Rock Lee's Treatment Plan

My Tsunade couldn't possibly be this gentle!

Pah, I was just this gentle.

Huh? Since when did I belong to you? Careful, or I'll hit you!

Hearing Hikari say that she was gentle, Tsunade felt quite pleased with herself.

It hadn't been easy.

At last, she had heard some words of praise from this brat.

Not bad, not bad!

After helping Rock Lee restore his neural connections, Tsunade turned and pulled Hikari outside.

"Lady Tsunade!" Might Guy hurried over.

Rock Lee was his personal disciple. To Might Guy, the boy mattered about as much as his best friend Kakashi.

This time, the two most important people in his life were both in mortal danger. If Might Guy claimed he wasn't worried, that would be a lie.

He might be thick-skinned, but he wasn't brainless.

The more simple-minded a person was, the more seriously he took his feelings.

"Let's talk over here!"

Tsunade turned and headed up to the hospital rooftop. Meanwhile, Might Guy dragged Hikari along, not even giving him a chance to flirt with a nurse.

"Guy, Kakashi's condition is still manageable. With some recovery time, he should wake up. But Rock Lee..."

"Lady Tsunade, please tell me. I can take it!" Might Guy's body, seemingly forged from steel, trembled unsteadily as though he could collapse at any moment.

Seeing him like this, Tsunade felt miserable as well.

This was a man of iron.

"Rock Lee's injuries are extremely troublesome. Even if I treat him with everything I have, there's less than a thirty percent chance of success. If it fails, Rock Lee will die immediately. If he gives up being a ninja, he can still live as an ordinary person. So my suggestion is that he become an ordinary person!"

The risk of failure was too great. Tsunade couldn't stand by and watch Rock Lee lose his life. Rather than take such an enormous risk, it would be better for him to live as an ordinary person.

From a doctor's perspective, Tsunade's decision wasn't wrong.

"I..."

Might Guy had barely uttered a word before his body tipped to one side. Hikari casually caught him and steadied him.

This was Rock Lee's trial. Becoming one of the Konoha Twelve Ninja wasn't so easy.

The Eight Inner Gates placed high demands on the body, and even higher demands on the mind. If Rock Lee wanted to shine in future wars, he had to overcome this hurdle.

As long as he didn't give up, even if I had to sacrifice my purity and offer myself to Tsunade as a bribe, I'd make her save Rock Lee.

Tsunade wasn't willing to save him now. He had to use his actions to make her eat her words. That would be the best time.

For now, I'd just watch how things unfolded.

Tsunade had gotten smarter. When listening to Hikari's inner thoughts, she directly filtered out the lewd nonsense and extracted the useful parts.

First was the title Konoha Twelve Ninja. This wasn't the first time she had heard it.

Then there was the overall meaning of those thoughts: Rock Lee definitely wouldn't give up on becoming a ninja, and she, Tsunade, would still save him.

If that was the case, she needed to prepare in advance.

Tsunade rather agreed with the idea of tempering Rock Lee a little.

She had also heard a little about a taijutsu like the Eight Inner Gates.

This was a taijutsu that required extreme willpower to cultivate. A pure taijutsu ninja like Rock Lee could only master it by tempering his spirit until it was harder than steel, more unyielding than stone, and fearless before the limits of death.

"Lady Tsunade, I understand. I'll go tell Rock Lee now!" With that, Might Guy staggered downstairs.

As she watched him leave, Tsunade's gaze fell on Hikari.

This guy possessed too many secrets. Since she could hear his inner thoughts, she absolutely couldn't let him leave her side. If he defected, the Hidden Leaf Village would be in danger.

Tsunade wasn't in that much of a hurry, was she?!

The scenery here was nice, and ordinary people rarely came up here, but it was still my first time! She's so bold. This feels so exciting!

Veins bulged on her forehead. Why did she suddenly want to hit someone?

Bang!

A fist landed on Hikari's head. Tsunade still struck him after all.

"It hurts so much! I'm dying! The Fifth Hokage is beating people!" Hikari collapsed onto the ground, clutching his head with both hands and shouting.

Hmph, if she doesn't kiss me, hug me, and lift me up high, I'm absolutely not getting up.

I, Hikari, always keep my word. That's just how awesome I am!

"Get up! I'm in a bad mood today, so stop playing dumb!" Tsunade snapped coldly.

She was extremely strict when it came to controlling her own strength.

If she used a certain amount of force, then she used exactly that much.

That blow looked painful, and it did hurt, but she hadn't actually used much force. It wouldn't cause any serious harm.

Fine, fine. For the sake of Tsunade being in a bad mood, Second Grandfather won't lower himself to her level!

Seeing Tsunade about to get angry, Hikari obediently got to his feet.

His cautionary example was Jiraiya.

As Jiraiya's friend, Hikari had personally seen the scars on his chest when they had gone to hot springs together. Only because Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu was so exceptional had he survived. If it had been another village, he would have died long ago.

Hikari felt that if he kept making a fuss, Tsunade might very well give him another punch.

For the sake of his own life, he endured it.

"I heard you worked at the hospital too. How much do you know about Medical Ninjutsu?" Tsunade prepared to sound him out, starting with Rock Lee's treatment plan.

Hikari studied Tsunade and knew she must have read his records.

Ninjas were those who endured everything.

From the Hidden Leaf Village's first ninja, Number 001, to Hikari, Number 12233, and then to Naruto's generation, every ninja had a dedicated file.

It recorded every ninja's specialties, family background, social circle, potential assessment, and similar information.

Hikari came from the ordinary Kagetsuki clan, a perfectly ordinary small household that could hardly be considered a clan. His older brother, Kotetsu Hagane, together with Izumo Kamizuki, was known as one of the Hidden Leaf Village's two great gate guardians. The first round of the Chunin Exams was hosted by the two of them.

They were Chunin in name, but when they went all out, they could reach the level of Special Jonin.

Since Tsunade had obtained his file, she was surely well aware of his studying at the hospital.

"Mm, I only barely learned the Mystical Palm Technique. Treating external injuries isn't much of a problem," Hikari said modestly.

Could I tell you that I've mastered the power of Yang Release? Could I tell you that Yang Release possesses the miraculous power to create a physical body?

No, because I'm afraid you'd be so shocked you'd kneel and beg me to teach you!

Lewd nonsense. It was definitely lewd nonsense.

Tsunade knew a little about Yang Release.

Her grandfather Hashirama Senju's Wood Release and his powerful bodily healing ability both contained elements of Yang Release.

Today, Hikari actually claimed that he had mastered Yang Release. In Tsunade's eyes, that was pure boasting, or perhaps just a fantasy in his mind. It definitely wasn't real.

"If you participated in Rock Lee's treatment, how confident would you be?" Tsunade asked again.

Based on Hikari's inner thoughts, she knew Rock Lee was highly unlikely to give up being a ninja, so surgery was his only choice. As the Hidden Leaf Village's strongest Medical Ninja, Tsunade would naturally be the primary surgeon.

There definitely wouldn't be any problem! At worst, I could just create a new body for him. That's the ultimate secret of Medical Ninjutsu.

Thinking this, Hikari looked at Tsunade with reverence.

"Being able to assist Lady Tsunade would be the honor of a lifetime. With Lady Tsunade here, wouldn't Rock Lee's condition be cured with ease?"