"This kind of curse mark is terrifying… Not only does it have strong adhesive and control properties, but it can also relocate itself and conceal its presence. Without your help, removing it would've been nearly impossible."
Tsunade couldn't help but sigh.
When she saw the mark suddenly shift position, her heart almost leapt into her throat—terrified that all their efforts would be for nothing. Even if they'd done everything perfectly… cracking open the chest still takes a toll on the body.
After this surgery, even someone with Nagato's constitution would need two or three days of rest to recover. The time lost alone would've been a blow—especially if they had failed.
Thankfully, they hadn't.
"Good thing I was mentally prepared. Otherwise, it might've slipped away completely."
Kyoichi also exhaled in relief.
He hadn't expected the seal that Madara placed on Nagato to be formed from chakra of such extraordinary quality. Ordinary techniques wouldn't have worked. Fortunately, he had a contingency plan.
By forcing all that chakra into one spot, he'd been able to slice it out.
It required some tissue replacement—but they'd already prepared compatible cell samples, so it was no real obstacle. In the end, they'd managed to resolve the situation without catastrophe.
When Nagato saw the piece of his own flesh, with that glaring curse mark carved into it, he'd immediately fallen unconscious.
Not from shock or weakness—
Tsunade had used medical ninjutsu to put him to sleep, so his recovery would go faster. The rest of the operation was just cleanup—nothing worth making him stay awake for.
Letting him see the curse mark at all was already Tsunade's greatest concession as a doctor.
Still—
In hindsight, it had been good that Nagato stayed conscious.
If he hadn't been awake and able to control his chakra, they never would've found the curse mark so quickly or removed it completely.
After finishing the final procedures, Tsunade wiped her forehead.
Cold sweat.
Her vision blurred slightly.
"You should sit down and rest."
Kyoichi could see how drained she was.
It wasn't physical exhaustion—it was the mental strain, the sheer concentration she'd been maintaining throughout the surgery. Now that the tension was gone, her body was starting to give out.
Tsunade looked down at the hand supporting her and blinked.
Then she smiled.
"I'm not that weak yet. I'm Tsunade, remember?"
With that typical bravado, she strode out of the operating room.
Outside—
She leapt up to the roof and sat there, taking a few long, steadying breaths. Then a faint, bittersweet smile crept across her face.
"You really never know when to quit, huh?"
"Oi, brat, that's no way to talk to me," Tsunade shot back with a grin. "Still… I've gotta say, I'm impressed. Even just a shadow clone of yours packs that much strength?"
Kyoichi gazed into the distance.
"Of course. If you want to protect what you care about, you've got to put in the extra work and study harder."
Then he looked at Tsunade. "Only with power can you stop the world from changing."
"Yeah… with enough power, you can hold on to a lot of things. Otherwise, time just wears everything away."
Her eyes softened. "During the surgery, I didn't feel a thing—but the moment it ended, I suddenly thought of the past."
For an instant, she'd been afraid her hemophobia had returned.
But once she'd stepped outside, she realized it wasn't fear of blood—it was simply the flood of memories that hit her the moment she relaxed. Her body had just reacted instinctively.
"That's why we have to keep experimenting and innovating," Kyoichi said seriously. "This operation's success proves the concept works. I think we can start testing it on a small scale."
Ninja are precious resources.
Unfortunately, many who suffer severe injuries have no choice but to retire. But with this kind of medical advancement, they might finally have a chance to regain what they lost.
Whether or not they return to duty—that's their choice.
Tsunade thought for a moment and nodded.
"It can be implemented—but we'll need strict testing protocols first. Random transplants would be no different from reckless human experimentation."
"Of course," Kyoichi replied. "We can follow the same process we used for Nagato—first transplant a small batch of cells, then periodically check the DNA for compatibility. Once it hits sixty percent or higher, proceed with full limb grafting."
Tsunade pondered that for a moment, then said, "I'll convene a hospital meeting to formalize the procedure. If it works, these prosthetic transplants could help a lot of shinobi regain their strength."
She paused, her tone thoughtful.
"Take Maruboshi Kosuke, for example. He's been a solid fighter all his life—always on the front lines, taking the worst hits. Even though he's been treated many times, some internal injuries never really healed. Not to mention…"
She exhaled. "During a mission with the Third, he lost an eye protecting him."
If they could truly cultivate and regenerate tissue—
Then curing Kosuke would be simple.
This approach could be a huge breakthrough for Konoha. There was no reason to oppose it.
As for cultivating cells—
Orochimaru's current method was one possible model.
But that method was too cruel. And the Ryūchi Cave wasn't stupid—lately, the snakes had stopped answering his summons altogether.
You can only shear the same sheep for so long before it goes bald.
"So if you're worried about the cell cultivation side," Kyoichi offered, "we could try leveraging the effects of the pseudo-God Tree. I've been observing it lately—it seems capable of diluting and nurturing cellular growth."
He hadn't actually tested it himself—he just knew that's how Madara had done it.
Tsunade thought deeply.
"If that's true, it could be used as a backup plan. But let's not create another one of those things. I still feel it's dangerous… As for Nagato, I'll assist with his Hashirama cell integration, but after that—no more."
She wasn't exaggerating.
As a medical ninja, she knew better than anyone the incredible power—and the terrible risk—of Hashirama's cells.
One imitation God Tree was already pushing it.
Kyoichi didn't object.
He'd only cultivated the pseudo-God Tree to safely refine the Ten Tails' chakra—he wasn't interested in the tree itself. Still, as a clone, he couldn't dispel himself yet.
He needed to keep watch.
Not just against Orochimaru—
If it were only him, a single wooden clone would suffice. Orochimaru could be unpredictable, but a little pressure was enough to keep him in check.
The real threat was Black Zetsu.
That pseudo-God Tree contained all of Kyoichi's current resources. If Black Zetsu managed to snatch it all away, things would turn disastrous.
The clone relayed a message to Kyoichi's true body—
Nagato would need at least two or three days to fully recover.
Kyoichi wasn't surprised.
Even with the Uzumaki vitality and White Zetsu cells, recovery from a heart surgery and Hashirama cell graft takes time. Two or three days, minimum.