Trust in the Ninja World is Hard-Earned

She had not expected the other party to be a mere child of a few years!

"Let's set our business aside for now and talk about yours instead!"

Shaking his head, Lin Cheng sighed softly.

"Brat! We aren't acquainted! My affairs are none of your concern!"

Staring intently into Lin Cheng's eyes, Tsunade gritted her teeth and said in a low voice.

"A heart ailment requires a heart-based cure! I cannot resolve your condition either. I can only offer you a bit of advice."

Shaking his head once more, Lin Cheng spoke words that left Tsunade and Shizune lost in thought.

"A heart ailment requires a heart-based cure, you say?"

Recovering from her contemplation, Tsunade asked in a deep voice, "What advice do you have that could help me?"

"This should be hemophobia, shouldn't it?!"

"Correct!"

"How about trying to wear sunglasses?"

"...Do you take me for a three-year-old? If I can't see clearly, does that mean I can pretend not to know what it is?"

A flash of mockery crossed her eyes as Tsunade sneered.

"...Very well! My apologies! I thought of the matter too simply!"

Shaking his head again, Lin Cheng said with a hint of regret.

"You don't need to apologize! This has nothing to do with you in the first place! Now, let's talk about your purpose for coming here!"

Waving her hand impatiently, Tsunade asked about Lin Cheng's intentions once more.

Looking at Tsunade, who was staring straight at him, Lin Cheng straightened his expression and stated his purpose.

"I hope Princess Tsunade can take action and help my younger brother, Kimimaro, treat his Kekkei Genkai Disease!"

"Kekkei Genkai Disease? Which bloodline limit is it?!"

Lin Cheng's words instantly caused Tsunade's gaze to sharpen, her tone turning somber.

"Shikotsumyaku!"

"I cannot treat it!"

"How is that possible?! You are a master of the medical arts!"

Tsunade's refusal left Lin Cheng stunned.

"You have seen my condition; I cannot bear to see blood at all!"

"You don't need to perform surgery on him; I only need you to examine him and explain the method of treatment."

"I refuse!"

"Why?"

"Even if I do not return to Konoha, that does not mean I will treat a ninja from a hostile village! Should I cure his illness so he can go on to slaughter our Konoha ninjas?"

A sharp glint flashed in her eyes as Tsunade's tone turned cold.

"It seems you truly have stopped paying any attention to the affairs of the ninja world!"

"What do you mean?"

"The Kaguya Clan attacked Kirigakure and has been wiped out, leaving only Kimimaro behind. Furthermore, his relationship with Kirigakure is one of hostility!"

"And so what?"

"We are close to Konoha!"

Watching the stunned Tsunade and Shizune, Lin Cheng continued, "This is the reason I have been searching for you! I do not trust anyone else! Even though I have never met you before!"

Lin Cheng's words left Tsunade and Shizune somewhat shaken.

Indeed! Trust! How rare a thing is that in the ninja world?

In the ninja world, it has always been about deceit and treachery!

Trust? It has never existed!

On the contrary, betrayal is always lurking.

"In the current ninja world, you are the only one from Konoha to whom I can safely entrust Kimimaro's body for examination! As for others! Even if they were from Konoha, I would not dare to trust them!"

"Why?"

Lin Cheng's words left Tsunade and Shizune stunned.

Even Kimimaro, who had been standing to the side listening quietly, wore a look of bewilderment.

He had just spoken of trusting Konoha, so why did he turn around and say something like this?

"Konoha! Is it still the Konoha it once was?"

Lin Cheng's rhetorical question left Tsunade stunned once again.

Watching Tsunade stand there in a daze, unable to speak, Lin Cheng sighed and continued, "The Legendary Sannin!

You and Jiraiya left! Orochimaru defected from Konoha because of his human experiments!

"

"Can you be certain that there are no spies he left behind in Konoha?

As one of the Sannin yourself, are you not aware of Orochimaru's charisma?

Furthermore, Orochimaru's human experiments were always hidden so well, so why were they suddenly exposed?

Don't you think this is something worth pondering?"

After bowing her head in deep thought for a long time, Tsunade suddenly looked up.

"Where did you learn these things? Given your age, you shouldn't know about these matters!

Just who are you?!"

By the time she finished speaking, Tsunade's hostility was laid bare.

Even Shizune, standing to the side, reacted instantly and assumed a defensive stance.