"Because chakra has been continuously flowing through your body, the loss of mass was remarkably even. That's incredibly fortunate—it's the very reason you're still alive.
Even so, it still took Medical Ninja a great deal of effort to remove the necrotic tissue inside you. Even at their limit, your condition remained very serious back then, and no one could guarantee your survival," Tsunade explained to Haseo, summarizing what had happened during his stay at the hospital.
Though she looked quite young, she carried herself like a seasoned professional when speaking as a doctor—her tone always serious and precise. This kind of contrast between her youthful appearance and mature demeanor made Haseo quite interested in listening to her explanation.
In short—it's what people would call "moe," that uniquely charming appeal.
"The main problem Medical Ninja couldn't resolve was the issue of chakra corrosion within your body… Haseo, your chakra really is somewhat unique. It's both destroying your body and giving it new life at the same time. You surviving and waking up? That's thanks mostly to your own chakra.
Even though that same chakra was what nearly killed you in the first place.
Now for the not-so-good news—you'll need a long time to recover before you're fully healed.
The good news is, judging from the vitality currently maintained by your body's cells—and according to the medical ninja evaluations—they haven't experienced any decline in activity due to excessive division. Quite the opposite—in fact, stimulated by your chakra, your cells appear unusually energetic, perhaps even more so than your original body condition. As if—you really are fourteen years old again."
Tsunade explained. Objectively speaking, this was how things stood with Haseo. However, Tsunade couldn't figure out the underlying mechanism behind such an unusual phenomenon… Someone's appearance reverted to age fourteen—but if their entire physiological state rejuvenated to match a teenager's, wouldn't that essentially make them fourteen again?
"Hearing this…it doesn't seem too bad. So I just have to gradually regain the life quality I've lost over time. Since I successfully matured once, can't I do it again?"
Haseo thought for a moment before responding like this. He wasn't a doctor himself, so he didn't concern himself too much about causes—he only cared whether the outcome was harmless.
Maybe…he could end up like Benjamin Button—aging backward, starting as an old man and dying as a baby?
No, Haseo shook his head. His situation resulted specifically from using a kinjutsu, so maybe it resembled amber more closely… every time he used his power, it cost him two whole years of his age—as if time itself was rolling back over him.
Well, not exactly the same either. He didn't want to become too 'young' because this whole process hurt far too much.
"You just said 'one' of the bad news…so is there another bad thing?" Haseo asked further. He'd definitely noticed the opening Tsunade left in her explanation earlier.
Tsunade stepped forward, rolled up Haseo's sleeve, and without needing to explain further, he immediately noticed that the black chakra corrosion marks on his pale arm had only slightly receded but had not completely disappeared.
Even though a month had passed since the battle, the mark still hadn't fully faded.
"Due to excessive chakra consumption, the corrosion in your body… has already reached an irreversible stage. Simply put, this phenomenon has shifted from indirect erosion—like overflowing water—to direct erosion—wherever there's chakra, there's damage. That means even if you try using Katsuyu again in the future to store excess chakra, it'll be pointless."
The second issue Tsunade explained was even more serious.
In other words, from now on unless Haseo had absolutely no chakra within him, as long as any remained, it would begin corroding his body.
Since she'd started explaining, Tsunade decided not to hold back: "Furthermore, in your body, a cycle between corrosion and resistance has already formed. Chakra erodes your cells while simultaneously infusing them with vitality. With greater vitality, your cells then generate stronger chakra, which in turn causes further cellular erosion...
This cycle continues until either your body achieves full resistance or... you die from severe chakra corrosion."
Haseo was faced with two possible outcomes—both dire extremes.
"But that's something far off in the future. Before that happens—I… we will definitely find a solution. You don't need to worry too much. Medical Ninjutsu is advancing rapidly.
The immediate issue you're facing is just physical pain during peak corrosion periods. Based on my observations over the past month, your symptoms are usually most intense from the 1st to the 9th of each month, after which they begin to ease around the 10th, then intensify again ten days later."
"So… are you saying I'm going to have 'those few days' every month where I feel a little pain?" The more Haseo listened, the more awkward he found Tsunade's description.
"That's one way to put it," Tsunade firmly nodded without hesitation… Well, she was simply discussing his medical condition, after all.
"When the corrosion peaks, that's also when my chakra is strongest. So from now on, I'll be 'the unrivaled powerhouse of the Ninja World—mercilessly cutting down the Yaku.'"
Well, that didn't sound catchy at all. It should match something grander. Why settle for something so trivial like clearing terminal tiles?
Yet those words made Tsunade's eyes subtly brighten for a moment. Quickly, she silently wrote the line into Haseo's medical records. Haseo thought it sounded lame, but apparently, Tsunade liked it. For someone who never won at gambling anyway, what was wrong with clearing yaojiu? Nothing to complain about really.
"In any case, you must understand by now, Haseo—if you keep using your Kinjutsu, no matter how powerful it may be, including that mental-type technique… otherwise…
Next time, you'll definitely die."
"...I understand. I won't use them anymore." Haseo fell silent briefly before nodding in agreement.
Tsunade's gaze was as sincere as Haseo's promise was genuine. Yet just how much weight an odd uncle's vow to a little girl could hold, nobody could really say.
The consequences of using this KINJUTSU went beyond Haseo's expectations. But then again, it wasn't entirely unacceptable either—it was a mixed bag, part good and part bad. At the very least, it beat dying instantly.
"There's also some good news—at least my legs didn't shrink. Well, that makes sense since chakra doesn't flow through the legs during battle anyway."
Tsunade shot Haseo a sidelong glance, muttering inwardly, *What in the world is he saying now? Of course your legs got shorter—you didn't even notice?*
"No, I already understood clearly—my legs didn't shrink..." Haseo hesitated, suddenly realizing there might be something inappropriate about sharing such joy with a child.
After all, she was still just a child—he shouldn't be sharing something like that with her.
So Haseo hurriedly changed the subject. "So someone like me doesn't even get a flashy transformation after the fight. Don't those cool, heroic types always follow the trope where shock turns their hair white overnight? But for me, it's literally just Suogu Gong (bone-shrinking technique)! Not even a hint of celestial grandeur!"
Tsunade shut the medical chart and gently pressed on the acupuncture needle at one of Haseo's arm acupoints, seemingly adjusting it for him. However… the adjustment only made Haseo grimace from pain.
If a Doctor wanted to mess with a patient, they could do whatever they liked—even if Tsunade was merely an intern, Haseo happened to be a seriously ill patient.
This remark from Haseo had once again stepped on a landmine—the kind of phrase every doctor despised the most: *Be thankful you're alive—what else could you possibly want?*
Tsunade still had many more medical courses to study. She certainly didn't have time to hang around here listening to Haseo's nonsense any longer.
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