"Uh…"
Fuma blinked in confusion. Tsunade's request wasn't exactly outrageous, but it was certainly enough to leave him speechless.
At this point in time, the properties of Hashirama cells and the adaptability of White Zetsu were still in their early stages of research.
Even Orochimaru had only managed to crudely cultivate "Yamato" by forcibly transplanting them. The general understanding was that the raw power within Hashirama's cells was too wild to control.
Yet here Tsunade was, taking an alternative approach—eyeing 'his' cells instead.
'What kind of cells? From where? If she only wants diploid cells, I could give her as many as she wants…' Fuma mused to himself, then asked aloud, "What does my body have to do with mastering Sage Mode?"
He glanced at Tsunade, whose face was flushed, and gently held her hand. "My body is… unique. Controlling it isn't any easier than handling your grandfather's cells."
"…I see," Tsunade murmured, softly biting Fuma's finger. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she rested her head against his chest, speaking in a low voice. "The Great Slug Sage told me that my grandfather's ability to achieve a perfect Sage Mode was deeply connected to his cells…"
"The Sage said that Grandpa could absorb the natural energy freely dispersed in the air, using it as nourishment to enter Sage Mode—without needing to balance chakra with nature energy.
To achieve something similar, I would need a body strong enough to endure a massive influx of natural energy…"
"But from our research so far, Grandpa's cells are still too volatile to control. Meanwhile, your body is even tougher than his and seems to have a natural affinity for absorbing energy…"
"So I thought… maybe it's worth a try." Tsunade looked up at Fuma's unreadable expression, feeling a little anxious.
'Does Fuma think I'm going too far? Asking for his cells like this… It does sound a little weird…'
"Uh…"
Fuma pondered for a moment before responding. "If you really want my cells, I don't mind giving them to you, but my power is… different. A transplant might not work well—it could even be dangerous."
He tapped the crystalline pendant hanging from Tsunade's chest—the Box of Ultimate Bliss. "For example, this thing used to be pitch black, not pure white like it is now. The energy inside it was absorbed into my body, which is why I can produce black smoke."
As he spoke, Fuma raised a finger, conjuring a swirl of inky black smoke at his fingertips before letting it drift onto Tsunade's back.
Immediately, a dense, shadowy mist engulfed her pale skin, making her tremble as she collapsed onto the bed with a soft gasp.
"Do you feel it?" Fuma asked with a smirk. "This smoke is the manifestation of my cells' will. It's highly aggressive against foreign chakra—if an enemy at Kage-level got caught in it at close range, they'd struggle to break free."
"And this is me holding back," he added. "My cells have more secrets than just this."
With a snap of his fingers, a streak of red flickered through the black smoke, mixing into a deep crimson.
Even though Fuma controlled its aura, Tsunade could still sense the bloodthirsty intent emanating from it.
"And I'm not done yet…" Fuma teased. "Watch closely, Tsunade—you're about to see a little magic trick."
The crimson-black smoke slithered through the air like a living creature, twisting into the shape of a dragon's head before exhaling a sandy yellow chakra mist. In the mist, a small chunk of flesh took form.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she forced her tired body upright and grabbed the piece of flesh, examining it closely.
"This presence… It's definitely a Tailed Beast's…"
"Well, of course. I ate one," Fuma said nonchalantly. "Cells are alive, too—you have to feed them something good now and then, right?"
"…This is from the One-Tail…" Tsunade muttered.
Fuma patted her shoulder, signaling her to toss the piece of flesh into the smoky dragon's mouth.
With an almost human-like expression of greed, the dragon lunged forward, snapping up the chunk of flesh and melting it with a single flick of its tongue. It licked its lips as if savoring the taste.
"…It even has expressions?" Tsunade stared at the smoke-dragon in disbelief before tossing the flesh toward it.
The dragon snatched it up eagerly, devouring it in an instant before disappearing into wisps of smoke.
"You see?" Fuma chuckled. "They're quite vicious. If you can't suppress my cells, they might just consume you as nourishment and return to me in the end."
Tsunade sat there in stunned silence, her mind spinning.
'The Box of Ultimate Bliss… Tailed Beasts… Are all of these things just food to him?'
She had always assumed that Fuma, despite his monstrous talent, had grown strong through sheer hard work—constantly pushing his body beyond its limits through relentless training.
But now… it seemed like he was walking a very different path.
"…What kind of power is this supposed to be?" Tsunade finally asked, staring at Fuma with bewilderment. "Back when we were kids, you were already a big eater, but at least you stuck to normal food like ramen and grilled meat…"
She hesitated, then cautiously continued, "But now, you're eating things that are… um… rather unconventional?"
Curiously, she lifted Fuma's arm, inspecting every inch of it as if searching for answers.
After a long moment, she sighed and pulled his arm close, pressing it against her chest.
"…I used to think becoming a Jinchūriki was already a bold decision," she muttered. "But my man is out here eating Tailed Beasts."
"…If that's the case, I guess transplanting your cells isn't really an option anymore." Tsunade's voice carried a mix of admiration and disappointment.
"…So, mastering Sage Mode, huh?" she murmured, half to herself. "I guess I'll have to rely on pure hard work after all… since I don't have the talent of Fuma or my grandfather…"
Fūma didn't immediately respond to Tsunade's sigh but instead furrowed his brow, pondering her words.
"So the Slug Sage believes there's a connection between Hashirama's cells and Sage Mode… That makes sense, but it's definitely not that simple."
In the original timeline, there were five individuals who possessed Hashirama's cells or had transplanted White Zetsu tissue Obito, Yamato, and Madara. Then there was Orochimaru, who had taken over a White Zetsu body, and Danzō, a grotesque fusion of various components.
