Tsunade was truly worthy of being the number one medical expert in the Ninja World.
Before long, a wisp of black energy was extracted and encased by Tsunade with her Chakra. Inside the Chakra sphere, this energy thrashed about, trying to escape.
"Jiraiya, quick, seal it!"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya took out a scroll and performed a Sealing Technique, pinning that jet-black energy firmly to the center of the scroll.
"Did it work?"
At this moment, there was no joy on Tsunade's face. "This was only a tiny wisp, and that was after I released the Yin Seal and forcibly extracted it using a massive amount of Chakra."
Seeming to think of something, her expression grew even darker. "It takes over three years for the Yin Seal to fully accumulate Chakra; by then, the grass on his grave would already be three feet tall."
"How about using Sage Art? Natural Energy is far more effective than Chakra."
Tsunade nodded upon hearing this, looked up at Shizune, who was holding Aoki Yoru down, and said, "Shizune, summon Katsuyu."
Upon hearing this, Shizune turned around, avoiding Tsunade's gaze to prevent her hemophobia from flaring up, then bit her finger and summoned a Katsuyu about the height of a person.
"Lady Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, Lady Shizune, long time no see." As soon as Katsuyu emerged, she greeted them. It had been over a decade since the Third Great Ninja War, and she hadn't been summoned since.
Tsunade did not waste words. "Katsuyu, take us to Shikkotsu Forest."
"Understood!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Katsuyu's body expanded, enveloping everyone present.
"Poof—"
A puff of white smoke rose, and the room was suddenly empty.
Shikkotsu Forest.
One of the three great Sage sanctuaries, alongside Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, it was ruled by Sage Katsuyu. The entire sanctuary was essentially the main body of Sage Katsuyu.
There were no other living creatures here; all the slugs were clones of Sage Katsuyu, capable of sharing consciousness, healing injuries, and transmitting sensory information.
There were no towering ancient trees here, only layers of translucent, giant slug-like microbial mats spreading across the ground. Tentacle-like hyphae swayed gently in the humid air, every inch glowing with a lustrous, pale green light.
"Poof—"
Several figures suddenly appeared, adding a touch of vitality to this silent, dark place.
"Katsuyu, please use Natural Energy to help me extract that black energy from his body."
Setting Aoki Yoru down, Tsunade placed her hand on his head, firmly protecting his soul. At this moment, the three seals had all shattered, and the Jashin energy had coiled around him once more.
Upon hearing this, dense swarms of small slugs crawled out from the surroundings, completely enveloping Aoki Yoru.
"Eh? The energy of that guy, Jashin?" Katsuyu's voice sounded softly.
Hearing this, Tsunade looked at Katsuyu in surprise. "Do you know about Jashin's situation?"
Katsuyu shook her head. "That guy is too ancient. Before the main body was born, he had already existed for who knows how long. The main body has only seen him once."
The group looked disappointed, but what Katsuyu said next filled them with unexpected joy.
"This is just a wisp of that guy's energy; the Natural Energy of Shikkotsu Forest is enough to wear it away."
With Katsuyu's help, after a day and a night of treatment, the last wisp of Jashin energy was extracted by Tsunade.
Tsunade let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her face. She was pale; having focused her attention for an entire day without daring to relax for a second, even she was struggling to hold up.
"Alright, next is proper recuperation. His body is too depleted; it's impossible to recover in a short time."
"That's great!"
Nao, who had been guarding by his side the whole time, smiled, but then her vision went black and she collapsed.
Shizune, seeing this, immediately caught her and gently laid her on the ground.
Tsunade, ignoring her own exhaustion, immediately went forward to examine her. She had been curious about the little girl before; that red hair reminded her of her grandmother.
"This child is suffering from long-term malnutrition and severe depletion, compounded by days of fatigue. She needs proper care."
As she spoke, she injected Chakra to repair her body. Before long, Nao's pale little face regained some color, and the three tooth marks on her hand healed visibly.
"Hey, Jiraiya, what's the deal with this little girl?" Tsunade stared at him intently.
"This child was found by the kid Yoru..." Jiraiya then recounted what he knew.
Hearing that she possessed Kagura Shingan and healing abilities, Tsunade affectionately stroked her hair. She was indeed from the Uzumaki Clan; these abilities were exactly the same as her grandmother's.
Over the next few days, Tsunade would occasionally nourish his soul, then take the funds she had extorted from Jiraiya and dive straight into the casinos.
"Ugh..."
Aoki Yoru woke up in a haze. A dull pain radiated from his chest, his entire body was weak and limp, and his throat was dry and burning.
He moved his fingers and realized he was still alive, though every inch of his muscles and bones was screaming with fatigue and soreness.
"Brother Yoru, are you awake? Do you want some water?" Nao, who had been nursing him by the bed, immediately ran to the head of the bed, pleasantly surprised.
"Hah... hah..."
Aoki Yoru's throat was burning dry; he could only squeeze out faint, raspy sounds, and every breath tugged at the dull pain in his chest.
"Wait right there." After saying that, Nao ran out with a pitter-patter.
Before long, Aoki Yoru felt a wave of warm Chakra surging in through his brow. His muscles and bones, previously so sore they felt like they might snap, were instantly soothed, and the dull pain in his chest receded like a tide.
Opening his heavy eyelids, he saw Tsunade standing to the side. Aoki Yoru pulled at his stiff lips, forcing a smile; he hadn't expected to survive such a desperate situation.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Aoki Yoru's voice was hoarse and heavy.
"Don't thank me yet; your condition is beyond my capabilities." Tsunade looked at him with a serious expression.
"Although I can heal your external injuries, your body is too severely depleted. The Jashin energy has almost drained your life force. If we don't find a way, you won't live much longer."
Hearing this, Aoki Yoru did not panic at all and said calmly, "I understand. Thank you for your trouble, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade looked at the calm Aoki Yoru, puzzled. Was he really not afraid of death?
Afterward, she stopped worrying about him and went straight to find Jiraiya; that guy should still have some savings, and she had to win it all back this time.
The reason Aoki Yoru wasn't panicked was that he knew there were ways to solve this; he knew of two: White Zetsu cells and extreme Yang-style Chakra.
Might Guy had opened all Eight Gates, draining his entire life force and turning into a lump of charcoal, yet extreme Yang-style Chakra was able to save him, let alone someone like him.
As for White Zetsu, they were life forms composed of Yang Release; while not comparable to Naruto's Six Paths-level Yang Release, they would surely be useful.
The next day.
Aoki Yoru sat at the head of the bed, holding a bowl of millet porridge; he was now able to move briefly.
"Bang..."
The door was shoved open roughly. Tsunade walked in looking dejected, while Shizune, following behind, looked utterly resigned to her fate.