The capital of the Land of Fire. The Daimyo Residence. Third floor, west wing. Special medical suite.
The air carried the cold, clean scent of disinfectant.
Tsunade was using her chakra to prepare a set of silver medical needles. Pale green light flowed silently around her fingertips.
She was alone. Every piece of equipment in the room gleamed with newness, more advanced than even the best emergency room at Konoha Hospital, yet the place felt cold and impersonal.
Two soft knocks came at the door. An attendant opened it and bowed. "Lady Tsunade, Deputy Minister Ito has arrived."
Tsunade let the chakra fade from her fingertips and set the needles back on their tray with a crisp metallic clink.
"Show him in."
Ito Masamune entered with a polite smile. He had traded his official robes for loose silk clothes and looked as though he had come for a relaxing treatment, not an examination.
"Sorry for the trouble, Lady Tsunade. I've long heard of the Sannin's renown. It's an honor to have you personally assess my health," Ito Masamune said courteously, though his tone carried the easy familiarity of someone accustomed to looking down on others.
"It's my duty." Tsunade pointed to the examination bed in the center of the room. "Lord Ito, please lie down."
Ito complied, resting his hands naturally at his sides.
"Work has been keeping me busy, and I've been feeling drained. Konoha's Medical Ninjutsu is the finest in the Shinobi World. Perhaps you can tell me if there's some hidden ailment."
Tsunade did not respond.
She put on a pair of specially made medical gloves and placed both hands on Ito Masamune's chest.
"Relax. Don't resist my chakra examination."
Gentle green chakra seeped slowly into Ito's body, like warm water.
Heart rate, blood pressure, cellular activity...