"Lady Tsu... Lady Tsunade—"
Shizune's voice was trembling; she instinctively stepped in front of Tsunade, spreading her arms.
"Quickly, get back! That boy—he's an S-rank rogue ninja!"
"The one who destroyed the Hokage Rock, purged the higher-ups, and has a bounty of three hundred million ryo—the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Hearing Shizune's exclamation, Naruto slowly turned around.
The sky had already darkened, and the dim yellow streetlights fell upon his profile—half in light, half in shadow, like a demon.
He took off his sunglasses and tossed them aside casually.
Those deep blue eyes passed over the terrified Shizune and looked straight at Tsunade, a gentle smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade pushed aside Shizune, who was blocking her, and sized up the boy.
Blonde hair, blue eyes—he truly looked just like the Fourth Hokage who had sacrificed himself to protect the village.
But this aura—
Cold, deep, and filled with a total disregard for life.
It was completely different from Minato, who was as warm as the sun.
"Uzumaki Naruto—"
Tsunade said in a low voice, her fists tightening as chakra gathered within them.
"You turned Konoha upside down, and now you appear here—"
"What is your goal? If you don't make it clear—"
"Please don't adopt such a confrontational attitude."
Naruto spread his hands, his tone calm.
"I am carrying out a great undertaking, but I've encountered a small predicament in the process."
"Therefore, I need your wisdom, your skill."
"Ha!"
Tsunade let out a cold laugh, her gaze contemptuous.
"You think I would help a rogue ninja who destroyed the village?"
"Stop dreaming! I haven't fallen to that level yet!"
"Is that so?"
Naruto wasn't angry; he had clearly anticipated this answer.
"Then what if... it's for Kato Dan and Nawaki?"
Tsunade's pupils suddenly constricted.
"You—what did you say?"
Naruto pulled a scroll from his robes, containing information on the Edo Tensei.
But he didn't show it, merely playing with it in his hand.
"I know you've been running away."
"Hemophobia? Gambling? They're nothing more than cowardly ways for you to avoid facing reality."
"The Will of Fire couldn't save them, but I can."
Naruto looked directly into Tsunade's trembling eyes, his voice full of allure.
"The Edo Tensei in my hand can summon the two most important people in your life right now, letting them return to your side temporarily."
"But this isn't the end."
"As long as you join me and help me perfect the genetic technology—"
"When I cross that threshold, I will break the boundary of life and death and resurrect them completely."
"A true resurrection, with flesh and blood, able to cry and laugh!"
These words were like a thunderclap, violently tearing through the most fragile defenses in the depths of Tsunade's heart.
Complete resurrection—
Dan... Nawaki...
Tsunade's breathing became rapid, the determination in her eyes began to waver, and logic and emotion began to tear at each other violently.
Even though she knew this might be a lie or a trap—
The word "hope" was simply too tempting.
"Lady Tsunade! Don't listen to him!"
Beside her, Shizune was horrified to see Tsunade actually falling into hesitation.
She knew better than anyone that these two names were Lady Tsunade's forbidden zone and her greatest weakness.
"Wake up, Lady Tsunade! He's exploiting your pain!"
Shizune grit her teeth, a flash of resolve in her eyes.
If Lady Tsunade can't do it, then I will!
She immediately took a combat stance, firing several poison needles from the hidden mechanism on her arm, aiming straight for Naruto's vitals!
However, Naruto didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.
Clink, clank.
A few cold flashes of light streaked past.
Yakushi Kabuto, who had been standing behind Naruto, moved instantly, precisely knocking away all the poison needles.
"Interrupting the conversation of adults is quite impolite."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses and stood in front of Naruto with a smile.
"Get out of the way!"
Shizune was about to continue her attack.
A golden chain appeared abruptly, like a flexible giant python, instantly wrapping around her waist and violently pulling her in front of Naruto.
"Ugh—"
Shizune was lifted into the air, letting out a pained groan; her entire chakra was suppressed, leaving her unable to move.
"Shizune!"
Tsunade suddenly snapped back to her senses; seeing this, the confusion in her eyes instantly turned into rage.
"You bastard! Let her go!"
She was about to rush over, but was stopped dead in her tracks by a single sentence from Naruto.
"Don't move."
A chain instantly wrapped around Shizune's fragile neck.
It seemed that if Tsunade took one more step, that slender neck would be snapped.
"Since you're still hesitating and can't judge whether what I've said is true or false—"
"Then I'll give you a gift so you can verify it for yourself."
Another chain appeared behind Naruto, this one with a sharp tip like a scorpion's stinger, which instantly pierced the back of Shizune's neck.
Crack, crack, crack...!!
A shrill scream pierced the night sky.
A cursed seal appeared on the back of Shizune's neck.
This was a brand-new cursed seal that Naruto had created by combining his own cells, Senju Hashirama's cells, Jugo's cells, and the radiation of the Hōgyoku.
Without the power of the Hōgyoku, each of these three types of cells would have exploded like a bomb.
But under the Hōgyoku's miraculous power, they happened to fuse together, becoming a brand-new type of cell.
Black patterns instantly began to spread frantically from the back of Shizune's neck.
In the blink of an eye, they covered most of her body; at the same time, Shizune's body began to take on an unnatural dark red hue, and her skin began to slowly crack.
"What did you do to her?!"
Tsunade's eyes looked ready to burst with rage.
"Nothing much, just injected her with something precious, granting her the qualification to evolve—"
"If she can survive, that is."
Shizune was now slumped like a pile of mud, her body twitching and her skin becoming burning hot and red.
With a flick of his chain, Naruto tossed Shizune to Tsunade.
"This is the test I'm giving you."
"My cells are assimilating with her genes, but her body is too weak."
"If left alone, within an hour, she will turn into a pool of bloody water due to cellular collapse."
Naruto stood in the shadows, looking down at Tsunade, who was holding Shizune and trembling all over from hemophobia.
"I don't have time to indulge your sentimental psychological issues."
"Either heal her with the medical ninjutsu you're so proud of—in the process, you'll see for yourself that what I've said is no lie."
"Or watch her die in agony in your arms."
Naruto straightened his collar, turned, and walked into the darkness, with Kabuto following closely behind.
"By the way, a word of advice."
"Ordinary healing ninjutsu is useless. You must overcome that ridiculous hemophobia and perform deep cellular surgery."
"In three days, I'll come to hear your good news."
The two figures gradually vanished into the moonlight.
In the empty street, only Tsunade remained, holding the groaning Shizune and kneeling on the ground, trembling.
"Shizune... Shizune..."
Tsunade watched the black patterns spreading across Shizune's body and the beads of blood seeping from her cracked skin.
The bright red color stimulated her nerves, causing a wave of dizziness and nausea.
But—
If she did nothing, Shizune really would die.
"Damn... bastard!"
Tsunade let out an angry and desperate roar.
Finally, she grit her teeth, her hands glowing with green chakra as she tremblingly pressed them against Shizune's chest.