Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 418 Orochimaru Appears

With his keen senses granted by his powerful soul, Orochimaru quickly located Tsunade's location. His mental scan clearly revealed Tsunade's condition, causing him to frown.

At this moment, Tsunade's physical condition was extremely poor. Her chakra was completely depleted, like a dried-up riverbed, devoid of any vitality. Her meridians were also severely damaged, like torn silk, extremely fragile. Even more worrying was the appearance of a fine crack in the Yin Seal between Tsunade's eyebrows, meaning that her strongest defense mechanism was under threat.

Orochimaru knew that Tsunade's life was in danger if she didn't receive timely treatment and recovery. He was secretly relieved that he had found Tsunade in time, but he also felt immense pressure. After all, restoring Tsunade to health would require tremendous effort and resources.

Orochimaru decided to take immediate action; he could use his soul power to help Tsunade recover. However, he knew this task would not be easy, as Tsunade's injuries were far too severe. But regardless, he would do everything in his power to save Tsunade.

In a makeshift room heavily guarded by Konoha ninjas, several medical ninjas were carefully examining Tsunade, who was lying on the bed in a coma.

Sweat beaded on their foreheads, their faces filled with despair. After a thorough examination, they found Tsunade's condition to be extremely poor. While simple chakra depletion could be managed with time, her body's meridians were damaged from the excessive chakra output in a short period. Most importantly, the sheer force of unleashing the Yin Seal's chakra within such a short time had severely strained her brain's nerve pathways, causing brain-related problems – the most intractable issue. After all, even with highly effective medical ninjutsu, there were no concrete solutions for treating brain damage.

This outcome told the medical ninjas that Tsunade was very likely to fall into a permanent coma and never wake up. This was a devastating blow to Konoha, a village currently in dire need of rebuilding. Tsunade was not only a powerful ninja, but also the village's leader and symbol. Her existence gave the villagers confidence and hope; losing her would undoubtedly plunge the entire village into immense grief. Furthermore, Konoha was at a critical stage of reconstruction and recovery, requiring a strong leader to guide and coordinate all aspects of the work. If Tsunade couldn't wake up, who could shoulder this responsibility? Without Tsunade as Hokage, Konoha would inevitably descend into chaos. Other ninjas might vie for power, internal conflicts might escalate, and it could even trigger a civil war. In addition, Konoha faced threats from external forces; without a powerful figure like Tsunade to hold the fort, Konoha could easily become a target for enemy attacks.

Therefore, Tsunade's illness is not merely a personal matter, but a matter of life and death for Konoha. The medical ninjas must do everything in their power to find a cure for Tsunade, and they cannot give up even if there is only a sliver of hope.

They were well aware of Tsunade's importance to Konoha, but their medical ninjutsu was completely ineffective in treating her condition.

Nara Shikaku knocked heavily on Tsunade's office door, his wrinkled face revealing deep worry and anxiety. As the Jonin leader and Konoha's strategist, Nara Shikaku was acutely aware of the gravity of the situation. Konoha was facing an unprecedented crisis, and he himself felt overwhelmed.

Since Pain's attack on Konoha, the village has suffered severe damage, and many excellent ninjas have lost their lives, including legendary figures like Jiraiya. Now, Konoha's strength is greatly weakened, and it needs time to recover and rebuild. However, time is of the essence, and the enemy could strike again at any moment, posing an even greater threat to Konoha.

Nara Shikaku had been working tirelessly to maintain the morale and stability of the Konoha ninja, but this required a tremendous amount of effort. He constantly discussed countermeasures with other Jonin, comforted the wounded villagers, and did his best to arrange Konoha's defenses. However, these measures could only guarantee Konoha's basic stability and could not fundamentally solve the problem.

Faced with this predicament, Nara Shikaku knew that only Tsunade's intervention could stabilize the current situation in Konoha. As Hokage, Tsunade not only possessed greater power and decision-making ability, but she was also the anchor of stability for most of the villagers. Nara Shikaku did not want anything to happen to Tsunade and hoped she could appear to stabilize the turbulent morale of Konoha and lead the village out of its predicament.

"How is Lady Tsunade doing now?" Nara Shikaku asked the medical ninjas who were examining and treating Tsunade as he entered the room.

