Dimmed

The first treatment room is a spacious room of over a thousand square meters.

A massive Sealing Jutsu, forty meters in diameter, was drawn on the ground. Mysterious and intricate runes filled the floor completely, leaving no gaps.

This is Konoha's most powerful surgical treatment room, with an extremely complex medical Sealing Jutsu capable of fulfilling almost all the needs of Yang Release Medical Ninjutsu. In the hands of Tsunade, currently the number one medical Tsunade in the Shinobi World, its function can be brought to the point of almost reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones.

This is not an exaggerated literary device, but rather...

What is happening right now.

Uzuki Yugao lay quietly on her back in the middle of the huge Sealing Jutsu. Her clothes at the chest had been cut open, and the horrific blood hole in her chest had been temporarily filled with a heart and flesh simulated by Ninjutsu. It was now rising and falling slightly, indicating that this ninja still retained a sliver of life.

Sakura Haruno's desperate measures ultimately saved Yugao's life, successfully bringing her to Tsunade's side.

"Before the surgery begins, I'll repeat the main procedures once again. This Ninjutsu is not an ordinary Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique, so you must listen carefully."

Tsunade's voice echoed in the empty medical room.

This magnanimous woman stood at the very top of the Sealing Jutsu formation, directing everyone's actions from above. A dozen medical-nin were squatting on the ground, their eyes wide as they carefully examined the giant Eight Trigrams Seal array on the ground, occasionally adding or erasing incorrect elements.

"The first step is to use Medical Ninjutsu to stimulate the cells in the hair and other hair follicles, causing them to regenerate into cardiac stem cells."

Several veteran medical-nin carefully drew intricate and subtle spells, extending from the sealing array on the floor to Yugao's body, forming a circle around her wounds and connecting her heart to the black hair on the ground.

"Then, the technique of Creation Rebirth is used to cause stem cells to multiply rapidly. Finally Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique is used to cause this cluster of cells to differentiate into cardiac muscle tissue and assemble into a new heart."

The woman turned her gaze to the medical-nin standing at the other seven corners of the Sealing Jutsu formation, exchanging glances with each of them.

Is everything ready?

Seeing that everyone was in position and ready for battle, Tsunade asked one last question.

Seeing the others nod solemnly, the Medical Ninjutsu Chakra began to circulate naturally, and he suddenly waved his hand down, saying loudly.

"Surgery begins!"

Sakura Haruno slept very restlessly.

The ground outside the treatment room was freezing cold; no matter how I sat, I couldn't warm up.

Exhausted, she curled up in a ball, trying to warm herself.

Her head was resting between the chair and her thighs. The chair was cold and hard, making her head ache. On the other side, there were only thighs with little flesh, and leaning against them would cause her to hit solid muscles and hard leg bones, making it very uncomfortable for her to rest her head on.

I've been dreaming.

In her dream, she would replay the scene of fighting Kakuzu, then see Yugao's bloodied figure, and then find that she had recovered and been discharged from the hospital, Fourteenth Squad continued to carry out their mission.

She is naturally an imaginative and quick-thinking person.

Dreams are even more beautiful and colorful, containing all sorts of things.

In her final dream, she found herself tightly bound by Kakuzu's Kakuzu, unable to move. She tried to escape, but couldn't remember which Ninjutsu she had used during the battle the previous day to break free from the tentacles' hold.

Then she thought of using Wind Blade Torrent to sever the tentacles, and kill the Kakuzu along with them—what a great idea! The clear part of her mind agreed with the idea, and then she began to regret not having done so in the previous battle.

However, in her dream, she was unable to mobilize her Chakra or complete her Ninjutsu. She was powerless to resist and could only watch helplessly Kakuzu drew closer and closer.

Then he reached out and patted her hard on the shoulder.

"Sakura!" She was patted on the shoulder and suddenly heard someone calling her. In her hazy state, she couldn't quite distinguish between reality and a dream.

"Wake up, Sakura! Don't fall asleep here."

She felt someone nudging her shoulder, and a gentle female voice sounded in her ear.

"Kakuzu...?" Sakura murmured, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"It's me, not Kakuzu or any of that nonsense," a cool, slender hand patted Sakura's cheek. Sakura forced her eyes open and saw a blurry figure moving in front of her. "Wake up, Sakura!"

She blinked hard, and the blurry image became clear.

A pretty black-haired girl was leaning down and looking at her, forehead to forehead, the cool, smooth touch instantly sobering her up.

It is Yuki Haku.

"You're awake," the black-haired girl said, smiling as she straightened up.

Sakura shook her head, looked around at her surroundings, and then suddenly remembered what had happened earlier.

Yugao is receiving emergency treatment in the treatment room.

