Hidden Leaf Village: Hokage Tower.
In the deepest sub-level of the Hokage Tower, a clandestine clinical room was prepared an hour earlier on Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders. The chamber was prepared meticulously and was filled with the sterile scent of antiseptics and the soft sound of medical machinery.
The Third Hokage waited outside the makeshift clinic with tense shoulders and worry etched on his face. Several meters in front of him on the ground was the mark for the Teleportation jutsu.
Through his connection with the reanimated Tobirama, Hiruzen saw the powerful jutsu Daichi used to end Orochimaru and sensed the massive chakra the boy had shared with his predecessor. Knowing they're coming home at last, the old Kage gazed intently at the spot where the teleportation seal was placed.
He didn't have to wait long.
Suddenly Tobirama and the rest of the group appeared out of nowhere. "You made it… Thank god." His gaze flicked to Tobirama and the old man gave a small nod of gratitude and then his eyes froze on Tsunade's pale, fever-slick face.
"Monkey," Tobirama began, his voice grave. "Her condition is critical."
Hiruzen nodded, signaling immediately to the medics behind him. Four highly experienced medical shinobi surged forward and carefully moved Tsunade to a specially prepared medical bed.
"Prepare her for a full diagnostic," Hiruzen ordered with a firm voice. "I need detailed readings on her chakra flow, cell integrity, and organ function. As quickly as you can."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" The medics quickly wheeled Tsunade into the sealed, transparent diagnostic chamber. Within moments the medical instruments in there hummed to life as they were connected to the unconscious patient.
The old Kage's eyes then shifted towards Daichi and focused on the seals on the boy's body. 'The Yin Seal?! So he truly mastered Tsunade's technique and took it to such a state. Seeing its power through Lord Tobirama's eyes is one thing but now sensing his chakra as he's standing near me… Incredible.'
The Hokage kept his thoughts to himself. He was silently impressed but maintained a stoic façade as he turned to Jiraiya. "Report."
Jiraiya's voice was hoarse. "Orochimaru injected her with some kind of serum. Her cells are rewriting themselves. I think. Based on her current state… I don't know if she'll survive the change."
The Toad sage suddenly retrieved a scroll from his back pouch, spreading it open on a nearby steel table.
With a puff of smoke, an assortment of equipment, vials, and scrolls taken from Orochimaru's hidden lab appeared. He turned his solemn gaze to Hiruzen, indicating the supplies. "These might provide clues. It's everything we took from his lab. Orochimaru was experimenting with the First Hokage's cells."
Hiruzen's jaw clenched slightly, but he gave a brief nod. "I see. I'll have our researchers analyze them immediately."
—-
Inside the subterranean ICU, four medic-nin entered "treatment mode" the instant Tsunade's gurney locked into place.
Fluorescent lights ignited overhead, casting the room in surgical white while several monitors came to life nearby.
"Baseline vitals," Came the order from Kumogi, a highly experienced medic ninja as she clipped a chakra-pulse sensor to Tsunade's temple.
"Heart rate ninety-two, sinus tach, systolic a hundred even and falling; SpO ninety-one." Yasai, the second medic quickly gave a reply.
"Draw venous pan-panel," ordered Midori, the senior of the quartet. "I want CBC, creatinine, AST, ALT, and a free-chakra index."
"Yes." Answered Minemoto as he took a syringe and began drawing Tsunade's blood.
—-
Meanwhile, outside the chamber, Daichi turned his eyes from his comatose sensei to the new system message in front of him.
[Quest 'Rescue Tsunade Senju' Completed. ]
[Rewards]
Exp 150000
Exp 22500
[New Title:- Serpent-Breaker]
[Reputation will increase with Leaf Village/Fire Country citizens.]
[Your name will spread all over the globe.](Condition triggered reward.)
