[A/N: Hey guys. Apologies for my absence. Had an eventful Sunday, barely leaving me any time to write. I thought I''d catch up on Monday, unfortunately, I had a couple of crazy busy days to start the week. Didn''t get any time to write yesterday and only got it later today.

    Anyway, I''m doing well, just kinda tired. (Cough, unfortunately haven''t been isekai''d.) Good news is that the rest of the week shouldn''t be this messy. So, I should be able to write in peace without any more unscheduled breaks (hopefully).]

    ''He learnt Dan''s jutsu?'' Shock and disbelief appeared on Tsunade''s face as she turned her head towards Fujin. She quickly hid her expressions and regained composure. ''Fortunately'', Fujin was looking at the prisoner and not her.

    She thought, ''I never expected this. Isn''t he specializing in Wind Release? How did he learn Fuinjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu and Soul-based techniques at the same time? Also, why didn''t anyone inform me?''

    Tsunade emotions were complicated. It hadn''t been long since she met Naruto, a boy with the same dream as Dan and Nawaki. And now, she met another talented youth who had learnt Dan''s jutsu. It had been over a decade since she returned to the village. While several old faces remained, she was seeing most for the first time. Yet, a vague sense of familiarity remained through coincidences she never anticipated.

    She muttered, "I didn''t expect you to have learnt the Spirit Transformation jutsu. Shikaku and Jiraiya didn''t mention it."

    Fujin replied, "Hmm, I haven''t used it openly yet. So, very few know it and it''s one of my hidden cards. It is a powerful jutsu. It''s a shame that it has such a terrifying weakness..."

    Fujin sighed. Several unpleasant and pleasant memories resurfaced in Tsunade''s mind upon hearing his words. Fujin continued looking at the prisoner, so as to not make things awkward for Tsunade, while thinking, ''It''s a pity that I''m not supposed to know a lot of stuff, including her relationship with Dan...''

    Fujin added, "Anyway, let''s continu... Hmm? Is something the matter, Lady Tsunade?"

    Fujin finally turned his head towards her and noticed her complicated expression. Tsunade shook her head and answered, "No, I''m just wondering how best to use that jutsu. Did you witness Sensei cutting his soul?"

    Fujin nodded, "Yes. It was a blade made mostly of Yin chakra. However, he did it in one swing. I guess I misjudged the complexity based on how easily he did it."

    Tsunade agreed. She had made the same misjudgment after hearing how it happened from Jiraiya. However, the complexity was mind-boggling. Tsunade said, "I''ll first explain more about souls to you so that you have sufficient knowledge."

    ——

    While Tsunade taught Fujin, Naruto and the rest started their training. Without wasting any time, Naruto began practicing the Rasengan with the help of a Shadow Clone. Needless to say, he got it right on his very first try!

    His display attracted the attention of other kids. Takeshi muttered, "It''s strong!"

    Sayaka agreed, "If it hits us, we won''t survive."

    Yuji asked, "What jutsu is that?"

    Naruto grinned and answered, "It''s the Rasengan. Pervy-sage taught it to me!"

    Hikari said, "You didn''t say he taught you such a jutsu earlier..."

    Fujin said, "Anyway, I should learn better by directly studying this soul."

    Tsunade agreed and began teaching Fujin once again. By directly inspecting the prisoner''s soul, it became quite easier for Fujin to understand the concepts he couldn''t grasp earlier.

    As Tsunade taught, she observed, ''I can now see why Sensei likes him and has such high hopes for him. He has a similar curiosity towards learning and comprehension ability as Orochimaru. However, he has Minato''s politeness. That said, he also possesses his unique sense of aloofness and indifference, which distinguishes him from Minato''s gentle nature.''

    Tsunade had seen how casually Fujin extracted the prisoner''s soul. He didn''t show any signs of hesitation or discomfort. It was not something someone with a gentle nature like Naruto could do. However, knowing that Fujin served in the Anbu for several years and knowing how many he killed in the last month directly or indirectly, Tsunade wasn''t too surprised. Especially, when she considered that their goal was to heal Hiruzen, something that was far more important than the lives of a few death-row prisoners.

    After Fujin grasped all the details, Fujin muttered, "That''s strange..."

    Tsunade looked at him as Fujin carefully analyzed Hiruzen''s move based on the knowledge he just gained, ''It looks like several parts of a soul can be sliced without destroying the soul if it is done perfectly. Even the core can be sliced if some parts of it are preserved. So, why did Hiruzen wait for such a large portion of his soul to be absorbed before slicing himself? Wait...''

    Fujin suddenly realized, "He waited so long before slicing his soul so that Orochimaru''s arms could be sealed first. Otherwise, he could have substantially reduced the harm to his soul."

    Tsunade said, "Yes, Jiraiya had the same view. Orochimaru''s improved Edo Tensei jutsu was too big of a threat to let him go unharmed. He could have just kept attacking and eventually, the village would have collapsed. Unfortunately, even after such a sacrifice, his threat still exists."

    Fujin nodded. While Hiruzen and Tsunade knew Orochimaru more closely, Fujin was the only one who truly knew how difficult it was to kill Orochimaru for good. Though defeating Orochimaru was no longer a challenge for him, he was harder to kill than even Obito.

    Fujin asked, "So if the God of Death had taken a moment longer to seal Orochimaru''s arms, would it mean he would have missed that opportunity?"

    Tsunade answered, "I''m not completely sure. My understanding of the soul isn''t complete either. No ninja understands all its mysteries. Perhaps Sensei had a way to survive with an even weaker soul. We can only ask when he wakes up."

    ————————————

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