Cells Ravaged by Long-Term Overdraft

Time flew by, and before long, afternoon approached. After a simple lunch, Tsunade and Orochimaru arrived together!

Katsuo found a clean, large cloth mat and spread it over the lawn. Then he brought out a small tea table and enthusiastically brewed some tea!

Though his camp was crude and messy, his living supplies were quite complete.

Serving tea to guests was a social custom his parents had taught him in his previous life. He kept these tea sets specifically for entertaining visitors. Sometimes, he would also have a few pots with Old Duy, chat for a while, and take the opportunity to ask about Konoha's recent situation and the latest news from the ninja world!

"Sister Tsunade, Uncle Snake, have a seat!"

Katsuo sat cross-legged before the tea table and raised a hand to gesture for them to sit.

The two exchanged curious glances, then both sat in seiza across from Katsuo!

"Katsuo, you truly are an unusual man. Your sitting posture... your thoughts, every move you make—none of it seems related to a nine-year-old child at all..."

Orochimaru said with a hoarse laugh.

"Uncle Snake, your curiosity has always been so strong..."

Orochimaru looked surprised at that.

"Katsuo, you seem to know me very well!"

"Ah... I know a little. In other people's eyes, aren't you also someone quite unusual, Uncle Snake?"

"Hehe, but you're even more withdrawn than I am, even stranger!" Orochimaru said with a grin.

Katsuo merely smiled without answering. His hands never stopped moving, and before long, tea had been brewed in three small cups. He placed them separately before the two of them.

"Is there some particular significance to drinking tea this way?"

Orochimaru could not help asking. Watching Katsuo's various movements as he prepared the tea, he somehow felt an unfathomable profundity to them!

"Of course!"

"This is the Tea Ceremony, said to have been created by ancient sages!"

"Mortals understand only its form, not its spirit. The sages call it the Tea Ceremony, while mortals merely know how to pour tea..."

"I, in the end, am only a mortal!"

Orochimaru was utterly confused. Though he had no idea what Katsuo was talking about, it somehow felt really impressive!

"Katsuo, have you met sages before?"

After his sigh, Orochimaru suddenly asked as if possessed.

"Hehe, hasn't Uncle Snake met them before?"

Katsuo smiled mysteriously on purpose. He felt that dealing with Orochimaru with an inscrutable image would let him take the initiative in many matters.

"!"

Orochimaru's smile vanished. His snake-like pupils constricted as he stared fixedly at Katsuo!

Orochimaru truly had met them... He had been to Ryūchi Cave and met the Snake Sage. But how did Katsuo know about something like that?

Ignoring Orochimaru's strange expression, Katsuo looked toward Tsunade, who had been distracted the entire time.

"Sister Tsunade, the tea is getting cold."

Tsunade snapped out of it at his words, picked up the tea cup, and drained it in one gulp. Then she looked at Katsuo with a complicated expression.

Katsuo met her gaze, then lifted the kettle and brewed another three cups of tea.

"Sister Tsunade, Uncle Snake, I assume you've found the problem with my body?"

"..."

Orochimaru leisurely raised his tea cup, while Tsunade remained silent.

"You can just tell me directly..."

Katsuo sensed that something was wrong. Panic rose in his heart, but he still forced himself to appear calm.

"I'll say it!"

Orochimaru said. Tsunade turned her head away.

"Katsuo, I'm afraid you won't be able to undergo high-intensity training ever again!"

"Hm?" Katsuo's eyelid twitched, and he stopped drinking his tea.

"I found that the rate of limited cell division in your skin, flesh, and blood-forming cells is far higher than that of ordinary people... In other words, the faster your cells divide, the shorter your potential and lifespan become!"

Crack!

The tea cup in Katsuo's hand shattered into several pieces. Orochimaru's words had stunned him!

"Your body is very unusual. On the surface, it appears healthy and powerful, but internally, it has already begun to decline. Considering your current age, this is an extremely unbelievable and abnormal condition!"

"As for why such changes occurred... combined with the unusual scent on your body, I suspect you excessively used some kind of medicine, causing your body to be overdrawn!"

"!!!"

Katsuo trembled at those words. Old Duy's warning immediately resurfaced in his mind:

'Body Tempering Elixir isn't a miracle medicine. You can't rely on it too heavily, much less use it without limit. In body tempering, doing your best is enough. It's good to occasionally surpass your limits, but you can't do it all the time, day after day, night after night... Remember, balancing work and rest is the most suitable training method for someone your age!'