[60 Stat Points] (Bonus: Kill Orochimaru's Guards)
[6 Special Stat Points] (Bonus: Kill Orochimaru)
[Unique Item – Orochimaru's Research Notes (Redacted)] (Bonus: Destroy Orochimaru's base)
[Hidden Achievement unlocked: "A Sannin Saved Is a Nation Spared" 5 Luck]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
'Whoa! I knew this quest would give good rewards but I didn't expect this… Two level ups. With that much exp, it's just as I thought… A hidden reward that boosts my luck and so many stat points. Very nice… The new reward title is Serpent Breaker huh? Let's see what it does.'
Daichi gave the mental command and a new virtual screen appeared.
[Serpent-Breaker: You shattered Orochimaru's schemes and rescued a legendary kunoichi from his coils.
15 to all-stats when facing Snake‐Style techniques, summons, or any enemy affiliated with Orochimaru.
25 to all stats when facing Orochimaru.
When fighting Orochimaru, all allies within 200m of the player will gain 5% Willpower, 5% Chakra and 5% Chakra Control.]
Daichi was surprised that the new title would yield such a power up. 'With this, if I face Orochimaru with a team again in the future, I'll have a good advantage.'
Mentally closing the screen detailing the Title effects, Daichi gave the command to open the information panel on the Unique item 'Orochimaru's research notes.'
[Unique Item: Orochimaru's Research Notes (Redacted) Grants a one-time skill-creation opportunity tied to medical ninjutsu or curse-seal studies.]
'This will definitely come in handy. Hmm… I might be able to use this for that project.'
Daichi, who had his attention on the system notifications, suddenly received a message from his clone 'Dragon'. "Hey. I have an update for you. But are you busy? How is sensei?"
"The emergency treatment I gave her at the battlefield worked. She's stable for the moment. There are medics prepping sensei for a full evaluation. The 2nd and 3rd Hokage are near me. The old man wants to know what Orochimaru did. So once the medics complete their diagnosis, I'll begin my work. So, tell me." Daichi gave a mental reply.
As Daichi secretly conversed with his clone, Shizune took a step forward to join the medics working on her teacher but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "You've done enough," Kakashi said softly. "Let them take point for now."
The young medic had tears in her eyes and her mind was swirling with worry and guilt. Before she could say a word, Tobirama, Jiraiya and Hiruzen approached her. The third Hokage held a compassionate but serious face.
"Shizune," Hiruzen began softly, "I know you're exhausted and you've been through quite an ordeal. But we need your account. Please, tell me exactly what happened after Orochimaru captured you and Tsunade."
Shizune nodded shakily. Her voice trembled slightly but then grew steadier as she began to recount everything. "He injected her with a serum… something derived from Lord First's cells. Orochimaru said it was supposed to grant her Wood Release. And then…"
She explained what happened during her capture. Recounted to the two Hokages and the others how Orochimaru's serum had begun rewriting Tsunade's DNA hours ago, accelerating mitosis into uncontrolled Wood-Style metamorphosis.
"Her cells are… attacking each other. They're rewriting themselves so fast her chakra can't stabilize." She swallowed hard, fighting to keep herself calm. "I tried everything I could, but it wasn't enough…"
Listening to her words, Jiraiya and Tobirama held a stoic expression but they were furious inside.
The white haired Sannin slightly clenched his fists as he recalled his encounter with Orochimaru shortly after he defected from the Leaf Village. 'If only I just did my duty. If only I hadn't let my feelings get in the way. Then Tsunade wouldn't be…'
Hiruzen meanwhile pressed two fingers to his temple, absorbing every word. "Thank you, Shizune. You did more than anyone could have."
She shook her head, tears welling. "I failed—"
"You stabilized her long enough for us to arrive," Daichi, who came near her, interrupted gently.
Hiruzen nodded with a small smile. "He's right, you know. You did very well, Shizune. We will handle things from here. Rest."
