Blood, hair, muscle tissue...
After sequentially processing and sealing the materials collected from Tsunade, Hii Kōri didn't immediately throw himself into new experiments. Instead, he found Bunpuku, who was staying in a guest room on the first floor, and chatted with him.
The main force's withdrawal would take a long time, but as a jinchūriki, Bunpuku—like Hii Kōri—had returned to the village early. The only difference was that aside from Shukaku's power, Bunpuku himself had no combat ability, so a squad escorted him.
The escorts had no complaints about this. Being able to return home earlier than others—this was a good job hard to come by even for a thousand gold pieces.
As for rejection of the "jinchūriki"?
After actually seeing a tailed beast swatting people like flies on the battlefield, one would reawaken the awe for power that should rightfully exist but had been forgotten.
Compared to Hii Kōri's study, filled with various mechanical apparatus and featuring a vertical hidden door leading to the underground library, Bunpuku's dwelling was empty and clean to the point of being shabby.
On the unadorned walls hung scrolls of sutras. Beside a low table were several futons. Near the windowsill were a bed and nightstand. Faint sandalwood fragrance diffused from the incense burner on the nightstand, echoing the tea aroma diffusing from the rolling tea leaves in the kettle.
Beyond this, there was nothing else.
Hii Kōri sat cross-legged on a cushion, before him a steaming cup of coarse tea.
"I'm sorry for suddenly bringing Yahiko and the others back yesterday and causing you trouble, Master Bunpuku."
Holding the teacup in both hands, his tone carried a hint of apology.
Although Yahiko and the others weren't children who lacked propriety, they still would have disturbed Bunpuku's rest.
"It's fine, it's fine."
The old monk, always wearing a gentle smile, simply shook his head lightly. His eyebrows and beard, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out: "The children are very sensible. A little liveliness is nice."
When people reached old age, most tended to like children more. Bunpuku was no exception.
He leisurely sipped his tea, his gaze falling on Hii Kōri's face, his tone calm: "But Hii Kōri... you seem a little different compared to the past."
Having known Hii Kōri for eight or nine years, Bunpuku felt he could bear the expression "watched him grow up." At this moment, he clearly sensed that Hii Kōri seemed to have changed somehow.
"Hmm... probably because I've retrieved something I never thought could be lost and found?"
Hii Kōri raised his hand and loosely clenched it twice, then his face lit up with an easy smile.
"Is that so."
Bunpuku drank his tea and asked no further with a smile.
"Hmph! You brat!"
Before this peaceful tea break could last long, a hoarse and irritable voice sounded abruptly in the room. Then one could see a tanuki-shaped mechanical beast climb onto the windowsill and pound fiercely on the glass: "Let me in quick!"
Obviously, Shukaku was still taking to heart the fact that Hii Kōri had personally scrapped the large puppet modeled after Him. Or rather, He was annoyed by Hii Kōri's apology lacking "sincerity."
"Even if you're apologizing, do it in person! What's with having someone else apologize for you!"
More like a monkey than a tanuki, Shukaku climbed up Hii Kōri's back onto his shoulder, messing up his tied hair while shouting, looking like He wouldn't let it go without an explanation.
"...That thing was just a prototype. It wasn't going to last long anyway."
"Who can understand all that!"
Hii Kōri sighed, reached up to pull Shukaku down from his shoulder onto the low table, then propped a hand on top of His head, letting Shukaku wave his little stubby arms and throw rapid-fire punches while going "Whooooaahhh!!!"
"Pfft—okay, okay, look at this."
Almost choking from laughter at Shukaku's comical performance, Hii Kōri flicked his wrist and pulled out a scroll of extremely large size. He unrolled the beginning on the table and showed it to Shukaku.
Shukaku hopped a couple steps forward and looked down. What came into view was an image of something like an engine or core, surrounded by densely packed annotations.
"...What's this?"
The mechanical beast's bulbous eyes flickered as He made "aba aba" sounds like a genuine simpleton.
Apart from the title at the beginning—"Divine Messenger Chronicle Diagram"—He couldn't understand any of it.
None of it computed!
"This is a puppet core incorporating my highest technical achievements to date. The principle is actually somewhat similar to your current state."
Hii Kōri didn't expect this illiterate tanuki who couldn't answer any questions to understand his annotations. He propped his cheek on one hand resting on the table and pointed at the sole image at the scroll's beginning, explaining to Shukaku.
"Here, I plan to design it as an engine to contain and convert tailed beast chakra."
"You nine tailed beasts are chakra aggregates. Although your total chakra and output differ, your recovery abilities are basically considered infinite. If enough tailed beast chakra serves as the core drive, then the puppet would essentially have infinite energy."
"You! I asked you to apologize, and you're still thinking about locking me up?!"
"Don't rush! I'm not finished yet."
Foreseeing this, Hii Kōri reached out and propped his hand on Shukaku's head again, yawning: "I said it's somewhat similar to your current state. Use that brain of yours that doesn't let any water in—just full of sand—and think carefully."
