It didn't take long for Julia to come to her senses and started stemming the bleeding on the missing limb, however, surgery was a different matter completely. This was a simple matter of knitting flesh together, she had to be careful to avoid the organs. This was to say nothing about keeping an eye out for another ambush nor the mist recking havoc on her sight. Hell even if the surgery was successful, with all the humidity in the air an infection was just as likely to kill the other girl as any poison.

Not for the first time that day she cursed Kiri's Chunin Exam proctors. If she could she would forfeit right then and there to ensure Sabako would get medical aid, but nope, the organization team had decided it'd be a bloody brilliant idea to leave a bunch of homicidal kids together on a deserted island and would only come to pick them up on midnight of the third day.

She sent a clone to survey the area, and found Zabuza knocked out along with the broken remains of the kubikiribōchō. She remembered something about it being able to heal after drinking blood so she decided to seal it away and tie Kabuza up. And maybe fed him some muscle relaxant and laxative for good measure.

If Sabako wouldn't make it, Plots and butterflies be damned, the Seven Swordsmen was going to be one short. She'll find Haku herself if she had too.

There was something quite distinctly disturbing about having to cut open your own friend. She idly thought back to one of the unspoken rules of the medical communities. Don't be your friends and families' doctor. You'll lose focus and objectivity. Ironically to help someone effectively there was a certain amount of detachment and distance needed. The words she heard so long ago in a summer's class now rang loudly in her ears like the tolls of death.

She hated it. Hated how her hands shook as her mind felt like it was drenched in icy water.

Julia fed Sabako two Blood pills and slowly got to work. She stripped the girl of her shirt and gingerly removed the remnants of her armor, revealing tanned skin dyed with splotches of blood. 5 cuts, 3 fragments sticking out, and 1 embedded between her ribs. She hissed a curse as she realized it had punched a lung as she listened to Sabako's labored breath. There was a slight trail of crimson down her lips as she coughed and the wheezing was soon replaced with a sickly wet gurgle.

Blood was filling her lungs and soon she would suffocate from the internal bleeding.

Julia knew this was no time to panic she couldn't help it. She had neither the proper tools nor training to deal with this! She only learned how to close cuts and heal bruises, and all her years of Medical school gave her a list of all kinds of anesthetic and antibiotics and other medical wahoos that she. just. didn't. have.

Her mind raced as she tried to find a solution. They were in bum fuck nowhere, but she didn't necessarily have to finish the procedure. She just needed to last for another... 5 hours until "rescue" would come. On an island where they were both being hunted while someone who tried to kill them was sitting there tied to a tree not even five feet away.

Shit.

She also couldn't move Sabako or else the girl might die from any number of reasons.

Double shit.

One head butt that knocked down a tree later, and she had finally calmed herself enough to begin the surgery. She dearly prayed that her half-assed plan would work or else her friend wouldn't wake to see the morrow and Julia had absolutely no intention to go eating ice cream by herself, that's what losers did.

She shoved enough Soldier Pills down her gullet to be mildly worried about overdosing. She'd need a whole lot more than she currently had for her idea.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

9 was her absolute limit. That was how many she could make and have them not be completely dead on their feet.

What she had just made was well over that number. The entire healing was filled with smoke until it revealed a completely different scene. Transformation Jutsu, it gave the properties of whatever it was used for. Naruto frequently used it to turn his shadow clones into Kunais or other objects. It was a physical transformation not an illusion, although one solid hit and it would be undone.

She was going to milk it for all it was worth. A completely enclosed white room, a metallic operating table, and a number of surgical tools. She dearly hoped they were sanitized. In theory, she had directly converted Chakra into the makeshift mass, so bacteria should've been impossible, but one could never be quite sure with bullshit Ninja magic logic.

She was in familiar blue scrubs and face mask, rubber gloves and all. With four clones helping her work they had no need to verbally communicate as they all used seamless teamwork.

The greatest team of amateur surgeons in history had just been formed with a single-minded determination to save their friend.

Zabuza was left forgotten in a corner of the room, even when he woke up two hours later they were still hard at work. They had used so much poison that even his tongue was numbed and he could only sit there and watch. A Genjutsu along with some rudimentary cover ensured that it was not only hard to find their location, but outside distractions were kept to a minimum.

3 Hours and 47 minutes. That was how long the entire thing had lasted. 2 hours and 12 minutes in Julia cursed at her stupidity for the nth time that day when Sabako woke up mid-surgery while Julia had her hands in her guts. That was an awkward moment for both of them before the Suna kunoichi was promptly knocked out with haste with a Genjutsu to make sure she stayed that way.

It was the longest 4 hours of her life and she could've sworn she aged a few years afterward. She was half tempted to check if she was growing any gray hair from the stress of it all!

She spent the rest of the time tormenting Zabuza. At first, it had some purpose, at least after she got over with seeing red from what he had done to Sabako, where she learned more about the Exam and what he'd been up too.

Man, kid Zabuza was messed up in the head. He'd apparently already slaughtered a couple of dozen Genins during the Genin Exams and was now on his way to "Weed out the Weak" in an extreme Darwinistic survival of the fittest mumbo jumbo. Honestly, she didn't particularly like Zabuza. As a person or a character, he didn't seem interesting nor worth keeping and she was considering just killing him here and now.

The future was already changing but she should make at least some token effort to keep it the same right? After all knowledge was power and power was something she desperately needed, but hadn't she already long given up on maintaining the status quo so to speak with Itachi, Shisui, and Anko?

One can not challenge the Gods by playing it safe after all.

"Hey, Zabuza, I want to make a deal with you."

He didn't say anything. Not that she expected him too, she had made sure to keep him tranquilized after all. If he so much as twitched she was going to sever his tendons without hesitation and she told him as such. She'd rather not have him try to tear her throat out with his teeth or some bullshit.

His denial and proclamation of death over betraying his village was expected. But that was fine, she had no need for any of their secrets, after all, she knew the biggest secrets of this world. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say what she knew would shake everyone in this world.

"I don't need nor want you to betray your village, I just want you to tell me everything you know about Kisame Hoshigaki... and the Kaguya Clan... Oh, and what's the best ice cream place you got here?"

He might've been willing to die to withhold vital information on her village, but what about some minor details? And he knew all too well there was more at state than just his life or pride when she dangled a certain scroll in front of his face. He could die a hundred times and still not make up for losing the Mythical sword of the village. He folded like a house of cards afterward, especially after she included the antidote to the laxatives to sweeten the deal.

Shinobi or not, there were some things a man shouldn't have to endure. Laxatives meant for elephants were one of them.

She hoped Itachi and Anko were having better luck than she was. She knew there was a good chance she would die here so she made sure to tell me some things before she left.

"Hello there, Uchiha-san, may I ask what you're doing here...?"

"Good evening Nono-san, is Kabuto-san here? I have much to discuss with the both of you if you'd please?"

Itachi didn't know why Julia had insisted that he contacted these two and bring them to the Uchiha Clan and keep watch over them, but he knew it was important to her. The life of a shinobi was short, he knew that better than anyone having witnessed the horrors of war as a child. Which is one when your friend asked a favor of you with a look as if she was ready to die, you tend to agree and not ask too many questions.

At least for now, he'd get his answers when she came back.

It was a close one, but Sabako and Julia had made it, and she also now knew how to contact the Kaguya clan and Kisame. The next stage would hopefully be easier.

...FUCK WHY DO I NEVER LEARN!?

Julia made a mental note to start praying more after she jinxed herself once again.