Authors notes: the usual, I-own-nothing-disclaimer applies.
Lee limped down the dim interior hall of the Konoha Hospital, where his sensei had said he would meet up with him with a new specialist to examine his injuries. Having been at the hospital for a while, he'd already gotten some idea of just who this specialist was from the chatty nurse who had been in charge of his morning rehab session.
"Did you hear that one of the legendary Sannin is back in Konoha?" she'd said while working him through a new exercise for his injured leg, "The great medical ninja Tsunade! I heard that she's going to be our new Hokage! I'm sure she'll know how to fix your injuries, after all"
The nurse had chattered on for the rest of the session telling stories about the Sannin and their exploits. Some of them were too farfetched to be true even in Lee's estimations, but the energy the nurse put into her storytelling had put Lee in a good mood. By the end of the session he'd felt pretty energetic himself.
I hope I have time to head over to the training field this afternoon, he thought. After all, having two wrecked limbs was no excuse to stop training the two healthy ones.
"Lee!"
Gai, Naruto, and two women Lee didn't recognize had just come from one of the more brightly lit hallways in the hospital and were standing at the end of the hallway. He could tell at a glance that his sensei was so excited he was almost in hysterics.
"Tsunade-sama is here." Gai said, pointing emphatically at the closer of the two women. Le had never been especially self-conscious about his physical appearance, but the blonde woman's gaze as she gave him a once over made him suddenly wish he were wearing something a little less form-fitting.
She could outstare Neji if she wanted to, he thought. The look in her light brown eyes wasn't hostile, but the intensity of that stare put Lee on edge.
"Is this your student?" she asked Gai in a quiet, serious tone.
"That's right!" Gai replied with a huge grin, "He is my very dear and favourite student."
"I see."
She glanced away from Lee for a moment to send Naruto away, then said simply, "Let's find an empty room."
So this is a Sannin, Lee thought as the group walked down the quiet hallway. At first glance she looked almost normal, except for the strength of her eyes, but she moved with all the grace and confidence of an experienced shinobi. Despite her apparent strength and the aura of utter competence surrounding her, Lee couldn't help but feel nervous. Perhaps it was the silence. Tsunade didn't offer any conversation as they walked, and despite his apparent fervour for the proceedings Gai kept silent. He did, however, flash the boy a sparkling grin when Lee looked to him for support. Lee found himself responding with a small smile of his own, despite his nerves.
Gai-sensei seems sure that Tsunade-sama can heal me. If he's sure, then everything will be okay.
Although Lee's anxiety didn't dissipate entirely, his sensei's apparent confidence calmed him somewhat.
Don't give in to fear, Lee-kun. You're going to be fine, Gai thought, trying to mask his own anxiety behind a smiling face. He'd seen his favourite student survive many trials before this.
But he's never been injured so badly before, and if the damage can't be undonestop it! Lee is strong enough to get through this, and remember, you have Tsunade-sama on your side. That has to count for something.
He found himself heartily wishing that the examination was already over instead of a few moments from beginning.
Lee silently followed Tsunade into a vacant hospital roomone of the long-term care facilities, from the look of itand waited for direction. In the weeks since his defeat at the clutches of Gaara's sand he had learned that doctors tended to have their own individual preferences as to how to conduct an examination.
As long as she's not like that pediatrician from last week, he thought, half-worried, but also half-amused. When he had shown up for his appointment the hospital had been so uncommonly busy that none of the normal doctors had been available. He'd offered to come back later, but when the nurse at the desk told him that there was a pediatrician that could take care of him even though he was a fair bit older than the man's normal patients he jumped at the offer to avoid wasting valuable training time on a second visit. Lee had come to regret that decision within the first two minutes of that particular exam.
I wonder why it was so hard for him to understand that older boys generally prefer to keep their underwear on around strangers?
Tsunade waited until all four persons in the group were inside and the woman who Lee had guessed was the new Hokage's aid had shut the door, then dragged over a stool from its place next to the wall to a spot a few feet away from the bed and said, "Sit down."
He sat down slowly, facing Tsunade and the others. There was something in Tsunade's demeanour that unsettled him, even though his sensei still looked confident, and it took him a moment to place it. She's looking at me like most of the instructors at the academy used to, he realized, remembering the look that would settle over most of the sensei's faces whenever he failed to perform even the simplest genjutsus or ninjutsus. When he was at the academy that quiet look of disappointment, of being confronted with a limit that couldn't be changed or worked around had been more painful than the taunts of his classmates. But she barely knew him, so the only thing that could have caused that look was his injuries. She's already seen something she can't fix, Lee thought, his anxiety reaching fever pitch.
"I'll need you to turn around and take off your shirt."
He bit back the urge to say "Why? You already know what's wrong, don't you?" as he silently turned his back to Tsunade and took down the top half of his jumpsuit. It was worse not being able to see the others, he decided, as he felt the Sannin's practiced hands checking the vertebrate at the base of his neck. With his back turned he couldn't draw of his sensei's reassuring smile for the steadiness he needed, or watch Tsunade's face to gauge her reaction to his injuries. Tsunade didn't even make any of the noises some of the other doctors did that could give Lee some clue as to what she was finding as she felt along the curve of his spine for abnormalities. He hated the feeling of helplessness the waiting for an answer brought with it. If only he could do something
Lee stifled a sharp gasp when Tsunade's fingers put light pressure on a spot in the centre of his back, just below his shoulder blades. She had found a sensitive spot, still painful despite the time he'd had to heal.
Gai almost jumped through his skin as that slight sound from his student broke the complete silence of the room. It was such a tiny thing, not even a full gasp, but coming from someone with the kind of pain threshold Lee had developed because of his particular training in taijutsu it was an indication that something was very wrong. Lee had never reacted to a simple touch like that before in his life.
Calm down, he admonished himself, calm down you fool, it's not like he's made of glass. Tsunade-sama can heal him. He will be fine.
He repeated that over and over again to himself as Tsunade followed Lee's vertebrate right down to his hips.
She can heal him. He'll be fine. He will be fine.
Although Lee didn't show it, Tsunade's fingers had found every sore spot on his back that he had managed to ignore until that point, and even a few that he hadn't even known were there. He remained silent and unflinching though, until Tsunade finished feeling along his spine and placed her palm lightly in the centre of his back, on the one spot that had made him want to get up and run from the room. Lee felt the slight tingle of chakra as she held her hand in place for a moment.
Okay, so she's found something really wrong there. You expected that. I just wish she'd say something already; tell me how much work I'll have to put in to get better, or...
He didn't want to acknowledge the sick feeling that had begun to form in the pit of his stomach that he might never recover. He would be a liar to tell himself that the thought had never crossed his mind, but usually when it did he'd just push it away and go back to pummelling the practice target with his good arm. Sitting there in a hospital room he didn't have that option.
Please, just tell me how bad it is
"I'm not trying to be rude," Tsunade said at last. Both student and teacher held their breath as they waited for her to continue. Lee's world narrowed to the space between heartbeats at the next words.
"You should quit being a ninja."
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