Uchiha Seiryu [244-246] (Patreon)

Chapter 244: How Shinobi Doctors Handle Medical Disputes (Part 1)

While Sasuke kept two enemies busy, Neji pulled out his chakra sniper rifle and aimed at them.

Sasuke, in close combat, subtly herded his opponents into Neji's line of fire.

Their strange power-up method clearly had traces of some external influence. The two coordinated silently, aiming to directly shatter the abnormal source of chakra flow on their opponents.

Neji seized the moment and fired. A condensed beam of chakra shot from the barrel, hitting the back of one enemy's neck.

The chakra beam pierced the target instantly—but the next moment, the figure dissolved into a surge of blue water, vanishing before Sasuke.

Moments later, the escaped water reformed elsewhere, merging back into the shape of the ninja Neji shot.

"A secret technique similar to Kirigakure's Hydrification Jutsu?" Sasuke frowned. Forcing back the other ninja with a slash, he sheathed his sword and quickly began forming hand signs.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Flash!"

Thick plasma gathered around Sasuke as he finished the last sign. With a roar, it surged like a tidal wave at the enemy.

"Fire Style: Blazing Wheel!" One enemy spun rapidly, stretching scorching flames into a spinning circular wall.

"Wind Style: Divine Wind!" The other, inside the fire wall, spun while unleashing fierce gusts.

Wind fueled the fire, making the spinning fire wall ever more intense, spreading outward in all directions.

Lightning and fire collided, erupting with a blast at the valley's center. Trees ignited instantly in the heat, and black smoke billowed up.

"Something's off," Neji murmured, coming to Sasuke's side as he maintained his jutsu clash.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed. "Their strength, at best, is just average jonin level in the village. Four of them, trying to assassinate someone right in front of us, is just wishful thinking. But the priest sounded so sure. Something's not right."

As they considered what secret trump card the attackers might have, the last enemy burst from underground, targeting Sakura—who was protecting Karin with a sealing jutsu.

To him, Sakura, with her messy hair and dark circles, looked like an easy target.

But as soon as he emerged, Sakura stomped hard, freezing the enemy's face in shock. The ground cracked, nearly crushing his body below. Barely escaping, he faced Sakura's relentless punches, unable to fight back.

While Sakura's enemy was battered but alive, the first to falter was the one fighting Lee. Once Lee dropped his weights and opened the Fifth Gate, he moved too fast to see. The attacker, using petrification, tried to repair damage with chakra-infused rock, but Lee's speed and strength quickly drained his chakra reserves.

Trying to flee, the petrified attacker was intercepted. Lee appeared behind him and launched him skyward with a high kick.

"Hidden Lotus!" Lee spun upward, striking the airborne foe. The attacker's human face twisted in terror.

Boom! 

Lee's kick landed, a flash of red light appeared, and the attacker exploded into fragments of stone.

"Neji! Now!" Sasuke shouted, still locked in a jutsu clash. Neji pulled out new components from his sealing scrolls and attached them to his chakra rifle, flooding it with chakra.

With the new parts, the rifle overloaded instantly, chakra raging inside the barrel.

Linked by Tenten's invention, the two great Dojutsu of Konoha locked onto the enemy's position. Neji pulled the trigger.

A massive chakra laser cannon fired, turning the sniper into a heavy artillery piece. Even Neji, with his physical strength, staggered several steps from the recoil.

His enemy was engulfed in the explosion.

At the same time, Sakura's monstrous punch shattered the last foe.

With their enemies defeated, the group quickly regrouped, protecting Shion and Taruho in the center.

"That's it?" Karin, who'd just finished preparing a wide-area chakra sealing jutsu, started to relax—when Sasuke interrupted.

"Don't let your guard down! They might have another trick!"

As he spoke, four glowing curse arrays lit up where the attackers had been smashed. The shattered bodies began to reassemble, chakra-form energy reforming their shapes.

"They... can't be killed?" Neji stared. Through his Byakugan, the abnormal chakra at their napes became even more active, and their chakra reserves seemed fully restored.

"They even got their chakra back?" Sasuke took a deep breath. Now he understood why these attackers, despite their limited strength, could still carry out a killing in Shion's prophecy.

