A Glimmer of Hope?

Yunju stopped trying to force himself back into his body.

He had tried too many times, and every time, he had been repelled.

That layer of faint black Yin Release energy grew thinner with each repeated collision, like cloth that had been kneaded over and over, its edges beginning to fray.

He stopped and calmed himself again, no longer wasting energy on futile efforts.

He began to think from a different angle: if Yin Release was spirit itself, then Yang Release was life itself.

He now possessed complete Yin, while his body possessed complete Yang, yet the two were separated.

Yin could not enter Yang, and Yang could not actively accept Yin.

Yunju continued thinking along that line.

He tried to recall everything Tsunade had taught him about chakra natures, those scattered fragments concerning Yin and Yang Release.

He began reasoning in reverse. If Yang Release represented vitality and the body, then its essence should be "the flow of living matter itself."

Just then, Shizune came to the charred body. He had received orders to remove the carbonized layer and, if Yunju was truly dead, give him a proper burial.

As Shizune approached the hospital bed, Yunju's consciousness stirred.

He heard no sound and saw no images, but he sensed a faint chakra disturbance approaching from above, like some living thing drawing close to the boundary of the space where he existed.

Then he sensed someone touching his body—not a touch on the level of consciousness, but a physical touch. He could feel it.

A faint, fleeting sensation came from the surface of his skin, as though something were peeling away the matter clinging to his body.

In that instant, he saw a vague aura seep in from the bedside, slowly flowing along the surface of his charred shell. It was the probing presence of chakra.

Shizune's hand paused.

What was revealed beneath the peeled-away charred shell was not dark, dead skin scabbed over from burns, but a thin layer of pale pink new skin, tender as though it had just grown in.

New tissue covered everything beneath the charred shell. When Shizune saw that pink skin, he froze as well. He set down the tweezers and hurried out of the ward.

"Holy shit! Lady Tsunade, come quickly!" Shizune blurted out.

Beneath the charred layer, Yunju's body was nearly fully healed. He had actually regrown complete skin and tissue!

Less than three minutes later, Tsunade pushed open the door and entered.

She crouched beside the bed and lightly touched the skin at the side of Yunju's neck.

She felt a faint pulse beneath his skin. It was not fast, slower than normal, but it was undeniably there—steady, like a circuit that had just been repaired and was reconnecting.

She checked the Yin Seal on his forehead again. The diamond-shaped mark was still there. Its color was lighter than before, but its outline remained clear.

"He's alive," Tsunade said. "His body is recovering, the Yin Seal is still functioning, and the Hundred Healings is continuously repairing his internal injuries. This is practically a miracle. This is wonderful—we haven't lost him."

She withdrew her hand and looked at Yunju's face, which still showed no expression at all.

"But his consciousness seems to be gone. After recovering this much, he should have woken up already, shouldn't he?"

Tsunade stood beside the bed for a long while before deciding to transfer Yunju to a quieter intensive care ward, right next to Asuma Sarutobi. Yes, Asuma had survived, but like Yunju, he remained unconscious.

This ward would reduce outside interference while providing more IV fluids and nutritional support.

If his body was recovering, then they had to ensure the environment was stable enough to give it the best conditions to heal itself.

After the other medical ninja took over, his body was moved into the new ward. IV lines were reconnected to the veins in his arms, and nutrient solution slowly flowed through transparent tubes into his body.

From Yunju's perspective, it was completely different.

A massive amount of fresh Yang Release energy began pouring into his body.

Yunju's drifting consciousness sensed the change.

He could feel his body growing stronger and fuller. The new skin and tissue were greedily absorbing nutrients, like land that had just been watered.

Golden Yang Release energy accelerated through his body, denser and clearer than before, like a cleared river channel filling his dried-out shell once more.

So this was Yang Release chakra!

Yunju hovered within that layer of faint black Yin Release energy and extended his consciousness toward his body.

This time, he did not try to touch it. He merely drew near and observed the paths of golden Yang Release energy flowing beneath the charred shell.

He saw the complete outline of Yang Release—it spread outward from the core of the body, unfolding layer by layer through the fibrous structures of blood vessels, nerves, and muscles, covering the bones, internal organs, and every inch of skin.

It did not actively seek the Yin Release drifting outside, because it could only sense and repair what was within the body.

He saw the full nature of Yang Release clearly: rooted in flesh and blood, governing vitality, regeneration, and the tangible body;

It could not perceive consciousness adrift outside the body, nor could it actively pull scattered spirit back within.

When faced with unceasing external damage, it could only passively expend its reserves to sustain itself;

Without conscious control, it would mechanically and tirelessly drain those reserves.

Yunju lowered his gaze at himself again—at this moment, he was a mass of pure Yin Release.

One black and one gold, one floating and one sinking. Two energies born from the same source, now completely severed and unable to mingle.

Yin Release was the spirit, Yang Release the body. Without Yang, Yin left the soul with nowhere to rest, destined to drift away; without Yin, Yang left the body without guidance, vainly exhausting its vitality.

All life in the world endured only through the interweaving and fusion of Yin and Yang Release. Through his unique state of being half-alive and half-dead, with Yin and Yang divided, he had seen clearly the abilities and limits of each.

He had also grasped a new possibility—if he continuously fused Yin Release and Yang Release chakra, he could gradually raise the upper limits of his chakra reserves and vitality, perhaps even directly increase his lifespan.

He named this technique Yang Release: Longevity Intent. Strictly speaking, it was Yin-Yang Release, but since Yang Release energy took the lead and its effect was tied to the dimension of life, Yunju called it Yang Release.

But using this ability offered him no immediate help, because his body and consciousness had yet to reunite.

He needed to return first before he could use any of it. But how could he return? He had not found the answer yet.

He drifted in midair and closed his eyes. Well, he had no eyes to close, but he made the motion of "closing his eyes."

That layer of faint black Yin Release energy flowed quietly around him.

Below, his body was still receiving IV fluids, and golden Yang Release continued circulating. It was like a half-open door, light spilling through the crack, yet he still could not reach the handle.

Still, perhaps it would not be long now?