The treatment continued for quite a long time. When the green light at Tsunade's fingertips slowly withdrew, the hideous and terrifying wound on Shinichi's right arm had already completely disappeared.
The newly regenerated skin still carried a faint pink hue, and the muscle fibers had returned to their original state. Although it remained weak and powerless, requiring a long period of rest before full function could be restored, the sensation of continuous erosion and the strange nature of the injury had been completely eliminated.
"The toxins in the wound have been thoroughly cleared, and the basic repair is complete. The rest depends on your own recovery. With your constitution, lying down for half a month should be enough before you can move around. However, remember this—within one month, you are not allowed to engage in any high-intensity ninjutsu practice or taijutsu training. Otherwise, you'll leave hidden injuries behind, and on rainy days in the future, you'll suffer for it."
Tsunade withdrew her hand. Her complexion was still somewhat pale, and her bangs were damp with sweat, yet her gaze was much clearer than when she had arrived. After speaking, she did not look at Shinichi. She turned and walked toward the door.
Pulling it open and seeing the Third and the Monkey King at the entrance, Tsunade's steps paused slightly.
"Old man," she greeted, her tone calm and unreadable.
"Thank you for your hard work, Tsunade," the Third said gently, his concerned gaze lingering for a moment on her still-pale face.
Tsunade avoided his eyes, merely waving her hand before walking straight toward the other end of the corridor. Her back was straight, her pace quick, as if eager to leave this place.
The Third watched her depart until her golden hair disappeared around the corner. Only then did he withdraw his gaze and look back into the hospital room.
On the bed, Shinichi was carefully attempting to move the fingers of his newly reattached right hand. There was no particular expression on his face—neither relief at surviving a calamity nor concern over his injuries. He was calm, not at all like a boy who had just recovered from severe wounds.
"How do you feel, Shinichi?" the Third entered the room, his voice steady.
"It's much better already, Hokage-sama. Thanks to Tsunade-sama," Shinichi replied politely, his tone respectful.
The Third nodded and sat down in the chair beside the bed. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "Regarding the new technique you developed, Fire Release: Grand Flame Rasengan, the Monkey King has already given me a detailed account. Its power is astonishing, but the risks are equally great. Until you find a way to fully control it—or eliminate its backlash—I will not allow you to use it lightly again. This is not a suggestion; it is an order! Your future is more important than an unfinished technique. Do you understand?"
Shinichi met the Third's stern gaze, fell silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. "Yes, I understand, Hokage-sama."
There was no hesitation in his obedience, yet from deep within those calm eyes, the Third still saw a spark that had not gone out.
He knew that this boy's "understanding" might only be temporary restraint.
After offering a few more words telling him to rest and recover, the Third rose and left.
As Hokage, he still had far too many matters to attend to.
The hospital room grew quiet again. Shinichi leaned against the headboard, watching the snowflakes outside the window begin to drift down once more, his mind on who knew what.
…
Half a month later, in the depths of winter.
Konoha's Fourth Training Ground. The snow had yet to melt, and the air was cold and clear.
The Monkey King stood with its arms crossed, looking on helplessly at the black-haired boy in the center of the field, who was loosening up, his breathing already steady again.
Beside it, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, cloaked in his Hokage robes, stood there in silence as well, his gentle gaze carrying a trace of scrutiny.
Shinichi's recovery speed exceeded Tsunade's expectations, but the moment his condition stabilized, he could not wait to throw himself back into training.
First, after a carefully intensity-controlled taijutsu-and-ninjutsu linking spar with the Monkey King, he began trying to refine the idea of Fire Release: Grand Flame Rasengan again.
The Monkey King knew full well how dangerous that technique's backlash was. Unable to dissuade him, it simply put recent affairs on hold and invited the Third Hokage over—who happened to be resting at the time.
With the Third Hokage present, at least there would be someone to backstop things.
"Shinichi." The Third Hokage looked at the boy as he approached. He did not issue an order or a reprimand. Instead, like a teacher guiding a disciple's thinking, he asked calmly, "You're in such a hurry to try again—have you come up with an idea to resolve the backlash?"
"Yes, Third-sama." Shinichi bowed respectfully, then nodded openly. "Over these past half a month, I've repeatedly recalled the details from when I was injured and summarized the cause. The Rasengan itself is a chakra sphere that is highly compressed and violently rotating—it is unstable by nature."
"And Fire Release: Grand Flame Rasengan forcibly injects Fire Release chakra, which is known for its ferocity. When the two are combined, the power multiplies, but the energy inside also becomes violent to the extreme. In the instant it hits the target and the energy is released, that violent feedback directly impacts the arm maintaining the chakra's form, causing severe erosion and tearing."
He paused, then continued. "So the simplest approach is—don't let it erupt directly in my hand. If I can safely throw it out the way I use a kunai or shuriken, and have it explode somewhere far from me, then the backlash problem can be solved."
The Third Hokage nodded slightly. "Throwing it out to avoid direct-contact damage—this direction is indeed correct. It is one of the conventional approaches to resolving the backlash of this kind of close-range burst-type ninjutsu."
But then his tone shifted as he pointed out the key difficulty. "However, Shinichi, the problem lies in how to throw it safely. Even an ordinary Rasengan is difficult to maintain once separated from the body—let alone Fire Release: Grand Flame Rasengan, which has been infused with violent Fire Release chakra and is extremely unstable. It is like a stick of explosives with the fuse lit yet highly sensitive. Even in your hand, it requires your full effort to maintain it and prevent premature detonation. Once it leaves your hand, the moment it is no longer under your continuous chakra control and form maintenance, it will likely explode on the spot due to loss of control."
The Monkey King said in a low voice at the side, "Hiruzen is right. Kid, the idea is good—but carrying it out is too difficult! Once that thing leaves your hand, it's a firecracker that goes off at the slightest touch. It won't fly far at all."
"Yes, Third-sama, Monkey King-sama. I've repeatedly examined that problem as well."
Facing the core dilemma pointed out by the Third and the Monkey King, Shinichi showed no discouragement or confusion. Instead, he nodded.
"Precisely because of that, I thought of another approach. Since the backlash of Fire Release: Grand Flame Rasengan stems from the combination of extreme compression, rotation, and violent Fire Release attributes—making its eruption difficult to control and extremely unstable—then perhaps we can take a step back. We retain the Rasengan's core advantage of rapidly and highly condensing chakra, but appropriately reduce the degree of condensation, while completely removing the rotational property that intensifies its instability."
"Like this!"
Before the words had fully fallen, he had already raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread.
There were no complex hand seals, not even any obvious violent chakra fluctuations. A mass of blazing, condensed crimson flame, as if tamed by an invisible force, abruptly appeared above his palm.
This flame did not expand outward like ordinary Fire Release, nor did it rotate violently and compress to the extreme like Fire Release: Grand Flame Rasengan.
It was more like a highly concentrated core of fierce fire, stripped of excess agitation and presenting a stable, almost solid state—burning quietly, emitting scorching yet orderly waves of energy.
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