Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

"There are two paths that suit Lady Tsunade," said Kagetsu thoughtfully, giving his answer seriously and carefully.

"Two paths?" Tsunade was surprised by this.

Even after consulting with Hiruzen and Orochimaru, and considering her own ideas, she had only vaguely grasped one unclear direction.

Yet now, Kagetsu was offering her two paths. That instantly piqued Tsunade's interest.

It also reminded her once again just how sharp and perceptive Kagetsu's mind really was.

"Go on," Tsunade urged her to continue.

"One path is over-healing," Kagetsu said softly, glancing at the mutated creature that the three young ones were fighting together.

Confirming that they had gained the upper hand, he shifted his full attention back to Tsunade.

"Over-healing?" Tsunade repeated, and her eyes instantly deepened with thought.

That vague idea she had buried in the back of her mind suddenly became clear—or rather, it was replaced by a new one.

As the name implied, what Kagetsu meant wasn't hard to understand. Tsunade simply hadn't considered it before because she'd been too fixated in one direction.

Originally, she had even thought of following the path of poison.

After all, in medical ninjutsu, healing and poison often go hand in hand.

Plus, Orochimaru—who had long walked that road—was always a reference point.

But that had only been a last resort.

If Tsunade really committed to it and combined her deep medical knowledge with intensive study, her achievements in poisons wouldn't be any lower than those of Chiyo, Hanzo, or even Orochimaru.

Still, poison wasn't something she liked. Passion and staying true to one's heart—that was how one could draw out the full power of the Hōgyoku.

When it came to poisons, maybe Shizune was more suited to go further down that path than she ever could.

If there were a better path to choose, Tsunade wouldn't have picked this one. Among the Legendary Sannin, having one person dabbling in poisons—Orochimaru—was already more than enough.

"Explain it in detail," Tsunade said, arms crossed, her sharp eyes fixed on Kagetsu. She wanted to hear his full explanation, to see if it aligned with her own thoughts.

"Most shinobi have limits to their physical bodies. Even the First Hokage, with his strong physique, still had flaws. Otherwise, with such a strong constitution, he shouldn't have died so early.

What I mean by 'over-healing' is pushing healing techniques to a level where the body can't absorb or handle the energy anymore—exceeding the physical limits of a shinobi."

"The Fountain of Living Fluid!"

As she listened to Kagetsu's words, the first thing that came to Tsunade's mind was the Fountain of Living Fluid from Shikkotsu Forest.

That spring, known for its overwhelming life force, was exactly what Kagetsu was describing—over-healing. The vitality within it was so intense that it could dissolve the flesh of anyone who entered it.

It was clearly a holy spring that could save countless lives, yet because of its overwhelming power, it had become the most toxic substance in the shinobi world—a killing spring with no known antidote.

If she could create something similar to the Fountain of Living Fluid and manifest it through senjutsu…

Tsunade's heart began to pound heavily in her chest. If she could also control the balance within it—healing or killing at will—wouldn't that push her further along her path?

Could it perfect her Hōgyoku Mode even more?

This was a path that suited her perfectly—a path she could actually walk.

With her knowledge and experience, Tsunade had no doubt she could pursue this path.

After all, the Fountain of Living Fluid was real.

She had already studied and analyzed it before.

Now, all that data could be used again. Shikkotsu Forest was fully open to her, and the Slug Sage had always been a willing teacher who didn't mind her questions or visits.

For a moment, Tsunade felt a strong urge to drop everything and return to start organizing her data and begin preliminary experiments.

But she quickly suppressed that impulse.

This was a long-term project—one that required patience and time. Even with a clear goal and path ahead, reaching the level of someone like Orochimaru would still take considerable effort. So, she wasn't in a rush just yet.

Meanwhile, Tsunade also wanted to know what the other path that Kagetsu spoke of was.

"Yes, the Fountain of Living Fluid," Kagetsu nodded.

Seeing the look of realization on Tsunade's face, he knew there was no need for further explanation.

Under her expectant gaze, he took the initiative to bring up the other path.

"The other path lies in surgical abilities within the field of medical ninjutsu. These can be elevated to a level comparable to rule-defying senjutsu."

"Surgical abilities?"

If Tsunade had instantly understood the concept of "over-healing" earlier, now she found herself hesitating with what Kagetsu had just said.

"You mean using surgery to harm and destroy a person's organs and body?" Tsunade asked slowly, voicing her interpretation.

"Yes," Kagetsu nodded again, affirming her understanding.

"But this kind of..." Tsunade frowned, thinking deeply. She instinctively felt that what Kagetsu referred to as the second path wasn't that simple, but she couldn't quite grasp what the key point was.

It felt too ordinary.

"Are you thinking this path doesn't seem as powerful as you had imagined?" Kagetsu looked at the frowning Tsunade and asked in return.

"No," Tsunade said, still not fully grasping the connection, but she shook her head in response.

"Using medical ninjutsu to damage internal organs—that is one of the very few combat applications medical ninja have.

If a vital organ of the enemy is struck by a chakra scalpel or similar technique, it can undoubtedly cause massive, even fatal, damage.

But under normal circumstances, it's extremely difficult for a medical ninja to pull that off.

Because if you're close enough to land a chakra-based attack like that, you might as well use a kunai—most of the time, it would deal the same kind of damage anyway."

"For me, my monstrous strength is more useful in battle than medical ninjutsu. Unless, of course, I'm trying to capture someone alive."

Tsunade was speaking the truth. For her, using a chakra scalpel to injure someone wasn't as convenient as simply punching them into submission.

In terms of damage, range, and chakra cost—monstrous strength was always the better choice.

"I understand. But when I talk about 'surgery', I'm referring more to a conceptual surgical ability," Kagetsu patiently explained after hearing Tsunade out.

"Go on."

Tsunade wasn't offended by Kagetsu's correction.

Though his medical knowledge and experience couldn't quite match hers, just like Orochimaru, he had his own unique perspective.

The three of them simply focused on different things.

Compared to the other two who were more specialized, Tsunade was more of an all-rounder.

She didn't mind being corrected or challenged when it came to medical theories—so long as the other party had something worthwhile to say.

Or rather, what Tsunade truly needed... was for Kagetsu to break through the limits of her understanding from his perspective and offer her a new answer.

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