But Shizune's eyes snapped immediately to Daichi, pleading. "No. I need to help—I have to—"
"Shizune," Daichi interrupted softly but firmly, his eyes serious, voice gentle but authoritative. "Your chakra is restored, but your mind is exhausted. If you're not fully focused, you'll only be putting yourself and sensei at risk. I'm sorry."
"Daichi,... She's all I have." her voice trembled, tears spilling freely now. "Promise me you'll save her. Please promise me you won't let her die."
Daichi looked deeply into her eyes, seeing the desperation, pain, and trust. He squeezed her shoulder gently. "You have my word. I will find a way to heal her. I promise."
The gamer ninja turned his head and his gaze settled on the isolation chamber.
At that moment Daichi got another message from Dragon. "Boss. I gotta problem!"
Daichi internally frowned. "What?"
"Obito is here. And he's looking for a fight. I don't have much chakra left. I won't be able to get to the intelligence minister."
Daichi was starting to get annoyed with the Akatsuki's interference. 'I need to control the narrative of what happened and I need to give the Earth Daimyo and the Hidden stone Village a scapegoat for everything that happened tonight. The intelligence minister is integral to that plan. But if Dragon is exposed as a shadow clone, Obito will be suspicious and things will become more complicated. Looks like I'll have to handle it myself. But right now, sensei is my priority.'
Having made a decision, Daichi quickly gave a mental reply to Dragon. "Forget about the minister. Just destroy the base and dispel. Once I'm done stabilizing sensei, I'll get to him myself."
"Understood." Came the reply from the other side.
At that moment Kakashi, who was standing nearby, spoke in a soft tone. "Aren't you going to stop using that seal? Or, unlike me, do you have infinite chakra?" The Jonin asked in a teasing tone to lighten the mood.
Daichi smirked. "No. Even my well isn't that deep. Truth is, I kinda forgot about it. But I think I'll keep it active for a few more minutes. Just in case…" That was the excuse Daichi gave his teacher but in reality, 'I was about to before my clone contacted me but now if I turn off the Yin seal before Dragon dispels, then The Third and Second Hokage would definitely sense my chakra fluctuations. But with this seal active whatever chakra fluctuations within me would be absolutely miniscule. They're both good sensor ninjas and are on guard. I can't take any chances.'
Kakashi listened to Daichi and saw his undivided attention on the comatose sannin. 'Is he planning to use his seal to heal her? Hmm… He's an excellent medic. So he might have some plan in mind.'
The group moved to the observation window on the side of the large chamber.
In a couple of minutes Daichi received a new set of memories belonging to 'Dragon'. 'So that's the effect of that jutsu. What power… Looks like Obito didn't notice my shadow clone vanishing. Good. I'll have to make a trip to the Land of Earth once sensei is in stable condition.'
"It looks like they have things under control." Jiraiya spoke as he gazed at the four medics his sensei selected.
"They're the best and most trusted medics this village has. Aside from Shizune and young Daichi here of course." Hiruzen replied as he glanced at the Genin from the corner of his eyes. "Daichi."
Hearing his name called, the Genin turned to the old kage.
"Do you have a way to reverse what Orochimaru did? Or heal her current state?"
The young boy was silent as multiple pairs of eyes were on him. After several seconds of silence, Daichi gave a reply. "I have a few ideas. But in the end I need to find a treatment plan that works out best for her. For that I need to examine her up close and get a detailed report of her blood work."
Hiruzen nodded. "I understand. You'll -"
At that exact moment, a sudden alarm sounded from within the sealed medical chamber. All heads immediately turned towards it.
Inside, the medics were frantically working at a rapid pace as Tsunade's monitors began flashing red and emitting shrill warnings. Her chakra graph spiked into the crimson zone.
"Chakra turbulence eight-plus!" yelled Kumogi. "Her meridian resistance is off the chart!"
Yasai shouted urgently. "Her chakra network is destabilizing rapidly! Cell degradation is accelerating exponentially!"
