Lightning Country, Thundercloud City.
Four days had passed since the Land of Flame captured this city. After four days of rest and reorganization, the Land of Flame's army was ready to march again, with Thunderstorm City, the nearest city, as their next target.
Yet Enkō, the commander-in-chief of the entire army, had come to a room at this moment. He raised his hand, pushed open the door, and entered.
A faint medicinal fragrance filled the room, mixed with a trace of blood. From time to time, bouts of violent coughing could also be heard.
The furnishings inside were exceedingly simple: a table covered in various medicines and a large bed roughly two meters wide. A frail figure lay upon the bed.
When he saw Enkō enter, the figure struggled to sit up, but Enkō gently pressed him back down by the shoulder.
"Enough. Lie still. Don't actually wear yourself to death."
An unnatural flush colored Chikuma's face, and specks of blood remained at the corners of his mouth. Yet his eyes were as defiant as ever, carrying an unrestrained boldness. "Cough, cough, cough... Boss... just let me go out. Lying here is worse than dying."
Enkō shot him an annoyed glance. "Then how about I send you on your way right now?"
"Huh? Hehe... Better not."
A red gleam flashed through Enkō's eyes. Although the Sharingan could not see through the body like the Byakugan, it could still discern a person's general physical condition. In his eyes, Chikuma's body had suffered severe degeneration due to his own Kekkei Genkai. Both his cells and blood had developed irreversible infections.
Though Enkō did not know Medical Ninjutsu, even in the more medically advanced future, Orochimaru, who had extensively studied the human body, had been helpless against the Taketori Clan's hereditary disease. Much