"I almost forgot!"
Naruto spoke in a helpless tone.
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Forgot what?"
Rolling his eyes, Naruto answered, "Your hemophobia! If it weren't for you, I might never have come up with a solution so quickly. And without that, Kimimaro wouldn't have lasted as long as he did."
Tsunade's brows rose, her expression startled.
"Don't underestimate our intelligence network," Naruto added with a faint smile.
In truth, it wasn't intelligence at all—it was knowledge carried over from Naruto's own memories.
Tsunade thought of the mysterious Umbrella Organization and fell silent. Very few people knew of her hemophobia. If Umbrella knew, then perhaps the information had leaked from somewhere.
Naruto studied her calmly. Hemophobia—troublesome, yet not insurmountable.
How to solve Tsunade's fear of blood?
Frowning, Naruto suddenly looked up as an idea struck him. His eyes lit up.
"Tsunade, I have a method that might cure you. The question is—are you willing to try it?"
"Oh?" Tsunade tilted her head. "You actually have a way?"
"Of course. Hemophobia is ultimately a psychological illness. Once you defeat the fear in your heart, the sickness disappears on its own."
Naruto's words made Tsunade sigh with a bitter smile. She had long known that her condition was psychological in nature, but curing it was another matter entirely.
As the saying goes, a doctor can heal others but not themselves. Tsunade had tried many times to overcome her fear of blood, yet failure was all she found.
"It's not that simple," she admitted quietly.
"I know," Naruto nodded, his expression turning serious. "But if you trust me, I can use Genjutsu to treat you."
"Genjutsu?"
"That's right," he replied firmly. "The essence of Genjutsu is Yin Release fused with spiritual energy. It can reshape perception—perfect for treating psychological trauma."
Naruto's confidence wasn't for show. He had already devised a plan: a layered illusion.
First, Tsunade would be drawn into an illusory world without realizing it. Then, within that false reality, another Genjutsu would force her to relive her painful memories again and again. Each cycle would continue until she adapted—until her fear collapsed under repetition.
In a Genjutsu world, time flowed differently. What felt like years could pass in mere moments.
But to achieve this, one needed at least an A-rank technique.
Fortunately, Naruto had recently created one—an A-rank Genjutsu called Boundless Sinking. For Tsunade, he would weaken and reshape it for healing purposes.
Tsunade hesitated only briefly before agreeing. She, of all people, despised appearing weak. How could a Hokage cower at the sight of blood? It was laughable.
With only two swift hand seals, Naruto cast the Genjutsu. Others might have needed a dozen, but not him.
Tsunade offered no resistance and quickly slipped into the illusion.
Minutes passed. A quarter of an hour. Naruto's brows furrowed. Her condition was deeply rooted. He kept watch carefully—using the full version of the jutsu for too long risked damaging her spirit, even though he had already weakened it.
Just as he was about to release the technique, Tsunade's body jerked. She sat up suddenly, drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily.
"Haa… haa…"
"How do you feel?" Naruto asked, his voice carrying a teasing lilt.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. For a moment she wanted nothing more than to punch him. He hadn't warned her that she would be forced to relive every painful memory of her past.
Within the illusion, she had first forgotten her identity, living the life of an ordinary doctor. Slowly, fragments of memory returned, only to be followed by scenes of loss and blood. Again and again, she was forced to endure it, until repetition dulled the fear into numbness.
Through that endless cycle, she had been forced to grow accustomed to the sight of blood.
She clenched her fists, her temper flaring—but restrained herself. Losing her cool now, only to be beaten by this brat, would be humiliating.
Naruto grinned. "Seems you're ready for a test."
Without hesitation, he drew a kunai and slashed his arm.
Swish!
Fresh blood welled from the wound, dripping onto the ground.
Tsunade's pupils constricted. Her body trembled faintly—but she did not collapse.
A smile curved Naruto's lips. "Looks like you've almost won."
And for the first time in many years, Tsunade realized—he was right.
After a short pause, Naruto turned back to Kimimaro and instructed firmly:
"This time, I'll use anesthesia to examine your body."
Kimimaro showed no fear. With his life burning out, he had already gambled everything on coming here.
Expression calm, he simply nodded and lay down.
Naruto administered the anesthetic, and soon Kimimaro drifted into a deep sleep.
With practiced precision, Naruto began the examination. His hands were steady, his cuts controlled. Almost no blood spilled, and what little appeared was immediately sealed away by his chakra.
Tsunade leaned closer, carefully observing. After undergoing Naruto's Genjutsu treatment earlier, she found that her hemophobia had nearly vanished.
Together, they examined Kimimaro's condition. Their years of medical knowledge made the truth apparent: his organs were deteriorating, his body slowly shutting down.
Naruto frowned.
In his past life, there had been theories that Kimimaro's illness came from repeatedly drawing out and retracting his bones, leading to bacterial infection. But in this world, such an explanation was laughable.
With chakra flowing through the body, bacteria stood little chance. Chakra itself could suppress or even destroy them. Moreover, whenever Kimimaro fought, his bones were wrapped in a layer of chakra, strengthening them further.
No—the problem lay deeper.
Kimimaro's blood looked dull, his life force alarmingly weak. At this rate, he might not survive more than a few months.
"What do you see?" Tsunade asked, her expression grim.
Naruto's gaze swept across Kimimaro's organs. He adjusted a small medical flashlight and leaned closer, examining again.
"For now, I can't pinpoint the exact cause. Either the lesion is well-hidden… or there are multiple factors."
Pausing, he placed his hand gently on Kimimaro's chest, his chakra scanning the boy's body.
"My guess is this: when he uses his Kekkei Genkai—the Shikotsumyaku—he forces his body to produce bone tissue at an unnatural rate. Over time, this depletes his body's minerals and weakens his constitution. That's just speculation, but it fits."
The constant cycle of bone growth and retraction, coupled with endless battles, had left Kimimaro's body devastated.
Naruto glanced at Tsunade. "What do you think?"
"His body is exhausted, his vitality nearly drained. But… there's something else," Tsunade murmured. "It feels like an unknown factor is accelerating his decline."
Naruto's brows drew together in thought.
"Then, given his condition, our only option is to stabilize him first. If we can extend his lifespan, we might buy enough time to search for a real cure."
Tsunade nodded in agreement. As a healer, she would do everything within her power.
...
TN:
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