Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

"Lady Tsunade!"

Kakashi first greeted Minato and Kushina, then respectfully bowed to Tsunade when he saw her.

"Duy was a hero."

Tsunade stepped forward and gently patted Guy on the shoulder.

Losing family and friends in war was all too common.

Whether it was Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or herself, they had all experienced repeated partings between life and death.

Ninjas rarely met peaceful ends.

Even someone as powerful as her grandfather—the First Hokage, who had personally shaped the current balance of the ninja world—died young.

The frequent replacement of Kage across villages was proof of how high the death toll was and how often ninjas were lost in the constant struggle over hatred and resources.

In war, even the Kage of the Five Great Nations faced the risk of death. So for regular ninjas, dying was even more normal.

Tsunade wasn't good at comforting people, and her relationship with the Duy father-and-son duo was limited to a bit of help she had given them years ago thanks to Kagetsu's matchmaking.

But after the explosive power of the Eight Inner Gates was witnessed this time, it inevitably drew the attention of the village's leadership once again.

Konohagakure never lacked powerful forbidden techniques.

The Scroll of Seals recorded many such forbidden and secret jutsu—some even more dangerous than the Eight Gates in terms of effects.

She and Orochimaru had already possessed the Eight Gates technique a long time ago, so what the village cared about now wasn't the forbidden technique itself, but the one who had inherited it.

Might Guy!

If not for Orochimaru's request, Tsunade wouldn't have summoned Might Guy today.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" Might Guy's tears flowed instantly.

"Take care! If I had been there at the time, or if I could have taken him to the village hospital in time, maybe I could have saved him."

"You've inherited the forbidden technique called the Eight Gates, right?" Tsunade's tone held a hint of regret.

Although Might Duy died as Genin, his burst of power took down four of the Mist Village's Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

"To be chosen as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, wielding a ninja sword, a Mist ninja's strength is at least that of an elite jonin. For a Genin to defeat and kill the most elite assassination squad of the Mist in such a short time... this achievement is a miracle, no matter how you look at it."

"Since the founding of the Hidden Villages, such things have happened very rarely."

"Yes," Might Guy didn't understand why Tsunade was asking this, but he nodded and replied.

Kakashi, who was nearby, thought the village had its eyes on Might Guy's Eight Gates technique. But Tsunade didn't make any requests for it afterward.

"You should be very aware of the drawbacks of the Eight Gates," Tsunade said after a brief pause. She looked at Might Guy and continued, "Each gate you open places a huge burden on your body. To open the final gate, the 'Death Gate,' successfully requires long-term training and endurance."

"Because you need to push your body to its limits repeatedly, so it can withstand the power of the Death Gate and unleash it in a short time."

"This process is painful, and it's agonizing."

"I won't give up," Might Guy suddenly said. He thought Tsunade was trying to persuade him to give up the technique. He looked at her with determination and said, "I will persist like my father did, waiting for the lotus to fully bloom."

Tsunade was startled for a moment, then a light smile appeared on her face. "I'm not asking you to give up this technique."

"Then..." Might Guy scratched his head in confusion. Though he wasn't dumb, he didn't know how to think or respond when it came to things beyond combat.

"The strength of the Eight Gates requires a strong body as its foundation! The stronger and more resilient a ninja's body is, the more powerful the Eight Gates technique will be!"

"If you frequently use the medicinal bath formula I gave you and your father, your potential and physical condition would be much better than Duy's," Tsunade said, extending her hand in invitation.

"An experiment?" Kakashi, standing beside her, along with the couple, Minato and Kushina, furrowed their brows.

Although the term had become less sensitive since the Technology Development Department started using it, seeing Kakashi's tense expression, Minato still asked on behalf of the group, "Is it a human experiment?"

"Don't worry about the danger. Although human experiments still carry the risk of death and danger, the techniques that the Technology Development Department uses on the village's ninjas are mostly stable and the risks are manageable."

"Orochimaru's experiment requires a volunteer. He believes that Guy, who has practiced the Eight Gates, has the potential to meet his expectations in the future."

"Don't worry about the dangers. As a medical ninja, I wouldn't allow Orochimaru to use dangerous experiments on the ninjas of this village."

"Even if something unexpected happens, I can still save Guy," Tsunade said, immediately understanding the others' concerns. She gave her straightforward assurance.

"Of course, the process may still be painful. But if it succeeds, Guy will gain great benefits from the experiment, even reducing the risks of the Eight Gates and increasing his strength."

"Additionally, this is not a compulsory mission. If Guy doesn't want to…"

"I accept!" Guy suddenly interrupted Tsunade, speaking decisively.

"Guy! Think it through," Kakashi said gently, pulling Guy's sleeve.

He trusted Tsunade's assurance, but he also knew that the safety range of the Technology Development Department's techniques was just enough to keep someone alive.

After multiple interactions with the Team Kagetsu, both he and Obito and Rin had heard vivid descriptions from Anko.

The pain from such body modifications was unbearable. Anko once said that when she underwent her bloodline modification surgery, she almost thought she was going to die.

"I've thought it through!" Guy shook his head.

"If I have strength, my father won't need to risk his life for me. The stronger I become, the more I can protect the people and things I care about in the future. I can endure the pain in the experiment!"

Kakashi was momentarily distracted. He thought of his teammate, Uchiha Obito, who had nearly died.

If it hadn't been for his teacher arriving just in time and using the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport him to Tsunade's side, Obito might have been dead by now.

If only his own strength had been greater at that time...

"Then, follow me to meet Orochimaru. After he's worked on your body, you should have the powerful Yang Release physique," Tsunade said, referring to Orochimaru by name.

It had been more than a year since he had taken the position of Hokage. Finally, he had the time and energy to focus on his stagnant research.

The new Hokage administration was now capable of handling most of Orochimaru's complicated affairs, freeing up some of his time.

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