Chapter 262: Waking Up with a Hangover, Body Sore, and Feeling Like a Friend Hit Me

As Tatsuma walked out of the consultation room, he glanced at Minato, who had suddenly sat up in his sickbed, and his lips twitched as he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Minato looked at Tatsuma and asked, "How did you know I developed the Lightning Release Rasengan?"

"I didn't know."

"I'm planning to name it Lightning Release! Takemikazuchi Spiral Hammer Second Style!"

"Actually, just calling it Vanishing Rasengan would be fine."

"You also think the name I came up with is great, don't you?"

The two had a conversation that felt completely disconnected. Orochimaru, Tsunade, and the doctors and nurses pushing the hospital bed exchanged bewildered looks, finding it hard to understand the communication style of these two famous geniuses from the village.

Tatsuma also looked at the disoriented Minato, sighed, and then asked the doctor, "Dr. Matsumoto, who brought Minato here?"

"It was Jiraiya-sama," Dr. Matsumoto replied. He had worked briefly with Tatsuma before, although Matsumoto wasn't in the emergency department back then and seemed to have been temporarily reassigned.

"I'll take over Minato's case. You all can get back to your work," Tatsuma said, placing his hand on the hospital bed. Dr. Matsumoto and the two nurses exchanged looks and then quickly left. Minato had many injuries; while none were particularly severe, they were troublesome to treat.

This would require a lot of time and effort. With Tatsuma taking over, they were relieved, as Tatsuma was particularly proficient in handling such surgical traumas, ensuring nothing would go wrong.

Minato, muttering about how he came up with the name "Lightning Release: Takemikazuchi Spiral Hammer Second Style" and wanting to share his entire thought process with Tatsuma, was pushed into a room for debridement and suturing.

Tsunade also followed in. Without needing Tatsuma to ask, she proactively gathered a large amount of hydrogen peroxide and saline. For Tatsuma, Minato's injuries only required cleaning and did not necessitate any additional instruments.

After more than a week back, Tatsuma had retrained his Chakra Control. Using a Chakra scalpel in his right hand, he exposed the various wounds on Minato's body. Tsunade generously poured hydrogen peroxide and saline, while Tatsuma removed the clearly necrotic flesh and then used the Mystical Palm Jutsu to heal the wounds directly.

Tatsuma was somewhat puzzled about how Minato sustained his injuries. Given Minato's speed and mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique, it shouldn't have been easy to injure him so badly. Tatsuma couldn't think of an effective method himself, other than directly inflicting severe damage on Minato.

After a while, Tatsuma and Tsunade stopped, having finished treating him. Perhaps due to the decreasing pain, Minato fell asleep during the procedure.

"Haha, who would've thought that a mere two thousand ryo would get both of you to treat this kid, Minato," a cheerful voice rang out from the doorway. Tatsuma looked over to see Jiraiya holding a bill. Tatsuma asked, "Jiraiya-sensei, how did Minato get hurt like this? Did you do this?"

"Do I seem like that kind of heartless sensei?" Jiraiya said as he walked in, pulling out a scroll from his robe. "This morning, he managed to initially fuse Lightning Release Chakra with Rasengan and said he wanted to show it to you. Since he heard you were preparing for surgery these past few days, he didn't come to find you and instead went to see Kushina. I have to say, his technique is quite interesting. The Rasengan he created can not only be thrown but also turns invisible mid-flight.

Moreover, due to the chaotic Chakra flow, even sensing its exact location is difficult. Kushina didn't believe it and insisted that the Rasengan had simply dissipated. So, he demonstrated it to her, and as a result—"

Jiraiya held up three fingers and continued, "Three tails. Tsk tsk, in her three-tailed state, she's that powerful. If it were four tails, I'm afraid even I wouldn't be able to restrain her, let alone more."

"The Nine-Tails went berserk?" Orochimaru, who had been waiting at the doorway, leaned in and looked at Jiraiya with a ghostly expression. Jiraiya quickly shook his head and said, "No! That's the result of Kushina's training recently."

"If it were a real rampage, you'd all have been urgently summoned. It was just Kushina losing a bit of her composure due to anger," Jiraiya clarified.

"Oh," Orochimaru withdrew his head, while Tatsuma and Tsunade exchanged surprised looks. They hadn't known that Kushina, who had been living in the Senju Clan's territory, had gained such control over the Nine-Tails' power.

After a moment, Tatsuma smirked and said, "If Hidden Cloud Village knew about this, they might regret sending only a few people back then."

Blue B has been trying to coexist with the Eight-Tails for three years, yet in just a few months, Kushina has already trained to the point of utilizing three tails of the Nine-Tails' power. Perhaps the Uzumaki Clan truly is the best vessel for tailed beasts, especially when paired with the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.

"Haha, if Hidden Cloud dares to send anyone else, they might not need help from others. Kushina could handle it herself," Jiraiya joked as he unsealed a scroll in his hand, revealing a somewhat unconventional outfit. "Alright, ladies, please leave. I need to change my disciple's clothes."

"There's hospital clothing over there," Tsunade said, pointing to a nearby cabinet, unable to bear the sight of the brightly colored clothes Jiraiya had brought. Jiraiya shook his head and replied, "Hospital clothes are for patients staying in the hospital. If Minato still needs to be hospitalized after being treated by both of you, it would tarnish your reputations. Besides, I just spent money on these clothes; they're quite expensive and it would be a shame not to wear them."

Hearing this, Tsunade said nothing more, simply casting a glance at the unconscious Minato, unaware of the dangers of the shinobi world, before turning and leaving the room. Tatsuma didn't say much either, knowing that when it came to messing with Minato, Jiraiya couldn't compete with him, Minato's close friend.