Their endless chakra might actually wear them down.

If only that guy were here! 

Sasuke gritted his teeth inwardly.

But he shook off the thought and turned to Karin: "If we can't kill them, use the sealing jutsu. It's up to you, Karin!"

"Leave it to me!" Karin nodded, activating the completed sealing formula. Black runes spread from her, and the attackers tried to leap away. But in the ruined battlefield, all sorts of ninja tools shot out, blocking every escape.

Sasuke and Neji, one manipulating wire and the other holding a remote, had set traps during the earlier chaos. Shuriken, explosive tags, and various gadgets surrounded the attackers with explosions.

Though these tricks couldn't harm enemies who could turn into elements, they bought enough time for Karin's sealing web to fully enclose them!

The sealing runes wrapped the attackers tightly, and their chakra quickly faded.

But as the chakra disappeared, colored arrays flashed at the napes of the attackers. In Neji's vision, a strange new energy surged from within.

"This isn't chakra! My sealing jutsu doesn't work!" Karin shouted.

"Useless," Shion muttered from behind. "The power of Moryo isn't chakra."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Karin snapped. The Uzumaki clan had ways to deal with non-chakra energy, even mysterious natural energy. If she'd known, she could have prepared a tailored seal. But now it was too late.

Within a few breaths, the attackers' bodies twisted and warped under this eerie power.

"Get them back! I'll handle this. If sealing doesn't work, let's erase them completely," Sasuke said coldly, his Sharingan spinning into Mangekyo. Blood tears trickled from his left eye as black lightning formed into twin swords.

"Alright." Neji, unable to do much against this special energy, chose to trust Sasuke and retreated with Shion and the rest.

The attackers, transformed by Moryo's power, became twisted monsters, charging after Shion, who was being protected.

They ignored Sasuke entirely as they rushed for her.

"You dare ignore me? That's infuriating." Sasuke's blood-streaked eyes flashed. With both hands wielding black thunder blades, he slashed at all four monsters.

The black blades made no sound, but the strange energy vanished on contact.

The monsters howled in pain, acting on pure instinct.

Sasuke's next strike followed. Precision and power—he began to annihilate the monsters piece by piece. The black lightning was consumed, but his Mangekyo spun faster, calling forth even more deadly chakra.

Sasuke, alone, battered all four monsters.

"So that's the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Karin gaped.

Neji, however, looked worried. Sasuke's chakra was being drained rapidly, and the shared visual feed from Tenten's device began to blur.

"I need to help him," Neji said. "Protect the client!"

"Understood," Sakura nodded.

Soon, only one monster remained. The other three had been erased by Sasuke's attacks. But Sasuke had overestimated his stamina; with a final slash, his black sword shattered.

The last monster, half its body left, roared and turned into a green streak aimed at Shion.

"Rotation!" Neji spun into its path, chakra bursting from his tenketsu to form a massive blue sphere.

Chapter 245: How Shinobi Doctors Handle Medical Disputes (Part 2)

But the green streak split in two as it neared Neji's defense, bypassing him entirely for Shion.

From behind, Sasuke used his left eye to fix on one streak. The Mangekyo spun, blood tears streaming.

A flash of black lightning erupted on the streak, erasing it instantly.

Sasuke tried to do the same to the other, but pain shot through his eye socket, blurring his vision, and his body screamed in protest.

The moment's delay was all it took—the green light reached Shion.

At that instant, Taruho shoved Shion aside and took the hit himself.

...

When Neji helped Sasuke back, they saw Shion sitting blankly, muttering to herself, while the others gathered around Taruho, who had shielded Shion.

Taruho's entire right side glowed green, his face twisted in pain.

"How is he?" Sasuke asked urgently.

"He's alive, but weak. I'm maintaining his life with chakra," Sakura replied. "It's urgent—we'll operate right here."

"It's pointless…" Shion muttered, "Those fated to die can't escape destiny."

Everyone frowned, but Taruho's rescue came first.

Sakura quickly checked Taruho's condition and devised a plan.

