Chapter 161: Mega Tsunade
"Since you've decided to take the risk of death to help me with this experiment, then I won't hide anything from you. I'll tell you exactly what I plan to do, and what I'm thinking."
Shiromo found a small stool and sat down beside the hot spring.
He needed to make everything clear first.
He was doing this experiment to succeed, not to torture Tsunade.
"The Tsukuyomi world working together with Kurama Yakumo's ability to turn illusion into reality, and to convert ordinary chakra into Tailed Beast chakra, these are things you already know, so I won't repeat them."
"What I want to talk about now is this: even with Hikari's current healthy body, transferring that much chakra would still place her under enormous pressure."
"So I must use my 'enhancement ability' to amplify her."
"This 'enhancement ability' is essentially an infusion of natural energy, similar to Sage Mode."
"If this experiment succeeds, it won't just solve the immediate problem. It will also add another path to the overall plan for dealing with the Ōtsutsuki."
"After all, when it comes to fighting the Ōtsutsuki clan, taijutsu and senjutsu are the most practical."
"You're saying you can mass-produce ninja who can use Sage Mode?"
After listening carefully, Tsunade spoke up.
The "mass-produce" Tsunade referred to didn't literally mean assembly-line production.
Compared to the handful of people who could originally use Sage Mode, as long as Shiromo could enable even ten people to use natural energy, that already counted as mass production.
"Simply using natural energy for enhancement isn't anything rare."
"Orochimaru's curse marks are something similar."
Shiromo had to admit that Orochimaru's research truly was decades ahead of the ninja world.
Back when the Ōtsutsuki hadn't even shown a shadow of their existence, Orochimaru was already researching curse marks that enhanced abilities through natural energy.
Those Oto ninja who could use curse mark 'transformations' as well as Kimimaro, setting aside their actual combat strength, purely in terms of mechanism, they had indeed reached a level capable of directly harming the Ōtsutsuki.
If they ran into someone like Urashiki, that kind of foolish Ōtsutsuki, it wouldn't be impossible to win.
"The natural energy I use contains a trace of violent power. This power allows the already-compressed natural energy to reach another level of effectiveness."
"But at the same time, the side effect is that the body might not be able to endure it."
"That's why I need you to help me by personally feeling it with your body, and figuring out a suitable amount, an amount that the bodies of ordinary ninja can withstand."
Shiromo explained in detail what he needed Tsunade's help with.
In a situation like this, what he needed was someone like Tsunade, who could recover on her own, not just anyone who could be fixed with Crazy Diamond the moment they couldn't endure it.
Only continuous self-recovery could determine the precise amount needed.
And Tsunade had endured the lingering torture of the Heavenly Transfer Technique, so Shiromo believed she should also be able to endure this power.
"Got it. When do we start?... Wait, let me call Shizune first."
Tsunade was worried that if she couldn't hold on later and reached a point where she couldn't heal herself, she would need Shizune's help.
After Shizune arrived, Tsunade roughly explained the situation to her. During this time, Shiromo finished making his preparations.
Shiromo held his hands loosely in front of him, and a mass of natural energy gathered between them.
Gradually, it was compressed from a vague, intangible state into a crystalline, translucent stone visible to the naked eye.
"What kind of pattern do you want?"
Shiromo raised his head and asked Tsunade, who was staring in a daze.
A pattern?
Tsunade snapped back to her senses and thought for a moment.
The pattern Shiromo mentioned referred to the design on that stone, right?
In other words, this stone formed from condensed natural energy was the thing Shiromo wanted her to test.
So what pattern should it have?
The Konoha symbol? A gamble?
No.
Tsunade immediately rejected both options.
She needed to show a bit of femininity.
Those two choices would obviously lower her likability.
"Th-then let's do a heart."
Tsunade looked away and replied softly.
Damn it, that's way too girly. A heart… disgusting might be more accurate.
Tsunade felt extremely awkward inside.
"Are you sure?"
Shiromo looked at Tsunade in surprise.
"I'm sure."
"Alright."
Shiromo injected a final trace of the most important solar energy into the stone, completing its creation.
That's right. Ever since Shiromo entered his unique Sage Mode while facing Momoshiki, it hadn't been without gains.
First, he could now manually compress natural energy into a solid state.
Second, the natural energy circulating within his body had begun to contain a portion of solar, stellar natural energy.
This energy existed in just the right amount within Shiromo's body, exactly what his current body could withstand.
He no longer needed constant regeneration to prevent his body from being torn apart, like when activating the "Sun-F*cking Sage" mode.
And the trace of solar energy Shiromo injected into the natural energy stone was the core of this experiment.
Previously, when Shiromo enhanced Gaara and Temari, he directly infused natural energy through contact.
But now, in theory, they would only need to wear the stone Shiromo created to independently draw on the natural energy within it and enter Shiromo's version of Sage Mode.
Moreover, because of Shiromo's specially designed circuits and the solar energy within it, this stone was not a consumable.
After Sage Mode ended, the stone would automatically absorb natural energy from the environment to replenish what was used.
…This description sounded a bit like a Mega Evolution Stone from Pokémon.
He wondered if Tsunade's speed would drop by ten after using it.
"Take it."
Shiromo tossed the finished stone over.
Tsunade caught it, then suddenly thought of something and instinctively wanted to throw it away like a hot potato. But knowing how important the stone was, she could only catch it again.
The whole thing looked a bit clumsy.
"Don't worry. Holding it normally won't activate it."
"On the contrary, activating it requires certain conditions. Try it yourself."
Shiromo didn't say much more.
As for those extra conditions, they were somewhat similar to Pokémon's Mega Evolution.
Mega Evolution required mutual understanding between Pokémon and trainer.
Shiromo didn't need that level of connection, but at the very least, the user couldn't harbor hostility toward him. They had to be a genuine ally from the heart in order to activate it.
"Alright."
Holding the stone, Tsunade activated the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
The Yin Seal on her forehead transformed into black markings that spread across her entire body.
She also activated Creation Rebirth.
Then, worried that something unexpected might happen and she wouldn't be able to hold the stone, causing it to fall, Tsunade had Shizune pick up the sash from a nearby yukata and tie the stone around her waist.
To be honest, Shiromo really wanted to say that just holding it in her hand and activating it once would be enough.
There was no need to worry about the stone falling.
But since Tsunade had already done it, and it didn't really matter, Shiromo chose not to speak up.
"Let's do this."
Tsunade took a deep breath.
This experiment wasn't just for improving Shiromo's favorability, it was also for Konoha, for the ninja world, and for the cause of opposing the Ōtsutsuki clan.
As the stone was activated, a scorching sensation began to spread from Tsunade's abdomen.
(End of this chapter)