Handling hospitalization procedures was actually quite tedious. However, for Konan, Kita, and Obito at this moment, they were all VIPs of Konoha, guests of the highest rank. With the Fifth Hokage's student personally attending as the nurse, anyone would have felt like walking through the doors of convenience itself.
Moreover, Sakura had already completed most of the preparatory paperwork before meeting them. As a result, the group barely spent a few minutes in the hospital waiting room before being escorted to the special intensive care ward.
The room was clean, tidy, and private, with exceptional accommodations—even someone of Kakashi's status had never enjoyed such treatment.
After adding her name to the medical tag with Kita's name, Sakura hung it on the door. Once this small ceremony was complete, she finally spoke with a gentle smile.
"Please forgive the inconvenience. I must be frank, Miss Kita, though your condition is serious, it is not hopeless. For your health, I will need your cooperation."
She then bowed slightly, her gesture exuding utmost politeness. Kita smiled faintly and nodded. Despite being young, this girl's diligence as a medical ninja was evident. Being entrusted by the Fifth Hokage to care for a VIP patient showed her capability. Her breathing and chakra readings indicated that she was more than just a simple medical ninja—her strength was notable.
"And the ward may be a bit simple, so I hope Konan-sama can bear with it."
Sakura spoke to Konan. Simple, perhaps, was an understatement; the room was far better than standard wards. Besides the bed, it included a small resting area for attendants. Konan nodded slightly, acknowledging Sakura's words.
"Although treatment officially begins tomorrow, I hope you'll stay here tonight. You have no dietary restrictions, so tell me anytime what you wish to eat—I'll be on duty in the room across the hall."
Sakura gestured toward the door. Konan shook her head slightly, unfazed.
"That's unnecessary. Just tell me where to go."
Sakura paused, then nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Once all the instructions were delivered, Obito left, Kakashi followed, and Sakura was naturally sent away. The spacious ward was left with just the two of them. Konan placed the exhausted little tiger she had just won onto the bed and sat beside it. Not long after, Kita changed into her patient uniform and sat next to Konan.
Looking at her now, Konan noticed how much thinner Kita had become compared to her previous image. Perhaps it was the oversized clothing, making her appear fragile. Consciously, Konan had not planned to cry, but as the clothing settled, her eyes grew red. She quickly turned her face away, hiding her tears—she did not want to show her worry. Yet, how could the perceptive Kita not notice?
Sighing softly, Kita reached out and held Konan close, her voice tinged with apology.
"I'm sorry… truly, I made you worry."
Konan wiped away her tears, leaving only slightly reddened eyes. She smiled, forcing herself to appear strong.
"You think too much. What do I have to worry about?"
Her forced smile was not entirely natural. Kita felt a deep ache in her chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around Konan's waist, feeling the warmth of the person in her arms, and said earnestly:
"Konan, I… I will do my best to live."
"If you die, I'll just find someone else. That's nothing to worry about."
Her words, if not for the hint of quiver in her voice, were absolutely ruthless. Kita's lips curved slightly as she held Konan close, letting her lean against her shoulder, closing her eyes to savor the presence of the person she cherished.
"So… what about me? You're already mine, who else would I find?"
"There are plenty of people in the world. I'm fine with Kisame."
"Heh… your tastes are heavy—won't even leave the fish alone."
Konan laughed, tears giving way to joy, and the room relaxed for a brief moment.
Sakura initially worried that the Amegakure leader might be particularly picky. In her many missions, she had often dealt with small countries' elites, who could be demanding when commanding major ninja. Hence, she had not dared to remove her clothes, resting on the bed after a sleepless night. Unexpectedly, she slept until dawn. Luckily, she woke a minute before the scheduled alarm, avoiding being late on her first day caring for Konoha's VIP guests.
After completing preparations, at 7:15 a.m., Sakura pushed open the opposite door.
…
The sight made her slightly uncomfortable. From Sakura's angle, she could see two people entwined on the bed. As the door opened, the Amegakure's leader lifted her head slightly from the patient's embrace. Her eyes were half-lidded with sleep, clearly just waking—or rather, not fully awake. The patient remained peacefully asleep.
Sakura blushed. She had never seen the two so intimate. After shedding her heavy outerwear, the leader wore a loose, pale-yellow dress. From Sakura's angle, she glimpsed parts that were perhaps not meant to be seen. Recognizing the gesture that she should leave, Sakura bowed slightly, closing the door behind her.
Not long after, the door opened again, halfway. Konan leaned against the frame, arms crossed, looking at Sakura. The loose, pale-yellow dress revealed a shoulder and a hint of a form Sakura knew should not exist.
"Must it be this early? Kita likes to sleep—recently twelve hours at a stretch."
Sakura nodded apologetically.
"Sorry, Konan-sama. Collecting data at different times is necessary."
"Understood. Wait for half an hour, then." She added, "Next time, knock before entering, understand?" She began to close the door, but Sakura's hand got caught as she did, pinched between the door and the frame.
Not heavy, but painful enough to make her sweat.
"I can't. My duty is to monitor Miss Kita constantly. Knocking would disturb her."
Unexpectedly persistent and serious. Those emerald eyes seemed to say, even as Amegakure's leader, you must obey here!
Stubborn? Certainly.
Konan glanced once, then nodded, silently allowing Sakura's insistence.
"Understood."
This time, Sakura quickly pulled her hand free before the door fully closed.
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
Small villages really know how to be difficult! she thought.
...…
Treatment did not proceed smoothly. Perhaps "treatment" was not the right word. What Tsunade did was little different from Orochimaru's work. If anything, it continued what Orochimaru had abandoned—a new round of agony. At least after one experiment, Kita recalled the nightmarish hardships she had endured before.
Her consciousness scattered; beyond the torment, she could remember nothing.
Tsunade was exhausted. She tried a low-concentration stimulant to provoke a response in Kita's body, but the data exceeded expectations. The medicine, once injected, was absorbed almost instantly, and the original toxin transformed into a new variant. Watching Kita, Tsunade could not bear to look. That she survived—was it luck, or fate?
Thinking this, Tsunade stepped out of the treatment room. Kita's condition was dire, and the chance of cure was only one percent.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
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