In a tavern on Tanzaku Street.
Tsunade downed her drink in one swift motion, a faint smile gracing her lips as she looked at Kai. "Alright, kid, spill it. What brings you to me?"
"Well, Tsunade-nee, I just wanted to check in on you," Kai replied, scratching his head sheepishly.
Tsunade said nothing, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she continued to watch Kai.
Before long, Kai caved under her gaze, pulling out a scroll and placing it on the table. "Fine, Tsunade-nee, you got me. I do have something I need your help with. It's about the Self-Reincarnation Technique."
"The Self-Reincarnation Technique?"
Tsunade's expression grew serious. As the most accomplished medical ninja, she could infer a lot from just the name of the technique.
She unfurled the scroll and began to study its contents. Her initial seriousness soon turned to shock, and it took her a long moment to process what she was reading. Finally, she looked up at Kai and asked in a measured tone, "Who developed this technique?"
"Chiyo-baasama," Kai replied.
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Chiyo-baasama? That fiery old woman? How in the world did you get your hands on one of her secret techniques?"
"I used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence in Sunagakure, beat the Fourth Kazekage half to death, destroyed the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, and then struck a deal with Chiyo-baasama to exchange this technique," Kai said nonchalantly.
Each of Kai's words struck Tsunade like a hammer. She stared at him as if he were a monster, taking a while to find her voice. "This is an absolute forbidden jutsu. If it's used on the living, it merely consumes a large amount of life force. But if it's used on the dead, the user's life force will be entirely transferred into the deceased's body to revive their soul. The process is irreversible and cannot be interrupted. Why on earth do you want to learn this technique?"
Her brows furrowed as she fixed Kai with a stern look. Tsunade had no intention of letting him learn such a dangerous jutsu.
Kai chuckled. "Well, Tsunade-nee, you know I can use Wood Release, right?"
"Yes," Tsunade nodded, her tone acknowledging. "Kid, you really are a genius. Not only did you combine Earth Release and Fire Release to create Lava Release, but you also fused Water Release and Earth Release to develop Wood Release. Impressive."
Kai scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Well, recently, I accidentally developed Yang Release too."
"Yang Release? That's quite—" Tsunade suddenly froze, realizing what he had just said. "Wait, you're saying you've developed Yang Release!?"
As one of the last surviving members of the Senju clan, Tsunade didn't fully understand the intricacies of Yang Release, but she had gleaned some knowledge from the notes left behind by her grandfather, Hashirama Senju. Those notes hinted at why his Wood Release was so formidable—Yang Release was the key.
"What exactly is Yang Release!?" Tsunade demanded.
Although her grandfather's notes mentioned it, they didn't go into detail. All she knew was that Yang Release amplified the power of Wood Release.
Kai didn't respond immediately. Instead, he extended both hands, and two saplings sprouted from his palms. Though identical in appearance, the two saplings exuded completely different auras—one radiated vibrant life, while the other felt like a withered husk.
Staring at the saplings in Kai's hands, Tsunade took a long moment to process before murmuring in disbelief, "Could it be that Yang Release is life force itself?"
Kai nodded at first but then shook his head. "It's not that simple. Yang Release is fundamentally different from other nature transformations. It has no inherent destructive power. Instead, it's a method of imbuing form with life force."
Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. It made sense. Given her grandfather's personality, it would indeed be difficult for him to articulate such concepts clearly.
"So, because of your Yang Release, you now possess an extraordinary amount of life force?" Tsunade asked.
"Exactly," Kai confirmed. "At least a hundred times more than the average person."
"A hundred times! That much?" Tsunade's eyes widened. "In that case, it might be worth experimenting with this technique. I'll start researching it. But listen, Kai, regardless of whether we can refine the Self-Reincarnation Technique into an ideal state, you won't be able to use it without mastering medical ninjutsu. Starting today, you'll train under me in medical ninjutsu."
Kai's eyes lit up at her words, and he quickly agreed, "Of course, no problem." He had always been interested in medical ninjutsu but had never had the opportunity to learn it before.
"Truly a genius. In just three months, you've completely mastered the Mystical Palm Technique. In terms of medical ninjutsu, there are fewer than twenty people in the entire ninja world who can surpass you," Tsunade said, marveling at the soft green glow emanating from Kai's palms.
Kai smiled but said nothing.
"Alright, as for the Self-Reincarnation Technique, I've developed a preliminary prototype. The issue of the process being irreversible has been resolved. However, each use still requires at least three people's worth of life force. In other words, aside from you, there's no one in the ninja world who could use this jutsu without dying."
Tsunade sighed, clearly frustrated. As one of the researchers, it irked her that she couldn't even meet the requirements to use the technique herself.
Kai took the scroll from Tsunade and opened it. Seeing her meticulous annotations, he couldn't help but feel touched. With this jutsu, the lives of those he cherished would be safeguarded to some extent.
Looking up at Tsunade, who appeared exhausted, Kai felt a surge of emotion. Over the past three months, she had worked tirelessly on the Self-Reincarnation Technique. If he claimed to feel nothing for her, even he wouldn't believe it.
Suddenly, Kai formed a series of hand seals. A surge of life force erupted from him, flowing into Tsunade's body through his hands.
"Kai, you—" Tsunade exclaimed, alarmed. She hadn't expected him to recklessly use the Self-Reincarnation Technique. But it was already too late to stop him, so she could only accept his gift.
As she gazed at Kai's serious expression, Tsunade's heart softened. The images of two figures that had long occupied her mind began to fade, replaced by the sight of Kai.
After several minutes, Kai finally withdrew his hands, panting heavily. His face was pale; even for him, expending three people's worth of life force was no small feat.
"Kai, are you alright?" Tsunade asked, her voice filled with concern.
Kai shook his head. "I'm fine. I just need a few days to recover." Thanks to his perfect Sage Body, it wouldn't take long for him to replenish the lost life force.
"With this additional life force, Tsunade-nee, you'll be able to stay young for decades without relying on the Yin Seal," Kai said with a smile.
After a moment of silence, Tsunade looked at him and suddenly spoke, "Kai, you can use Wood Release, right?"
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