The World of "Who's Worse" (Part 1)

In early December of the 46th year of Konoha, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's loss of control sparked significant controversy among the upper echelons, and the hardline faction began to rise once again.

Although the Anbu sealed the information immediately, "rumors" still emerged within the Jonin Division, thanks to the "help" of Danzo.

Perhaps due to a thirst for war, or perhaps because a Jinchuriki was seen as having no "human rights," the hardline faction—under the banner of "security"—once again proposed the idea of "weaponization."

Regarding this, the major ninja clans in the village remained silent as usual, and in the end, the turmoil was quelled by Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Two of the Sannin supported their teacher, the surveillance of Kushina was tightened once more, and developing a sealing technique superior to the Four-Symbols Seal became the village's top priority!

In the morning, at Konoha Hospital, Kushina visited Minato Namikaze under the supervision of an Anbu squad; the young girl, as always, threw herself into her sweetheart's arms early on.

"That hurts a little, Kushina!"

Minato Namikaze propped up his upper body on the hospital bed, looking at the girl on top of him, and complained with some embarrassment.

"Where does it hurt? Lady Tsunade told me you'd be able to be discharged the day after tomorrow..."

Kushina let out a soft cry, then began patting and poking at Minato, until both of them were blushing, and a "pink" atmosphere suddenly filled the room.

"It seems I've come at a bad time. Oh, a sudden spark of inspiration in my mind!"

"Using you two as prototypes, I shall attempt a poignant love story..."

Jiraiya appeared at the doorway, stroking his chin as he spoke, growing happier the more he thought about it; he seemed to be imagining some incredible content, and his smile gradually turned lecherous.

"Jiraiya! Don't stand there blocking my way!"

Tsunade retorted from behind and pushed Jiraiya aside. After entering the room, she sighed and looked at Minato, saying in a low voice:

"That was too dangerous! If not for your Four-Symbols Seal, this loss of control could have caused major trouble."

"However, this isn't entirely a bad thing. Sarutobi-sensei hopes you can perfect the sealing technique; don't let everyone down."

"As for the supervision, I'm afraid I have to trouble you, Minato. Kushina needs to reduce her outings, but you can visit her more often. I don't need to teach you how to do that, do I?"

Knowing that Kushina had previously tied up an Anbu to sneak out, Minato Namikaze had been worried; he was no fool, and he clearly understood that his sweetheart had caused a massive disaster.

Tsunade's announcement of the higher-ups' decision left Minato Namikaze overjoyed. He subconsciously gripped Kushina's soft hand and responded with a brilliant smile:

"I will do my best!"

"Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya-sensei, thank you for taking care of Kushina."

Seeing the smile on his disciple's face, Jiraiya couldn't help but think of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy; he felt that Minato, like Nagato, might be the Child of Prophecy destined to guide the world.

"Speaking of which, for your injuries, you should thank Shu for the surgery."

"It's truly impressive! His control over chakra might already surpass Tsunade's, and he has unique insights into physical revitalization."

"There isn't a single scar on your abdomen. Take off your shirt, and you're still the same handsome man you were before!"

Jiraiya's winking and nudging made Minato Namikaze offer an awkward smile. People had called him a sissy back in school, and being a "handsome man" was never his pursuit:

"I knew Shu was amazing. When I was his age, I couldn't compare to him at all."

"I really must thank him for his care."

Kushina blinked in her sweetheart's arms, recalling the scene that day; it was indeed Shu Furukawa who had led the majority of the surgery. Hearing Minato's modest statement, she immediately leaned into his ear and encouraged him:

"You were amazing when you were little, too!"

"How should we return the favor?"

The intimate posture of the two fed a mouthful of "dog food" to the "old folks." Tsunade curled her lip and waved them off as she left. Jiraiya, not wanting to be a third wheel, followed her, muttering:

"Tsunade, it's been a while since we had a drink together. Tonight..."

"I have plenty of work to do!"

Tsunade ignored Jiraiya behind her. Recently, Shu Furukawa had gone to Shikkotsu Forest to practice Sage Technique, and Katsuyu's state made her somewhat worried; she always felt that this Sage seemed a bit too enthusiastic.

