Chapter 80: Asuka

Shiraki jolted awake from his deep slumber. Looking around at the crisp, clean sheets, he hastily cupped his mouth and breathed into his palm... Fortunately, there was no lingering medicinal stench from Pharmacist Ryo; otherwise, it would take three months of brushing to face anyone again.

"Captain, you're awake!" To his surprise, Xiangji was keeping watch right by his bedside.

"I'm starving. How long did I sleep?" Shiraki felt as if his hunger alone had roused him.

"Not long, just half a day," Xiangji replied.

"Is this... the medical ward of Iwagakure?" Shiraki glanced around—the setting was unmistakably that of a hospital.

"No, this is Kusagakure's medical ward," Xiangji corrected him.

"What? Why am I in Kusagakure's medical ward? Did the Iwagakure bunch refuse to treat me?"

"They wanted to charge two hundred thousand ryo for medical fees. Lord Kakuzu just sent you over to Kusagakure instead—here it only cost a hundred thousand," Xiangji explained.

"Curse you, Kakuzu!" Shiraki was genuinely worried the Kusagakure's second-rate doctors would mess up his body. "Where’s Afei?"

"Isn’t he on the bed?" Xiangji helped lift the covers, and sure enough, a soft, fluffy white ball lay curled on Shiraki’s chest.

"Kiddo..." Afei barely managed to lift his head, utterly drained.

"Rest for a bit, Mom," Shiraki said tenderly, hugging Afei. He blamed himself for being too reckless.

"The medical ninja is just outside. Should I call them in?" Xiangji asked.

"No, just get me something to eat, quickly. I’m starving—I could eat a whole cow," Shiraki groaned, feeling like his stomach had become a black hole.

"Alright, wait here. I’ll fetch you something right away!" Xiangji dashed off on his long legs.

Shiraki gently stroked Afei, feeling sorry for him. Just then, the ward door opened and a medical ninja from Kusagakure entered.

"I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon. You have quite the constitution—chakra exhaustion usually takes three to five days to recover. Are you feeling better now?" The medical ninja smiled gently.

Shiraki was stunned.

Red hair, a gentle smile, striking beauty...

No, no, this medical ninja was clearly pregnant with her belly so round. How was he any different from that infamous scoundrel?

But... her vivid red hair was a clear marker of the Uzumaki clan, and yet here she was in Kusagakure’s medical ward. Who else could she be but Karin’s mother?

What luck! He’d always adored Karin—the adorable girl who’d blush crimson after a single bite.

But... wasn’t she supposed to be used as a living medicine pack, drained for her blood? Judging by her status, things seemed much better for her here.

"What’s wrong?" The red-haired medic approached, seeing Shiraki’s flushed cheeks. She placed her warm palm on his forehead. "Are you running a fever?"

"Um... may I ask your name?" Shiraki gazed at her with burning intensity.

"Ah... I’m Asuka. Could you not look at me like that?" Asuka awkwardly covered her belly and took two steps back.

Afei, sensing Shiraki’s pounding heart, suddenly perked up and looked at Asuka, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "So this is your type... Wonderful! Now you’ll have a wife and child!"

Shiraki shoved Afei back under the covers. "You’ve misunderstood. Excuse me, are you from the Uzumaki clan?"

"The Uzumaki clan has long since perished. We’re merely refugees who escaped. We shouldn’t use that surname anymore." Asuka placed her hand softly on her belly and shook her head in sorrow.

"I’m sorry to have brought up such painful memories, but you just said ‘we’?" Shiraki caught the word.

"Yes... My husband and I fled the Land of Whirlpools together. He... stayed behind to cover our escape during the pursuit. I wandered all the way to the Land of Grass, discovered I was pregnant, and, unwilling to flee anymore, settled here under Kusagakure’s protection. Out of gratitude, I joined the medical ward," Asuka explained, biting her lip, tears unshed—for the sake of her unborn child, she refused to dwell on the pain.

"Why didn’t you go to Konoha? The Land of Grass isn’t far from the Land of Fire," Shiraki wondered aloud.

"Our Uzushiogakure was allied with Konoha for generations, offering princesses for marriage each time... yet when our land fell, they sent no aid and instead calmly accepted our inheritance. The elders warned us never to trust Konoha," Asuka said bitterly, shaking her head.

"Poor Karin... Damn Shimura Danzo—he must have blocked all rescue efforts! I’ll write a scathing essay to denounce him!" Shiraki looked at Asuka’s belly with deep sympathy, almost compelled to reach out and touch it.

