Under Konan's persuasion, Hidan joined the Akatsuki organization. This wasn't a difficult choice for him. Hidan's passions were preaching and killing, and the Akatsuki wouldn't interfere with either. So, if he couldn't beat them, joining them wasn't a bad option. After all, they all seemed like tough guys, and he had just been badly beaten. He didn't want that to continue. He enjoyed intense pain, but that didn't mean he liked being abused.
"Welcome to the Akatsuki," Kimimaro extended his right hand to Hidan.
"I didn't expect to find someone so kind in your organization. Much better than that ugly old man from before," Hidan said, shaking Kimimaro's hand, feeling a surge of goodwill towards him.
"Congratulations, tourist, you have successfully taken a photo with Hidan and received the reward: Dragon Strike."
Dragon Strike, from "Inuyasha," was one of Sesshomaru's signature moves.
Kakuzu's veins bulged on his forehead, and he threw a punch at Hidan! Hidan quickly raised his Triple-Bladed Scythe, blocking the punch.
"Hey, I've joined your organization, why are you still hitting me? Are you not a good sport?"
"I've killed more teammates than you've ever seen. Sooner or later, I'll kill you too," Kakuzu retracted his fist and said coldly.
"You're a bit abnormal," Hidan clearly didn't have a good impression of Kakuzu, who had just beaten him up.
"Kakuzu-senpai is like that, he's always been a bit off," Kimimaro interjected at the right moment.
"It seems like we get along well, let's work together more in the future," Hidan's favorability towards Kimimaro increased even more.
Having a common target for吐槽 (light-hearted complaints or jokes) is one of the effective ways to build relationships.
"Alright, let's go," Konan didn't want to participate in their comedic banter and suggested leaving, thus ending their performance.
As the day drew to a close, the group of four stayed in a nearby town for the night.
In his room, Kimimaro was about to sleep when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it, this late at night?"
Activating his Byakugan, he saw it was Konan at the door, and Kimimaro couldn't help but be stunned.
It was late at night, and a young, unmarried woman knocking on a young man's door was a bit odd.
With doubts in his mind, Kimimaro opened the door.
"Konan-senpai, is there something you need this late?"
"Come with me," Konan said without any further explanation and left.
Her aloof image remained intact.
Kimimaro had no choice but to follow her.
Soon, Konan led him to another room.
In the room, there was a man lying on the bed, his face contorted in pain. His legs had severe burn marks.
"This is?" Kimimaro was confused.
"He's an external member of the Akatsuki. He accidentally injured his legs with explosive tags during a mission. I heard your medical ninjutsu is quite good, can you heal him?" Konan explained.
"Injured by explosive tags? They're completely charred. It would take at least a dozen explosive tags detonating on his legs to achieve this effect. This guy is really unlucky," Kimimaro expressed deep sympathy for the man's misfortune.
"Can you heal him?" Konan asked, her expression unchanged.
"The wounds are fresh, so it shouldn't be too difficult to treat," Kimimaro examined the injuries briefly and came to a conclusion.
Konan's heart stirred, but her expression remained the same.
"Then go ahead."
"Alright."
Such injuries would be nearly impossible for ordinary medical ninjas to treat. But for Kimimaro, although troublesome, it wasn't impossible.
Green chakra, representing Yang Release, appeared in his right palm, while his left hand formed a chakra scalpel.
Kimimaro worked with both hands, his left hand removing the charred flesh from the patient's legs, while his right hand's Mystical Palm Technique quickly stopped the bleeding and stimulated tissue regeneration.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The charred legs gradually lost their blackened color and new flesh grew back.
This process, naturally, caused the patient to scream in agony.
"Ah!"
Kimimaro frowned slightly and glanced at Pikachu beside him. Pikachu immediately understood, jumped up, and landed on the patient.
"Pika Pika Pikachu!"
Golden lightning struck the patient, and he, who had been screaming, was instantly electrocuted and fainted.
Electrotherapy anesthesia.
The effect was just right.
The world instantly became quiet.
Konan's face twitched slightly, probably because she had never seen this kind of anesthesia method before.
Kimimaro continued the surgery.
His movements became faster and faster, and the patient's legs gradually returned to normal.
Under Konan's surprised and delighted gaze, he completed the surgery.
The total time spent was twenty-nine minutes and thirty-six seconds.
Beads of sweat appeared on Kimimaro's forehead, indicating that this surgery wasn't easy for him.
Multitasking and the prolonged duration took a toll.
In the entire ninja world, only he and Tsunade could accomplish this.
"Done. His legs are fine now. After about a month of rest, he should be able to recover to his previous state."
Looking at the fully healed legs, Konan concealed the shock in her eyes.
She looked at Kimimaro again, her eyes filled with contemplation and hesitation.
"You said his wounds were fresh, so it was easier to treat. But if it were the same injury, but ten years old, could it still be healed?"
Upon hearing this, Kimimaro immediately understood.
The person Konan was referring to was Nagato.
The reason Nagato's legs were disabled was because of the injuries he sustained from Hanzo's Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation.
Those injuries were similar to the ones this person had.
Was today's treatment just a test from Konan?
Was she testing if he could heal this kind of injury?
Was her ultimate goal to have him treat Nagato?
These thoughts flashed through Kimimaro's mind.
"If it were a ten-year-old injury, it would be more troublesome. But it's not entirely impossible to heal. If I were to do it, there's at least a 50% chance of success," Kimimaro answered.
This answer was completely truthful.
50%?
That was already a high success rate.
If Nagato's legs could truly be healed, it would be more important to Konan than anything else.
Konan's heart leaped with joy, but she didn't immediately ask Kimimaro to treat Nagato.
Such a matter required Nagato's consent.
She knew very well that she couldn't force Nagato.
"Konan-senpai, are there any other similar patients you need me to treat?" Kimimaro seized the opportunity to ask.
"You'll be informed when it's time for you to know. Don't ask about anything else."
"Alright."
Since Konan wouldn't say, Kimimaro didn't press further.
"Hidan, you'll follow Kakuzu and me for now. Tomorrow, I'll go find Pain and let him make the next arrangements. I'll also talk to him about your request. You guys wait here for news."
(End of Chapter)