With the speed of a jōnin and the finesse of a seasoned cook, Yamanaka Shinno prepared an entire feast in under an hour.
That was even with Kushina interrupting halfway, insisting on an extra pot of rice—enough for ten people—and requesting larger portions for the later dishes. Otherwise, at his pace, he could have finished everything in just thirty minutes.
When the food was finally served, Tsunade, who had been starving, barely waited a second before declaring, "I'm digging in!" and launching into a full-on feeding frenzy.
The rice in the pot vanished as if it were being sucked into a void. The large portions of side dishes were disappearing at an alarming rate as well.
Wait a second... Didn't she just finish a fight with Pain?
Shinno's hand, which had been reaching for a dish, paused midair. If Kushina hadn't mentioned that Tsunade had been waiting for him for days, he would've seriously suspected she had just come back from a real-life deathmatch.
"Tsunade has been developing a new jutsu lately, and it's taking a lot out of her," Kushina explained when she noticed Shinno's stunned expression. There was an unmistakable hint of envy in her voice.
She didn't care much about the jutsu itself—what she cared about was Tsunade's ability to eat whatever she wanted without a second thought. High-level medical ninjutsu required the use of Yang Release, much like the Akimichi Clan's secret technique, which allowed them to rapidly store and convert fat into chakra. With Tsunade's mastery of medical ninjutsu, no matter how much she ate, her body would stay perfectly balanced—curves where they should be, toned where they needed to be. Not to mention, eating more also helped replenish her Yin Seal with chakra.
Kushina felt like crying from sheer envy.
"?????"
Shinno's first thought was of the seal that assisted with the Yin Seal's function and countered genjutsu. But that couldn't be it. This was the same woman who had created the Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Technique, someone who could literally stitch herself back together even if she was sliced in half.
A simple seal like that? With her Master of Medicine level trait, she could figure it out in a few hours at most. Definitely not worth this much effort.
So, it had to be a new jutsu.
Wait...
"Tsunade, with your current medical ninjutsu, would it be possible to create a technique that transfers life force?"
Tsunade's hand, which had been reaching for more rice, froze. Her sharp gaze lifted from the bowl as she instinctively thought of Orochimaru.
"Life force transfer? Hah—do you know medical ninjutsu?"
"Uh… A little. Mostly some Water Release healing techniques."
Shinno set down his chopsticks, feeling slightly awkward.
Back when he was in the Analysis Division, he had studied the memories of several medical ninjas and even spent some time practicing medical ninjutsu himself. Unfortunately, he had no natural Yang Release affinity. Worse, every time he tried to use medical ninjutsu, his chakra instinctively mixed in a bit of Yin Release.
Not only was it difficult to control, but the results were... unreliable.
If he tried to heal a half-dead fish, one of two things would happen: either it would suddenly start flipping and spinning like it was performing some kind of aquatic gymnastics routine before dropping dead, or it would freeze up completely, becoming even stiffer than if it had been dead for three days.
If not for the system granting him the Water Release Master trait, allowing him to instantly master a few Water Release healing techniques, his medical ninjutsu...
Yeah. Its biggest contribution would have been providing his colleagues in the Analysis Division with grilled fish or fish soup.
"Healing through Water Release, huh? That's a gentle technique."
Hearing Shinno's answer, Tsunade's initially sharp gaze softened.
Unlike traditional medical ninjutsu that used Yang Release to aggressively accelerate cell division and force regeneration, Water Release healing worked differently. It supplied the body with essential energy and nutrients, allowing cells to undergo stable, natural regeneration.
In terms of raw efficiency, standard medical ninjutsu was far superior. However, forcing cells to divide rapidly drained the patient's life energy, shortening their lifespan. That was why even fully healed shinobi often needed time to recover after severe injuries.
Water Release healing was much slower, but it was far gentler on the body. For patients with significantly weakened physical functions, it was a much safer alternative.
Ultimately, anyone who willingly prioritized a technique that was better for their patients rather than the most effective for battle… well, they couldn't be too bad a person, right?
Tsunade resumed her rapid eating, finishing a bowl of rice in no time. As she refilled her bowl, she finally spoke again.
"So, what do you want to do with life force transfer?"
"...I've heard of a jutsu called Dragon Life Reincarnation. It utilizes Yang Release chakra to transfer the caster's life force to another, healing them regardless of how severe their injuries are."
"Yeah, I've heard of it. The Kusanagi Clan of Kusagakure uses their unique kekkei genkai to perform that jutsu. But every time it's cast, the user dies. Are you prepared for that kind of cost?"
"There are some things—some people—worth more than life itself. And sometimes... regret is worse than death."
The moment Shinno finished speaking, silence fell over the table.
Tsunade, holding her freshly filled bowl, absently poked at the rice with her chopsticks, her gaze vacant.
Kushina, feeling touched, was about to wipe away a tear—until she caught Shinno discreetly making a Mind Body Switch Technique hand sign under the table.
Emmm...
You bastard! Give me back my emotions!
Puffing up her cheeks in frustration, Kushina quickly lowered her head, pretending to focus on her rice so Tsunade wouldn't notice her breaking character.
(The rice: I'd rather have been left in the pot...)
"...Do you have any ideas for how to make this kind of jutsu?"
Tsunade finally snapped out of her thoughts. Even someone like her, who had already lost so much, couldn't help but feel a flicker of longing for a technique like that.
If such a jutsu had existed back then... would things have been different?
"I recently acquired a secret Hōzuki Clan technique called Hydration Healing. It allows the user to liquefy their body and wrap around wounds, accelerating the healing process. It already contains elements of life force transfer."
"But that's purely a passive effect. It doesn't address the core principle. I've heard that Takigakure's forbidden jutsu, Earth Grudge Fear, can fully transfer life energy into special black tendrils..."
"The underground bounty stations in the Land of Fire have a few dangerous figures who use a technique called Shinigami Reincarnation. It transfers life energy through blood into strands of hair..."
"The Fūma Clan has a jutsu called Kagerō Ninpō: Butterfly Metamorphosis. It allows the user to completely transform once in their lifetime, healing all wounds and undergoing a full-body rebirth..."
"And then there's that wandering medical-nin. He's rumored to have extensive knowledge of physical regeneration and even possesses a forbidden jutsu for bodily rebirth..."
"I think... if I can integrate all these life transfer methods, refine them, and add in either the Fūma Clan's metamorphosis or regeneration technique... I might be able to create something similar to Dragon Life Reincarnation."
Shinno casually laid out his plan, piece by piece.
Tsunade's gaze shifted again—from soft to sharp, then to outright wary.
Did this kid even realize what he was saying?
First it was just the Kusanagi Clan. Now he was bringing in Kirigakure, Takigakure, the underground bounty network, the Fūma Clan, and even that mysterious medical-nin...
This wasn't jutsu development.
This was a recipe for war.
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