Chapter 2: Saving a Friend

The din of a casino rattled in the night, people drinking away their woes and betting away their lives at Tanzaki Quarters. The late-night crowd, full of drunks and people hoping against hope to win it big and escape their life. A beautiful well endowed blonde woman with a black diamond on her forehead sat at one of the slot machines, several empty bottles of sake at her feet.

The loud chimes and blinding lights distract Tsunade from thinking; about her life, her loss and all those that her village took away from her. The slot machine glowing in her face showing yet another loss. Tsunade rubbed her eyes, she had been at this machine all day losing thousands and her only companion Shizune was asleep by her side. 'It might be time to go to sleep for the night', Tsunade thought groggily.

A loud commotion from the front of the building snatched her attention away from her machine. Tsunade heard shouts of "Wolf!" a few screams and a general murmur of confusion until a shout of one of the casino employees overcame the rest of the noise, "Sir you can not bring that monster inside this establishment!". Tsunade stood up to look at the cause of the commotion and was surprised to see a wolf the size of a horse standing in the entrance to the casino being led by a tall masked man.

"Oh! Sorry about that! But this isn't a monster, it's just a wolf!", the intimidating man's voice boomed over the din of the casino.

"Um… Ok. Still, your pet, 'wolf…', is not allowed inside our establishment", the employee looking annoyed but still keeping a semblance of politeness for the intimidating shinobi while trying to ignore the wolf larger than himself growling at being called a pet.

"Don't worry about it I just need to find one person and we'll be on our way.", the man lifted his mask partially to reveal Inuzuka clan markings and a wolfish grin. Kaemon took a moment to sniff the air and then looked directly at Tsunade.

"Oh, there she is!", Kaemon pointed at Tsunade and yelled to her, "Tsunade-sama! I need your help! My friend is poisoned!". Kaemon pushed the employee blocking his way, sending him flying into the crowd gathered to watch the spectacle. Though she was slightly impressed by the ninja's strength, Tsunade was still not happy.

'Aw hell no, I'm not getting dragged back into shinobi work, not again!', Tsunade thought and shook Shizune awake, "Shizune we need to leave, now". Shizune's eyes opened groggily as she looked around confused about the reason for leaving so suddenly.

Seeing the healer begin to get up to leave, Kaemon began pushing through the crowd frantically. "Tsunade-sama! Don't leave one second! Let me explain myself! It truly is urgent! You were so far away from Konoha my friend is close to dying!", Kaemon shouted as he dodged and weaved through the patrons of the casino followed closely by his massive summon. People gasped and in some cases screamed when they found themselves standing before the oversized wolf, despite it not sparing them a second glance.

"Hell no! I told Sarutobi-sensei that I was finished! No more!", Tsunade yelled over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the back entrance Shizune following her every step.

As she looked over her shoulder to get a better look of her pursuer she felt a gust of wind pass to her left, making her eyes go wide. Kaemon had run around her and now stood in front of her blocking her exit hands out in a placating manner.

Kaemon removed his mask and asked, "You're not on active duty any more? I thought you ran Konoha's hospital?". Did he misremember? Kaemon found it hard to believe that a ninja of her caliber would drop everything and the village. Especially one of the Legendary Sanin. I mean Orochimaru and Jiraiya still were in Konoha, right?

Tsunade and Shizune stopped and looked at the unfamiliar Konoha ninja before them. 'Who is this punk?'Tsunade thought. 'He's fast. I don't remember any living Inuzuka who could match his speed before I left', Tsunade pondered wearily.

"Maybe we should at least hear him out Tsunade-sama?", Shizune asked hopefully. This was just what she needed. Watching over Tsunade as she gambled and drank what was left of her life away was depressing. Hopefully, this would make her consider going back to Konoha, even if only for a short while.

Tsunade sighed, "Fine. I'll look him over, bring him to my room. You're paying my tab for the night". She huffed and began stomping her way to her hotel room. Each step making the furniture around her shake and the floorboards crack.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama!", Kaemon said with a short bow and followed her to her room. Shizune looked at all of the staring patron's of the casino and shook her head, "Move along nothing to see here! Go back to your games!".

Once at the door of Tsunade's room, Kaemon quickly picked up Shisui and dispelled Shiro after thanking him. Tsunade prepared a table that she could examine her new patient on within her room and was seated waiting for them.

