Mangekyo

"There is no need to be so angry; you should already have the means to undo it."

Danzo looked at Tsunade with indifference. "As long as you hand it over, undo her Cursed Seal right here, and describe your method of breaking it to me in detail, you will be allowed to leave safely."

Tsunade stared at him intensely. "And if I say no?"

Seeing the resolute expression on Tsunade's face, Danzo gave a contemptuous smile.

"You no longer have the strength to negotiate with me, Tsunade."

The Jonin beside him suddenly struck; accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, a Kunai grazed Shizune's face, and a trickle of blood instantly flowed down.

Seeing this, Tsunade's face gradually twisted.

Blood... Shizune... Dan!

Memories of that night uncontrollably flooded her mind: the hollowed-out organs, Dan's body gradually growing cold...

Tsunade fell to her knees, trembling.

"The current you... is just a useless person who can do nothing."

Danzo shook his head. "Begin. You are the granddaughter of the Professor; I do not wish to lay a hand on you."

"..."

Tsunade's eyes were hollow, her pupils completely unfocused.

Danzo frowned slightly and had a medical ninja treat Shizune, wiping the blood from her face.

Only then did a glimmer of life return to Tsunade's eyes.

She stared at Shizune and suddenly began to laugh in a low voice.

"I never thought I would see this day."

She took out a scroll, stood up, and walked to Shizune's side.

"This is my first time using it, and I don't know the consequences. You had better pray that nothing happens to Shizune!"

Watching the vial Tsunade produced and sensing the peculiar Sage Chakra contained within, Danzo's eyes glinted, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Rest assured, nothing will happen to her!"

As soon as he finished speaking, six masked Root ninja appeared around Tsunade; the pale green chakra gathering in their hands indicated that they were all medical ninja.

Moreover, as the greatest medical ninja, Tsunade could tell at a glance that these individuals were of top-tier quality.

Since when did the foundation of Root become so strong?

Puzzled, Tsunade began to inject the serum into Shizune.

As she injected it, she explained at Danzo's request:

"This is a serum developed from the cells of the Slug Sage. For that Sage, fission has become an instinct, and a serum developed from its cells can greatly increase the probability of fission."

"If the original A-rank Fission Technique was actually no less difficult than some S-rank ninjutsu, using this serum can lower it to B-rank, about the same as the Shadow Clone Technique."

Danzo said thoughtfully, "Is your method a Fission Technique? What are the flaws of the jutsu?"

"If it fails, you will lose half your strength instantly, or even die!"

Tsunade said coldly, "You have members of the Yamanaka Clan here, don't you? Have them take control of Shizune to perform the ninjutsu."

Danzo nodded to a figure, who immediately used Mind Transfer Jutsu to control Shizune, then followed Tsunade's instructions to perform the Fission Technique she had developed.

A Jonin behind Danzo stared intently at the scene. Seeing Shizune's body gradually split in two after performing the jutsu, and noting that one of the bodies lacked the Cursed Seal, a smile appeared on his lips, and his palm clenched in excitement.

He did not hide this, and Danzo noticed his reaction, feeling satisfied.

Hyuga Tokuma truly hated the Main Family and the Caged Bird; the darkness in his eyes was clear for all to see!

It was laughable that the Hyuga Main Family had failed to notice it.

Seeing that Shizune had successfully performed the Fission Technique, Tsunade breathed a secret sigh of relief.

This was developed from the Slug Sage's cells and contained Sage Chakra, making it of immense research value.

Furthermore, because she treated Katsuyu as an elder and a friend, she could not keep taking its cells to make this stuff, so the quantity was limited. She had only performed two live tests, and could not guarantee the success rate.

She had been truly worried that Shizune would fail.

Fortunately, everything was fine.

Thinking of this, Tsunade turned her gaze toward the Shizune bearing the Cursed Seal, her expression complex as she pressed a palm against her head.

Through Hyuga Tokuma's Byakugan, he saw that this strike directly extinguished the target's life force; due to the influence of the Cursed Seal, her eyes and nervous system were completely destroyed.

However... a surge of chakra returned to the other Shizune's body.

What was this?

Puzzled, Hyuga Tokuma stepped forward and told Danzo directly.

"My lord, when that body died, a surge of chakra returned to the other body."

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "What is that, Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked at Hyuga Tokuma, frowning at his keenness and his ability to detect that surge of chakra.

Which ninja clan is this from?

Thinking this over, Tsunade said indifferently, "The soul."

"The soul?"

"That's right. After the Fission Technique is cast, the soul is also split in two. If one body dies, the other body will reclaim that portion of the soul. It operates on a principle similar to how a Shadow Clone vanishes and feeds experience and memories back to the original body."

"From the Spirit Transformation Technique, we can discover that the essence of the soul is Chakra, which is why the ninja beside you was able to detect it."

"I see."

Danzo nodded in understanding. "Can the halved strength from the Fission Technique be restored?"

"It can."

Tsunade stated firmly, "When a ninja splits, the two bodies divide their strength equally, leaving them in a state where the soul is also halved. This has a massive impact on their power, to the point where they might not even be able to perform certain ninjutsu."

"However, if one fission body dies, the soul returns just as it did before. While the divided bodily energy cannot be reclaimed, it can be slowly restored through training, and naturally, their strength will recover as well."

The process of researching the Fission Technique also allowed Tsunade to learn something from Katsuyu: the creature's actual strength is far greater than that of some Tailed Beasts.

But splitting to the degree that she could be summoned severely diminished her power. If she could summon her true form completely, she could even suppress a Tailed Beast!

After all, if she were to split at the size of her true form, the sheer quantity would allow her to bury a Tailed Beast in acid alone...

Simply put, it wasn't that Katsuyu was weak; it was that she, Tsunade, wasn't strong enough!

And in reality... that was indeed the case.

Looking at Shizune, who was sleeping quietly in her arms, Tsunade's expression was complex, though she quickly regained her composure. She handed the Fission Technique and a scroll to Danzo and said coldly, "This is enough, isn't it?"

Danzo waved his hand, and the surrounding ninjas all retreated. Several of them left the Root headquarters entirely, clearing a path for Tsunade.

Tsunade didn't say a word as she hoisted Shizune onto her back and slowly walked toward the exit.

"Wait."

Just as Tsunade was about to reach the end of the corridor, Danzo said coldly, "Since Shizune has been branded with the Root Seal, she is a ninja of Root. I allowed you to leave, but I never said she could leave as well."

"If you want to take her with you, you can. Hand over the technique used to activate the Caged Bird seal of the Hyuga Branch Family!"

Tsunade's movements paused, and she lowered her head.

Her loose hair obscured her face, preventing the surrounding ninjas from seeing her expression.

Only Hyuga Tokuma noticed a faint surge of Chakra suddenly erupting within Tsunade's mind—a sign that a Genjutsu had been cast!

He had been keeping a close eye on Tsunade, and this incredibly faint Chakra didn't feel like it had just been cast; it felt as if it had been lurking in Tsunade's mind for some time.

Had she been placed under a Genjutsu before she even arrived? A Genjutsu that even fooled his Byakugan?

As he pondered this, he clearly felt a chill wash over him and whipped his head toward his side.

Another Jonin standing behind Danzo had eyes that had transformed into Sharingan behind his mask!

The Uchiha clan?

Root having an Uchiha—how could that be possible!

Had he joined Root from the beginning, or had he infiltrated it?

And in Hyuga Tokuma's disbelieving eyes, the Tomoe in the other man's eyes spun rapidly, shifting into a complex pattern...

The strange Chakra in Tsunade's mind surged instantly!

If there isn't a better name within a day, I'll change it tomorrow.