At his words, Hatake Sakumo's expression changed. His brows had been furrowed at Uchiha Gen's rude remark, but now he froze for a moment, then looked from Tsunade to Gen before finally turning his gaze to his wife.
He suddenly found himself unable to speak.
Was it because he was so overwhelmed? His wife... could be saved?
He was afraid that if he spoke, he would shatter this dreamlike moment. After all, he knew his wife's condition all too well.
Everyone who had examined her had called her life expectancy short. And yet now... a young Uchiha had told him that his wife could be saved.
"Gen, are you sure? You haven't even examined Nadeshiko. I haven't either, but just looking at her, her body seems to be almost completely depleted."
Seeing the couple at a loss for words, Tsunade nervously tapped Gen's arm with a finger and spoke in a low voice.
She could tell that Gen's words had rekindled all the couple's hopes.
If he was only joking...
"Lord Gen... my wife... really...?"
After a moment, Sakumo took a deep breath and slowly came forward. He knelt before Gen, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.
"Her body is suffering from congenital multiple organ failure. Her organs can't maintain normal function, which is why she's so weak.
"Now that she's pregnant, it's putting even more strain on her already fragile body. Under normal circumstances, she would die after giving birth.
"But extending her life isn't difficult. One option is to replace all her failing organs, but that would be troublesome, and the aftereffects could be severe. So I've chosen a more convenient medical treatment."
Looking at Sakumo kneeling before him, Gen raised an eyebrow and spoke calmly.
For some reason, Gen wasn't particularly fond of Sakumo's samurai spirit.