Mangekyo

"Don't be so angry. You should already know how to break it."

Danzo looked at Tsunade impassively. "Just hand it over, remove her Cursed Seal here, and explain your method to me in detail. Then you'll be able to leave safely."

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

Danzo looked at her resolute expression and gave a scornful laugh.

"You're in no position to bargain with me anymore, Tsunade."

The Jonin beside him suddenly struck. With a sharp whistle through the air, a Kunai grazed Shizune's face, and a thin line of blood trickled down at once.

Tsunade's expression twisted at the sight.

Blood... Shizune... Dan!

The memories of that night rose uncontrollably in her mind: the organs torn from Dan's body, his form gradually growing cold...

Tsunade trembled and sank to her knees.

"Right now... you're just a useless cripple who can't do anything."

Danzo shook his head. "Let's begin. You're the Hokage's granddaughter, and I don't want to hurt you."

"..."

Tsunade's gaze was vacant, her eyes completely unfocused.

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

Only then did Tsunade's eyes regain some of their light.

She stared at Shizune and suddenly laughed under her breath.

"I never thought I'd see the day."

She took out a scroll and rose, walking over to Shizune.

"This is my first time using it, and I don't know what will happen. You'd better pray nothing happens to Shizune!"

As Danzo watched Tsunade take out the potion and sensed the strange Chakra within it, a glint appeared in his eyes and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to her!"

As soon as he finished speaking, six Root shinobi wearing masks appeared around Tsunade. The pale green Chakra gathering in their hands revealed that they were all medical ninjas.

And as the greatest medical ninja, Tsunade could tell at a glance that they were all top-notch.

Since when had Root's reserves become so formidable?

Puzzled, Tsunade began injecting the potion into Shizune.

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

"This potion was developed using the Slug Sage's cells. Splitting has become instinctive for that sage, and a potion developed from its cells can greatly increase the chance of Fission."

"The original A-rank Fission Technique was actually no easier than some S-rank ninjutsu. With this potion, its difficulty can be lowered to B-rank, about the same as the Shadow Clone Technique."

Danzo mused, "Is your method the Fission Technique? What are its drawbacks?"

"If it fails, the user immediately loses half their strength, or even dies!"

Tsunade said coldly, "You have someone from the Yamanaka Clan here, don't you? Have him control Shizune and perform the jutsu."

Danzo nodded toward a figure. The man immediately used the Mind Body Switch Technique to take control of Shizune, then followed Tsunade's instructions and performed the Fission Technique she had developed.

A Jonin behind Danzo watched intently. When Shizune's body gradually split in two after performing the jutsu, and one of the bodies was free of the Cursed Seal, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He clenched his fist with excitement.

He made no attempt to hide it. Danzo noticed his reaction too and was pleased.

Hyuga Tokuma truly hated the Main Branch and the Caged Bird. Danzo could see the darkness in his eyes clearly!

It was laughable that the Hyuga Main Family hadn't noticed.

Once she confirmed that Shizune had successfully performed the Fission Technique, Tsunade secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been developed from the Slug Sage's cells and contained Senjutsu Chakra, making it immensely valuable for research.

She also regarded Katsuyu as an elder and a friend, so she couldn't keep taking its cells to make this potion. Supplies were limited, and she had only conducted two live trials, so she couldn't guarantee it would work.

She had truly been worried Shizune might fail.

Thankfully, everything had gone well.

At that thought, Tsunade looked at the Shizune who still bore the Cursed Seal, her expression conflicted. She pressed a palm to the girl's head.

In Hyuga Tokuma's Byakugan, that palm had directly taken the other body's life. The Cursed Seal had destroyed its eyes and nervous tissue.

But... a stream of Chakra returned to Shizune's other body.

What was that?

Puzzled, Hyuga Tokuma stepped forward and informed Danzo.

"Sir, when that body died, a stream of Chakra returned to the other one."

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

Tsunade looked at Hyuga Tokuma, frowning at his perceptiveness and his ability to detect that stream of Chakra.

Which ninja clan was he from?

Thinking this, Tsunade replied blandly, "The soul."

"The soul?"

"That's right. When the Fission Technique is performed, the soul splits in two as well. But if one body dies, the other reclaims that part of the soul. It's similar to how a Shadow Clone's memories and experience return to the original when it disappears."

"You can tell from the Spirit Transformation Technique that the soul is essentially Chakra. That's why the ninja beside you was able to detect it."

"I see."

Danzo nodded in understanding. "Can the loss of half one's strength from the Fission Technique be reversed?"

"Yes."

Tsunade answered with certainty, "When a ninja splits, the two bodies divide their strength equally, and the soul is divided between them too. This greatly affects their strength and can even prevent them from using certain jutsu."

"But if one of the bodies dies, the soul returns as it did just now. The energy divided between the bodies doesn't return, but it can be gradually restored through training, and their strength will recover along with it."

Researching the Fission Technique had also taught Tsunade something from Katsuyu: its strength was actually far greater than that of some Tailed Beasts.

But splitting itself enough to be summoned by her severely reduced its strength. If she could summon its entire body, it could even suppress a Tailed Beast!

After all, if it split at its full size, there would be so many pieces that it could bury a Tailed Beast in its acidic secretions alone...

Simply put, Katsuyu wasn't weak. Tsunade just wasn't strong enough!

And the truth... was exactly that.

Looking at the quietly sleeping Shizune in her arms, Tsunade wore a conflicted expression. She soon regained her composure, handed the Fission Technique and a scroll to Danzo, and said coldly, "Now can I go?"

Danzo waved his hand. The shinobi around them all stepped aside, and several even left Root altogether, clearing a path for Tsunade.

Without a word, Tsunade carried Shizune on her back and slowly headed for the exit.

"Wait."

Just as Tsunade was about to reach the end of the passage, Danzo said coldly, "Since Shizune has been branded with the Root Seal, she's a Root shinobi. I said I'd let you leave, but I never said she could leave too."

"If you want to take her with you, fine. Hand over the jutsu that activates the Caged Bird on the Hyuga Branch Family!"

Tsunade stopped. Her head lowered.

Her loose hair hid her face, keeping the shinobi around her from seeing her expression.

Only Hyuga Tokuma noticed a faint trace of Chakra suddenly appear in Tsunade's mind. It was a sign that she had been placed under Genjutsu!

He had been watching Tsunade all along. This faint Chakra didn't seem like something that had just been used on her. It seemed more like it had been lurking in her mind already.

Had she been placed under Genjutsu before she arrived? Genjutsu that had even fooled the Byakugan?

As he pondered this, he clearly felt a chill sweep over him. He whipped around to look beside him.

The eyes of another Jonin behind Danzo had become Sharingan!

Someone from the Uchiha Clan?

How could there be an Uchiha in Root?

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

As Hyuga Tokuma stared in disbelief, the Tomoe in the man's eyes spun rapidly, shifting into a complex pattern...

The strange Chakra in Tsunade's mind surged instantly!