Tsunade thought she must have misheard.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, if you're done talking, I'm going to perform a jutsu on Dan—revive him. Although it's my first time using this forbidden technique to bring someone back from the dead."
Kaede Tsukasa thought for a moment and added, "Actually, if you had shared a little less about life and death just now, he wouldn't have had to die. I'd have been more confident in saving him."
Tsunade's eyes widened. Her golden hair was plastered by the rain, her clothes soaked through, looking utterly disheveled. "Are you serious? You can really revive Dan? Does such a jutsu really exist? You better not be lying to me, brat!"
"Brat… I'm already seventeen, not a child. Using that word is extremely rude," Kaede Tsukasa said, shaking his head, unfazed by her outburst. After all, anyone who learned of this jutsu's existence would surely be horrified.
He crouched down, slipped one hand into Dan's empty chest, formed a seal with the other hand, and began performing the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu.
This solemn action stunned Tsunade. The proud princess strained to keep her eyes open in the heavy rain, afraid to miss a single detail.
Cold rain poured over her, but it was nothing compared to the icy chill in her heart. Yet, seeing Kaede Tsukasa's unusual actions, Tsunade—her hope long extinguished—felt a faint, improbable glimmer of expectation.
What if… what if Kaede Tsukasa really could revive Dan? Logic told her it was impossible, but her reason had completely vanished, leaving only endless despair and loneliness.
"Can you do it? If I hadn't interfered just now, could you have healed him directly? You can do it, right? You're skilled with… wait! Are you trying to turn Dan's corpse into your—"
"Not like that. Dan is someone I deeply respect. He once helped me defeat Araki, saving my life. I would never do that to him… I'm using a different jutsu."
Kaede Tsukasa completed the seal. "Forbidden Technique: One's Own Life Reincarnation!"
A massive surge of life force erupted from Kaede Tsukasa—visible to the naked eye—like green plants blooming in a desert, like a warm light in the dead of winter, continuously flowing into Dan's already lifeless body.
Kaede Tsukasa's expression was grave. Honestly, if it were anyone else, there would be no need to go this far.
He attempted to revive Dan for multiple reasons—Dan was a genuinely good person and had aided Kaede Tsukasa, which was an important factor.
Similarly, experimenting with the resurrection of the dead using One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu was another reason.
Of course, there was actually an even more crucial reason…
Kaede Tsukasa looked down at Dan, then up at Tsunade. An intriguing thought crossed his mind. The timing was right. If everything went well, he might be able to subtly influence the direction of the ninja world.
Tsunade… was truly a pure-blooded Senju.
"One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu… I've never heard of this."
Tsunade watched with hope, horrified at the vast life force flowing from Kaede Tsukasa, and yet, deep down, she felt an "impractical" longing. She wanted to see Dan return from the dead. She wanted her lover to stand and embrace her!
Just like before!
Seconds passed. Dan remained a cold corpse.
"Did it work?" Tsunade knelt, anxiously asking.
"…Of course not. I'm only sustaining the other parts of Dan 's body. His organs are gone. Before fully reviving him, the missing organs need to be restored."
Kaede Tsukasa paused, then freed a hand and summoned the last remaining Explosion Release zombie.
Whoosh!
Kaede Tsukasa's palm glowed with a massive amount of chakra. Using a chakra-scalpel, he cut open the chest of the Explosion Release zombie, pulled out its organs, and forcibly inserted them into Dan's chest.
"The situation is urgent. I can't find better material for filling, so I'll use the organs from this Iwagakure Explosion Release bloodline ninja. If it goes smoothly, Dan might even awaken the Explosion Release kekkei genkai. That would give him an even stronger body," Kaede Tsukasa said with a smile, as if under no pressure at all, freely imagining possibilities in front of Tsunade.
"These organs are already starting to rot. This—"
"Don't worry. They can all be restored to life. Leave it to me."
Kaede Tsukasa smiled. "Though I have no special talent, and the secret techniques I use deal with corpses—perhaps not very welcomed—being able to do something for a ninja like Dan makes all my past efforts worthwhile."
At Kaede Tsukasa's signal, Tsunade, holding back her tears, quickly arranged the pile of organs and watched him perform the jutsu.
"Hm, Dan's spine was also destroyed. We'll need to take a segment from this corpse and attach it."
As the massive life force poured in, Dan's long-silent body gradually revived, the cold fading, his body temperature returning.
Flesh proliferated, missing bones began to spread.
Until Kaede Tsukasa, exhausted, slumped to the ground, gasping. Despite having restored so much of Dan's body, he now appeared gaunt again.
Dan's eyelids twitched. Slowly, he opened his eyes, filled with confusion.
"Am I… in the Pure Land? But why is it raining so heavily here…"
"Dan!"
Tsunade hugged Dan tightly. This simple act drained all her strength; her mind went blank, and the world seemed unreal.
Could it really be true? It hurt… it wasn't an illusion—it was real. Kaede Tsukasa truly possessed the resurrection jutsu, bringing the dead Dan back to life right before her eyes!
This was… absolutely a godlike forbidden technique!
"I'm still alive?" Dan regained full consciousness, incredulous as he felt Tsunade's warmth. Whether real or imagined, he vaguely felt his body was in better condition than before fighting the Four-Tails!
Abundant stamina and energy—just a thought could generate endless chakra. He had absolutely surpassed his peak!
However…
Crack!
"It hurts! Tsunade, you broke several of my bones!" Dan instinctively shouted, his voice full and strong, showing no signs of severe injury.
Kaede Tsukasa weakly replied, "Don't worry about that. I transferred my life force into your body; the remaining power is enough to heal these injuries. However, some bones may be misaligned. It's best to break and reset them properly. Given the urgency earlier, some procedures were a bit rough."