Midori cursed softly. "Serum protein is denaturing. The foreign antigens are forcing Class-I histocompatibility shifts."
All attention was on the chaotic activity inside. "Shizune! What's happening to her?" Jiraiya asked with panic in his voice.
"Her immune system's treating the grafted genes like an invading bloodline. Organs are failing in a domino pattern. It's more aggressive now." She replied.
Daichi felt Shizune sway beside him. He slipped an arm around her, channeling a gentle trickle of medical chakra to settle her adrenaline surge. "I've got you, senpai. Breathe for me." Shizune exhaled shakily, and controlled herself.
Inside the medical chamber, Tsunade's body convulsed violently. Her skin started to show signs of rapid bruising and her veins darkened ominously beneath her flesh. A medic desperately read out her condition from monitors and his voice trembled with urgency.
"Pulse ox dropping below 70 percent! Severe cellular apoptosis detected in her liver and kidneys! Chakra network integrity at less than 30 percent! Her body can't handle the rapid cellular mutation—it's destroying itself!"
Medic Midori interjected hastily, "Her organs will fail within minutes if we don't stabilize her now!"
"Administer an emergency chakra infusion," the lead medic barked desperately. "Use the stabilization seals, try to isolate the chakra pathways!"
"If this keeps up she'll go into distributive shock."
Watching the tragedy unfold and unable to help, Hiruzen's nail dug into his skin deep enough to draw blood. 'Tsunade… please fight it. You're home now. You have to fight to survive.'
Meanwhile Daichi's gaze never left the monitors. 'Two minutes thirty seconds until irreversible ischemic cascade.'
"Her chakra is rejecting every attempt at stabilization!" The medic Minemoto had his palms over Tsunade's abdomen and was giving her a steady flow of healing chakra but it wasn't enough.
Daichi's eyes hardened, the analytical wheels of his mind turning with intense speed. He inhaled, then strode to the glass door. Suddenly an Anbu ninja appeared in front of him and motioned Daichi to stop.
The Gamer ninja turned his head and looked at the Hokage but did not utter a single word.
The Anbu glanced towards Hiruzen as well. After only a second's hesitation, the Hokage nodded swiftly. "Let him in."
The Anbu ninja slapped his palm against a special plate and the door to the isolated medical chamber hissed open.
"Daichi!" The medics inside were surprised. Midori shouted. "Contamination—"
"Move!" A single word from Daichi spoken in a tone that left no room for arguments shut the man.
Daichi rushed inside and immediately placed his hands inches above Tsunade's convulsing form, his green chakra rapidly pouring into her body.
The slug Katsuyu was watching everything from on top of a nearby monitor. She knew about her summoner's student and knew the person who had the best chance at saving Tsunade was the boy standing a few feet from her. She wanted to encourage the boy but stayed silent to not interrupt his thoughts.
Daichi's mind rapidly assessed the data streaming from the monitors. 'Her cells are now mutating faster than her chakra can stabilize. The serum is overwriting her genetic structure too rapidly—forcing accelerated apoptosis.'
Daichi immediately shared his thoughts out loud. "Primary analysis: aggressive retroviral gene overwrite causing massive apoptosis. Secondary analysis: chakra cascade failure precipitating multi-organ shock. Objective. Halt apoptosis, force meridian reboot, buffer against cytokine storm."
Midori blinked. "Plan?"
"Three-step protocol," Daichi said, his hands already moving. "One: Set up a continuous purge loop—chakra dialysis. Two: Apply mitosis stasis seal at cellular checkpoints four and six gates. Three: Autologous infusion—my chakra signature. I can transmutate my chakra and connect with her Yin seal. It will resonate with hers. The compatibility will be near-perfect."
The medics obeyed while Daichi got to work. The emerald seal on his forehead pulsed. Tendrils of chakra snaked along his arms and condensed into fine streams. They quickly funneled into a special seal sticker Midori slapped directly over Tsunade's heart point.
