Treating Rika

After obtaining the medical ninjutsu he needed, Hyuuga Nen immediately began his training, even setting aside his study of sealing techniques for the time being.

It took three months for Hyuuga Nen to master the Extraction of Malady Technique and the Mystical Palm Technique.

During this period, Rika began to fall ill again, so Hyuuga Nen decided to treat her immediately. For this treatment, he specifically requested leave from Yamamoto Yuuichirou.

Nighttime.

"Taro, go outside and keep watch. Do not let anyone in," Hyuuga Nen said while looking at Taro. Upon hearing this, Taro didn't even bother looking at Rika; he immediately ran to the door and sat down.

Hyuuga Nen turned to look at Rika. "Mother, please lie down on the bed now. I am going to begin your treatment."

Rika looked a bit worried, but she didn't speak. She simply nodded and followed Hyuuga Nen's instructions, lying down on the bed.

Hyuuga Nen approached Rika and first used the Gentle Fist to temporarily seal her vocal organs, rendering her unable to speak for a short time. He then secured her hands and feet to prevent her from struggling due to pain during the procedure, which would interfere with his treatment.

"I am starting now," Hyuuga Nen said softly as he looked at Rika. Rika closed her eyes upon hearing him, but the way her eyelashes trembled betrayed her intense nervousness.

Seeing that Rika was lying still, Hyuuga Nen began to control the chakra within his body. Two spheres of soft green light appeared in his hands. He placed his hands onto Rika's chest, carefully sensing the condition of her lungs.

After a moment, Hyuuga Nen opened his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly.

Hyuuga Nen fetched a basin of water and placed his hands into it. Under his control, two water spheres encased in chakra appeared in his palms.

He slowly moved the water spheres over Rika's lungs and gently pressed down. Following his movements, the spheres slowly vanished into her chest, entering her lungs.

As the water entered her lungs, Rika felt a sense of suffocation, and an expression of discomfort appeared on her face.

Seeing Rika's reaction, Hyuuga Nen realized it was due to his lack of experience. He immediately controlled his chakra to shrink the water spheres, and only then did Rika's expression become less pained.

Hyuuga Nen used the Extraction of Malady Technique to carefully sense the state of Rika's lungs, attempting to locate the pathogens causing the illness.

"Found it!" Hyuuga Nen exclaimed. "You might feel a lot of pain in a moment. Please endure it; it will be over soon," he told Rika.

"I am starting."

Hyuuga Nen began to extract the pathogens from Rika's body. As he pulled them out, Rika's face suddenly turned pale. She opened her mouth wide, seemingly letting out a cry of agony.

However, since she was unable to make a sound, Hyuuga Nen did not hear her scream.

"Hold on, it will be over soon!" Hyuuga Nen said to her nervously. He saw Rika's hands gripping the edge of the bed so tightly due to the pain that her fingers had turned white.

Although Hyuuga Nen was anxious, he did not speed up his movements, knowing that a single mistake could lead to dire consequences. He continued the treatment at his own steady pace.

By now, Hyuuga Nen had drawn the pathogens out of Rika's body using the Extraction of Malady Technique. He slowly raised his hands, and the water spheres followed his movements, gradually exiting her body.

Beads of sweat covered Hyuuga Nen's forehead as he gritted his teeth to maintain the rhythm of the technique. Finally, the water spheres completely left Rika's body, and her expression eased significantly.

Hyuuga Nen looked at the water spheres in his hands but could not see anything inside them.

He then released the seal on his Byakugan and activated it. Looking at the spheres again, he discovered some extremely tiny pathogens that were invisible to the naked eye.

I know the Byakugan has a magnification function, but is it really this powerful? Hyuuga Nen felt a bit puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it, refocusing his attention on the treatment.

He held his hands over the water basin and relaxed his chakra control, allowing the water spheres to fall naturally into the water.

Hyuuga Nen then used the Mystical Palm Technique to provide simple treatment to the inflamed areas of Rika's lungs before helping her sit up.

"How are you? Do you feel any better?" Hyuuga Nen asked, looking at Rika with concern.

Rika straightened her back, held her chest, and took a deep breath. Then, she said with pleasant surprise, "I feel like I can breathe much more easily, and I'm not coughing anymore. My illness seems to be gone. Nen, I never imagined you would be so capable now! I am truly happy for you." After saying this, she gently hugged him.

Hyuuga Nen then escorted Rika back to her room and told her to get some rest.

Soon, Hyuuga Nen walked out of Rika's room, but his expression was not relaxed at all; it was more serious than ever before.

During the examination and treatment just now, I discovered that Mother's body is much weaker than an average person's, her resistance is lower, and there are some white, fiber-like lesions in her lungs! Hyuuga Nen thought as he walked.

As for why her body is so poor, it was only after my persistent questioning that she reluctantly told me she gave birth to me in the freezing snow, which left her with a chronic illness that flares up every winter.

To solve this, Hyuuga Nen would need to use Yang-release chakra to stimulate immune cells to divide, but he did not know which cells were responsible for the human immune system, so he could not solve this problem for the time being.

The lung lesions are even more troublesome. When I used the Mystical Palm Technique earlier, I found that the diseased cells were also affected by it. If I simply and crudely use medical ninjutsu to stimulate the lung cells to divide, the diseased cells will divide along with them. If that happens, Mother might be beyond saving.

To solve this, he would need to perform open-chest surgery. While removing the diseased tissue, he would have to simultaneously use the Mystical Palm Technique to stimulate the growth of healthy lung cells.

But Hyuuga Nen's current medical ninjutsu was not up to that standard, and he did not know how to perform open-chest surgery. After all, he was not a true medical ninja, unless he had one to assist him.

But where am I supposed to find such a medical ninja? Sigh, for now, I have to set this aside and focus on slowing the progression of Mother's illness. I'll have to see if I can find another way to resolve this.

Thinking of this, Hyuuga Nen let out a deep sigh. He glanced back at Rika's room one last time before turning and walking toward his own.