ALL NOVEL Chapter 169: Loss
Chapter 169: Loss
"Lord Hokage, the medical team is already in place,
and the wounded have begun to be treated. The losses are being counted."
An Anbu appeared suddenly in the Hokage's office, half-kneeling on the ground.
"According to your instructions, the hospital has been secured, and we
have secretly dispatched uninjured Anbu to protect it. We have also arranged
for corresponding Anbu on the front line of this battle, and the pursuit squad
is tracking the group of unknown ninjas."
The Third Hokage, holding the
corner of his broken office desk, nodded. "How is the situation in the
village?"
"Because it happened in the
middle of the night, close to dawn, everyone in the village was asleep, and the
fighting took place outside the village. Now, people don't know what happened.
The hospital closure caused some confusion, but it has been largely resolved.
The village is stable."
"Good." The Third Hokage
nodded, relieved by the news.
The attack had been full of twists
and turns. First, Kushina was kidnapped, then the forbidden surgery room and
the hospital were invaded. He had intended for the remaining Anbu to support
them, but a large wave of unknown ninjas attacked, leading to a scattered
defense. The Anbu and village defense ninjas were all thrown into battle.
In the end, he couldn't send
support to the forbidden surgery room and the hospital. Fortunately, Kento
Kiuchi had reported in time, and he had invited Shinsuke Hyuga, the strongest
Gentle Fist lord of the Hyuga clan, to
guard the forbidden surgery room. Otherwise, it might have been stolen again.
However, the hospital was
attacked, which puzzled the Third Hokage. Why would the enemy attack the
hospital?
He knew the lord mind behind the
incident should be Kumogakure. He understood why they wanted to kidnap Kushina,
the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and attack the forbidden room to steal techniques.
But the hospital...
Could it be...
The Third Hokage frowned, a sudden
thought striking him.
Was the target Yukina and Hirohiko in the hospital?
The Byakugan and Sharingan! Not only did Kumogakure want to take the Nine-Tails
and forbidden techniques, but they also aimed for the Bloodline Limits!
As he pondered this, another Anbu
flashed into the Hokage's office, half-kneeling.
"Lord Hokage, the losses have been calculated,"
the Anbu said. "There is no damage in the village or to the barrier. In
this battle, we lost fifteen Anbu, four elite ninja Anbu who recovered Kushina
were killed, and their bodies have been recovered. Anbu ninjas that Lord Nai
traced have been killed. On the front line, we lost ten Anbu, three Jonin,
seven Chunin, and more than twenty were seriously injured. Almost all defense
teams were injured."
Iwagakure!
The Third Hokage frowned.
Even Iwagakure was involved in
this matter!
"I see." The Third
Hokage nodded, unable to conceal his sadness. Although the village was
unharmed, twenty-five lives had been lost. They had successfully defended
against the attack, recovered Kushina, and protected the forbidden surgery room
and the hospital.
However, he felt no happiness,
only a deepening sense of gloom.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure... the Land of Earth and
the Land of Lightning... War?
The remaining major countries were
already preparing, and this era of peace seemed to be ending.
Taking a deep breath, the Third
Hokage said, "Arrange compensation for the martyrs who died as soon as
possible. They sacrificed their lives to protect the village. We must take good
care of their families."
"Yes!"
The Anbu bowed and disappeared in
a flash.
"You also go assist with
defense on the front line. If there are enough people there, go to the hospital
to protect it," the Third Hokage instructed the first Anbu who had
reported.
"Yes!"
The Anbu bowed and left in an
instant.
"Haven't they returned with
Tsunade yet?" The Third Hokage frowned, pacing uneasily.
At that moment, an injured Anbu
ninja appeared, his form flashing into the office.
"Is she back?" The Third
Hokage asked, his eyes locking onto the Anbu.
"Yes, Minato has brought Lady
Tsunade back to the village. She's at the hospital now... but..." The Anbu
hesitated, clearly troubled.
"What is it? What's
wrong?" The Third Hokage demanded, anxiety creeping into his voice.
"It's just... Tsunade-sama,
she..."
"What happened to
Tsunade?" The Third Hokage's face darkened as a thought struck him.
"Could it be..."
"Yes..." The Anbu ninja
nodded with difficulty.
At Konoha Hospital, in front of Kiba
's bed, Tsunade's eyes were wide with shock.
Yuriko's face was haggard, and the
light green chakra in her hand flickered weakly. She had reached her limit. Ten
minutes ago, her chakra was nearly exhausted. She had used the last bit of her
energy, gritting her teeth to hold on until Tsunade arrived.
Kiba is
saved! As a Sannin, Tsunade-sama is the best medical ninja. Her medical skills
are unparalleled.
Even with more than a hundred
comminuted fractures on Kiba 's body, if Tsunade-sama took over, his life would
be saved, and he would even be healed!
However, at this moment, Yuriko's
haggard expression turned pale.
Tsunade-sama was trembling,
staring at the blood on Kiba 's body, her eyes filled with horror!
What's wrong? Tsunade-sama, what's happening? She
looks... completely incapable of surgery!
Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato, who
had brought Tsunade to the hospital, was looking solemnly at Kushina lying on
the bed. Shizune, exhausted, had fallen asleep beside her.
Tsunade's words echoed in his
head.
"The internal organs have
ruptured... surgery is necessary."
However, Namikaze Minato knew that
Tsunade-sama had hemophobia. She couldn't perform surgery!
"Calm down! Calm down,
Namikaze Minato. You must calm down. There must be a way, a way to heal
Kushina!" he muttered to himself.
His eyes fell on Kushina's
abdomen, where Shizune had been treating. The wound was completely healed. It
looked like a white and flat abdomen without any scars, but Kushina's internal
organs were injured—this was the fatal injury.
As his eyes fell on Kushina's
lower abdomen, a black seal pattern began to emerge on her flat, unscarred
skin.
The Nine-Tails' seal is already appearing!
Namikaze Minato frowned, but then
a flash of inspiration struck him.
This will work! This method will work! I'll use
Kushina's Four Symbols Seal!