Since most of the people in the duel arena were affected, the duel between Shishou and Temari was suspended. Additionally, because the arena was filled with a dense swarm of caterpillars, the medical team didn't dare to enter and had to treat everyone outside.
"Palm Healing Jutsu is useless!"
Kurenai, undergoing treatment from the medical team, gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to scratch the affected areas.
"That damn disciple protected Sakura and Tenten but didn't shield me at all. It's infuriating!"
At that moment, she genuinely wanted to beat her ungrateful student.
"Medical ninjutsu isn't working?"
Ringo Yuuri, clutching her swollen spots, looked bewildered after hearing Kurenai's words.
"How strong is the poison from these caterpillars?"
"It's really useless!"
Kakashi, trembling all over, spoke through gritted teeth.
He initially thought it was just a regular toxin, but even the medical team was helpless.
"This guy Shishou is really something."
Bang, bang, bang!!!
Might Guy continuously punched the wall, attempting to alleviate his itching. Beside him, Lee mimicked his actions, hitting the wall with all his might.
Elsewhere, since Shishou's caterpillar toxin couldn't be treated by normal means, he provided the antidote dew produced by the rainbow caterpillars to Ino, Sakura, and Tenten, instructing them to distribute it to their teams and the medical staff for others affected.
As for Shishou himself going? That was out of the question.
Shishou could sense Kakashi and the others' resentment even from the next room. He feared that if he went in, he'd be attacked by everyone.
"Kurenai-sensei, here's the antidote."
Sakura, having just received the antidote, immediately ran to Kurenai to apply it.
Ino and Tenten also rushed to their respective teams, delivering the antidote.
After receiving the antidote, Kurenai, Kakashi, and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Though the swelling didn't subside immediately after applying the antidote, as long as the itching stopped, it was manageable.
They didn't want to experience that unbearable itching and burning sensation again.
"What the hell did Shishou use? This is way too terrifying."
Shikamaru, holding his swollen face after applying the antidote, complained.
A caterpillar had landed directly on his face, making it swell like a balloon.
Of course, Chōji wasn't much better off, appearing even fatter than before. He had used the Human Bullet Tank technique for defense, so his head and limbs were fine, but his body was severely swollen.
"Yeah, I've never seen him use this before. I wonder where he found these bugs."
Kiba, seeing Akamaru's swollen lips and tongue, felt heartbroken.
Akamaru's head was swollen like a pig's head, and he probably wouldn't be able to eat for a couple of days.
Listening to the conversation, Shino remained silent.
As Shishou's younger brother, he felt it was best to stay out of it.
In fact, Shino had defended himself the moment he saw his brother's caterpillars on the ceiling, but he removed his defense to prevent the others from harboring too much resentment towards his brother, allowing himself to be stung.
Because Shishou's caterpillar toxin was so potent, the rest of the preliminary matches were postponed until the next day.
After causing trouble, Shishou quietly returned to the central tower, collected all the caterpillars into his insect breeding space, and fed them to his phosphorescent insects to eliminate the evidence.
After finishing this, he returned to Konoha alone, intending to lay low for a while.
However, while he wanted to avoid the spotlight, others weren't willing to let him off so easily, and someone soon came knocking.
Seeing Gaara and Kankuro at his door, Shishou's mouth twitched as he asked:
"What do you want?"
Gaara looked at Shishou coldly and demanded:
"Hand over the antidote!"
After being stung, the three Sand siblings had immediately returned to their quarters to seek treatment from their medical ninjas. When medical ninjutsu proved ineffective, they came to Konoha, only to find that the antidote Shishou had distributed was already used up.
So, Gaara, who had a close relationship with Temari, came directly to demand the antidote.
Hearing Gaara's request, Shishou shook his head:
"The antidote is gone, but I have a way to alleviate your sister's symptoms."
Although he had plenty of antidote, Shishou didn't want to miss this opportunity to get closer to Temari.
"Let's go!"
Without further ado, Gaara used sand to carry Shishou swiftly to their lodging.
Upon entering the room where the Sand siblings were staying, Shishou saw Temari scratching herself furiously.
Her arms were scratched raw, with bright red marks visible, making her look quite miserable.
"You bastard, what are you doing here!"
Seeing Shishou, the culprit, Temari angrily shouted.
"Ahem."
Shishou cleared his throat and said, "I have a way to help you."
He then walked over to Temari, extended his hand, and pressed it on her swollen arm.
"Phew!"
Feeling relief as Shishou's hand pressed on her arm, Temari finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Gaara and Kankuro also relaxed.
As Shishou's hand moved gently over Temari's swollen skin, he asked:
"You three seem to have a close relationship."
He glanced at Gaara.
Unlike in the original story, Gaara didn't look lifeless. Although still silent, his mental state seemed much better.
This was expected since Shishou had strengthened Gaara's seal a few years ago and taught Shukaku a lesson several times. It made sense for Gaara to have a stable mental state now.
With sufficient rest and a stable mind, Gaara naturally became more approachable, improving his relationship with Temari and Kankuro.
Temari glared at Shishou and said, "That's none of your business."
Hearing this, Shishou shrugged indifferently and continued treating her.
After a few minutes, he asked:
"Are there any other spots where you got stung?"
Hearing this, Temari's face turned red. She had been stung on her back, but there was no way she could let Shishou touch her there.
So, she asked:
"Is there really no more antidote?"
Seeing Temari's expression, Shishou replied with a serious look:
"No, there isn't."
Temari gritted her teeth and asked:
"How long will it take to make more?"
Shishou pretended to ponder for a moment and said:
"It'll take about two days. I need to leave Konoha to gather some herbs."
"Two days!"
Hearing this, Temari bit her lip.
Two days was too long.
After hesitating for a while, Temari told Gaara and Kankuro:
"You two go out for a while and bring in Matsuri."
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POWER STONE!!!!
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
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