One Worth Betting On
As I explained en route, our mission was
to obtain the Hidden Jutsu from the Cedar Village.
Collecting Hidden Jutsu… What else is new?
Go on…
After obtaining the Hidden Jutsu, I left to tend to another matter, so…
I'll take over now.
Lord Raikage…
Leave it…
What? A smokescreen?
Taking us for fools!
Leave it…
Who are you?
Are you from the Cedar Village?
We are not shinobi of the Cedar Village!
We have no homeland, nor a master.
People seek us out, and we fulfill their wishes.
The Cedar Village came to us and their wish is…
Death to those who stole the Hidden Jutsu of the Cedar Village!
Mercenary shinobi, eh!
Lightning Attack!
Karai!
Karai, what's wrong?!
Why you—!
We are the wandering phantoms of the forest.
Nokizaru!
Nokizaru…?
Shinobi who prey on other shinobi…
Nokizaru Troops eh?
Lord Raikage!
Karai is in no condition to…
I'm fine. Let's go!
That's it? They're such cowards!
Lord Raikage, do not let the enemy provoke you!
There should be someplace we can go just up ahead.
The Raikage of the Cloud isn't much of anything…
What—?!
Damn it! Don't underestimate me!
Lightning Rat Tremor!
Nigai!
Don't come!
Please…
don't come…
Nigai!
Why you…!
You won't get away with this!
No, Lord Raikage!
Both Nigai and I used our jutsu
and that induced an anomaly within our bodies…
If you use your jutsu too…
Stay back, Karai!
Perhaps they saw I meant business and were scared off…
They did not appear again.
But I wonder why?
They were the aggressors…
Furthermore, Nigai used his jutsu and it caused him to explode.
Karai also used his jutsu.
He realized the change in his body,
and quickly suppressed any further activity to prevent an explosion.
But the chakra with Paper Bomb-like properties that's attached to his chest
is absorbing his jutsu's chakra, and he's in great pain.
Lord Raikage manipulated the most powerful of all the chakra.
But he is safe and sound.
He's not sound at all.
You can't tell by looking at him now.
But I can sense in the Raikage,
the same type of chakra as that lump.
What do you mean? I feel perfectly fine!
For now, you are.
I'm certain that this lump is an Exploding Bug
that only the Nokizaru Troops have been successful in propagating.
You've seen what it does.
Once it finds a host, it absorbs chakra and grows,
and inevitably explodes.
The size of the larva merits concern.
Huh?
You felt it?
The larvae are as tiny as cells, invisible to the human eye.
Then…
Yes…
You fell right into the enemy's trap on first contact.
Larvae scattered into the atmosphere with that explosion of light…
and you kept breathing them in, unaware of anything.
Then why is Lord Raikage…?
She's right!
Why don't I have a lump?
I was in the same situation as Karai and Nigai!
And I can't say I didn't manipulate chakra!
Earlier, when we arm-wrestled, I used quite a bit of chakra.
The unruly Cloud brat only grew in size.
How dare you…!
Now, now…
Hear me out before you start yelling.
In the first place,
we shinobi activate our jutsu by manipulating chakra.
The quantity of chakra depends on the level of the jutsu.
And we adjust the amount with each jutsu we use.
The stronger the jutsu, the more chakra we require.
Hence, we store chakra in our bodies for fixed periods of time.
Just a minute…
Earlier, you mentioned an arm-wrestling match between the two of you.
Don't you use chakra when you use physical strength?
Yes… However, the Raikage did not use chakra for strength.
To counter my physical power…
he used speed to push me back.
Naturally, one uses chakra to release speed too.
Reducing chakra into speed requires instant consumption…
Not nearly enough time for the Exploding Bug to steal the chakra.
So I am going to end up like Karai?
Exactly!
One uses a little chakra even for normal daily activities.
So until the insect is removed, you must remain sedentary.
Then it can be removed?
Yes. Simple surgery should remove it.
Shizune, get ready to operate!
Yes!
And…
Oh, please wait! I will assist!
Thank you.
What is it?
Huh? Oh, we'll operate on your subordinate first
since he faces risk of exploding at any moment.
That's fine. I want you to save Karai.
No, please wait!
You must let Lord Raikage go first!
Impossible!
I said the surgery itself is simple.
However, if the Exploding Bug has attached itself
intricately to the Chakra Network,
it will require considerable medical skill and experience.
Furthermore, it could explode at any time,
and the surgeon must take the risk of dying too!
So I'm not going to listen to your nonsense!
All right, Tsunade. I'm fine with that.
Tend to Karai first.
Oh, sorry… I got carried away.
But there's one more reason why your surgery is not possible yet.
The Exploding Bug in your system is too small
for the human eye to see.
Until it grows larger, there's nothing we can do.
Yet, you can't just sit back and wait.
We don't know how much chakra it takes
for the Exploding Bug to grow into a lump and explode!
So, give me your word, Raikage!
That you will allow us to proceed with the surgery in our own way!
That you will not move at all.
All right, I give you my word!
Looks like you'll keep your word.
What is it?
Just a bug.
What's wrong?
Nah, it's nothing.
Anyway, our target is definitely inside that abandoned building.
And how is the Raikage?
No change.
Are you sure he inhaled the Exploding Bug?
No doubt about it.
The timing and distance were spot on.
Then why?
Why isn't the Exploding Bug maturing?
If I knew that, we wouldn't be here spying on them.
