strictlysupreme Chapter 679 Hospital? But I...
Chapter 679 Hospital? But I...
Xiyan nodded and carefully helped Jifeng up.
"Where are we going, Teacher Zhang Hai?" Ji Feng asked weakly.
"The hospital," Zhang Hai said succinctly.
Gale's body visibly stiffened; he seemed somewhat resistant. "The hospital? But I..."
“No buts.” Zhang Hai interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Your current condition requires a full medical examination. If you try to tough it out on your own, it will only make things worse.” He gently patted Jifeng’s shoulder. “Trust me, Jifeng. I won’t hurt you.”
Jifeng glanced at Zhang Hai's determined eyes and felt Xi Yan's concerned gaze, but in the end, he didn't say anything more and just nodded slightly.
Zhang Hai, leading Xi Yan and Ji Feng, hurried through Konoha Village in the night. Although it was late at night, a few lights were still on in the village, and occasionally patrolling ninjas would pass by, casting curious glances at them. Zhang Hai ignored them; his attention was completely focused on Ji Feng. He could sense Ji Feng's weakness; every step he took seemed so labored.
Soon, they arrived at Konoha Hospital. The hospital corridors were filled with the smell of disinfectant, quiet and solemn. Zhang Hai didn't take them to the emergency room, but went straight to an office deep inside the hospital.
"Grandma Tsunade should be here." Zhang Hai stopped in front of the closed door and knocked gently a few times.
"Boom, boom, boom."
However, the knocking went unanswered, like a stone sinking into the sea.
Xi Yan glanced at Zhang Hai with some concern, "Is nobody here, Teacher Zhang Hai?"
Zhang Hai frowned slightly and knocked twice more, but still received no response. A hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes, but it quickly turned into determination. Ji Feng's condition couldn't be delayed.
Without further hesitation, he reached out and pushed open the tightly closed door. The hinges creaked softly, revealing the interior to them.
……
The door was pushed open, but the room was pitch black, with only the faint moonlight filtering in through the window barely outlining the room's vague shape. A cluttered desk was piled high with files and books, along with a few comfortable chairs. However, the room was empty; Tsunade was nowhere to be seen.
"Isn't Granny Tsunade here?" Yugao asked with some disappointment.
Zhang Hai glanced around, then walked to his desk, his fingers lightly touching the surface, feeling the lingering warmth. He frowned slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. Tsunade was Konoha's top medical ninja; her time was precious, and she wouldn't easily leave the hospital. Besides, it was late at night; it was unlikely she would go out.
“She should be here,” Zhang Hai said with certainty. He walked to an inconspicuous cabinet in the corner of the room and tapped it lightly. The sound was dull, not solid. He then ran his hand over the surface of the cabinet and pressed lightly into a hidden crevice.
"Click!"
A soft click of a mechanism sounded, and the cabinet immediately caved in, revealing a dark entrance and a downward-sloping passage that seemed to have no bottom.
“Where is this…” Xi Yan’s eyes widened, startled by the sudden sight before her.
“This is Tsunade’s secret laboratory,” Zhang Hai explained. “She often conducts some unknown research here.” He turned to Yugao and Hayate and said, “Come with me.”
Jifeng had regained some strength, but his face was still pale. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep up with Zhang Hai's pace. Xiyan followed closely beside Jifeng, her eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.
The three descended the narrow passage, their feet sinking into cold stone steps. A strange smell, a mixture of herbs, formaldehyde, and earth, filled the air. At the end of the passage stood another heavy iron door. Zhang Hai knocked on it again.
"Boom, boom, boom."
After a moment of silence, a deep, slightly hoarse voice came from inside the door: "Who is it? Can't you let people have some peace and quiet this late at night!"
Zhang Hai replied in a deep voice, "It is I, Zhang Hai."
After another brief silence, the iron gate clicked open. It slowly opened a crack, releasing an even stronger, more pungent odor.
The door swung open, revealing a sight that Yugao and Hayate would never forget. It was a vast underground space, the walls embedded with numerous faintly glowing chakra lamps that cast an eerie and sinister light over the entire laboratory. In the center of the laboratory stood a huge workbench, densely packed with all sorts of strangely shaped glassware, filled with multicolored liquids, some bubbling, others emitting an eerie glow.
The air was thick with a complex, indistinct odor—a strong herbal scent, a nauseating stench of decay, and even a hint of metallic acridity. In a corner of the laboratory stood several enormous petri dishes, containing indistinct biological tissues. The walls were covered with various dissecting instruments, their gleaming surfaces sending a chill down one's spine.
Upon seeing this scene, Xiyan and Jifeng froze simultaneously, their faces turning deathly pale. Xiyan even instinctively grabbed Zhang Hai's sleeve, while Jifeng's body trembled uncontrollably. This was no laboratory; it was a scene straight out of a horror story!
"Wow...this place is so scary..." Xi Yan muttered softly, her eyes filled with fear.
Tsunade was facing away from them, bent over a petri dish filled with green liquid, intently stirring the contents with a slender glass rod. She wore a white lab coat stained with unidentified dirt, her golden hair casually piled up behind her head, a few strands falling across her forehead. She only slowly turned around when she heard Zhang Hai's voice.
Tsunade noticed the two pale-faced children following behind Zhang Hai, especially Hayate's unsteady gait, and a knowing glint flashed in her eyes. She put down the glass rod in her hand with a soft "bang," and the atmosphere in the entire laboratory seemed to become even more tense.
"Hmph, it really is you. Bringing two children to my place so late, looks like you've got some trouble." Tsunade's voice carried a hint of impatience, but her gaze was fixed on Hayate, her eyes deep.
Zhang Hai stepped forward and said sincerely, "Lady Tsunade, it's about Hayate's health. His old ailment has recently relapsed during training, and it's getting worse each time. I know you are the best medical ninja in Konoha, so I brought him here specifically to ask you to examine him and see if there is any hope of a complete cure."