Several medical ninjas looked up at Nara Shikaku, a hint of weariness and worry flashing in their eyes. They knew that Nara Shikaku was asking them to ascertain Tsunade's condition.

"Lord Shikaku, the Hokage's condition is extremely serious, even very dangerous! It's highly likely he'll remain unconscious." The leading medical ninja dared not conceal the truth; he needed to inform Nara Shikaku of the current situation so he could make the most informed decision.

Nara Shikaku took a deep breath, his face unusually grim, and slowly said, "Is the situation that serious? You must get the Hokage back to health. The situation in Konoha is extremely critical. If the Hokage doesn't intervene soon, the consequences will be unimaginable. I have done my best to maintain stability in Konoha, but this is only temporary. We need a longer-term plan and strategy."

The medical ninjas all wore bitter expressions. The leader pondered for a moment before saying, "I understand your concerns, Lord Shikaku. However, our medical ninjutsu is currently limited, and we simply cannot restore the Hokage to health. The Hokage's problem this time is in his brain, and we dare not treat him lightly. After all, the brain is a very important part of the human body, and external chakra could very well harm the Hokage. We dare not attempt it."

Nara Shikaku nodded, indicating his understanding. He knew the medical ninja was right; the brain wasn't a place where healing chakra could be easily used. However, given the current situation in Konoha, he couldn't just sit idly by. He was powerless to change the current situation; at best, he could only barely maintain the status quo. But if Lady Tsunade didn't show up for an extended period, Konoha's situation would likely face serious problems.

At this moment, Nara Shikaku sighed helplessly, his gaze deep and worried, seemingly lost in deep thought. He felt incredibly heavy-hearted and powerless regarding the current situation in Konoha. As a Jonin class leader, although he possessed exceptional intelligence, it was far from enough to handle such a complex and dire situation.

As a large military organization, Konoha Village needed sufficient prestige and power to maintain its stability and order. However, reality was harsh, and Nara Shikaku was well aware of his limitations in this regard. Despite his keen insight and well-thought-out strategies, his lack of sufficient influence and power to guarantee stability left him deeply frustrated.

He understood that to change Konoha's current predicament, a strong leader needed to emerge again, someone capable of leading everyone out of their difficulties and restoring their confidence. But did Konoha have such a candidate? Nara Shikaku fell into deep thought.

As Nara Shikaku was still deep in thought, a sudden commotion outside interrupted his thoughts, causing him to furrow his brow even more. This was Lady Tsunade's recuperation room, one of the most heavily guarded places in Konoha. What could be causing such a disturbance outside?

Nara Shikaku quickly pushed open the door and scanned the surroundings. He saw that many Anbu ninjas had gathered around, all on high alert, in defensive stances, with their weapons pointed towards the outer perimeter, ready to deal with any sudden threat. They looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Nara Shikaku's heart sank; he realized something was wrong. These ANBU ninjas had been secretly protecting Lady Tsunade, but now they had all revealed themselves, their expressions and postures so tense—clearly, the situation was extremely critical. A sense of foreboding washed over Nara Shikaku; he guessed that a powerful enemy might be attacking, and that their target was none other than Lady Tsunade.

Seeing the Konoha ninjas before him looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy, Orochimaru's lips curled into a sinister smile. His snake-like eyes gleamed with cold cunning, as if he were enjoying a spectacle about to unfold.

The Konoha ninja gripped their weapons tightly, their bodies tense, their expressions tense and vigilant. They knew Orochimaru was an extremely dangerous enemy who had brought immense disaster to Konoha in the past. At this moment, they had to do everything in their power to protect the Hokage.

However, Orochimaru showed no sign of attacking. Instead, he stood quietly, his gaze coldly sweeping over the surrounding Konoha ninja. He seemed to be observing their reactions, searching for the best opportunity to strike.

The Konoha ninjas felt Orochimaru's gaze and a chill ran down their spines. They dared not relax their guard for a moment, remaining constantly vigilant. Although they knew they were facing a powerful enemy, they remained steadfast and did not retreat; they had to ensure the Hokage's safety.

At this moment, the Konoha ninjas displayed unity and courage. They knew that only by uniting could they defeat a powerful enemy. They worked in perfect harmony, supporting each other and jointly confronting the threat from Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's eyes gradually sharpened; he seemed to sense the determination and will of the Konoha ninja. A smile crept onto his lips again.