Shisui was sweating profusely in his unconscious state, his skin a deathly pale made the purplish toxins coursing through his veins doubly apparent. The blood from his missing eyes was now dry. After a quick preliminary glance, Tsunade even in her tipsy state immediately regained her medical professional state of mind and began firing questions off to Kaemon.

"Shizune, take the patient's pulse and temperature we need to know if he is close to heart failure. Tell me the breathing rate and quality as well. Also, find the MOI, he is certainly poisoned, we need to identify it as soon as possible", Tsunade's stern voice made Shizune spring to action as she herself ran to a table covered in medicinal herbs and quickly began mixing an anti-venom.

"Now, tell me what happened to your friend Inuzuka, Suiton!", Tsunade said as she began filling buckets with water with a weak water Jutsu.

"Well I arrived late to the party, but based on the scents I can pick up on his body, Shisui fought Danzo and a bunch of other ninjas. I can smell Danzo's rotting old ass from Shisui's eye and torso. I also smell a very caustic Aburame, I think that's the poison. Don't know if that helps", Kaemon said as he watched the medic ninja's work.

Tsunade's eyes rose in surprise, 'Shisui Uchiha was attacked by Danzo? And Danzo stole his eye? I find it hard to believe... ', her brows furrowed into a scowl as she tried to comprehend a man like Danzo blatantly harming a citizen of Konoha and one of it's most well-known protectors.

"The patient's heartbeat is weak and erratic, BPM is getting dangerously slow. Breathing is shallow and quick. MOI seems to be a handprint on his arm. The flesh is rotting in that area and is turning a sickly purple. I'll continue monitoring heart rate and breathing rate while using Shosen Jutsu (mystical palm technique) on his heart to slow the toxins in his system", Shizune said as glowing green chakra began emerging from her palms.

"Rinkaichu?… Shit. Why does Danzo have some Rinkaichu? I thought they were rare in the Aburame clan!", Tsunade rambled to herself as she continued to furiously mix a herbal concoction. After finishing grinding up the herbs she then dumped them in equal measure into the water buckets tinting them green.

"His heart is stopping! Administering Raiton: Josaidoki (Defibrillator technique)", Shizune cried out and made a few hand signs placing her hands on his left pectoral and below his heart on the side of his ribcage. "Shock!", Shizune said as Shisui's body tensed with the electrical charge flowing from one of Shizune's hands to the other.

"Checking for pulse…", Shizune said as she felt for a pulse on Shisui's neck, "Heartbeat confirmed. Continuing to monitor. Tsunade-sama, consider using the Saibo no Kasseijutsu (Cell Activation Technique) he needs all the help he can get". Tsunade nodded and brought the buckets of the medicinal concoction next to Shisui and set them down beside him.

"Saibo no Kasseijutsu (Cell Activation Technique)!", Tsunade said as she made several quick hand signs and placed her hands on Shisui's forehead and heart. A pulse of green chakra entered his body and his skin immediately regained some color.

"Inuzuka, I need you to help Shizune hold him down, this is going to be painful for him", Tsunade said sternly. Kaemon immediately ran to the foot of the table and grabbed his best friend's legs holding them down against the table. Shizune got up onto the table locking Shisui's arms up above his head with his legs and prepared to cushion his head with her hands.

"You two ready?", Tsunade asked as she mentally prepared herself.

"I'm ready if you are Tsunade-sama", Kaemon said with a wolfish grin. Shizune nodded an affirmative. Tsunade opened her eyes and made an incision on Shisui's body just below his heart with Chakra no Mesu (Chakra Scalpels) and then began performing hand signs rapidly.

"Saikan Chushutsu no Jutsu (Delicate Illness Extraction Jutsu)!", Tsunade said as she placed one of her hands in a bucket and brought up a globe of the medical solution. She then placed the globe on the wound on Shisui's arm and pressed it into his wound, the purple poison seemingly being washed out of the wound. Her other hand then pulled up from the incision on Shisui's chest pulling out the medical solution dotted with the purple toxins. Shisui at this point cried out in pain and his body began tensing within Kaemon and Shizune's grasps.