"His symptoms are like a chakra-based poison I've read about—it targets ninja, and the more chakra, the worse the effects. But this one targets a different energy in his body," Sakura analyzed.

"So, Karin, I'll draw some of the poison out—try to make a sealing jutsu targeting both the poison and the energy it works on. I'll cut open his right side, and you'll help me draw out and seal the poison."

"Okay, I'll try," Karin nodded.

"Why… why does everyone die for me? This ability…" Shion whispered.

As Sakura prepared for surgery, she heard this and frowned.

"The only way to break the prophecy is for me to die…" Shion muttered, slumped against a tree.

Sakura's chakra scalpel trembled and dissipated. Everyone knows, when you're concentrating, someone spreading negativity nearby makes it impossible to focus.

At times like this, people get irritable.

"Someone shut her up!" Sakura snapped, veins popping, and yelled at Shion.

Shinobi doctors don't tolerate this kind of disruption—if this were Konoha Hospital, Shion would've been thrown out the moment she started talking.

Neji, face dark, approached Shion.

If she'd provided more useful intel, their battle wouldn't have been so tough, and Sasuke wouldn't have been so drained. Neji understood well the cost of using the Mangekyo. But as a ninja, he maintained basic courtesy and quietly said, "Priestess, could you please be quiet and not disturb your guardians' surgery?"

"My ability… it's not prophecy, it's more like a curse…" Shion muttered, ignoring Neji.

Neji, out of patience, chopped her unconscious.

"Finally, some peace." Sakura took a deep breath, reformed her chakra scalpel, disinfected, and began the field surgery.

…

Land of Wind.

Naruto, with an unconscious Gaara, had found a campsite. After saying goodbye to Temari and the others, Gaara slept for a whole day.

When Naruto lit the fire that evening, Gaara finally awoke.

Maybe because he was well-rested, Gaara didn't show much aggression this time. Confused, he sat up and looked at Naruto by the fire.

"You're awake?" Naruto tossed him a water flask.

"Who are you? Where is this?" Gaara asked, drinking deeply.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Your sister asked me to take care of you for a while. As for where we are—I'm not sure, but we should be near the western border of the Land of Wind," Naruto grinned.

"Kid, kill him!" Shukaku roared inside Gaara's mind.

Gaara's killing intent began to rise.

"You'd better calm down, or I'll have to teach you a lesson. Kurama's always wanted me to beat you up," Naruto said, sensing Gaara's intent.

But Gaara's bloodlust only grew.

"Kurama, can you take me into this guy's seal space?" Naruto asked.

In an instant, Naruto's consciousness entered a dark space. Kurama and Shukaku faced each other across their seals, and Naruto saw Gaara beneath the huge tanuki.

"Stupid fox! Who let you in here?" Shukaku's sand fur bristled.

"Hmph, I go where I want, weakling," Kurama laughed.

"Damn fox! Kid, kill him! Use my power as you wish, and I won't bother you anymore!" Shukaku yelled at Gaara.

But Gaara stared at Naruto.

"Are you like me?" Gaara asked, seeing Kurama behind Naruto.

"Yes. I'm a Jinchuriki too," Naruto smiled.

"So you're… a weapon, too?" Gaara asked.

"A weapon? Why do you say that?"

"Someone told me my only purpose was to be a weapon for the village. Is that you too?" Gaara muttered.

"Who told you that?" Naruto frowned, understanding why Gaara seemed so strange—he grew up told he was just a weapon.

"My father," Gaara said.

"...Huh?" Naruto was shocked. He'd only met his own father briefly, but he could feel his parents' love even from that short meeting.

He never imagined another Jinchuriki's father would teach his son something so twisted.

"He's gone. I killed him," Gaara said coldly.

"Oh, that's fine then," Naruto replied.

"You… aren't a weapon?" Gaara asked, a bit lost. Naruto's chakra felt so warm compared to his own.

"Of course not," Naruto laughed. "And what about your mom—didn't she have anything to say?"

"My mother died when I was born," Gaara said quietly.

"…Sorry," Naruto replied.

"Stop chatting! Kill him!" Shukaku yelled.

"Kurama, can you shut this tanuki up? He's so noisy," Naruto asked.