"No need for that. It’s all in the past. I’m happy here, with work and peace." Asuka forced a smile, though she found Shiraki’s gaze on her belly oddly paternal.

Shiraki noticed that Asuka’s clothes were light and revealed unmarked limbs—no bite marks at all.

"Is it because it hasn’t started yet?" he mused. Perhaps, with Kusagakure newly allied to Iwagakure and no wars yet, things hadn’t grown so desperate.

"If you’re not feeling unwell, you can be discharged after a bit of rest. Don’t overdraw your chakra again—it causes permanent cellular damage and premature aging," Asuka advised with a gentle smile.

"Thank you very much," Shiraki nodded.

"Where’s the medical ninja?! Hurry, come with me—someone's gravely injured!" came a raucous call from outside.

"I have to go. Rest up," Asuka said, waving as she waddled out, her belly leading the way.

With Kusagakure’s rudimentary medical skills—most still stuck at herbal remedies—having even a single real medical ninja was a rare treasure, one they were eager to exploit, maternity leave be damned.

After Asuka left, Shiraki hugged Afei and got up to stretch. Stepping into the corridor, he realized it was actually the doctors’ office, with a white lab coat hanging on the rack.

Bang—the door swung open roughly, and a burly, dark-skinned Kusagakure ninja barged in, glancing around before barking at Shiraki, "Hey, kid, where’s the lady doctor?"

"Oh, she’s out on a call. Is something wrong?"

"What business is it of yours? Who are you?" the man growled, even more rudely.

"Me? I’m a doctor, too..." Shiraki replied, suddenly all polite smiles.

"You? A doctor?" The man eyed Shiraki with deep skepticism.

"Absolutely. Totally a doctor." Shiraki plucked the white coat from the rack, donned it, and seated himself at Asuka’s desk. "Now, tell me, what’s bothering you?"

"Uh... I have a friend..." The burly man glanced around, suddenly bashful.

"There’s no one else here, sir," Shiraki assured him with a gentle smile.

"You’re sure patient confidentiality is absolute?"

"Rest easy. If nothing else, I can guarantee absolute discretion... to the best of my ability." Shiraki gave him a look of utmost reliability.

"Well, it’s just that... when I make this motion, I often get a pain in my back." The man mimed a throwing gesture.

"Then stop making that motion," Shiraki said earnestly, staring at him.

"I’m the captain of Kusagakure’s shuriken-throwing squad!" the man roared in frustration.

"Alright, alright. Have you tried ending it all yourself?"

"Not yet."

"Then let me examine you. Hmm... there, I’m done."

"I haven’t even taken my shirt off!"

"No need. Are you sure you haven’t been wearing women’s clothes too much and gotten yourself squeezed?"

"Nonsense! I’m a virile and proper man. Haven’t worn those in ages!" the man retorted angrily.

"Fine, fine, I get it. Sounds like bone spurs. Come on, let’s prep for surgery."

"Surgery already? I’m not even ready. Isn’t there a conservative treatment?"

"I can give you some medicine and hope the bone spurs absorb you instead."

"Doctor... you can’t just let the bone spurs win, can you?"

"I just prescribe the medicine. Who absorbs whom is up to fate."

"What if I absorb the bone spurs?"

"They might come back."

"What if the bone spurs absorb me?"

"Then you won’t feel any more pain."

"I’ll go with the surgery after all..."

"Good choice. This way, please."

...

"Doctor, I’ve never had surgery, but that definitely isn’t a scalpel..." The burly man eyed the bloody butcher’s knife in Shiraki’s hand, shrinking back, but the restraint straps had already bound him tight.

"There are two reasons..." Shiraki said, slipping on a mask and gently wiping the blade.

"W-what?" The man’s nerves suddenly frayed.

"First... I really want Mundo’s passive skill, so I’m retracing his research—mapping the distribution of human pain."

"Second... my mother is hungry."

"Be good—put on this ball gag, or it’ll hurt even more..."

Shiraki raised the butcher’s knife high, a devilish smile spreading across his face.

Tua~Tua~

Pia~pia~

"This is my child’s way of showing me love—his gratitude, giving back. I’ll lick every drop clean," Afei’s face flushed as he licked the liquid from his cheeks.

"Your actions have earned Dr. Mundo’s approval. You have been granted a skill:"

"Adrenaline Surge"

"Restores 0.3% of maximum health per second."

"If you can last five minutes, after five minutes, you’ll be a man in your prime once more!"