"Hold him still!", Tsunade said sternly as she began to repeat the process. Shisui's yelled until his voice became hoarse and he was too weak to react to the immense pain. Tsunade worked tirelessly as time seemed to crawl by. The buckets slowly were filled with the extracted toxins. Shizune and Kaemon strained against the strong shinobi who struggled to escape their grasp.

Eventually, after hours of this procedure, Tsunade used the last of the solution and sighed as the last specks of poison were removed from Shisui's body.

"Shizune, if you wouldn't mind, please heal the incision on his chest. Inuzuka your friend now just needs rest. We can only wait until he wakes up. We can sort out payment as well as heal his eyes in the morning", Tsunade said as she walked to her bedroom.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama! I am in your debt!", Kaemon said as he bowed to Konoha's slug princess. She merely gave a wave over her shoulder as she closed the door to her quarters.

"Thank you as well, Shizune-san. You saved Shisui's life", Kaemon said with another bow. Shizune smiled as she finished healing Shisui's wounds. Kaemon's smile faded and turned into a quizzical look.

"Thanks, being said, what in the Rikido Senin's name is Tsunade doing all the way out here? She's obviously not on a mission as she reeks of self-pity and alcohol. This would have been so much easier if I didn't have to run all the way here from Konoha '', Kaemon said as he shook his head.

Shizune's eyes widened incredulously, "Shisui was on the edge of death, I don't believe that you ran here all the way from Konoha".

Kaemon shrugged, "Believe me or not. I don't care". Kaemon walked to the suit's couch and sat down with a huff. "Well, I'm beat, I'm gonna sleep now. Thanks again for saving my friend", Kaemon gave a loud yawn.

"Wait, you haven't even given me your name yet. Who are you?", Shizune narrowed her eyes.

"Ah… Well if you don't believe I could run from Konoha to here in 30 minutes, you won't believe me if I tell you who I am. I'll just wait for Shisui to confirm it for me", Kaemon said with his signature wolfish grin.

Kaemon's eyes widened as he remembered a certain young Uchiha who was also worried for Shisui, "Oh! I should tell that Uchiha who Shisui was with that he's ok!". After looking around for writing utensils without luck he sheepishly looked over at Shizune.

"Hey, uh, can I borrow some ink and paper? I have to write a letter", Shizune shrugged and gave him some notepaper that she uses for her studies. After writing a quick note, Kaemon bit his finger and once again summoned a wolf, this one much smaller and grey.

"Hello, Reta-san, please deliver this letter to… Uh… Did I ever ask that Uchiha for his name? Uh… Shit. Well, fuck it. Deliver it to the Hokage. He'll probably figure it out. I'm too tired to think right now anyways", The wolf sweatdropped at his summoner's poor directions but nonetheless took the message to be delivered.

"Thanks, Reta-san", Kaemon said as the wolf gave a nod and bolted from the room. Shizune and Kaemon could hear screams from a couple of people who passed the delivery wolf. With a chuckle, Kaemon once again sat back down on the sofa.

"Goodnight Shizune-san, I'll see you in the morning", Kaemon said as he pulled his mask down over his eyes and leaned back on the sofa. Shizune stared in disbelief as she could soon hear the sound of soft snoring beneath the wolf mask.

'Who can fall asleep that fast?...', Shizune stared in wonder at the strange ninja as she finished cleaning up the work station.

'Well he's obviously an Inuzuka, he has the red clan tattoos under his eyes… But why are his eyes blue and his hair blonde? I thought Inuzuka had brown hair and eyes. He looks a little like the Yondaime…', Shizune thought with a slight frown.

'But this is definitely Uchiha Shisui…', Shizune looked back to the sleeping face of the unconscious Uchiha.

'Damn… I know he's my patient... but he's hot!', a slight blush formed on the medic ninja's cheeks as she wiped the dried blood off of his sleeping face fantasizing for only a second until she shook her head firmly.

'No Shizune! He is your patient! Just because you want some companionship does not mean you will break your healer's oath! Besides, he's much younger than me. Probably already has someone he loves', Shizune thought with a sad smile. A frown then began to form on Shizune's face as she made one last sweep of Shisui's body looking for any missed injuries.

'What could have done this to someone like Shisui though? Kaemon said something about Danzo… But he is a loyal ninja, isn't he? Whatever happened, trouble seems to be brewing in Konoha. I want to go back home…', Shizune thought as she placed a blanket on the Uchiha, turned off the lights and headed for her own bed.