In a massive fault cavern within Shikkotsu Forest, beneath the roots of the pale God Tree, the hundreds-of-meters-tall Katsuyu constantly swayed her tentacles. After splitting off a clone the size of a human, she asked curiously:

"Does Master Shu intend to devour this energy?"

"Revitalizing the God Tree isn't difficult for me, but these roots have been assimilated over such a long time that they are no longer the original God Tree."

"This is my first time converting Tailed Beast chakra. Fortunately, there isn't much energy, so I can help if any problems arise."

A white branch gradually appeared within Katsuyu's body. Unlike the roots above, which looked devoid of life, the revitalized branch was still growing slowly.

After Shu Furukawa took the branch, Katsuyu split off another palm-sized clone, which crawled onto his shoulder and continued in a soft, sweet voice:

"Master Shu's hypothesis should be correct. A complete God Tree can convert all energy, and the fragments retain the basic functions."

"It's just that converting energy isn't the 'original chakra' I mentioned."

"It doesn't matter. It has already verified the previous hypothesis quite well; the Tailed Beasts are indeed wondrous chakra energy bodies."

Shu Furukawa smiled in response while activating his [Collection] ability. Just as he had anticipated, a small cluster of red-glowing energy soon appeared in his hand.

In Katsuyu's vision and perception, the branch lost its vitality, and the small amount of converted Nine-Tails chakra vanished completely:

"Master Shu is truly just like me..."

Ignoring the happily squirming Katsuyu on his shoulder, Shu Furukawa channeled the energy in his hand into his body, then closed his eyes to carefully experience it.

"Interesting. Yin Release, representing spiritual power, creates form out of nothingness, while Yang Release, representing physical power, infuses that form with life energy."

"Yin-Yang Release is truly marvelous; to think that even Tailed Beasts can utilize this power."

The energy [Collection] had gathered contained very little information and served no special purpose; it simply allowed Shu Furukawa to better mobilize his spiritual power.

"Yin-Yang Release? It seems to be a technique developed by Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Only he knows exactly how to create Tailed Beasts; no one else can achieve it."

"Even Gamakichi, with his profound mastery of natural energy, cannot create life using techniques."

Shu Furukawa nodded, then formed the hand seals for the Spirit Transformation Technique. In an instant, his spiritual power transformed into a spirit body, appearing within the Strength of a Hundred Seal that had yet to fully form on his forehead.

Within the spiritual world, the accumulated Sage Chakra appeared as a mist, concentrated and sealed in one place by the technique's formula.

During his past training, he could not see the specific manifestation of the technique, but now, Shu Furukawa's spirit body could perceive how the sealing formula connected to his cells through the meridian system.

Different from the direction Tsunade had taken in her development, Shu Furukawa's body was absorbing Sage Chakra in reverse:

"The Strength of a Hundred Seal is more like an evolution of sealing techniques, independent of the body's meridian system and free from the limitations of the Eight Gates' chakra points."

At this moment, Shu Furukawa fully understood the formation of this technique. As he reached out to touch the misty Sage Chakra, he suddenly felt a small portion of his spirit body vanish:

"Interesting. Can Sage Chakra carry a spirit body or soul? Orochimaru is indeed planning to develop Living Corpse Reincarnation."

After dispelling the technique, Shu Furukawa opened his eyes, and Katsuyu on his shoulder asked curiously:

"Lord Shu, did you have any breakthroughs?"

"I have mastered the basics of the Spirit Transformation Technique, though I cannot yet detach my spirit body from my physical form. Katsuyu, let us attempt resonance."

As soon as Shu Furukawa finished speaking, he quickly formed hand seals. When his spirit body arrived once more at the site of the forming Strength of a Hundred Seal, it immediately triggered a violent fluctuation:

"You... how did you end up looking like this?"

Completely different from her external appearance, the resonating Katsuyu had used Tsunade as a template, transforming into a blonde, busty young woman.

"Does Lord Shu not like it? Humans should all like this kind of female, right!"

"..."