Three days later, Mount Kikyo Field Hospital.
Lying motionless in a hospital bed, Veigar's consciousness slowly returned. The sharp sting of disinfectant filled his nose, confirming what he already suspected.
He was in a hospital.
The pain was excruciating, unbearably so.
Every inch of his body screamed in agony.
Even the slightest attempt to move his head sent waves of searing pain through his skull. Just opening his eyes was a struggle that cost him dearly.
Click—ka-cha!
The door to the hospital room swung open. A small figure in a white lab coat stepped inside, carrying a tray of medical supplies.
"Shizune?"
Why is she here?
His blurred vision locked onto the familiar face approaching his bedside. Though he couldn't speak, a ripple of confusion passed through his heart.
"Ah!"
"Veigar! You're awake?"
Shizune gasped as she placed the supplies down, startled by the sight of his open eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
"Wait—I'll go inform Tsunade-sama right away!"
"I'll be back soon!"
She rattled off the words with breathless urgency before darting out of the room, clearly shaken.
Veigar's gaze followed her departure with quiet resignation. He felt utterly powerless, aside from the torment of pain, his body might as well have been paralyzed.
Delving inward, he tried to sense his chakra.
Nothing.
An empty well. He had burned through it all, depleted to the very core.
Still, the fact that he had survived at all was nothing short of a miracle. He considered himself lucky.
His injuries didn't worry him much.
After all, the Ultra-Fast Regeneration Technique had already kept him alive through a suicide-level Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. If his body could just recover enough to begin regenerating chakra again, full recovery was within reach.
Elsewhere in the command tent, Tsunade sat beside Orochimaru, flipping through a scroll with a mixture of boredom and focus.
The scroll contained a detailed account of the encounter three days prior, how Veigar, alongside Shikatsu, Jun, and Nanaki, had clashed with a Sand ninja unit.
Finishing the scroll, Tsunade frowned slightly. Orochimaru, busy organizing field reports, turned to her with a rasping voice.
"Tsunade… Even you can't treat him?"
Tsunade glanced over at him, brow furrowed.
"His wounds are the worst I've ever seen."
"Every nerve, every blood vessel, shredded beyond recognition. The fact that he's still alive is nothing short of a miracle."
Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
"Maybe… he had a reason he couldn't afford to die for."
Tsunade remained silent, her gaze thoughtful.
"His willpower is remarkable… But what kind of conviction fuels that strength?"
At that moment, a voice called out from outside the command tent.
"Tsunade-sama! He's awake!"
"Veigar has regained consciousness!"
Tsunade shot up, her posture suddenly alert.
She turned to Orochimaru.
"Coming with me?"
Orochimaru set his papers down, flashing a devilish grin.
"Of course. He is, after all, my subordinate."
Back in the hospital room, Veigar stirred at the sound of approaching footsteps. He opened his eyes again.
Orochimaru… and Tsunade.
The silhouettes on either side of his bed confirmed it.
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
"Veigar, I must say, you've shocked even me," Orochimaru remarked with amused malevolence, smiling down at him.
Veigar turned his eyes toward the Sannin, blinking in acknowledgment.
"Oh?" Orochimaru's voice dripped with intrigue. "You can't even speak yet?"
Another blink.
"That counts as a yes, I suppose."
"Shut it, Orochimaru."
Tsunade's tone was sharp as she moved in, her hands glowing with emerald chakra. She placed them gently on Veigar's battered chest.
Healing Jutsu.
Standing just behind Tsunade, Shizune clasped her hands tightly, silently praying for Veigar's recovery.
No ulterior motive. No politics.
She just wanted him to get better.
The vibrant green chakra enveloping him radiated warmth and vitality. Veigar could feel it. Deep within, shards of Phenomenal Evil Power stirred restlessly, but he suppressed them with effort.
After over ten minutes of concentrated healing and assessment, Tsunade finally pulled back, wiping sweat from her brow.
She exhaled deeply, then looked Veigar square in the eyes.
"Kid… Do you regret it?"
Veigar's clear, unwavering gaze met hers. He blinked again.
He'd felt the pain ease under Tsunade's healing. But now that it had stopped, the agony surged back in full force.
Still, he could neither cry out nor speak. Only his silence responded.
"What if I told you… that you may spend the rest of your life in that bed?"
"Would you still have no regrets?"
His eyes remained resolute—calm, unblinking, unmoved.
Tsunade's heart stirred.
Her gaze softened.
Then, gently, she said:
"Veigar."
"If that's your answer… then I swear, I'll make you stand again. I stake the name Tsunade on it."
Her words were a promise, and a quiet farewell to his life as a shinobi.
If she could get him back on his feet, that alone would be a miracle. But being a ninja again… that was out of the question.
"Th… ank… you."
Veigar forced the words through clenched teeth and torn throat, his voice no louder than the whisper of a breeze.
But Tsunade caught it.
She smiled, a warm and fierce smile, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
Over the next several days, Shizune became Veigar's constant companion. Like his own private nurse, she stayed by his bedside, always within reach.
She noticed how keen he was to hear news from the front lines. Every day, she shared the latest reports with him, keeping him tied to the outside world.
Tsunade, too, visited daily, continuing his healing and slowly accelerating his recovery.
Then, on the fifth day…
Shizune entered with another tray of medical supplies. As she gently began replacing his bandages, she spoke softly.
"Veigar, we had a full-scale clash with the Sand shinobi yesterday. The hospital is overwhelmed now…"
"There are so many injured, and not enough staff to care for them."
"Once I'm done here, I'll have to help with the others."
"I won't be able to stay and chat with you anymore."
She looked tired, so very tired, but still she smiled at him.
And at long last, after eight long days…
Veigar spoke.
"Th… ank… you."
His voice was barely a whisper, quieter than a moth's wingbeat.
But to Shizune, it roared like a thunderclap across the heavens.
Veigar could speak again.
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