10 AM, Konoha Hospital.
Operating Room.
Tsunade, clad in sterile surgical attire, was meticulously performing surgery on Lee.
Her hands moved with both agility and precision. One by one, she separated the nerves, realigned dislocated bones by breaking and resetting them, and then used medical ninjutsu to ensure proper positioning.
No one spoke.
This was a battle against death itself.
Standing in the position of the second assistant, Kamizuki Hikari observed Tsunade's technique, nodding to himself.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Tsunade's medical skills were beyond impressive, exceeding expectations.
The surgery had started at 9:30 AM, and by 10 AM, more than half of it was completed. The remaining steps were routine for someone of Tsunade's caliber.
Another ten minutes passed, and Tsunade completed the suturing process.
With the application of the Mystical Palm Technique, Lee's skin was initially mended.
Head nurse Mikan gently wiped the sweat off Tsunade's forehead, while the hospital director, Kira, stood in the first assistant's position, eyes gleaming as if he had just witnessed a divine miracle.
A breathtaking surgery had just concluded.
"Tsunade-sama, since you're using medical ninjutsu, why are you also using sutures? Isn't that redundant?"
Tsunade set down the suturing tool, stepped back, and flexed her wrist.
"Medical ninjutsu indeed accelerates the body's recovery. However, under normal circumstances, medical ninjutsu stimulates cell division to heal the body."
"When I reattached his bones earlier, I had already used medical ninjutsu. The most dangerous part is over. At this stage, I'm using a combination of minor medical ninjutsu and sutures to slow down excessive cell division. This allows Lee's body to recover at a natural pace."
Mikan looked at Tsunade in admiration.
"In other words, Tsunade-sama not only treated Lee but also protected his body and ensured that his future potential remains intact."
"Tsunade-sama is amazing!"
Director Kira also looked at Tsunade with great respect.
"Being able to think beyond the obvious... Tsunade-sama's medical skills are truly incredible."
"But such a method can only be accomplished by Tsunade-sama."
"For us, our priority remains ensuring the patient's recovery. As for their future potential, we can only consider it to the best of our ability."
It was an unavoidable reality—there was only one Tsunade in the shinobi world.
Her skill alone was equivalent to the entire Konoha Hospital.
Tsunade glanced at the medical equipment beside her and took a deep breath.
The reason this surgery went so smoothly was primarily because Lee did not experience any complications during the operation, significantly reducing its difficulty.
While others might credit this solely to Tsunade's medical expertise, she knew the real reason—Hikari had been silently using Yang Release energy to aid Lee.
[This is great. Lee was saved by Tsunade.]
[With this debt of gratitude, Maito Gai will undoubtedly be fiercely loyal to her.]
[Saving both his best friend and his successor... This debt can only be repaid with his very life.]
Hikari didn't feel guilty for leveraging Maito Gai's emotions.
Firstly, it wasn't him who inflicted injuries on Kakashi and Lee.
Secondly, Tsunade had genuinely saved them. While his hidden assistance had maximized the effectiveness of their treatment, it did not diminish Tsunade's efforts in any way.
Moreover, Tsunade wasn't the type to manipulate lives for personal gain. Gai's safety was not in jeopardy.
"The surgery is complete. Mikan, transfer Lee to the intensive care unit. He can only receive visitors 24 hours after regaining consciousness. Make sure he receives proper nutrient infusions."
Mikan responded immediately, "Understood! I will ensure it's done."
With this surgery, Tsunade's prestige in the hospital soared to new heights.
She was the hospital's pillar of stability, capable of accomplishing what others could not.
With her presence, Konoha Hospital would carry more authority when receiving patients.
This was the importance of strength.
"Alright, everyone, resume your duties. Hikari, come with me."
As Hokage, Tsunade was incredibly busy. If it weren't for Shizune handling some of the workload, she would probably end up sleeping in the Hokage's office.
Removing his sterile attire, Kamizuki Hikari followed Tsunade out of the operating room.
*Thud! Thud!*
Dressed in his usual green spandex suit, Maito Gai suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Tsunade, bowing deeply twice, the impact echoing through the hallway.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"
Gai, never one for eloquent words, was at a loss for how to properly convey his gratitude.
Tsunade rolled her neck, feeling the strain from nearly an hour of extreme concentration.
"No need to be so formal, Gai. Lee is a part of Konoha, and as Hokage, it's my duty to do everything I can to save him. To be honest, this surgery was very risky. I'm surprised it was successful."
Maito Gai stood up, his eyes burning with admiration.
It was the gaze of absolute devotion.
Seeing such an earnest expression actually made Tsunade a little uncomfortable.
"You and Hikari talk for a bit. I'm heading back to the Hokage's office—I'm exhausted."
"Farewell, Hokage-sama!" Maito Gai bowed at a full ninety degrees, watching Tsunade leave.
[*Sigh*, that woman finally left. Now I can rest properly. Constantly supplying Yang Release chakra just now was exhausting.]
Ahead of him, Tsunade's lips curled into a faint smile, clearly in a good mood.
[I wish I had a beautiful, wealthy woman who could see past my tough exterior and tell me I don't have to work anymore, that I could just bask in her warmth...]
Tsunade: 'I really was too naive.'
'I knew it. Someone like him wouldn't stay down for long.'
'Fine, seeing how tired he is, I'll let him off the hook for today.'
As Tsunade disappeared down the stairs, Maito Gai suddenly grabbed Kamizuki Hikari's arm and hurriedly dragged him upstairs.
With a puzzled expression, Hikari let himself be pulled into Kakashi's hospital room, where Gai immediately shut the door behind them.
"Hikari, I heard that yesterday, you drank with Tsunade-sama all afternoon and even paid for the drinks. By the time you left, it was already very late."
"You've really been through a lot!"
Hikari: 'That sounded alright, but something about it felt off...'
Lying on the hospital bed, Kakashi chimed in, "Hikari, as a young man, you need to take care of your health. Tsunade-sama might occasionally drag you into her indulgences, but she won't keep you around forever. How about this—for your own safety, should I introduce you to Anko? If you get married, Tsunade-sama might feel too embarrassed to push you so hard."
'...Unbelievable!'
Hikari finally understood why Gai had reacted this way.
Recently, Tsunade had been keeping him close, and rumors about certain workplace dynamics had been spreading like wildfire.
Tsunade had tried to control it, but ultimately, it was futile.
After all, people only saw what they wanted to see.
A handsome young man and a newly appointed Fifth Hokage—everyone enjoyed speculating about what might happen between them.
Even if it wasn't true, the rumors would make it so.
Because that's what the public wanted to see.
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