Surgery and Hemophobia

The surgery preparations were complete.

Amai placed the last jar of hot water beside the stone bed. When he straightened up, fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

He looked to Tsunade, waiting for her next instruction, but she took a step back instead.

"Begin!"

Her voice was calm, but Sōji noticed her fingers curl slightly.

Amai froze, instinctively looking toward the operating table. He reached for the scalpel, then suddenly stopped.

Because Tsunade was not looking at him. She was looking at the blind, white-haired boy.

"Kid, you're the lead surgeon."

The moment those words fell, the air in the stone room seemed to freeze.

Amai's hand stiffened in midair. The confusion on his face turned to shock, then disbelief.

"He's the lead surgeon?"

His voice rose as his gaze landed on Sōji as though he had seen a ghost.

The boy was blindfolded, tall but thin, and looked no older than twelve or thirteen. He stood there with his cane in hand, quiet as a shadow.

Amai was a medical jonin of Kumogakure.

He understood all too well what this surgery required.

The Explosive Insects fed on chakra and parasitized the depths of the chakra pathways. Removing them required precision down to the smallest fraction.

Even the slightest fluctuation of chakra could provoke the insects, causing them to swell and explode in an instant.

When that happened, Karai would not be the only one to die. A surgery of this level required an experienced medical ninja with exceptionally refined technique.

A teenager? A twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy?

"Lady Tsunade!"

Amai took a deep breath and tried to keep his tone respectful. "I know he is your disciple, but please forgive my bluntness. He cannot possibly perform this surgery."

Tsunade said nothing.

Amai turned to the Fourth Raikage, his gaze pleading for help.

The Fourth Raikage stood in the doorway, his towering body blocking half the entrance.

His gaze fell on Sōji. His hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly, filled with scrutiny and doubt.

He was too young.

Too young for anyone to believe he could complete such a surgery.

"Lady Tsunade," the Fourth Raikage said in a low voice. "Are you sure?"

Tsunade folded her arms and leaned against the stone wall. "I'm sure."

Her reply was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Amai grew anxious. "But—"

"But what?"

Tsunade cut him off, her tone carrying its usual impatience. "You think you can't do it, so you think nobody else can either?"

Amai's face reddened. "It's not that I can't do it! I'm worried—"

"Worried about him?"

Tsunade pointed at Sōji and suddenly smiled. "Do you know how long this kid has been studying under me?"

Amai was taken aback.

"One year."

Tsunade raised one finger and waved it. "In one year, he memorized the human chakra pathways more thoroughly than I did. He's a born medical genius."

As she spoke, she lowered her hand and looked at Sōji.

"Kid, tell him your preoperative observations."

Sōji fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a cool, calm voice.

"The density of the Explosive Insects is highest at the center of the mass and decreases outward."

"There are three primary insects, located three centimeters directly above the heart, arranged in a triangular formation."

"The insect swarm around them is twice as dense as in other areas. It is also the area most likely to be provoked into exploding."

Amai's mouth fell slightly open. The data was too detailed. Some of it was beyond even his ability to perceive, yet this boy had understood it all merely by standing there and looking.

"What else?" Tsunade asked.

"The patient's chakra pathways have already been severely eroded."

Sōji continued, "The fourth branch of the right chest pathway is almost completely severed."

"The second branch on the left has less than twenty percent remaining. During surgery, these fragile areas must be avoided, or the pathways will collapse completely."

Amai was speechless. He looked at the Fourth Raikage, whose expression had changed as well.

Tsunade, however, smiled.

"Done reporting? Then start. His condition can't wait much longer."

She walked to Sōji's side and patted his shoulder. "Remember what I told you."

"Keep the incision steady, move quickly, and don't give them time to react. Believe in yourself. Your eyes see more than you think."

Sōji gave a slight nod. "Yes!"

Sōji stood before the operating table.

He had already put on his sterile gown, and his gloves fit perfectly. A Chakra Scalpel condensed at his fingertips, its pale blue glow unusually gentle in the dim stone room.

Shizune stood at his side, holding a tray laden with instruments. Her face was a little pale, but her hands were steady.

Amai stood opposite him, his expression complicated. He did not trust this boy, but Tsunade's words had silenced all his objections.

Now, all he could do was watch.

"Shizune, prepare the Hemostasis Technique."

Sōji's voice was calm, without a trace of nervousness.

Shizune nodded. "Ready."

Sōji took a deep breath. The next moment, the Six Eyes operated at full power.

Beneath the black cloth, the entire world collapsed into a torrent of data before his eyes.

Karai's chakra pathway distribution, the speed of his chakra flow, the frequency of the Explosive Insects' writhing, the locations of the three primary insects, the density of the surrounding swarm, the boundaries of every fragile area...

Everything was as clear as a three-dimensional map. His task was to swiftly peel those insects away from it.

"Begin the surgery!"

The entire surgery proceeded quickly, so quickly that Amai nearly thought he was hallucinating.

The boy's hands never wavered. They were steady in a way no twelve- or thirteen-year-old's hands should have been.

The Chakra Scalpel moved at his fingertips like a living thing. Every incision was accurate to the millimeter, every separation perfectly judged.

It was as if he could see the locations of the Explosive Insects, predict their movements, and remove them from the chakra pathways before they had time to react.

One cut.

Two cuts.

Three cuts.

Under his hands, the three primary insects seemed frozen in place as they were removed one after another, without any unnecessary stimulation.

Everything followed the steps Tsunade had laid out, so precise that it seemed as though he had rehearsed them countless times.

Amai watched the removed insects, the intact chakra pathways, and the boy's focused profile. Suddenly, he did not know what to say.

Shizune was equally astonished.

She had seen Sōji practice Medical Ninjutsu and knew his talent was extraordinary, but she had never expected that, when faced with a live surgery, he could perform at this level.

The surgery was nearing its end.

The final Explosive Insect was removed. The mass on Karai's chest had completely collapsed, leaving only some residual tissue to clean up, and Sōji's hands remained steady.

But his Six Eyes caught another sight. Tsunade stood at the doorway, her body trembling slightly.

The trembling was faint. Without the Six Eyes, it would have been impossible to notice, but Sōji saw it.

Her muscles were contracting uncontrollably. Her breathing had become erratic, and fine beads of cold sweat formed at her temples.

Her gaze fell on the operating table; on the removed insects; on... the blood.

Sōji's brow twitched slightly.

Hemophobia.

He had known about it long ago, but this was the first time he had seen it flare up with his own eyes.

Tsunade's pupils began to lose focus. She gripped herself tightly, her knuckles turning white, as though she were using every ounce of strength to support herself.

Sōji's Six Eyes saw her chakra: chaotic and disordered, as though something had struck it to pieces. Those things came from her mind.

Dan and Nawaki—the way they had died, every detail, every drop of blood, every inch of shattered flesh and bone...

Sōji lowered his eyes. His hands remained steady as he continued the final cleanup.