Yet among these five, only Madara—after his resurrection—was able to wield the power of natural energy.
Even then, it wasn't through the conventional Sage Mode but rather by forcefully absorbing the vast reserves of pre-synthesized Senjutsu chakra from Edo-Tensei Hashirama's body.
As for the others—Obito, Yamato, and Orochimaru—none demonstrated a natural affinity for Senjutsu. Strangely enough, it was Kabuto Yakushi who managed to achieve near-perfect Sage Mode.
'Comparing these cases, Madara's success wasn't just due to his Uchiha and Senju bloodlines reacting—he had fused with prime, original flesh from Hashirama himself.'
'Meanwhile, all the others had only received degraded versions—iterations removed from the original. The further removed they were, the weaker the power… but paradoxically, the harder it was to control.'
Human cells, regardless of their type, had finite lifespans. Every 200 days or so, the body replaced its entire set of cells, and each cell had a limited number of divisions before reaching senescence.
Even in the ninja world, where chakra could interfere with natural biological processes, these rules still applied.
Hashirama's cells were theoretically immortal. But once separated from a living body and no longer nourished by Asura's chakra, even they should gradually lose their original potency.
Fūma shook his head. While Tsunade did possess direct lineage from Hashirama, bloodline alone wasn't enough at this level—Asura's chakra was the real key.
Had any of the previous Senju clan members ever participated in experiments involving Hashirama's cells?
Undoubtedly.
Many among the disbanded Senju clan would have leaped at the chance to gain the power of their legendary leader, the God of Shinobi. Yet, every single one of them had been devoured by the rampant force of Hashirama's cells, reduced to mindless tree-like abominations.
With the exception of Yamato, only Obito and Madara—both carrying Uchiha blood—had successfully harnessed the power, and one of them was Indra's reincarnation.
If Tsunade were to take the risk of transplanting Hashirama's cells, there was no guarantee that these degraded versions could even absorb natural energy. And even if they could, the success rate was questionable at best.
"Something wrong…?" Tsunade tilted her head at Fūma's serious expression. "It's fine, really. Sage Mode was never meant to be a shortcut. I'm just feeling a little lost right now, that's all."
Despite her words, a hint of frustration lingered on her face, and her smile seemed somewhat forced.
As a seasoned kunoichi, Tsunade had experimented with various paths to power. Yet, no matter what she tried, the results were always underwhelming. It felt as if an invisible wall stood before her, preventing true transcendence.
Training her body, refining her ninjutsu, sharpening her skills—Tsunade had done it all. But these incremental improvements weren't enough. She needed something more.
Fūma placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He understood her concerns all too well—this was a challenge that plagued every genius in the ninja world.
The moment one neared the so-called "Kage level," a bottleneck appeared.
For centuries, countless prodigies had reached this threshold only to stagnate, never stepping into the realm of Hashirama or Madara—the Super Kage Level.
The gap between the two was immense.
Even five or ten Kage-level shinobi working together had little chance of defeating a true Super Kage unless their opponent was reckless. If the stronger ninja fought intelligently, survival was the best outcome for the weaker side.
And the worst part?
The ninja world had almost no clear path for advancing beyond the Kage level.
Fūma narrowed his eyes, recalling the various power structures in this world. Only a few specific conditions allowed a shinobi to reach Super Kage Level :-
1) The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
2) Hashirama's Perfect Sage Body.
3) Becoming a Perfect Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Beyond these, even Nagato—who wielded the Rinnegan—only barely scratched the surface of Super Kage Level.
"This problem…" Fūma finally spoke, pulling Tsunade into his embrace and tilting her chin up, "Leave it to me."
"If my cells are what you need, then I'll find a way to make it happen."
"But…" He smirked. "You might have to wait a little while."
Tsunade blinked in surprise, her focus momentarily shifting from his flirtatious touch to his cryptic words.
"But your cells are so wild… even harder to control than a Tailed Beast's power. How would you—"
Fūma chuckled. "If my spiritual or soul energy increases further, I should be able to completely dominate my cells, suppressing their aggressive instincts. That way, they won't devour any foreign chakra they come into contact with, and the transplant should succeed."
"Besides… From what I've heard, the demon sealed in the Land of Demons has a symbiotic relationship with the shrine maidens there, entwined for over a thousand years."
"Symbiosis… That's the ideal condition for cellular transplantation. If I can devour that creature and steal its power…"
Fūma's mind turned to Mōryō, the mysterious entity still sealed away in the Land of Demons.
Had his chakra reserves been full, he would have already set off to claim it.
Mōryō fascinated him. Like the Jashin cult deity, it didn't originate from the ninja world's usual power structure. In fact, it might have existed before the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
And if he wanted to challenge the Ōtsutsuki, obtaining new forms of power was far more advantageous than simply following in their footsteps.
Tsunade gave a long, drawn-out "Ohhh," then narrowed her eyes in mild irritation.
"…Why do you make training sound so simple?" she grumbled. "Like, you just see something, take a bite, digest it, and boom—you're stronger."
Fūma chuckled. "That's just my way of doing things. And it doesn't apply to training alone."
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper.
"For example… I set my eyes on you, took a bite, and now you're mine, aren't you?"
Tsunade froze for a second, then shot him a smoldering look, a slow, knowing smile spreading across her lips.
"Hmm… I seem to have forgotten that," she murmured.
Her fingers trailed along his chest before she whispered seductively—
"…How about you take another bite?"
_____________________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ShadySmuggler