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Therefore, Tsunade was well aware that she most likely could not cure this young man's vision. It was a side effect of his Kekkei Genkai!
She couldn't help but feel pity in her eyes. A doctor's heart is benevolent, and for this nearly blind youth, Tsunade naturally wished she could help him if possible.
Kagaya couldn't see Tsunade's expression at all. He could only rely on his perception to face her general direction and speak. "Lady Tsunade, I haven't come to ask you to treat these eyes. I'm hoping you can perform an eye transplant for me."
Tsunade looked at Kagaya with some surprise. "An eye transplant?"
Kagaya nodded. "Yes, an eye transplant."
Tsunade fell silent for a moment before asking, "Transplant another pair of Mangekyō?"
Kagaya nodded again.
In the next instant, clear disgust appeared in Tsunade's eyes. "You killed another Mangekyō wielder just to preserve your own eyesight? Get lost. I, Senju Tsunade, do not take such patients."
Kagaya was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected such a misunderstanding. Thinking for a moment, he spoke. "Lady Tsunade, my name is Uchiha Kagaya."
At this point, if he wanted the transplant, he had to explain the origin of these Mangekyō to Tsunade. As for using force? In his current state, picking a fight with one of the Sannin, Tsunade, would be asking for a beating.
After revealing his identity, even if Tsunade refused him or even attacked him, Kagaya could still escape calmly. Once back at sea, he would have no choice but to force Karin to perform the transplant.
What Kagaya didn't see was that when he stated his name, Shizune's eyes immediately widened, and she grabbed Tsunade's sleeve. "Lady Tsunade, he's the one..."
Tsunade raised a hand, signaling Shizune to be silent. Then, she regarded Kagaya with great seriousness. "You are Uchiha Kagaya?"
Kagaya inwardly sighed. Though he couldn't see Shizune's expression, he could tell from her tone that Tsunade and Shizune were already aware of the invasion of Konoha and likely knew of his history.
"Yes, I am Uchiha Kagaya."
With these words, silence fell over the area. Tsunade did not respond, and Kagaya's group also remained quiet, waiting for her reply.
However, even after a long time, Tsunade still didn't speak.
Kagaya let out a bitter laugh. "Lady Tsunade, I apologize for the disturbance. We'll take our leave now."
Tsunade most likely wasn't willing to perform the transplant. In that case, the only option left was to flee back to the sea and have Karin do it.
But just then, Tsunade spoke. "You have quite the nerve. Daring to team up with Orochimaru to invade Konoha, and then daring to show yourself before us."
Kagaya answered without a hint of fear. "That wasn't nerve. It was something that had to be done."
On the matter of invading Konoha, Kagaya would not retreat a single step. He could say with a clear conscience and no trace of guilt that he had never once regretted that act.
Tsunade scoffed. "You sound so righteous. Invading the village that raised you, and you think you have a point?"
Kagaya responded with a cold laugh. "What raised me wasn't Konoha. It was my parents. It was the Uchiha. And Konoha killed my parents, slaughtered my clan. Give me a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand chances, I would still cripple Konoha half to death! The debt of my parents, the debt of my clan—that is a feud that cannot be shared under the same sky!"
Tsunade took a step forward. "So, from what you're saying, your hatred for Konoha is irreconcilable?"
Kagaya spoke without yielding an inch. "Of course. I will never have any goodwill toward Konoha. Not in the past, not now, not ever! If Lady Tsunade wishes to fight, please, go ahead."
Inwardly, Kagaya shook his head with disappointment. Having spoken to this point, it was already impossible for Tsunade to transplant his eyes. But Kagaya did not regret it. No matter what, he would never deny this hatred.
Tsunade stared at Kagaya for a good while, then retracted the foot she had stepped forward with.
"You want an eye transplant, right? Come with me."
The moment these words fell, everyone was stunned. What? One moment it was filled with intense tension, and the next they were on good terms?
Kagaya also frowned and quickly spoke up. "Lady Tsunade, please state your reason. Otherwise, I'm afraid I cannot trust you to perform the transplant surgery on me."
Tsunade suddenly agreeing to help was suspicious. If she had said so from the start, Kagaya might have believed her. But after such a charged exchange, for her to suddenly say 'come with me'—if Kagaya followed without any reservations, he'd be a fool.
That Kagaya didn't immediately trust her was within Tsunade's expectations. She looked at him. "Can you promise me one request in the future? As payment for this surgery."
Why was Tsunade willing to help Kagaya with the transplant? Because she felt she couldn't subdue him here, and deepening a grudge with such an enemy was unwise.
Furthermore, this person before her valued deep bonds intensely. That he had lain in wait for four years to return and invade Konoha for a past grievance was proof enough.
Tsunade was also aware of Kagaya's past. Before, few knew his history. But after the invasion of Konoha, his entire past was dug up. Many couldn't help but feel a chill—with such a past, who wouldn't rebel?
So, Tsunade wanted to try to win over this rogue ninja, if only a little. An eye transplant wasn't particularly difficult in this world. If she, Tsunade, didn't do it, someone else eventually would. Driving Kagaya away now might be satisfying in the moment, but what about the future?
Tsunade had already stepped away from Konoha's affairs, but if possible, she was still willing to do something for the village.
Helping Kagaya with this transplant might not make him let go of his prejudice against Konoha, but at the very least, it might lessen his hatred somewhat.
Tsunade understood that this person was not like Orochimaru. Orochimaru was the type who never truly wanted to stay in Konoha. The moment the Third Hokage discovered his experiments, he immediately and brazenly defected. That sort of person never wanted to stay in Konoha and was beyond redemption. But Kagaya was different. Anyone who learned of his past knew he was practically forced to defect by Konoha. Konoha wronged him. Tsunade believed this sort of person could still be redeemed.
Kagaya lowered his head as if in thought, but that wasn't the case. He was preparing a contingency. What if Tsunade tried to attack him during the transplant procedure?
To guard against this, Kagaya gritted his teeth and secretly activated his Mangekyō. He quietly placed a "Sealing Jutsu: Transfer" in his own eyes. This technique could seal a specific ocular jutsu within the eye, setting a condition. Once the condition was met, the sealed jutsu would trigger.
This time, Kagaya sealed the copying power of his left eye. The trigger condition was: 'When Tsunade or Shizune launch a hostile attack against him.'
That way, even if his eyes were removed during the procedure, should Tsunade or Shizune attempt to harm him, the removed eye would immediately activate the jutsu to stop them.