"How are you?" Sakura Haruno suddenly stood up and asked, then felt a numbness in her legs and was about to fall to the ground, but fortunately Shiro caught her in time.

"Don't worry, she's out of danger," Bai Yao said, nodding.

Sakura felt a weight lift from her heart. But as she relaxed, she felt a burning sensation spread from her feet to her knees, and half of her leg was numb and immobile.

"Your legs probably went numb because you were sleeping with your thighs pressed down, which affected blood circulation." Bai smiled faintly, gently placing Sakura on the chair. A blue light of Medical Ninjutsu emanated from his hands as he massaged the pink-haired girl's legs a few times.

Sakura immediately felt much better in the numb area of her thigh.

"Thanks, Shiro." She said thank you, and just then the door to the treatment room opened again, and her master Tsunade walked out.

The blonde, mature woman turned to the treatment room, gave a few instructions, and then closed the door.

Yuki Haku Sakura Haruno, her gaze lingering on Haku's faint dark circles, Tsunade, "Haku, you've been working hard for several hours. Go and rest."

Sakura followed her master's gaze and noticed that the dark circles under her Byakugan, despite the ice pack, were still faintly visible, and the weariness in her eyes was unmistakable. She realized that her close friend had been working continuously in the treatment room for several hours.

"Go and rest, my foot is fine now."

The black-haired girl smiled apologetically, gently covered her mouth with her left hand, and yawned, "Then I'll go rest now... see you later."

See you later.

The master and disciple watched Yugao leave, Tsunade and said.

"Regarding Yugao's condition... let's talk in my office."

Giving her disciple a meaningful look, Tsunade strode out of the treatment room.

In Tsunade's office at Konoha Hospital.

"Yugao's condition... has stabilized for the time being. She was awake for a while just now, conscious, and chatted with Gekko Hayate for a while." The Fifth Hokage slumped heavily into his luxurious swivel chair behind his desk, sighed, and rocked the chair as he said, "So you don't need to worry about her for now."

"Hmm... that's good."

Sakura Haruno sat on the sofa, smiled, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The sofa was soft and comfortable. After relaxing, she no longer tensed up and sank into it completely.

"So, when will Yugao be able to recover from her injury and return to the team?" She closed her eyes, lay on the sofa, and asked casually.

But no answer was received for a long time.

The girl was slightly surprised, so she looked up at Tsunade's expression.

The Fifth Hokage tilted his head back, leaning against his swivel chair, his silence tinged with weariness.

"Return to the team..." Tsunade began hesitantly, paused, and then said softly, "She might not return."

Sakura Haruno was startled and instinctively stood up.

"What?"

The Fifth Hokage sat up straight and let out a long sigh.

With a serious expression, she looked at Sakura Haruno and said, "After Uzuki Yugao recovers from her injuries, she will leave the Anbu and no longer undertake such dangerous missions."

The girl was stunned.

This arrangement means that Yugao has retired from the military.

"... Why?" she asked hesitantly.

"Because of a heart problem." Tsunade looked into Sakura Haruno's eyes and coldly stated the truth, "We used her hair to create her current heart."

"Our method involves using Medical Ninjutsu to induce hair to become stem cells, which then differentiate into cardiomyocytes, forming tissue and eventually growing a new heart. However, Medical Ninjutsu regarding stem cells is far from perfect, so the new heart is functionally far inferior to a normal heart. In short, the treatment is only half successful. While it can handle her daily life, it's not suitable for combat..."

"What will happen?" Sakura Haruno stared wide-eyed at Tsunade, awaiting her answer.

She will die again.

Tsunade said cruelly.

Sakura remained silent for a moment, then lowered her eyes, avoiding Tsunade's piercing gaze.

She understood what Tsunade meant.

After this, Yugao had no choice but to retire.

They might still be called ninjas, but they would have to retreat to the second line and become non-field ninjas in the Ninja Academy or clerical offices.

Unable to fight on the front lines any longer and showcase the exquisite beauty of a female swordsman.

The girl was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Although she had seen many ninjas who were disabled or retired due to injuries, such as the beef shop owner when Sasuke was discharged from the hospital, this was the first time that something like this had happened to someone close to her.

It's like when you see a news report about a disaster in a faraway place, how many people have died, and you feel a pang of sadness; but your feelings will never be as strong as the emotions you feel when your classmate or roommate dies in a car accident.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura," Tsunade said softly, lowering her eyes, "We didn't fully heal her."

Yes, Uzuki Yugao survived.

However, the powerful ninja codenamed "Xi," who belonged to the Anbu, died.

"The Fourteenth Squad will probably need to be reorganized."

Tsunade's calm words echoed in the spacious office.

That's all for today... I'll try to update at least 5,000 words a day.