Time flew by, and two months had passed.
Over these two months, the relationship between Tsunade and the wives of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans had progressed by leaps and bounds.
Their weekly “Tea and Massage Gathering” was set in stone.
She had become as close as sisters with Sora Yamanaka, Nara Ria, and Akimichi Lola.
Of course, Tsunade had not neglected her own training.
The mark of the Yin Seal was becoming increasingly clear, and she had mastered the first four gates of the Eight Gates with greater proficiency.
On this day, Tsunade was training in her backyard, drenched in sweat.
An Anbu member arrived.
“Lady Tsunade, the Third Hokage has a mission for you.” “The old man has another mission for me?” Tsunade stopped what she was doing and grabbed a towel to wipe off her sweat.
“A ninja hound of the Inuzuka Clan has fallen ill, and the situation is tricky.” “The Third Hokage asks if you have any expertise in treating ninja hounds and if you can intervene.” Tsunade curled her lip.
“That old man really knows how to seize an opportunity; is he using my Medical Ninjutsu to pave the way again?” However, she didn’t mind; after all, this was what she was best at.
Besides, there were only so many major clans in Konoha.
She had already handled the Ino–Shika–Chō and Hyuga Clans.
The Uchiha Clan had her little fan, Uchiha Mikoto.
Once she handled the Inuzuka Clan, she would basically be done.
“Wait, did I forget any other clan?” Tsunade frowned, feeling like she had missed something.
“Forget it, if I can’t remember, I won’t think about it.” She waved her hand at the Anbu.
“Got it.
I’ll go once I change my clothes.” Two minutes later, Tsunade changed into a leopard-print outfit.
Since she was going to the Inuzuka Clan, she naturally had to dress a bit more wild!
Leopard Print Tsunade~ The Anbu member gulped, took a sneaky look, and didn’t dare to say anything more.
He led Tsunade toward the Inuzuka Clan’s compound.
The Inuzuka Clan’s compound was on the other side of Konoha, near the training forest.
As soon as she entered the compound, she could hear the sound of dogs barking one after another.
She was greeted by the current head of the Inuzuka Clan.
Inuzuka Yuri.
Her name sounded gentle, but she looked very wild.
She looked to be about thirty years old.
Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her short hair was neat.
She had two red inverted triangle marks on her face, and her eyes were sharp.
She wore a tight-fitting combat suit that was convenient for movement, and her whole demeanor exuded competence and heroic spirit.
“Lady Tsunade, thank you for coming.” Inuzuka Yuri’s voice was a bit hoarse, carrying obvious exhaustion and anxiety.
“No need to be so formal, tell me the situation.” Tsunade got straight to the point.
“It is my ninja hound that is sick; his name is ‘Fuuga’.” Inuzuka Yuri said quickly while leading Tsunade inside.
“He has been with me for over ten years; he is my old partner.” “A while ago, he started becoming listless.
His belly is bloated, yet he is getting thinner and thinner.” “After the clan’s veterinarian examined him, they found worms in his stomach.” Tsunade nodded; this sounded like a parasitic disease, which was not rare among dogs.
Inuzuka Yuri continued, her expression ugly.
“For regular parasites, we can handle them with our own herbal medicine or deworming medication.” “But this time it’s different.
Those worms seem…
a bit special, even a bit intelligent.” “We tried several methods, but none worked.
Later, we asked the Aburame Clan to take a look.” The Aburame Clan?
Tsunade was stunned for a moment before suddenly realizing.
Right!
Konoha also had the Aburame Clan, who were skilled at controlling insects!
Their presence was so low that she hadn’t thought of them at all!
Inuzuka Yuri didn’t notice Tsunade’s distraction and continued: “The people from the Aburame Clan took a look and said this is a type of alien parasite they have never seen before.” “It has extremely strong vitality and seems to have developed resistance to conventional deworming drugs.” “The special deworming medicine they prescribed only made the worms quiet for a while; it couldn’t eradicate them.” “The only way now might be surgery to remove the worms.” “Then why not perform surgery directly?” Tsunade asked.