Outside, Hiruzen watched—awed and fearful. 'He's linking his Yin reservoir to hers… a direct chakra transfusion. If he miscalculates by even five percent, he could fry both their chakra networks.'
Shizune pressed a trembling hand to the glass. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "Come on, Daichi… save her."
Kakashi watched intently through the glass, tension lining his face. Beside him, Jiraiya clenched his fists tightly. "What's happening in there, Shizune?"
"Daichi's trying to stop the breakdown at the cellular level by manually stabilizing her chakra network." The young medic replied.
Tobirama spoke quietly, arms crossed tightly. "But there's a massive risk. The boy's chakra control is impeccable—but if he makes even a single miscalculation, she'll die and he'll suffer serious damage to his chakra pathways."
Inside, Daichi's voice carried firm commands as he sent chakra into his teacher's body. His eyes scanned rapidly through diagnostic charts displayed before him. 'If I can force her chakra into an artificial cycle of regeneration, it should buy enough time for me to come up with a battleplan.'
Daichi and the other medics worked hard and after several minutes the monitors noting her vitals were back to normal rhythms.
"Heart rate sixty-eight. Stable."
Silence fell in the chamber. It was broken only by the soft beep… beep of a normal sinus rhythm.
Kumogi sagged slightly, relief flooding her features. "Cardiac cycle normalized."
Midori swallowed, eyes shining. "Chakra turbulence down to category three… We did it."
Daichi remained focused, chakra still streaming from his seal into her. "Maintain purge for another minute. When the free-chakra index reaches fifty percent, initiate gradual tapering."
He glanced at Shizune through the glass, offering a small reassuring nod. She covered her mouth, tears of gratitude mingling with exhaustion.
Tobirama regarded the young medic through the glass, something akin to pride flickering in the cold steel of his eyes. "Well done, Daichi."
Kakashi simply exhaled, murmuring, "That kid… always exceeds expectations."
Soon Daichi stopped the chakra flow and watched as the vital signs held a steady rhythm. "I need an immediate tissue biopsy—liver and kidney cells. Extract them carefully; don't rupture the membranes." His voice was calm, focused.
"Understood," the nearest medic said hurriedly and retrieved the specialized tools needed.
Daichi turned urgently to Hiruzen outside the chamber. "Lord Hokage! We're not out of the woods and right now I'm the only one who can safely control her chakra at this precision. Please grant me permission to oversee her full treatment."
After witnessing Daichi's performance, the medics nearby knew he spoke the truth. He was the best shot at saving the patient in front of them.
Hiruzen's keen gaze fell on Daichi's determined eyes. After a heavy pause, the Hokage nodded. "I trust you, Daichi. You have full authorization. What do you need?"
"I'll have to design a gene-silencing seal sequence to neutralize the serum entirely or modify its functions. For that I'll need a sterile lab space and unrestricted access to Orochimaru's notes. And I'll need the unadulterated blood sample of the First Hokage. I need to understand what I'm dealing with." The Genin replied.
After a few seconds of thought, Hiruzen gave a short, decisive nod. "You'll have anything you need shortly, Daichi."
He turned to the ANBU captain already waiting. "Get him a clean lab on sub-level three and whatever resources he needs. I want a full ANBU security detail around this building at all times. Also double the guards on this floor. No one enters or leaves without my written clearance."
The ANBU captain bowed sharply. "Understood, Lord Hokage." A second later he vanished to carry out his new orders.
As Tsunade's heart beat held steady, for the first time since the nightmare began, hope felt tangible for everyone.
Inside the chamber, Daichi's attention shifted from his teacher to the new quest that appeared in front of him.
[Quest created – Awaken the Slug Sannin]
—-------------
Author's Note:
Daichi brought her home. Now it's time for him to find a way to save her.
I'm not a doctor or anything, so don't focus too much the medical stuff in this chapter.
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