Inside the surgical room, all the medical shinobi stared dumbfounded at the fluctuating life monitor.
Even Chiyo from the Hidden Sand showed a mix of worry and faint hope in her expression.
"How... how is this happening?"
"I don't know either," Kusada Kaoru shook her head in confusion.
This was her first time performing a First Hokage's Cell implantation surgery. Such a situation was not just unheard of — she hadn't even heard rumors of it before.
The other medical shinobi were even more lost, completely overwhelmed.
After a moment, someone whispered:
"Should we inform Lady Tsunade?"
Bang!
Before Kusada Kaoru could reply, the surgical room's door was flung open, and Tsunade, already suited up in surgical garb, strode in.
"I'll be taking over this surgery."
Relieved, Kusada Kaoru immediately stepped aside.
Uchiha Shinji, who had been standing near the operation table, also discreetly stepped back two paces, keeping a close watch on Tsunade.
With Tsunade's arrival, the surgical team quickly regained their composure.
Tsunade observed the condition of the Hidden Sand volunteer on the operating table while listening to Kusada Kaoru's briefing about the previous procedures and the vitals displayed on the monitors.
Before long, Tsunade furrowed her brows.
"This shouldn't be happening..."
Chiyo quickly asked:
"What exactly is going on?"
Tsunade glanced at Chiyo and didn't hide the truth:
"From the current signs, the surgery should have failed long ago. Yet, somehow, the volunteer hasn't been completely devoured by the First Hokage's cells. Instead, it's locked in a stalemate."
Chiyo seized on the critical point:
"You're saying the cell fusion has failed?"
"Yes, it failed right from the beginning," Tsunade answered while continuing to inspect the volunteer's condition, her brows knitting tighter.
Thanks to Yakumo's prior success, Tsunade had become very sensitive to the various readings. She could tell at a glance that the fusion had indeed failed. What baffled her was how the volunteer could withstand the backlash of the rampaging First Hokage cells.
After pondering for a moment, Tsunade ordered:
"Increase the inhibitor dosage!"
Kusada Kaoru personally operated the equipment and injected an additional 1.5 units of inhibitor into the volunteer.
After this injection, the volunteer's vitals finally stabilized — but the boy had fallen into a deep coma, effectively a vegetative state from which he could not awaken.
"Send him to the Intensive Care Unit."
Tsunade ordered coldly.
Kusada Kaoru immediately directed her surgical team to transport the Hidden Sand volunteer, now deeply comatose, to the ICU.
Soon, only Tsunade and Chiyo were left in the surgical room.
Chiyo asked:
"Does this surgery count as a success... or a failure?"
Tsunade shook her head:
"It's hard to say. We need further observation. But the fact that he's still alive suggests there's at least a slight chance of eventual cell fusion. I can only call it... a miracle."
Chiyo's eyes flickered at these words.
Soon, news of the surgeries spread from the Hidden Leaf Hospital.
At the Hidden Mist Village Outpost.
"What!? All surgeries failed?!"
Terumi Mei's face instantly darkened upon receiving the news.
The Mist's medical shinobi helplessly reported:
"We underestimated the ferocity of the First Hokage's cells. The moment the implantation began, the volunteers' bodies collapsed."
Terumi Mei asked coldly:
"Are you sure Hidden Leaf didn't sabotage us?"
The Mist's medical shinobi shook his head:
"Our personnel were involved throughout the process. Unless they tampered with the implanted cells themselves, there shouldn't have been any foul play."
Terumi Mei pressed further:
"What about the other villages' volunteers?"
"All failures... except one. It seems a volunteer from the Hidden Sand was transferred to the ICU."
"What!? The Hidden Sand succeeded?!"
Terumi Mei instantly lost her composure.
If everyone had failed, it would have been easier — the four villages could present a united front to pressure the Hidden Leaf. But if even one succeeded, it not only indicated the surgery was legitimate, it would also divide the alliance among the villages.
Almost simultaneously, the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud received the same news.
At the Hidden Stone:
"Damn it, why did the Hidden Sand succeed?!"
The team leader jōnin from Hidden Stone roared.
The Stone's medical shinobi quickly explained:
"The volunteer was only moved to the ICU. Whether the surgery truly succeeded remains uncertain."
The jōnin commanded coldly:
"Then make sure. I want accurate information!"
Similarly, at the Hidden Cloud, similar orders were issued — find out the real condition of the Hidden Sand volunteer at any cost.
Hidden Sand Side.
After leaving the surgical theater, Chiyo immediately found jōnin Maki and ordered:
"Station guards around the ICU 24/7. No one except the Hidden Leaf's medical shinobi is allowed near!"
"Understood!"
Maki nodded firmly.
Hokage's Office.
Danzo was furious:
"This is your plan? If that Hidden Sand volunteer wakes up and obtains Wood Release, how will you answer to the First Hokage's legacy?!"
Facing Danzo's interrogation, Tsunade remained silent, her expression grim.
This situation had indeed spiraled beyond her expectations.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances and said:
"We must act to prevent the Wood Release from leaking to other villages."
Danzo turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi behind the Hokage's desk:
"Hiruzen, let me handle this!"
Since Jiraiya and Tsunade's return, Danzo's influence had been squeezed out. Now that he had found an opportunity, he naturally wanted to reclaim his power.
The pressure shifted onto Hiruzen. After some thought, he asked Tsunade:
"What are the chances that the Hidden Sand volunteer survives?"
Tsunade shook her head:
"Hard to say."
Hiruzen said:
"Then we wait and see."
Danzo protested angrily:
"What are you hesitating for?!"
Hiruzen explained:
"The other villages are surely monitoring the hospital closely. We must not act rashly."
At Shinji's Apartment.
"Yaaawn..."
While all the forces' attention was focused on the ICU and the Hidden Sand volunteer, Uchiha Shinji lazily stretched and collapsed onto his bed.
Undoubtedly—
The so-called "miracle" during the surgery was his doing behind the scenes.
The Hidden Sand volunteer was no different from the other sixteen — he couldn't withstand the backlash of the First Hokage's cells at all.
The only reason he appeared to dance on the brink of death was because Shinji had secretly used Jikibi to link to the boy's spirit and quietly drew out the rampaging cells using Wazunagi, forcibly suppressing the backlash.
However, this suppression was only temporary.
Even with Tsunade increasing the inhibitor dosage, it didn't change the boy's ultimate fate: death was only a matter of time.