Chapter 22: Tsunade's Most Important Lesson
"Since you've mastered Mystical Palm Technique, let's try this."
Tsunade reached out and forcefully tugged on Haruki's hair, almost yanking his head from his neck.
Haruki stabilized himself, and a quick glance downwards confirmed that the ring on his finger was once again emitting black mist.
"Don't…"
"Don't come near Yuta…"
A faint female voice drifted through the air.
Tsunade's expression turned serious as she searched for the source of the voice.
Haruki quickly caressed the ring, soothingly saying, "Rika, Tsunade-sensei is guiding me in my training. Be good, okay?"
Please don't get jealous, okay?
As Haruki caressed it, the black mist on the ring gradually faded.
"Rika is good…"
"Listen to Yuta…"
Tsunade listened to the voice in her ear, her gaze falling on Haruki's ring.
What is this?
Tsunade's confusion was too obvious.
Haruki smiled slightly at Tsunade and explained, "She's my fiancée, Rika. She's a bit prone to jealousy, so please don't mind her, Tsunade-sensei."
Tsunade looked at Haruki's ring in disbelief. She couldn't quite comprehend Haruki's words.
Haruki's ring was his fiancée?
And it could talk?
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, he could tell from Tsunade's expression that she had misunderstood something.
He explained on Haruki's behalf, "Rika and Haruki were childhood friends. After she died… her soul resides in Haruki's ring, protecting him."
Tsunade was dumbfounded, staring at Haruki in shock.
Her expression gradually grew more solemn as she said, "How could a soul remain? After the body dies, shouldn't the deceased's soul go to the afterlife?"
Haruki pursed his lips and said with some guilt, "I cursed Rika, which is why her soul couldn't go to the afterlife and stayed by my side."
"Cursed?"
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. From Jiraiya's expression, it seemed he knew about this matter.
"How did you curse her?"
She had never seen such a miraculous thing before.
Haruki shook his head blankly and said, "I don't know either. I just know that I couldn't accept Rika's death, and the Rika who had died remained."
"I also want Rika to go to the Pure Land, but I can't do it." Haruki lowered his head guiltily.
Looking at his tear-filled eyes, the solemnity on Tsunade's face gradually disappeared. She had initially thought Haruki had used some forbidden jutsu that violated the will of the deceased, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Haruki had unconsciously left the deceased's soul behind. This should be some kind of secret jutsu that Haruki possessed. Haruki himself couldn't even control this secret jutsu.
She wondered if this secret jutsu had any harm to Haruki himself?
Tsunade realized what she was thinking and immediately shook her head, shaking off the worries in her mind.
Haruki was Jiraiya's disciple, so Jiraiya should be concerned about such matters. She was only briefly guiding Haruki in Medical Ninjutsu. She didn't want to bother herself with it.
Tsunade acted as if nothing had happened and changed the subject, "Next, the Ninjutsu I'm going to teach you is Chakra Scalpel."
As her words fell, Tsunade extended her hands in front of Haruki, and her hands were immediately covered by a layer of blue Chakra.
The Chakra flowed over her hands, forming the shape of a blade.
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya, who understood and handed the live fish back to Tsunade. The Chakra Scalpel was incredibly sharp, easily cutting open the live fish's belly.
Tsunade said, "The Chakra Scalpel can cut through the surface of the skin and delve deep into the injured person's body for cutting, even if there are no external wounds, and it can also be used as a weapon for attack."
Haruki listened to Tsunade's explanation and nodded. "I understand."
The Chakra Scalpel in Tsunade's hand disappeared, and a green light glowed in her hand, rapidly healing the wound on the fish's abdomen.
She placed the live fish in front of Haruki and said, "You try."
Haruki nodded.
When Tsunade had just demonstrated the Chakra Scalpel, he had activated his Ninjutsu Copy ability.
His current total Cursed Energy was substantial, more than enough to Copy two A-rank Ninjutsu.
Haruki extended his hands. Tsunade and Jiraiya both watched his hands intently, feeling inexplicably nervous.
The next second, blue light appeared in Tsunade's and Jiraiya's pupils. Blue Cursed Energy condensed on Haruki's hands, quickly forming the shape of a blade. It was identical to the Chakra Scalpel Tsunade had just condensed.
The difference was that Haruki's was a Cursed Energy Scalpel.
Haruki used the Cursed Energy Scalpel to cut open the live fish's belly. The incision was neat and smooth.
Tsunade looked at Haruki's focused profile, the accumulation of shock having turned into numbness.
Although she couldn't believe there was such a genius in this world, the facts were before her eyes, undeniable.
The Cursed Energy in Haruki's hand disappeared, and his hand rested on the live fish's belly.
Haruki's Mystical Palm Technique also relied on Cursed Energy to activate.
Suddenly, his hand was gripped by Tsunade. Haruki looked at Tsunade's eyes, full of confusion.
Tsunade glanced at the fish and said to him, "This fish has undergone multiple Medical Ninjutsu experiments. Even if you use Mystical Palm Technique, you won't be able to save it."
This was the most important lesson Tsunade wanted to teach Haruki.
"Medical Ninjutsu cannot save every life."
Tsunade's eyes were downcast. Even if she was the strongest Medical Ninja, there were still times when she was helpless.
Facing ninja who were severely injured and on the verge of death, she could only alleviate their pain, not prevent the arrival of death.
Watching the fish's tail, which had been flapping on the ground, gradually stop, Haruki broke free from Tsunade's iron-like grip.
His hands were placed on the wound on the fish's abdomen, his expression focused, his gaze sharp.
A green light quickly emanated from his hands. The long wound rapidly healed. The fish's tail, which had stopped flapping on the ground, suddenly flapped again.
Haruki cupped the live fish and released it back into the sea.
As soon as the fish entered the sea, it immediately regained its vitality, wagging its tail and disappearing like lightning from Haruki and their sight.
Tsunade frowned, she strode forward, grabbed Haruki's hands, and pulled them under her eyes to examine them.
"What did you do?"
These hands were no different from her own. But these hands had healed that fish that was destined to die.
No one knew better than Tsunade that after multiple experiments, the fish's cells had lost their activity, and the wound simply couldn't heal.
Haruki seemed to not understand Tsunade's loss of composure. He quietly looked at Tsunade and said, "I didn't do anything. I just thought in my heart that I wanted to save it."
Tsunade seemed to have all her strength drained, and her hands, still clutching Haruki's, dropped. She stared deeply at Haruki.
On the battlefield, she had desperately wanted to save fallen comrades, but no miracle had occurred. No matter how much Chakra she expended, her comrades still died. But such a miracle appeared on Haruki.
(End of Chapter)
100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Read 30 Advanced Chapters on patreon.com/astralicity