Konoha Hospital, the Special-Grade Meeting Room on the first basement level.
The air was colder than the breeze from the climate-control system.
A strange chakra waveform was projected onto the screen. Its faint curve resembled a venomous snake lying in wait, pulsing with an unsettling rhythm.
The heads of the Medical Department's various divisions sat around the long conference table. Nearly all of Konoha's finest medical experts were present.
Tsunade sat beside the head of the table, arms folded, saying nothing. She simply stared at the curve with a deep frown.
Hokage Baishi occupied the head of the table, with Shikaku Nara seated immediately beside him. Neither spoke; they merely listened in silence.
An elderly medical jonin wearing glasses cleared his throat and pointed to the data on the screen.
"Judging by the waveform's amplitude and energy dissipation rate, this anomalous fluctuation is extremely weak and manifests as irregular pulses. It bears a seventy-three percent similarity to documented cases of chakra-neural dysfunction caused by severe war-related post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD."
He adjusted his glasses, his tone meticulous and conservative.
"My preliminary assessment is that, following a series of major upheavals, Namikaze Minato's psychological stress has manifested physically in an extreme form. Fundamentally, this remains a pathological physiological disturbance."
His remarks set a cautious tone for the discussion.
Attributing everything to a known, manageable condition was the most common approach within the medical establishment.
Several division chiefs nodded in agreement, quietly exchanging opinions.
"The Yamanaka Clan's secret technique archives contain similar cases."
"Indeed, abnormal fluctuations in spiritual energy can certainly induce disturbances in physical energy."
At last, Tsunade moved.
She extended a finger and tapped the table.
Thud.
It was not loud, but the room fell silent at once.
"A seventy-three percent similarity means there's still twenty-seven percent you can't