After changing Minato's clothes, Jiraiya hoisted him up and asked, "By the way, do we need to do a head check to rule out a concussion or something?"

"No need," Tatsuma replied. "The Konoha Hospital only has CT scans, which can't detect concussions, only structural damage. I've already checked for those. Just observe him when he wakes up."

"More than a concussion, I'm starting to wonder if his auditory nerves are damaged. Besides that, you might want to get him an appointment with a psychiatrist or psychologist to see if they can help him with his naming issues," Tatsuma joked, shaking his head and murmuring, "Lightning Release: Takemikazuchi Spiral Hammer Second Style? What a terrible name."

"Haha, I can't wait to see what he names his future children; it's bound to be interesting," Jiraiya laughed as he carried Minato towards the door. As he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back.

With a loud thud, Minato's head hit the cabinet as Jiraiya turned. Quickly, Jiraiya swung him the other way, causing another thud as Minato's head hit the wall. Tatsuma winced and remarked, "Jiraiya-sensei, Minato probably didn't have a concussion before, but now I'm not so sure."

"It's fine. When he wakes up, I'll just say it was a side effect of Kushina's punch," Jiraiya said, calming down quickly. He reached into his robe, pulled out a notebook, and tossed it to Tatsuma. "This is a little book I've been working on for the past three years. It's finally published, and here's a signed copy for you."

Seeing Jiraiya's somewhat unsure demeanor, Tatsuma caught the book and said seriously, "I'll read it carefully."

"It's not about ninjutsu research, just something to read casually," Jiraiya replied as he left, pushing the door open. After Jiraiya left, Tatsuma tidied up the debridement and suturing room. By the time he finished, Tsunade and Orochimaru had already gone somewhere.

Feeling a bit aimless, Tatsuma found a noodle stand by the roadside and ate a few bowls of noodles before heading home to train. He could cook for himself—he did in his past life, and even more so in this one—but he found himself cooking less and less due to the increasing value of his time and energy.

Although he could use ninjutsu like Shadow Clone to save time, the energy expenditure couldn't be avoided. So, besides occasionally getting a meal cooked by someone else, Tatsuma now preferred dining out. Ordering takeout often meant waiting longer and having to clean up afterward.

While good food can indeed bring joy, most people, as they age, learn to control their cravings. As long as the food meets their nutritional needs and fills their stomachs, they're content.

After eating, Tatsuma returned home and didn't go next door to use the larger courtyard for training. Instead, he repeated some basic exercises. Although his chakra had mostly recovered, he still needed to readjust his habits and combat routines.

In the evening, he went next door for dinner. Recently, Tsunade's lifestyle had improved, possibly due to the advice Uzumaki Mito gave her before passing away, though it was uncertain how long this change would last. With Nawaki and Kushina around, and Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato often visiting, Tsunade had even brought Shizune over, along with a nanny to take care of her and cook for everyone. Tatsuma paid for this arrangement.

Today, Jiraiya and Minato didn't come, likely because Minato was still unconscious or experiencing some aftereffects that made it inconvenient to leave. Kushina was a bit worried and guilty, but after Tsunade and Tatsuma reassured her that Minato was fine, her appetite returned.

After dinner, Tatsuma went back to his study to continue learning. Besides training in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu, accumulating wisdom was also important. Information and knowledge were key to increasing wisdom, as intelligence itself isn't something that can be easily developed further.

Not staying up late that night, Tatsuma prepared for the next day's surgery. Although he didn't find the procedure particularly challenging, its significance was substantial, so he wanted to be in his best condition.

The next day at Konoha Hospital, when Tatsuma arrived, he found that Dan Kato's room was already crowded. Among those present were Tsunade, Shizune, Orochimaru, the director Sarutobi Biwako, and many doctors. Additionally, the two most outstanding students from the new medical ninja training system, Taji and Nono, were there, along with a large group of students. Some couldn't even enter the room and were waiting in the hallway.

"Sakamoto-sensei, good luck! It's time to prove that doctors can match medical ninjas," said a surgeon whom Tatsuma vaguely remembered, patting his shoulder. Before Tatsuma could respond, Tsunade shot a death glare at the doctor and then said, "Tatsuma is my disciple."

Upon hearing this, the doctor quickly retracted his hand, looking embarrassed. Tatsuma, somewhat helpless, approached Biwako and said, "Director, there are too many people here. Didn't we agree to modify the operating room and record the procedure?"

"I didn't tell them to come; they insisted," Biwako responded helplessly, then waved her hand and said to the others, "Alright, everyone, out. There's no need for so many people crowding the room; we don't want to suffocate the patient."

With Biwako's directive, many people left the room. Noticing the anesthesiologist also leaving, Tatsuma asked, "What about the anesthesiologist? Why is he leaving too?"

"It's fine, I'll handle it," Orochimaru interjected, holding a snake in his hand. Tatsuma glanced at the snake and remarked, "That snake doesn't meet the sterility standards."

Orochimaru was momentarily at a loss for words, and the snake hissed in annoyance. In the end, they had to call the anesthesiologist back. After thorough sterilization and disinfection, Dan Kato was finally laid on the operating table, and the anesthesiologist administered the anesthesia. Biwako, assisting as the first surgical assistant, and Tsunade, the second assistant, checked the surgical instruments.

Tatsuma looked at Dan Kato, whose eyes were gradually losing focus, and with a slight smile, said, "Sleep well, Dan-san. When you wake up, you'll be a whole man again."

"No, no... If that happens, Tsunade won't... take care of me anymore," Dan Kato murmured, his words becoming indistinguishable and resembling the babbling of an infant. Shortly after, he fell asleep completely.

While checking the surgical knives, Tsunade picked one up and exclaimed, "That idiot! Let me handle this—I might as well cut out his ungrateful heart and lungs too!"

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