Late at night, after a full day of blood-soaked battles, Tsunade finally called it quits.
With the respectful send-off from the casino owner and his men, Tsunade and Shizune were ready to head back to their inn to sleep.
Luckily, the room had been prepaid; otherwise, they would have had to spend the night on the streets.
Of course, given Tsunade's personality, it was more likely that she would find a tavern, drink until dawn, and then decisively ditch Shizune without paying.
But they hadn't gone far before a sneaky figure approached them.
"Um… could I borrow—"
"No! I'm always the one lending money from others. No one borrows from me, got it?"
The word "borrow" almost left Dr. Natsume's lips, but he swallowed it back.
Seeing that the other party didn't care about his words, Dr. Natsume quickly caught up and reintroduced himself.
"I'm not here to borrow money. I'm actually a doctor, and I need your help with something."
"A doctor?"
Tsunade froze for a moment, then glanced at him. "You were at the casino just now, weren't you?"
Dr. Natsume nodded. He had come seeking help, but somehow ended up blending into the crowd.
"Then I guess you didn't win either, right?"
Tsunade's interest was suddenly piqued.
Dr. Natsume scratched his head sheepishly. "I… I couldn't resist, so I won a little while following along."
The word "following" was particularly telling.
Tsunade knew exactly what had happened at the gambling table—everyone had bet against her—but she just didn't care.
"So, you won that much money… is part of that thanks to me?"
Suddenly, Tsunade wrapped her arm around his neck, radiating enthusiasm.
Shizune quickly covered her face. "Tsunade-sama, not again…"
Dr. Natsume's face went bright red. "Y-Yes."
"So, I get half, right?" Tsunade squinted and leaned a little closer.
"Yes."
"Then hand it over."
"All right."
Dizzy and flustered, Dr. Natsume handed over all the money he had on him.
"That's it? So little?"
"Huh? Ah… when I came out, the owner made me pay a 'protection fee,' saying it would keep me safe in the casino. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been allowed to leave."
Tsunade immediately understood, but she had no interest in paying someone else's dues.
As soon as the money was in her hands, she released him, smiling brightly, and tucked it into her pocket—a fresh stake for tomorrow. Yay~!
"All right, you can go now."
"Okay, I'll—huh?"
Dr. Natsume, a beat slow, suddenly snapped back to attention.
"Not yet. Actually, it's the hospital director who sent me to find you."
Knowing that she could easily twist his words, he decided to get everything out in one go.
"Given the injuries you described, how could anyone possibly survive?"
Tsunade frowned after hearing him out.
"Exactly! But the person brought really is alive—and doing fine. I just… I have no idea what else to do."
Tsunade was somewhat interested for a moment, but within two seconds, that interest vanished.
With her own people aware of what was going on, she couldn't stand to see blood, and this situation seemed beyond medical ninjutsu alone. A real hassle!
And a big hassle at that!
She had always kept her distance from trouble.
"I don't know what the director told you, but I can tell you—you came to the wrong person."
With that, Tsunade walked away with Shizune.
Dr. Natsume sighed. He knew he had asked too much and didn't push further, muttering to himself:
"Looks like there's really no way… Next time, I have to make sure I return the money first. But anyone who can spend that much at once is certainly not easy to deal with. Will he think I didn't try hard enough?"
Tsunade's ears twitched. She suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked, her expression unreadable:
"The person is rich?"
"Uh? I think so… he casually handed over 100,000 ryo."
Tsunade's eyes lit up.
100,000 ryo was no small sum. In Konoha, that could fund a B-rank mission; add another 50,000, and it would reach the minimum for an A-rank mission.
More importantly, since he was willing to hand over so much, it meant she could possibly squeeze—or cough, borrow—even more money from him.
Tsunade knew that until the debt was repaid, even the casino wouldn't lend her more money.
Because no matter how many debts you issue, without the ability to repay, it's all just worthless paper.
So if she wanted more gambling funds, she had to find another unsuspecting sucker.
"Shizune, this one's on you."
"Huh?"
In a blink, Tsunade was gone, leaving only Shizune holding TonTon and Dr. Natsume standing there, dumbfounded.
...
The next day, Shizune, with her short black hair, and Dr. Natsume stood in the ward, staring wide-eyed at Hidan.
As Tsunade's disciple, Shizune was naturally an excellent medical ninja.
But the problem was, she had never seen anyone survive such severe injuries.
Especially his mouth—like it had never spoken a word in a past life.
"Are you serious? If you waste a few more days, I'd heal from this little injury myself."
Shizune and Dr. Natsume: "…"
Little injury?
Did he misunderstand the meaning of those words?
And yet, with his strong presence, he looked nothing like someone about to die. They started doubting themselves. Could it really be just a minor injury?
No. This kind of injury could kill a normal person twenty times over.
"Um… this money was left by the patient's companion. I'm handing it over to you. Call the nurse if you need anything. Goodbye."
"Huh? Wait—"
Dr. Natsume hurriedly left, while Shizune, holding Ton-Ton and a fistful of cash, felt mentally drained.
But, well, she had an unreliable teacher to deal with.
No matter what, the patient came first.
Shizune's eyes were firm. She absolutely could not disgrace Tsunade-sama.
Since the patient's vitality was extraordinary, she no longer needed to hesitate.
"Prepare the operating room!"
Hidan lay on the bed, glancing at Shizune, completely unaware of what was coming.
In the operating room:
"Prepare for anesthesia."
"No need! Just do it!" Hidan said firmly.
"Are you sure?" Shizune's eyes widened.
"Heh heh, the more pain, the more pleasure I feel."
"All right, then."
One minute later, a piercing scream echoed throughout the hospital.
"Ahhh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
"Damn! I'll kill you all! None of you are getting away, bastards!"