bookbashuk Chapter 358 One Month Without Fighting
Chapter 358 One Month Without Fighting
Chapter 358 Cannot Fight for a Month
"He has lost too much blood. The toxins have spread to his shoulder, his left arm muscles are torn, and his abdominal wound has been torn a second time. We need to get back to the village immediately; we can't linger here."
Chiquan opened his eyes: "Shikamaru."
Shikamaru bent down.
"What now?"
"Hamura Shizu is not dead."
"I know."
"He will come again."
Shikamaru stared at him.
"Then we'll wait until you can get out of bed first."
Chi Quan paused for a moment.
"Helian will know I've returned to the village."
"Let him know," Shikamaru said coldly. "Looking at you now, even if he doesn't know, he can guess."
Before Chi Quan could say anything more, the medical ninja couldn't help but say, "Lord Chi Quan, your blood pressure is dropping with every word you say."
Shikamaru immediately said, "Did you hear me?"
Chi Quan finally closed his eyes.
Kiba muttered to himself, "Only a medical ninja can really make a difference."
Shikamaru looked down at the blood on his hands.
"He doesn't want to owe me anything."
Ya didn't respond for a moment.
After a while, he said, "Shikamaru."
"Um?
"Can we really keep looking for that Luo?"
Shikamaru watched as the stretcher was lifted, his eyes filled with a deep sadness.
"If Hamura Jaku is not lying, then probably yes."
Ya muttered under his breath, "So, from now on, Helian will know wherever he goes?"
"So it's troublesome," Shikamaru said. "Very troublesome."
"Could Lady Tsunade remove it?"
Shikamaru paused for a moment.
"Ideally."
They were escorted back to Konoha.
As the village gates opened in the morning light, the ninjas guarding them all paled when they saw Izumi covered in blood on a stretcher. Someone instinctively tried to ask a question, but Shikamaru silenced them with a single glance.
"Keep quiet. Report injuries according to the mission guidelines; do not spread the word at the door."
"Yes."
The silence came faster than they expected.
She practically ran out, followed by two medical ninjas carrying medicine boxes. The moment she saw Chi Quan, the color drained from her face.
"Chiquan!"
Chi Quan's eyes were half-open, and his voice was low and hoarse: "Don't scold me yet."
Mute was so angry that her eyes turned red.
"You still know I'm going to scold you?"
Shikamaru chimed in from the side, "He said you'd curse at me while you were treating him."
Shizune turned and glared at him: "You too!"
Shikamaru immediately shut up.
Ya pulled back a little, dragging his injured tooth.
Shizune then looked at Ya: "Don't hide either!"
Ya Gan chuckled, "I didn't dodge."
Akamaru let out a soft cry.
Silently took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the anger.
"Send her to the operating room. Notify Lady Tsunade immediately."
When Chi Quan was wheeled into the medical department, the knife was finally removed.
It wasn't him who let go; it was Shizune who personally placed her hand on top of it and whispered, "Chiquan, we've arrived."
Chi Quan opened his eyes and looked at her.
The silent voice tightened: "I'll keep the knife for you. You just need to survive."
Chi Quan stared at her for a couple of breaths, then finally loosened his grip.
"Don't let Shikamaru take it."
Shikamaru almost laughed out of anger at the door.
"Who cares?"
Shizune took the knife, tears welling up in her eyes, but her voice was fierce: "Close your eyes."
Chi Quan closed his eyes.
The moment the operating room door closed, Shikamaru leaned against the wall and slowly slid down.
Ya sat down beside him, her shoulder still bleeding.
A medical ninja came to treat him; he was in so much pain that his gums were aching.
"Gently, gently!"
Shikamaru glanced at him: "Weren't you pretty brave during the fight just now?"
Ya retorted, "You were quite energetic when you were swearing just now."
Shikamaru was too lazy to reply.
Not long after, Tsunade arrived.
She was still wearing her coat, clearly having been woken up by an urgent call. But as soon as she entered, the entire corridor fell silent.