Kurama stood up, flexed his fists, and smiled menacingly at Shukaku.

Shukaku hunched into a defensive posture. He'd seen that grin too many times—it always meant a beating.

"Stupid fox! Have you surrendered to humans?" Shukaku roared.

"Surrender? Didn't you hear him call me 'brother'?" Kurama laughed, walking closer. "Dare bare your teeth at my little bro? You're asking for another beating."

"Stay away!" Shukaku bristled. Outside, Kurama was limited by his seal, but even then, he could beat Shukaku. Here, with no restrictions, Shukaku stood no chance—unless Gaara killed Naruto, which wasn't happening.

But now the Jinchuriki were just talking!

Kurama dragged his punching bag away, and Shukaku's shrieks echoed through the space. For once, Gaara saw fear in his tailed beast.

Even tailed beasts can feel fear? Gaara thought, watching Shukaku spin.

"No one will bother us now. Let's talk," Naruto said.

"About what?" Gaara asked.

"Your experiences. I promised your sister I'd teach you to control your emotions. I need to know what you've been through," Naruto shrugged.

"My experiences?" Gaara took a deep breath and recounted his life: hated by villagers, his father's repeated assassination attempts to test his worth as a weapon.

After finishing his story, he was surprised—he'd never talked this much to anyone.

"Your dad really was a jerk," Naruto said, shaking his head. "And your villagers—guess every village has its share of jerks."

"You… experienced this too?" Gaara asked.

"My parents died when I was born," Naruto scratched his head. "I grew up under strange looks from the villagers. But then I met friends and stopped caring. Plus, I'm the clan leader's son and Uzumaki heir. Even if people disliked me, they had to swallow it."

"Really? That's nice," Gaara said, envy in his eyes.

"Why look at me like that? You have people who care about you too," Naruto replied.

Chapter 246: The Ancient Kingdom of Roran

"People who care about me?" Gaara was stunned.

"Yeah. Your sister's risking everything to make sure you can return safely. That's why she asked me to look after you," Naruto said.

"My sister?" Gaara lowered his head. Now that Naruto mentioned it, images of Temari and Kankuro, always watching him with worry, surfaced in his mind. Even when his father called him a weapon, those two had always shown some concern.

"So, I'm not alone?" Gaara murmured.

"Right. What you need now is to control your power and be yourself—not a weapon," Naruto smiled.

"Control my power…" Gaara repeated.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted. Kurama tossed the battered Shukaku back. Kurama dusted his paws and returned to Naruto's side.

"I've straightened him out. He'll behave now," Kurama said.

"Thank you, Kurama!" Naruto grinned.

Naruto and Gaara returned from the seal space and sat by the fire.

Gaara stared at the flames.

"Hungry?" Naruto offered a roasted sand rat.

Gaara instinctively prepared to attack, but realized there was no negative influence from Shukaku. For once, even when his emotions shifted, nothing bad happened.

"Thank you," Gaara put down his guard and accepted the food.

"Kurama says that tanuki will behave for a while, so you don't have to worry," Naruto chuckled.

"You… are friends with him?" Gaara asked.

"You mean Kurama? We're more like family. He's been with me since birth. But it took a long time for him to accept me. I'm sure you and your beast can get along too," Naruto replied.

"Hmph! I'd rather be sealed forever than be friends with humans!" Shukaku shouted.

"Show some respect to my Jinchuriki, or else!" Kurama snapped.

"Stupid Kurama, you even told him your name… are you really friends with this kid?" Shukaku muttered, his recent beating making him more subdued.

"Hmph, I do as I please!" Kurama scoffed.

Kurama wouldn't mind sharing his theory that Naruto might be the prophesied boy of the Sage of Six Paths with other tailed beasts—but Shukaku? Not worth the trouble.

"Must be nice," Gaara said, a little lost.

As they ate, Naruto suddenly heard a frog's croak nearby.

"Huh? Frogs in the desert?" Naruto scratched his head.

A white-haired middle-aged man strode toward them from the direction of the sound.

Border of the Land of Swamp,

At nightfall, Shion finally woke from Neji's karate chop.

