Shiki gripped Tsunade's hand, his eyes flashing with a sudden sharpness.
Tsunade was slightly taken aback. She could see that Shiki Uzumaki wasn't afraid of death. Yet that look in his eyes reminded her of the moment Dan died.
Dan Kato—her lover—had asked her as he lay dying, "Tsunade, am I going to die?"
Though he tried to remain calm, she could still sense his unwillingness.
Just like this child before her now—he couldn't die. He still had too much weighing on him, too many burdens to carry.
She had told Dan, "No. The bleeding has stopped. You won't die."
But Dan still died.
Looking at the silent Tsunade, Shiki suddenly understood something.
Then he sat up, his eyes showing a hint of gloominess.
"If I must die, then end this treatment right here. I can't die—not yet. Even though it frustrates me, I believe there will be other ways in the future to heal my injuries. So—I give up."
A sudden jolt pierced through Tsunade's chest. Was this child actually giving up?
This child who had been so resolute just moments ago.
And looking at the boy's injuries, they were clearly caused by severe chakra exhaustion.
Most likely, even when he used that chakra earlier, he had already accepted the possibility of death.
At what point did this child begin carrying such a willingness to die?
Tsunade seemed to recall something—but kept it to herself.
"Is it really over like this?" Shizune exclaimed in disbelief, spreading her hands helplessly. "Surely this can't be such a terrible ending?"
Now, even she could see it in Shiki Uzumaki's eyes.
If things ended this way, even she would feel bitter about it.
Tsunade first smirked faintly at the corner of her lips, then spoke again with a stern tone, "Kid, if anyone else said these words, I'd tell you to give up immediately. But if your will is strong enough, you can endure. Because you are a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan."
"I can endure," Shiki murmured, slightly puzzled. Tsunade's words implied that as long as his willpower was firm, he wouldn't have to face the risk of death.
"Although I was still young back then and didn't know much about the Uzumaki Clan, one thing I do know is their core ability—their vitality is so immense that death itself hesitates to claim them."
Shiki nodded. "Then let willpower be my weapon. Bring it."
Lying back down on the bed once more, perhaps because of the proximity, he could faintly smell some feminine body fragrance.
Yet he paid no attention to these distractions. His entire focus had already been directed toward the upcoming battle.
The battle against pain.
[Yin Seal: Release]
[Creation Rebirth Jutsu]
Tsunade's hands moved quickly through hand seals, nearly impossible to follow. Even though she had seemed to abandon her skills for all these years,
yet the moment she picked up these techniques again, they remained breathtakingly exquisite.
Tsunade slammed her hand onto Shiki's body, making the bed shake beneath him.
Shiki's eyes widened as he braced himself for the pain about to come.
"Now," she said in a commanding tone, "I'll destroy your damaged meridians one by one. My Creation Rebirth technique will restore them to normal."
Shiki tensed his face, ready to obey her instructions precisely.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune shouted in shock. She never imagined Tsunade would take such an approach.
She had thought Tsunade only wanted to heal Uzumaki Shiki—not force him to destroy his own meridians.
"Shizune, that's exactly why I didn't tell you beforehand," Tsunade replied calmly. "If I had, you'd definitely try to stop this treatment. But that boy's meridian injuries have become old wounds. If we don't thoroughly remove the decayed parts, they'll cause serious aftereffects later. Even if healed, there would always be the danger of collapse. We must break it down before rebuilding."
Tsunade looked at Uzumaki Shiki. With the Yin Seal released, dark markings ran from her forehead down to her cheeks.
Yet those mystical patterns made her look even more imposing.
While speaking to Shizune, Tsunade kept her eyes fixed on Uzumaki Shiki. Once the treatment started, she couldn't afford distractions.
Her hands pressed firmly on Shiki's lower abdomen, channeling massive amounts of chakra into him. The energy triggered intense cell regeneration throughout his body.
Under this state, his cellular activity could rival even that of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
But Hashirama's cells were naturally powerful—his regenerative ability didn't require hand seals.
As for Shiki, he felt the changes within his body. His meridians, too, were rapidly regenerating.
It felt like they were coming back to life.
But Shiki knew better. This healing itself would become the greatest obstacle to improving his strength if left intact. It would remain a hidden injury.
Only by completely removing the entire meridian system could one truly possess flawless meridians.
What should he do?
Shiki smiled. He had already made up his mind.
His chakra surged again, violently rushing through meridians that hadn't moved in years.
He seemed to hear the meridians exploding. Then came a wave of unbearable pain—as if being hollowed out from within or swallowing molten lava.
[Perfect!] Tsunade shouted loudly. Immediately afterward, waves of chakra surged toward where Shiki's chakra had exploded.
With the Creation Rebirth jutsu at work, every cell surged like a storm, splitting rapidly and patching up the damage.
Fresh meridians randomly appeared inside Shiki's body. Tsunade raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise. She hadn't expected such rapid regeneration from within Shiki.
Could this be the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline ability?
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