"Condition."
Shikamaru struggled to his feet.
"We were ambushed at the old forest line in the southwest. There were eight of them, led by Hamura Jaku, with Mizuki and Zhefeng also present. We have confirmed that Helian used some kind of transgenic bloodline to leave a tracking mark on Chi Quan. Chi Quan has a knife wound in the abdomen, a penetrating wound below the left shoulder, a poisoned needle in the shoulder, a laceration of an old wound in the left arm, and has lost too much blood. Hamura Jaku escaped with serious injuries. Zhefeng and Mizuki should be one dead and one seriously injured, but their bodies have not been confirmed."
Tsunade's expression grew increasingly cold.
"Yan Shui?"
Shikamaru nodded: "That's what they said. My Byakugan also saw abnormal chakra on the back of Ikezumi's neck, it was very deeply embedded."
Tsunade looked at the Byakugan ninja.
The young man immediately lowered his head: "Yes. I can't see the root clearly, but I can confirm that it's not an ordinary seal, nor is it external chakra. It's like—like it's pasted along the inside of the meridians."
97
Tsunade slammed her fist against the wall.
A crack appeared in the wall.
Kiba silently hugged Akamaru tightly.
Tsunade, suppressing her anger, said, "Shikamaru, go write the full report. Kiba, treat the injuries. Neither of you are allowed to leave the medical ward for now. Byakugan brat, come with me later and recount what you saw."
Shikamaru nodded: "Yes."
Tsunade took two steps toward the operating room, then stopped.
"Shikamaru".
"exist."
"You just mentioned Hamura Sakuya?"
"Yes."
Tsunade's eyes darkened, as if she had remembered something from a long time ago.
"I see."
Shikamaru couldn't help but ask, "Lady Tsunade, what exactly is the old case of the Hamura family?"
Tsunade remained silent for a moment.
"Let's talk about it when Chi Quan wakes up."
"He's now being pursued by that old case."
Tsunade turned to look at him.
Shikamaru did not retreat.
The corridor was so quiet that only the footsteps of the medical ninja could be heard.
Tsunade finally said, "I only know part of it. The Hamura family was not an ordinary massacre; it involved former nobles of the Land of Fire, border private soldiers, and several hired ninja networks. Konoha took over the cleanup mission back then, but not all the records are clean."
Shikamaru frowned.
"The Chiquan lineage?"
Tsunade lowered her voice.
"May have been involved."
Ya couldn't help but ask, "But what does that have to do with the current pond and spring?"
Tsunade said coldly, "For a madman, having a surname is enough."
Shikamaru remained silent.
The sound of instruments clattering came from the operating room, a low, urgent murmur as several medical ninjas continuously passed medicine, stopped bleeding, and detoxified the wounds. Tsunade said nothing more and pushed open the door to go inside.
The door closed again.
Ya whispered, "Will he be alright?"
Shikamaru leaned back against the wall.
"meeting."
Look at him.
Shikamaru closed his eyes, his voice weary, yet his tone was firm.
"He'd better know how. Otherwise, he'll be in big trouble."
The surgery took a long time.
Daylight broke, then slowly turned to midday. Two rounds of medical ninjas rotated through the corridor. Kiba's wounds were bandaged, and Akamaru had his nasal powder cleared and was asleep under a chair. The Byakugan ninja was called in twice, and when he came out, his face was as pale as if he had just finished a tough battle.
Shikamaru wrote three versions of his report.
The first draft was for Tsunade, written in its entirety.
The second edition is for the Dark Division, omitting the details of Chi Quan being branded, and only mentioning what appears to be a tracking technique.
The third version only requires the outer patrols to block the southwest old forest line, and to report immediately upon discovering the Hamura clan's dark-cloaked ninjas, without pursuing them.
Seeing that he hadn't stopped writing, Ya couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to take care of your ribs?"
Shikamaru looked down at his half-wrapped body.
"Wait a minute."
