[There's no way my Tsunade could be this gentle!]
'Pah, I am this gentle. Huh? Since when did I become yours? Watch it, or I'll punch you!'
Hearing Hikari call her gentle, Tsunade felt quite pleased.
It wasn't easy.
Finally, she could hear some praise from this brat's mouth.
Not bad, not bad!
After helping Lee restore his nerve connections, Tsunade turned and dragged Kamizuki Hikari out.
"Tsunade-sama!" Maito Gai approached them.
Lee was his direct disciple, practically as important to him as his best friend, Kakashi.
This time, two of the most important people to him were in critical condition. If Gai said he wasn't worried, that would be a lie.
He might be simple-minded, but he wasn't without emotions.
People like him, who act on pure instinct, are often the most serious when it comes to emotions.
"Let's talk over here!"
Tsunade turned and headed to the hospital rooftop, while Hikari was dragged up by Maito Gai, leaving him no chance to flirt with the nurses.
"Gai, Kakashi's condition is manageable. With some rest, he should wake up soon. But Lee..."
"Tsunade-sama, please tell me! I can handle it!" Gai, whose body seemed to be made of solid steel, trembled slightly, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Seeing him like this, Tsunade felt uncomfortable as well.
This was a man of iron will.
"Lee's injuries are extremely complicated. Even if I give it my all, there's less than a thirty percent chance of success. If the procedure fails, Lee will die immediately. If he gives up being a shinobi, he can still live as an ordinary person. So, my suggestion is that he should just live as a normal person."
The risk of failure was too high. Tsunade couldn't just watch Lee walk straight to his death. Instead of taking such a huge risk, it would be better for him to live a peaceful life.
From a medical perspective, Tsunade's decision was not wrong.
"I..."
Gai barely got a word out before his body tilted to the side, and Hikari instinctively caught him.
[This is Lee's trial. Being one of the Konoha 12 isn't easy.]
[The Eight Gates Release Technique demands both an incredible physique and an unshakable spirit. If Lee wants to shine in the battles to come, he must get through this ordeal.]
[As long as he doesn't give up, even if I have to sacrifice my dignity and offer myself to bribe Tsunade, I'll make sure she saves him.]
[Right now, Tsunade isn't willing to operate, so we need to wait until Lee's determination leaves her with no choice. That will be the best moment.]
[I'll just sit back and watch for now.]
Tsunade had gotten smarter. She filtered out Hikari's nonsense and extracted only the useful parts of his inner thoughts.
First was the title "Konoha 12". It wasn't the first time she'd heard it.
Second, Hikari's thoughts clearly indicated that Lee would never give up on being a shinobi, meaning she would end up treating him anyway.
In that case, she needed to prepare in advance.
Tsunade agreed with the idea of testing Lee's resolve.
She had heard of the Eight Gates Release Technique before.
It was a taijutsu that required an extreme level of willpower. For a pure taijutsu user like Lee, only by tempering his spirit to be harder than steel, tougher than stone, and fearless in the face of death could he hope to master it.
"Tsunade-sama, I understand. I'll go tell Lee now!" With that, Gai wobbled as he walked downstairs.
As she watched him leave, Tsunade's gaze fell upon Kamizuki Hikari.
This guy had too many secrets. She could hear his thoughts, so she couldn't let him leave her side. If he ever defected, Konoha would be in danger.
[No way Tsunade is this eager, right?!]
[Sure, the scenery here is nice, and it's a quiet spot, but this is my first time, you know! So bold, it's kind of exciting!]
A dark vein appeared on Tsunade's forehead. She wanted to hit something.
*Boom!*
She punched Hikari square on the head. She couldn't hold back anymore.
"Ow! I'm dying! The Fifth Hokage is abusing her power!" Hikari collapsed onto the ground, clutching his head and wailing.
[Hmph, unless you kiss, hug, and lift me up, I'm not getting up.]
[I, Kamizuki Hikari, mean what I say. I'm a man of my word!]
"Get up! I'm in a bad mood today, so stop playing dumb!" Tsunade scolded coldly.
She had absolute control over her strength.
If she intended to use a certain amount of power, she would use precisely that much.
This punch might look painful—and to be fair, it was—but she hadn't actually used enough force to cause serious harm.
[Fine, fine. Since Tsunade's in a bad mood, I'll be the bigger person and let it slide!]
Seeing that Tsunade was about to explode again, Hikari quickly got up.
He had learned from Jiraiya's mistakes.
As Jiraiya's friend, Hikari had once accompanied him to a hot spring and personally seen the scars on his chest. If it weren't for Tsunade's incredible medical ninjutsu, Jiraiya would have been long dead.
If Hikari kept pushing his luck, Tsunade might really land a serious punch on him.
For the sake of his life, he endured.
"I heard you've worked at the hospital before. How much do you know about medical ninjutsu?" Tsunade decided to probe him, using Lee's treatment plan as a pretext.
Kamizuki Hikari observed her expression and knew she'd probably read his records.
A ninja must endure all hardships.
From the very first Konoha ninja to the latest batch, including Naruto, every single one had an official dossier.
These files recorded their specialty jutsus, family backgrounds, social circles, and potential assessments.
Hikari came from the ordinary Kamizuki family, a small household rather than a full-fledged clan. His older brother, Kamizuki Izumo, along with Hagane Kotetsu, were known as Konoha's "Gatekeepers Duo" and had hosted the first part of the Chunin Exams.
Though officially Chunins, the two of them could fight at a Special Jonin level when going all out.
Since Tsunade had his records, she must already know about his hospital experience as well.
"Well, I've barely managed to learn the Mystical Palm Technique. Healing minor wounds isn't a problem." Hikari said modestly.
[Can I tell you that I've already mastered Yang Release? Can I tell you that Yang Release has the power to regenerate a body from nothing?]
[No, because I'm afraid you'll be so shocked that you'll beg me to teach you!]
Nonsense. Definitely nonsense.
Tsunade knew a bit about Yang Release.
Her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, possessed both Wood Release and an extraordinary healing ability, partially due to Yang Release.
Now, Kamizuki Hikari was claiming he had mastered it? To Tsunade, this was obviously just boasting or wishful thinking.
"If I let you assist in Lee's treatment, how confident are you?" Tsunade asked again.
Given Hikari's inner thoughts, she knew Lee would likely insist on the surgery. And as Konoha's top medical-nin, she would lead the procedure.
[No problem at all! Worst case, I'll just recreate his body. That's the ultimate secret of medical ninjutsu.]
Keeping those thoughts to himself, Hikari simply gazed at Tsunade with admiration.
"Assisting Tsunade-sama would be the honor of a lifetime. With Tsunade-sama here, Lee's condition will be easily cured!"