"Still, it's about seal—wait. You mean, separate chakra from my consciousness?"
Shukaku looked down at his current mechanical little claws, suddenly remembering something.
"Specifically, it's mind segmentation, thereby obtaining multiple parallel consciousnesses that operate simultaneously."
Hii Kōri tapped his temple, casually mentioning the secret technique he had never told anyone else: "Although for humans, the burden on the brain would be considerable, for a tailed beast's body, it doesn't matter. When it comes down to it, even after regaining freedom, your bodies are still pure chakra aggregates."
"...That's true."
Shukaku's voice immediately softened a few degrees. He tucked his little claws and nodded, wanting to hear what other brilliant theories Hii Kōri had.
"I perform thought division to improve thinking speed and efficiency, but tailed beasts don't need to go that far. It's enough to just separate one subconsciousness to serve as a node and leave it in the chakra mass."
"The main consciousness can stay in a body similar to your current one. When necessary, you can transfer consciousness to the chakra part to control a large puppet body yourself, or simply break out of the seal entirely. Pretty convenient, right?"
"...So in the end, you still covet my power, don't you?"
"Tch."
Hii Kōri squeezed out a mocking snort from his nasal cavity as his response to Shukaku: "Can't you have some self-awareness? I'd like to covet other things of yours, but how many questions I've asked you over the years could you answer?"
"With all your seniority, how are you so useless!"
"Give Magnet Release back to me! You're not allowed to use it, not allowed, not allowed!"
Hearing this, anger rose from Shukaku's heart and malice grew at His guts. With a loud cry, He pounced forward—and then was connected by the Spirit Thread Nerves among Hii Kōri's hair to the mechanical body's operation core, manipulated by him to dance a Cossack dance on the table.
"You wait! I'm going to wait until you're asleep and furiously scratch your butt!"
"Are you stupid? I haven't slept in years."
"Aaaaah! Even if you don't sleep, I'll still scratch!"
"Haha, I'm so scared."
"You keep laughing! You never stopped!"
Bunpuku watched Hii Kōri and Shukaku's horseplay, slowly drinking his coarse tea.
If there was anything in Sunagakure he worried about, it was Hii Kōri and Shukaku. Seeing them like this now, Bunpuku felt his concerns might be unnecessary.
Even if he couldn't hold on anymore someday, they would be able to get along harmoniously.
"Hii Kōri, you're quite good with children."
Thinking thus, he remarked with a smile: "When your own child is born, it will probably be a very interesting scene."
"Ah... spare me."
Holding the sulking Shukaku sprawled on the table, Hii Kōri's shoulders instantly slumped: "Yahiko and the others are my disciples, they're relatively easy, but Sasori alone is enough to give me a headache. I simply can't imagine what it would be like if Pakura, Karura, and I had our own child someday... I might even have to convert the laboratory into a nursery."
"Wouldn't it be nice if raising children were as lighthearted as research."
Bunpuku smiled without speaking, merely stroking his beard and adding fresh tea to the empty cup.
Meanwhile, Tsunade had been back in Konohagakure for nearly half a month.
After that brief exchange with Orochimaru in the Amegakure guest room, she had organized all the intelligence she knew about Hii Kōri as objectively as possible into a scroll and shoved it at him.
Having done this, she seemed to cast far behind her that land soaked in Dan's blood and her own blood and shame, and almost fled on her journey home.
With no disciples to accommodate or wait for, alone, her speed was far faster than Hii Kōri's.
The first thing she did upon returning to the village was officially adopted, as a "senior," the orphaned daughter left behind by Katō Dan's deceased younger sister—Shizune.
Given Tsunade's identity and position, this was certainly reasonable. No one could, or would, interfere with her adopting the orphan connected by blood to her deceased lover.
However, Tsunade had still overestimated her mental state.
In the first few days after bringing Shizune home, she did indeed try, as Orochimaru had suggested, to temporarily seal away her grief and hatred, pouring all her energy into caring for Shizune.
She clumsily learned to cook, played simple games with the little girl, trying to create a "warm" home in this empty and deserted residence for both Shizune and herself.
Yet every late night, when all light was extinguished, she would always have the illusion of returning to that lightless, pitch-black hole—to the extent that even when sleeping, she didn't dare extinguish any lamp in the room.
Even if she tightly wrapped herself in bedding, trying to recall the warmth of her lover's embrace to comfort herself, it would instantly be covered by memories of suffering Hii Kōri's ravages.
Each time, under the assault of pleasure she didn't want to acknowledge, burying fragile cries and wails into her pillow, Tsunade would feel herself drowned in intense self-loathing.
She felt she had absolutely gone mad.
Under this unceasing intense internal consumption, Tsunade was naturally attracted to the library in her home.
There, not only were stored the vast accumulated books of the Senju clan—dissolved over twenty years ago—but also stored were the original texts and private notes of all the research results of her grand-uncle, Tobirama Senju.