"Are you waiting for Chi Quan to wake up?"
"almost."
"Is everyone in Nara this annoying?"
Shikamaru didn't even look up: "Is Inuzuka always this noisy?"
He leaned back in his chair.
"Still have the nerve to argue with me? Looks like you're not going to die either."
Shikamaru paused for a moment with his pen.
"tooth."
"what?"
"If you hadn't pushed me last night, one of those three things would have gone into my back."
He paused, then scratched his head.
"oh."
Thanks.
He turned his teeth away from his face.
"Come on. That's weird."
Shikamaru chuckled softly, a very short laugh.
"It's quite awkward."
In the afternoon, the operating room door finally opened.
Shizune emerged first, looking as if all her strength had been drained away, her forehead covered in sweat. Shikamaru and Kiba stood up at the same time.
"How is it?"
Silently, she took off her gloves; her voice was terribly hoarse.
"His life has been saved."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Shikamaru, however, was still looking at her.
"but?"
Shizune glanced at him.
"The abdomen didn't injure any vital organs, but the laceration was severe. The penetrating wound below the shoulder was too close to the lung; any more and it would have been fatal. Most of the toxin has been removed; the rest will need to be cleared slowly. The left arm is immobile for at least two weeks. As for the brand on the back of the neck—"
Shikamaru's heart sank again.
Shizune whispered, "Lady Tsunade is still watching."
He asked anxiously, "Can't you get it off?"
Silent head shake.
"This isn't an ordinary seal. It's not just pasted on the skin, nor is it simply attached to the outer layer of chakra. It's like it was nailed into the edge of his meridians by someone using chakra and blood before they died. Forcibly peeling it off will damage the main meridian at the back of his neck, causing at best temporary paralysis, and at worst—"
She didn't finish speaking.
Shikamaru understood.
"Therefore, it cannot be removed for the time being."
"We can't pull it out now," Jingyin said. "His body can't take it."
He gritted his teeth: "Then Helian can still go to him, right?"
Jingyin's expression was also unpleasant.
"Lady Tsunade will find a way to suppress it."
Shikamaru asked, "Is it possible to mislead the opponent?"
Silent paused, startled.
Shikamaru continued, "If you can't pull it out, then cover it up first. If you can't cover it up, then let it be messy. Is that possible?"
Shizune looked at him, and after a moment, whispered, "Lady Tsunade is thinking about this too."
At that moment, Tsunade came out from inside.
Her face was very somber.
"Shikamaru".
"Yes."
"Before Izumi woke up, the matter of Raku was only known to those in this corridor. Kiba, Akamaru, and the Hyuga kids were all kept under Class A cover-up."
Ya nodded: "Understood."
The Byakugan ninja immediately replied, "Yes."
Tsunade looked at Shikamaru: "Come with me."
Shikamaru followed her to an empty ward next door.
As soon as the door closed, Tsunade said directly, "The brand cannot be removed."
Shikamaru was not surprised.
"How long can it be compressed?"
"I temporarily suppressed its reaction using sealing and medical chakra. As long as Izumi doesn't mobilize a large amount of chakra and doesn't stray too far from the village's barrier, its senses will become dulled. But it won't completely disappear."
"Will they know he's not dead?"
"Yes," Tsunade said coldly, "but we may not know his specific situation in the short term."
Shikamaru frowned: "If Helian looks at that introduction every day, he will find that Chiquan has been staying deep inside Konoha all this time."
Tsunade looked at him: "So you want him to move?"
"It's not about making the pond move," Shikamaru said. "It's about making Raku appear to move."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
Shikamaru continued, "If the seal can trigger a slight reaction on the outer layer of the mark, we can use shadow clones, residual medical chakra, or other mediums to simulate a change in direction. Helian might not see the person, but only the direction and speed of the mark. As long as he's unsure whether Chiquan is seriously injured and not moving, or changing locations within the village, or occasionally going out, he won't dare to make a judgment immediately."
Tsunade remained silent for a few moments.