The first thing she saw was Taruho—who she'd foreseen would die—lying in the camp, breathing steadily. The green symbols on his body were gone, though his right arm was missing.

"Taruho…" Shion gasped.

"Priestess, looks like I won our bet," Sasuke said, smiling.

"I…" Shion looked at Taruho, her expression complex. Tears streamed down her face, but she laughed, too.

"Haha… hahaha… hahahaha!"

"Don't think acting crazy will get you out of our bet," Sasuke frowned.

"The cursed prophecy… finally, finally, finally can be broken!" Shion sobbed and laughed.

"If you'd given us more intel, we could've saved his arm too," Sakura said coldly.

During the surgery, Sakura had to amputate Taruho's arm to buy Karin time to analyze and seal the curse energy. If Shion had shared more details earlier, this step could've been avoided.

"I… I'm sorry…" Shion's face fell.

"It's fine. It's already a miracle Taruho survived," Karin soothed.

"Priestess, tell us everything you know about the enemy," Neji said seriously.

…

Back at the campfire, Naruto recognized the approaching man.

"Ero-sennin?" Naruto's face changed.

After all, he was still a missing-nin from Konoha.

"Naruto," Jiraiya approached, smiling. "You're hard to find when you're running all over the world."

Relieved, Naruto realized Jiraiya wasn't here to take him back.

"I just wanted to travel, but got caught up in Sunagakure's business," Naruto said.

"Move over, give me some food," Jiraiya said, sitting down and holding out his hand.

Naruto handed him a skewer. Jiraiya took a swig of sake, biting into the sand rat.

"Not bad. I heard you only eat ramen. Didn't expect you to cook," Jiraiya said.

"I learned from Choji when we skipped class," Naruto replied.

They looked like any ordinary grandfather and grandson, not a missing-nin and legendary Sannin.

"Who's the kid?" Jiraiya finally noticed Gaara.

"Oh, a new friend," Naruto said.

"He's got chakra—Sunagakure ninja?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah. One-Tail Jinchuriki," Naruto replied.

Pfft! 

Jiraiya spit out his drink.

This kid's only been out for a few days and already befriended another village's Jinchuriki?

"Naruto, if Suna finds out, they'll treat this as Konoha provoking them," Jiraiya warned.

Now he understood why Seiryu asked him to follow Naruto—this kid was always causing trouble.

"But Gaara's sister, the Suna princess, asked me to look after him. That's not a provocation, right? Besides, as a missing-nin, what I do shouldn't involve Konoha," Naruto said, showing his scorched forehead protector.

"His sister asked you? The Suna princess? Something must be happening in Suna. I didn't see a single Suna ninja at the border," Jiraiya said.

"Suna? Probably a coup right now. Gaara's sister is leading it so he can return safely. I even sent our teacher to help her," Naruto explained.

Jiraiya: …

Well, if Seiryu's involved, it's above his pay grade.

"Why are you here? This is a dangerous area," Jiraiya asked.

"We just wandered here. Ero-sennin, do you know this place?" Naruto asked.

"This used to be the ancient kingdom of Roran, but after its decline, only ruins and a few survivors remain," Jiraiya explained.

"The ancient kingdom of Roran? There's another country in the shinobi world?" Naruto scratched his head.

"Of course. About ten years ago, Roran suddenly declined. Your father, the Fourth Hokage, had a mission here before he became Hokage. His report was strange, but soon after, Konoha faced war and the matter was dropped," Jiraiya said.

"My dad was here?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Let's go see the ruins! Gaara, want to come?"

"Wait! That place is dangerous," Jiraiya warned.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Naruto waved it off. "By the way, why did you come, Ero-sennin?"

"Your teacher asked me to check on you and teach you a few things," Jiraiya replied.

"No rush—let's visit Roran first!" Naruto said, excited. Since the Third Hokage resumed office, traces of the Fourth had been erased. Naruto had searched, but only found a few pictures. Now, in the Land of Wind, he might finally see where his father fought.

Gaara, after a pause, nodded. He also wanted to see what set the legendary Fourth Hokage apart from his own father, the Fourth Kazekage.