Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 37: The Mangekyō

"You don't need to get so worked up. You should already have the means to undo it," Danzo said coolly, his single visible eye fixed on Tsunade.

"All you need to do is hand it over, undo her seal right here, and explain your method in detail. Then, you're free to leave unharmed."

Tsunade glared at him, her voice seething with anger. "And if I say no?"

Danzo, unfazed by her defiance, chuckled disdainfully.

"You're not in a position to negotiate with me, Tsunade."

The jonin at his side suddenly made his move. A kunai sliced across Shizune's cheek, leaving a thin line of blood trickling down.

Seeing this, Tsunade's expression twisted.

Blood… Shizune… Dan…

Unbidden, that night's haunting memory flooded her mind—the gaping wound, Dan's cooling body, the life slipping away in her arms.

Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the floor, trembling.

"The current you… is nothing but a useless shell."

Danzo shook his head in mock pity. "You're the granddaughter of the First Hokage. I don't wish to harm you. Let's not make this difficult."

Tsunade's eyes glazed over, empty and devoid of focus.

Frowning slightly, Danzo motioned for one of his medics to tend to Shizune, wiping the blood from her face.

It was only then that Tsunade's vacant gaze regained some clarity.

Fixing her eyes on Shizune, she suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

"I never thought it'd come to this."

She took out a scroll and stood, walking over to Shizune's side.

"This will be my first time using it. I don't know what might happen. You'd better hope nothing goes wrong for Shizune!"

Danzo's eyes gleamed with interest as he observed the vial of medicine Tsunade retrieved. He could sense the unique chakra emanating from it. A faint smile crept across his lips.

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

The moment the words left his mouth, six masked Root operatives appeared around Tsunade, their hands glowing with faint green chakra, marking them as medical-nin.

Tsunade's sharp eye immediately recognized their high level of skill, leaving her puzzled.

When did Root accumulate such a strong medical team?

Despite her confusion, Tsunade began administering the drug to Shizune while explaining its details as Danzo had demanded.

"This is a serum developed using cells from the Slug Sage. For that sage, splitting itself is instinctual. Using its cells, I was able to significantly increase the success rate of the Splitting Technique."

"If the original A-rank version of the technique was as difficult as some S-rank jutsu, then this serum lowers the difficulty to B-rank, roughly on par with the Shadow Clone Technique."

Danzo's expression remained unreadable as he probed further. "So your method revolves around the Splitting Technique? What are its drawbacks?"

"If the technique fails, it will result in an immediate loss of half your strength—or even death!"

Tsunade's tone was icy as she added, "You have Yamanaka in your ranks, don't you? Let them control Shizune to execute the jutsu."

Danzo nodded, signaling to a Yamanaka operative. The ninja immediately performed the Mind Body Switch Jutsu to take control of Shizune. Under Tsunade's guidance, Shizune, now under Yamanaka control, executed the Splitting Technique.

From the shadows, one of Danzo's senior subordinates watched intently. As Shizune's body slowly split into two, with one of the resulting forms lacking the curse seal, the man's lips curled into a satisfied smile, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.

His reaction didn't go unnoticed by Danzo, who observed the display with approval.

Hyuga Tokuma indeed harbors deep hatred for the main branch and the Caged Bird Seal. The darkness in his heart is as clear as day to me.

How laughable that the Hyuga clan's elders failed to notice.

Once it was confirmed that Shizune had successfully performed the Splitting Technique, Tsunade quietly exhaled in relief.

The serum, derived from the Slug Sage's cells and infused with senjutsu chakra, held immense research value. However, its production was limited, as Tsunade viewed the Slug Sage as a mentor and friend, making her reluctant to continually harvest its cells.

With only two prior live trials conducted, the success rate wasn't guaranteed.

She had been deeply worried about Shizune failing.

Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly.

With a complex expression, Tsunade turned her attention to the version of Shizune still bearing the curse seal. Her hand suddenly struck the woman's head with a resounding impact.

Using his Byakugan, Tokuma observed the effects of Tsunade's strike. The cursed Shizune's vital force was completely extinguished, her eyes and neural system utterly destroyed by the seal's influence.

Yet, something peculiar happened. A surge of chakra flowed back into the other Shizune's body.

What was that?

Startled, Tokuma stepped forward and relayed his observations to Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, when that body died, a surge of chakra returned to the other one."

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

Noticing Tokuma's keen perception, Tsunade frowned slightly. Which clan is he from?

Her voice was calm as she explained, "It's the soul."

"The soul?"

"Yes. When the Splitting Technique is performed, the soul is also divided. But when one body dies, the remaining body reabsorbs the soul fragment. It's similar to how Shadow Clones transmit experience and memories back to the user upon dispersal."

"And like the Spirit Transformation Technique demonstrates, the soul's essence is chakra. That's likely why the ninja next to you could detect it."

"I see."

Danzo nodded thoughtfully. "Can the strength lost due to splitting be regained?"

"It can."

Tsunade's tone was firm. "The divided bodies will share physical energy and chakra evenly, along with a portion of the soul. This drastically weakens their capabilities, rendering some jutsu unusable."

"However, if one body dies, the remaining body absorbs the soul fragment, while physical energy does not return. Over time, the lost strength can be restored through training."

Researching the Splitting Technique had taught Tsunade much about the Slug Sage. She now knew that its true power far surpassed that of most tailed beasts.

When the Slug Sage split itself into smaller parts for summoning, it drastically reduced its strength. If its main body were summoned, it could even suppress tailed beasts.

After all, if it divided itself based on its original size, the resulting mass of acidic slime alone could drown a tailed beast.

In essence, the Slug Sage wasn't weak—Tsunade simply wasn't strong enough to summon its full power.

As Tsunade cradled the now-sleeping Shizune, her expression grew complicated.

After handing over the scroll and a written record of the Splitting Technique, she fixed Danzo with a frosty glare.

"Are we done here?"

Danzo waved dismissively, signaling his operatives to stand down. Some even left the Root base entirely, creating a path for Tsunade to exit.

Without a word, Tsunade carried Shizune toward the exit.

"Wait."

Just as she reached the corridor's end, Danzo's cold voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Shizune now bears the Root seal, making her one of my subordinates. I allowed you to leave, but I never said anything about her."

"If you want to take her with you, fine. Hand over the jutsu that controls the Caged Bird Seal."

Tsunade froze. Her head drooped, and her hair fell over her face, obscuring her expression.

Only Tokuma, with his Byakugan, noticed the faint trace of foreign chakra stirring in her mind—a clear sign of genjutsu.

He realized with a jolt that the chakra had been planted earlier. This wasn't something that had just happened—it had been lying dormant, waiting.

Before he could voice his concerns, a chilling presence drew his attention.

He turned abruptly to see one of Danzo's senior operatives, his Sharingan spinning wildly before shifting into the intricate pattern of a Mangekyō Sharingan.

In an instant, the dormant chakra in Tsunade's mind surged violently.

(End of Chapter)

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