"You've got some nerve."
Shikamaru smiled wryly: "If we don't do this, he'll keep a close watch on the ward."
"You're trying to use fake marks to lure Helian?"
"We're not fishing now," Shikamaru said immediately. "Ikezumi is too badly injured to fish. Let's just tarnish Helian's judgment first."
""
Tsunade nodded.
"I will send the sealing team."
Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief.
Tsunade added, "As for Ikezumi, keep an eye on him after he wakes up."
Shikamaru immediately felt a headache coming on.
"Lady Tsunade, isn't this kind of mission a bit—"
"You know what the first thing he'll do when he wakes up is..."
Shikamaru sighed: "Ask Hamura if he's dead or not."
"The second thing."
"Is it okay to use a frying pan?"
"The third thing."
"Get out of bed."
Tsunade sneered: "So you keep an eye on him. If he dares to get out of bed, you'll sew his shadow onto the bed."
Shikamaru remained silent for a moment.
"Can I really do it?"
"I approve."
Shikamaru nodded: "That makes things much easier."
Chiquan woke up at dusk.
The ward smelled strongly of medicine. The curtains were half-drawn, and the setting sun slanted in, illuminating the basin of water and bandages beside the bed. Shizune sat to one side, arranging the medicine, while Shikamaru leaned against the window, holding a stack of new intelligence reports, his eyes dark and swollen.
When Chi Quan opened his eyes, he first looked at the ceiling.
Then he looked at his knife.
The knife was placed on a cabinet not far from the bed.
Shikamaru didn't even look up: "Don't even think about it."
Chi Quan's voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
"I haven't said it yet."
"Your eyes speak for themselves."
Jingyin immediately came over: "Don't move around. Your abdomen and shoulder wounds have been stitched up, your left arm is immobilized, and the poison hasn't been completely cleared yet."
Chi Quan blinked slowly.
"Hamura Shizu?"
Shikamaru put the information down.
"They escaped, seriously injured. Zhefeng is probably dead, but Shuichi's fate is uncertain. The other side took the bodies and the wounded."
Chi Quan closed his eyes.
"pity."
Shizune couldn't help but say, "You should regret it for yourself first."
Chi Quan glanced at her.
"Hard."
Jingyin was stunned for a moment, her eyes immediately reddened again, and she couldn't continue to vent her anger.
Don't give me that.
Shikamaru remarked calmly from the side, "He knew he was about to get scolded, so he blocked you first."
Chi Quan looked at him.
"You talk too much."
Shikamaru walked to the bedside and looked down at him.
"I talk a lot, but I don't have as much blood as you."
Chi Quan remained silent.
Jingyin held the medicine to his lips.
"drink."
Chi Quan frowned.
The voice, now silent, turned cold: "Drink."
Chi Quan drank it.
Shikamaru watched in amazement.
"So you can understand commands."
After drinking his medicine, Chi Quan paused for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Luo."
Shikamaru and Shizune both fell silent for a moment.
Shizune looked at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru pulled over a chair and sat down.
"It can't be removed. At least not now. Lady Tsunade suppressed the reaction, and the sealing team will continue to handle it. You cannot use large amounts of chakra, leave the village, accept missions, draw your sword, or get out of bed in the short term."
Chi Quan frowned when he heard the last sentence.
"how long?"
Silent spoke first: "He can't get out of bed for at least ten days. He can't fight for a month. His left arm's recovery depends on the situation."
Chi Quan: "Too long."
Shikamaru sneered.
"Don't you want to listen to how you're talking right now?"
Chi Quan looked at him.
Shikamaru said, "He's like an idiot who was just pulled out of the river and is now complaining that the shore is too far away."
Silently lowered her head to adjust the bandages, her shoulders trembling slightly, whether from anger or a desire to laugh, it was hard to tell.
Chi Quan closed his eyes.
"Helian can move."
Shikamaru said, "He will keep moving."
"I can't stay lying down forever."
"You can."