“We aren’t sure.” Inuzuka Yuri sighed and pushed open a door.
“Fuuga is in a very weak state now.
Those worms aren’t just in his stomach and intestines; they might have already burrowed into deeper places.” “A regular surgery is too risky, and we don’t dare to proceed, so we could only ask you to come.” The room was dimly lit, filled with the smell of herbs and a faint, fishy odor.
On the floor lay a soft mat, and on it lay a large, black-gray ninja hound.
Tsunade walked over to take a closer look, and her brow furrowed.
The ninja hound was skin and bones, its ribs clearly visible, and its fur dull and lusterless.
Only its belly was slightly bloated.
It stood in stark contrast to its thin body.
Its eyes were half-closed, and its breathing was weak and rapid.
“Why is it so thin?” Tsunade crouched down and began to examine it.
“We don’t dare to let him eat much.” A veterinarian from the Inuzuka family whispered from the side.
“The more he eats, the more aggressively those worms snatch the food, and they seem to reproduce faster too.” “Almost all of his nutrition has been stolen by the worms.” Tsunade nodded; it seemed the worms were crazily fighting for the host’s nutrients.
She reached out, green Chakra light glowing in her palm, and began to perform a precise perception.
As the Chakra slowly seeped into Fuuga’s body, Tsunade’s expression gradually became serious.
The situation was even worse than she had imagined.
Those worms were not just ordinary intestinal parasites.
They were tiny and tough.
A portion was firmly attached to the stomach and intestinal walls.
Even more had actually burrowed into deeper organs.
With this depth and extent, even if she performed surgery to remove the worms in the main intestinal tract, the worms deep in the organs would be hard to clear out completely.
Moreover, given Fuuga’s physical state, after a major surgery, even if he survived by luck, his body would basically be ruined.
Not to mention continuing to serve as a ninja hound in battle, he probably wouldn’t even be able to walk normally.
He wouldn’t live for many years.
Tsunade withdrew her hand and looked at Inuzuka Yuri with a serious expression.
“The situation is very bad.” She stated her diagnosis straightforwardly.
Inuzuka Yuri’s face turned pale instantly.
She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white.
“Is there…
no other way?” Inuzuka Yuri’s voice trembled slightly.
Tsunade watched this scene, feeling a bit uncomfortable herself.
She quickly searched her mind.
Surgery to remove the worms was the conventional approach, but the sequelae were severe.
What if she made the worms come out on their own?
She suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
She remembered a plot point from a TV show she had watched in her past life.
The “Wen’s Three-Piece Deworming Method”.
The principle was to first let the patient starve for a few days.
If the patient was hungry, the worms would be hungry too.
Then, have the patient ingest a moderate amount of poison.
The worms would inevitably fight for it, and even those deep in the organs would come out to snatch the food.
This would achieve the goal of killing the worms.
But the risk involved was extremely high.
Dosage control was the key.
A slight error could mean the worms wouldn’t die, and the ninja hound would be poisoned to death first.
Besides, those worms were “a bit intelligent.” Would there be other unpredictable changes?
But now, there didn’t seem to be any other way.
Tsunade deliberated for a moment and said: “There is another way, with higher risk, but if it succeeds, it might be a permanent cure.” Inuzuka Yuri looked up abruptly: “What method?” “Poisoning.” Tsunade spat out the two words.
Seeing the other person’s shocked expression, she immediately explained the principle.
After Inuzuka Yuri finished processing it, Tsunade said seriously: “Currently, there are two options.” “The first is surgery.” “It is relatively safer, but the sequelae are severe; Fuuga will basically be useless afterwards.” “The second is poisoning.” “High risk, he might die directly, but if it succeeds, there is hope for a full recovery.” “The decision is yours.” Inuzuka Yuri fell into a huge struggle.
The air in the room seemed to have frozen.
Just as Inuzuka Yuri’s lips trembled, struggling to make a choice, A weak, hoarse voice suddenly echoed in the room: “I…
agree…
to the second one…” This voice did not come from Inuzuka Yuri.
It came from the floor.
That skin-and-bones ninja hound— …..