If it were that grand-uncle, renowned for developing forbidden techniques, might his wisdom, his research, contain methods to combat Hii Kōri's bizarre abilities?
Impure World Reincarnation—although it was a technique that enslaved the souls of the dead—if improved, couldn't it become a true reincarnation technique?
Once this thought arose, it wildly grew like weeds in Tsunade's heart, which had been burned to ashes, leaving only desolation.
Ignoring the fact that Katō Dan had been "eaten" by Hii Kōri's shadow until no bones remained, not even a drop of blood or a strand of hair left—that the prerequisite conditions for performing Impure World Reincarnation didn't exist—Tsunade, almost in self-hypnosis, pushed open the library door.
At first, she only stayed one or two hours under the pretext of cleaning. Then it became entire afternoons immersed in the files exuding stale ink fragrance and the dust of years. Finally, she practically soaked all day in this vast library, as silent as a tomb.
Tsunade was like a restless trapped beast, voraciously flipping through the dust-covered scrolls and ancient texts.
As long as books might contain knowledge about souls, curses, genjutsu, or reincarnation techniques, regardless of content, she would read them from beginning to end without missing a word.
That posture was even more focused than when she had previously delved into medical ninjutsu.
For Tsunade at this moment, the dreams she had once cherished with Katō Dan had perhaps fallen into the mud and dust. Within her shell remained only the curse-fire, burning fiercely with self-loathing and hatred for Hii Kōri as fuel.
When beliefs would never change collapse in an instant, when firm will is lost, one can twist into a monster at any time.
Driven by this scorching flame, she often forgot the time, Forgot to eat, even forgot there was a child at home needing care.
By the time she realized this and hastily rushed out of the library from amid piles of scattered scrolls, what she saw was Shizune being cared for by servants sent by her clansmen.
The fact that in her current state, she couldn't even care for Shizune, let alone herself—let alone needing others to care for her—transformed into immense powerlessness and self-loathing that almost devoured Tsunade.
She walked out of her home like a walking corpse, aimlessly "night-strolling" through the village.
Looking up, she could see the Hokage Rock, where her grand-uncle, second grand-uncle, and teacher's likenesses were carved side by side. Those familiar faces couldn't bring Tsunade the slightest warmth.
She entered a tavern in a daze.
The main forces hadn't fully returned to the village yet, so the tavern that usually served as a place for ninjas to relax and chat wasn't busy.
The few people present, seeing Tsunade appear, didn't dare approach her. The gloomy aura of "keep away" emanating from her, and those golden eyes filled with pain and irritability, were enough to make anyone with sense give her a wide berth.
She walked straight to the darkest corner, ordered a pile of alcohol, and then mechanically, numbly began pouring it down her throat.
Spicy, burning, mellow... didn't matter what taste or texture. She simply needed something to fill the void inside her, to numb her unceasingly stinging nerves.
Until deep in drunkenness, all her senses seemed covered by a thick layer of frosted glass. Other patrons' chatting had completely distorted; the lights swayed, spun in her hazy drunken eyes, distorted into bizarre shapes.
Alcohol, like a surging undercurrent, breached the level of her rationality and complete release the fear and trauma she had forcibly suppressed, causing her to weep silently.
Just as Tsunade was about to limp onto the table, a figure silently appeared in the seat opposite her.
Familiar red-and-white long hair, loose Suna attire, and those gray eyes, like carved glass, Devoid of emotion.
Hii Kōri.
He just sat there quietly, elbows on the table, fingers interlaced propping his chin, gazing at her with a steady gaze.
"You!"
Intense hatred shot from her spine to her head, making every hair on Tsunade's body stand on end.
She abruptly slapped the table, trying to stand, but due to the alcohol's effect, the world spun dizzily, and she embarrassedly collapsed back, knocking over wine bottles on the table.
The cold wine splashed over her, sobering her slightly.
"...Have you come to mock me?"
She slumped powerlessly against the table, almost slurring her words as she vaguely "begged": "Don't... don't look at me like this anymore..."
"How could I? Look how drunk you are, you're starting to talk nonsense."
Accompanied by a voice clearly tinged with worry and distress, Hii Kōri's shadow gradually dissolved, revealing a face even more familiar to Tsunade behind it.
"...What, it's Jiraiya..."
A bit thirsty from drinking, Tsunade pouted, a flash of clarity passing through her eyes. She sat up, leaning against the chair back, trying to dry her robes wet with wine.
"What, disappointed it's me?"
Hearing that Tsunade had run out of her home listlessly and was drinking herself senseless in a tavern, Jiraiya of course couldn't just ignore her.
He deliberately muttered a complaint, raised his hand wanting to pick up Tsunade who had started "talking nonsense," hesitated, then just draped her arm over his shoulder and supported her out of the tavern.
"Put it on my tab."
Calling back to the tavern owner, Jiraiya supported her toward her home.
***
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