Katsuo's face turned pale. He took out a little less than half a bottle of Body Tempering Elixir from his pocket and handed it to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru accepted it, unscrewed the cap, and smelled the medicinal wine before passing it to Tsunade.

Tsunade repeated the same actions, but her expression was puzzled.

"This smell feels familiar. I think I've smelled it somewhere before!"

"Hehe! Watermelon head, thick eyebrows..."

Orochimaru gave a malicious hint.

"Oh! Right! It's him! His name is Might Duy, isn't it?"

Tsunade said in surprise.

"This medicinal wine was given to you by him? It's for body tempering, right, Katsuo?" Orochimaru asked.

Katsuo silently nodded.

"No wonder! I was wondering why nothing had happened to you despite training like that every day. So you were using this medicinal wine!"

Tsunade could not help sighing. She and Orochimaru both seemed to know of this medicine!

"You know about this medicinal wine?"

"We know a little... This is the exclusive secret formula of Might Duy's family. I once studied and analyzed this medicinal wine myself, but unfortunately, I could only identify its general ingredients and had no idea of the exact proportions..."

Orochimaru said with a smile.

"Konoha has records of this Body Tempering Elixir. It has excellent blood-circulating effects and comes with powerful restorative properties. However, its only side effect is that its effects are too potent... It can easily overdraw blood-forming cells. It is indeed excellent for body tempering or bruises and injuries over a short period, but long-term use accelerates aging and drastically increases the number of cell divisions!"

"Human cells can only divide a limited number of times. If they are accelerated over a long period, one's lifespan will naturally be greatly reduced. This is equivalent to drawing upon one's potential in advance... You see Might Duy every day, but you should know that he is only twenty this year..."

Tsunade said, rubbing her forehead.

Might Duy was only twenty years old, yet he looked to be in his thirties. That was the result of long-term use of this Body Tempering Elixir!

"!!!"

Katsuo was utterly shocked by this!

I fucking forgot to ask about that! I swear to heaven, I only just found out Old Duy's age!

Having trained like a madman every day, Katsuo had not only failed to learn Old Duy's age—he had even overlooked his own. He could not even remember whether he was eight, nine, or ten years old???

Moreover, when he looked at Old Duy, he always carried over impressions from his previous life. Might Duy in his previous-life memories had looked quite old, so he had never found anything unusual about it. But thinking carefully now... Might Guy seemed not to have even been born yet, while Old Duy already looked like a middle-aged man!

It seemed Old Duy had soaked in plenty of that medicinal wine himself!

Because Katsuo had provided the funds, he looked even older than in the Original Work... Of course, he was also stronger than in the Original Work at this point!

I can't let Brother Dai keep using this kind of medicine that overdrafts his potential!

Katsuo thought to himself.

What had happened had already happened. Katsuo had no intention of blaming Might Duy. He only regretted not listening to Old Duy's warnings!

Katsuo gritted his teeth and asked:

"Is there any way to treat it?"

Orochimaru and Tsunade fell silent for a moment, then shook their heads at the same time.

"!!!"

Katsuo closed his eyes in despair!

"For now, you must immediately stop high-intensity training and stop using this medicinal wine!" Tsunade gave her recommendation.

"Katsuo, you needn't be too disheartened either. The human body itself has very powerful healing abilities. Although you have overdrawn your potential and shortened your lifespan... you are still young, and your body still has room to grow. As long as you no longer engage in high-load training and combat that surpass your limits, there is still a chance for your condition to improve, and there may even be a slight possibility of becoming stronger!"

"So that means my physique can no longer improve, right?" Katsuo asked unwillingly, his expression grim.

"I understand!"

When Orochimaru nodded, Katsuo gave a miserable laugh.

No matter the world, the body was the most fundamental source of strength!

Without a good body, there was no vessel capable of carrying power. His current body was like a water vat riddled with holes, unable to hold much water at all!

I'm afraid there's no going back in this life!

At that thought, his heart turned to ashes. Then, numbly, he collapsed straight onto the ground. He paid no mind to the two people present. His utterly dejected, undignified appearance made Tsunade and Orochimaru both feel pity and regret!

During that time, he seemed to hear Tsunade say many things to him and offer much comfort, but Katsuo's head was muddled and his ears rang. He could not hear what she was saying at all.

Orochimaru stopped Tsunade, who was beginning to get angry.

"Let him have some time alone!"

After saying that, he stood and left. Tsunade sighed and followed after him, leaving only the boy with hollow eyes, lying there like a corpse!