Let's just attack them.
Waiting like this is boring.
Don't be stupid.
One of them could explode at any time.
If we go in now, we might end up dead too.
Don't forget our goal.
We were hired to get the scroll back, intact.
The easiest way is to negotiate a trade.
We remove the Exploding Bug in exchange for the scroll.
It doesn't matter if the enemy lives or dies,
but we must retrieve the scroll undamaged!
Then we'll be rewarded in full.
It looks like others have come to aid the enemy.
So as a precaution,
we'll scatter some more Exploding Bugs again…
when everyone is gathered in one location.
I brought the antiseptic.
Thank you.
May I assist? I'd like to learn for future reference…
I'd appreciate that.
By the way, are you able to perform hemostatic jutsu?
Oh yes, you can count on me.
That will be very helpful.
Please go over to that side and help me.
This will save so much time,
instead of controlling the bleeding and doing the excision by myself.
Thanks…Amai.
Don't you worry.
Lady Tsunade will get every little bug out.
We're going to start the anesthesia, so please relax.
Are you ready to begin the surgery?
Yes, we just gave him the anesthetic.
It will take effect in a minute or two.
All right, Tsunade! Take care of Karai!
Shizune, do it.
What? Why aren't you taking up the scalpel?
I thought you were…
Silence! I'm going to have Shizune do this!
Don't tell me to shut up!
I recognized the fact
that you are the best Medical Ninja around, that's why…
Don't worry about it!
Shizune is a highly skilled Medical Ninja!
Besides, you gave me your word…
That you would allow us to proceed with the surgery in our own way!
You're right, I did.
But you'll be sorry if anything happens to Karai!
Don't worry, I'll step in if I have to.
Why don't you go downstairs and take a nap?
How are we, Shizune?
Okay! We're ready anytime!
Fine, go ahead and begin.
All right. We will now begin the procedure
to open up the chest cavity and remove the Exploding Bug.
Please begin your hemostatic jutsu.
Right!
What's the matter?
It's all right.
The Exploding Bug got big for just a second.
My god! How am I supposed to keep my word to stay still?
What's wrong, Tsunade?
Blood?
I see…
Hemophobia… So you're afraid of blood!
So that's why you left the surgery up to your subordinate…
Excuse me… I'm going outside to get some air.
What a debilitating condition for a Medical Ninja to be plagued with…
Nawaki…
Dan…
Hey, Shizune…
Tell me something.
I'm in the middle of surgery.
I know that.
I'm not asking you to stop.
Tsunade is right up there with Jiraiya and Orochimaru,
as one of the Legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf.
What on earth happened that made her fear blood?
I'm curious too…
Even though Lady Tsunade is not from our village,
she exemplifies what we Medical Ninja strive to become.
But what I observed earlier…
I understand.
Lady Tsunade had two great loves in her life.
One was her younger brother, Nawaki.
But on the day after his birthday,
after she had just given him a present…
he was killed in battle during the Third Great Ninja World War.
The other person was the man she had
promised to share her life with…
Dan Kato, my uncle.
I…don't want to die yet.
I have so many things left to do…
Don't speak!
I…can't die…here…
Don't worry, I stopped the bleeding.
You're going to be all right.
You'll be okay, Dan!
Good… I'm so glad…
Damn it… Don't bleed out!
Stop!
Stop! Stop!
Stop!
I said stop!
Ever since that day, Lady Tsunade has been traumatized.
I, too, must have been in shock
after watching Nigai die before my very eyes.
Otherwise, I would never have gambled our lives
on the hands of a Medical Ninja who has lost it.
Lady Tsunade hasn't lost it!
The removal of the Exploding Bug is complete.
This surgery is over!
Please close him up!
Yes!
One more thing…
Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu is not lost.
I will carry on for her.
And Lady Tsunade will get back on her feet. She must!
For my late uncle's sake too!
I won the bet, after all.
Huh?
The reinforcements Arai called, rushed over
and the Nokizaru Troop seemed to have given up.
It was just luck.
Hmm?
Well then, what is the connection
between overcoming your hemophobia
and Naruto winning the bet he made with you?
That's…
Don't die… Don't die… Don't die…
Don't die!
Naruto's tenacious life force and…
Becoming the Hokage…
– Becoming the Hokage is my dream. – Becoming the Hokage is my dream.
That passionate will to become the Hokage…
Once more… Just one last time…
I just felt like betting on Naruto again.
Are you telling me I went along with a silly bet with no odds?
It's too late to complain.
Why don't you just suck it up?
Don't be ridiculous!
I've been prepared…
ever since the Allied Shinobi Force was formed.
Oh, that's true.
The First Hokage's pendant. Now that I want to see.
C'mon and show it to me.
I don't have it anymore.
I think when the Nine Tails got called out…
I ended up destroying it.
Hey, hey… Wasn't it something important?
It's okay.
Granny and me…
we keep that promise deep down in our hearts.
Yo!
Let's hurry!
I'll bet everyone's waiting!
You revel in killing.
I hate to think that we're both called shinobi…
How arrogant…
Who gave you permission to wield the Executioner's Blade?
That blade belongs to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
An outsider wielding it is impossible!
I don't like it one bit.
Going up against these two alone is going to be rough, but…
Next time on Naruto Shippuden: "Danger: Jinpachi and Kushimaru!"
Looks like you're backed up against a wall, buddy! DANGER: JINPACHI AND KUSHIMARU
Tune in again!