 25,000 units of Temari's ultimate [Sorrow]!]
[Ding!You have received 22,000 of Chiyo's ultimate [Gray Demise]!]
[Ding!Received 45,000 Despair from the Sand Village!]
On Naruto's retina, golden numbers were flashing wildly, like a grand fireworks display.
The time is right.
He took a step forward.
The footsteps weren't heavy, but in the deathly silent ward, they sounded particularly abrupt.
All eyes turned to them.
"Get out of the way."
Naruto walked to the bedside and looked down at the medical ninja who had pronounced the death sentence.
"What did you say?"
The Minister of Health was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard.
I said, "Get out of the way."
Naruto's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable coldness and hardness.
"Your level has reached its limit."
"If you can't cure it, don't take up space and get in the way."
boom!
These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the fury of all the Sand Village ninja present.
"What did you say?"
The medical minister was trembling with rage, pointing his finger at Naruto's nose and roaring.
"Where did this brat come from!This is the Sunagakure intensive care unit!It's not a place for you to run wild!"
"We are the top medical team in Sunagakure!Even Lady Chiyo was helpless against this poison, what do you, a mere genin from Konoha, know?"
"Get out!"
Even Temari, who was in the midst of grief, looked up and stared at Naruto with an incredulous gaze.
"Naruto.this is not the time for jokes."
She choked back tears, her voice tinged with a pleading tone.
"Stop humiliating us."
Chiyo suddenly opened her eyes, and two cold glints shot out from her cloudy old eyes.
"Kakashi, keep an eye on your subordinates."
"If he dares to say another word, don't blame me for being impolite."
Kakashi frowned, about to step forward to smooth things over.
Naruto, however, laughed.
That wasn't a gentle smile, but a haughty and absolutely confident look from the powerful.
"humiliation?"
He asked a question in return, then stretched out his right hand and hovered it above Kankuro's purplish-black chest.
"I am stating the facts."
He ignored the murderous stares around him, and he also ignored Chiyo's fingers, which were already gathering chakra.
He simply lowered his eyes slightly, and in his palm, a pure, almost holy golden light suddenly shone.
That's no ordinary palm-wielding magic.
The moment that light appeared, the nauseating stench of decay in the entire ward was forcibly pushed back by a fraction.
The Minister of Health, who had been shouting, suddenly stopped talking.
His eyes widened as he stared intently at Naruto's palm, as if he were witnessing some kind of miraculous feat that defied all reason.
"This.this is."
Naruto didn't look at him, but turned his head, his gaze passing over everyone and landing precisely on Chiyo's old face, which was filled with shock and doubt.
"Watch closely, old woman."
His voice was calm, yet it resonated in everyone's ears.
"Don't blink."
"I will only demonstrate once."
"What is real medical care?"
The golden light shone brightly, making Naruto's profile look like that of a compassionate yet cold god.
And under that light, Chiyo's cloudy pupils were slowly.The ground contracted violently.
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