"I can show you what's in my head, Auntie… I have an MRI scan for that." Ryu replied, his eyes twinkling. "It was a difficult task to do it on myself."
As soon as Ryu snapped his fingers, a fresh image began to take shape in front of their eyes. A dazzling model of a human brain materialised, complete with all the hallmarks of a human brain.
Ryu snapped again, and the brain divided into three. One represented the circulatory system, another the synaptic and neural connections, and the last one showed the areas of the brain responsible for different functions.
Tsunade gasped, her annoyance turning into amazement. She instinctively reached out a hand, as if to touch the impossible projection. "Is it real?" she whispered, her eyes wide with wonder. "Is this what the brain activity looks like?"
Ryu snapped again, and a similar model of Souji and Shizune appeared. The brain activity of all three was clearly represented by glowing and flowing electrical currents flowing through neurons and their connections with startling clarity. But the brain activity in this digital replica of Ryu's brain is very high compared to others.
Dan, despite his non-medical background, also took notice of the profound difference, his brow furrowing in deep contemplation.
Tsunade said, "This isn't just advanced medical jutsu; this is a fundamental understanding of the brain itself, far beyond anything I've ever witnessed, even when dissecting a real brain. And I must tell you I have dissected quite a few." Yuki and Shizune also nodded.
Ryu offered a confident smile. "Indeed, Auntie. This is a projection of my brain scan, meticulously recreated from my memory. I scanned my own brain for this, as I have plans for [BodyGPT] to further develop my own fighting style, and I needed to tweak the seal to suit my body. We can zoom in, highlight specific areas, and even simulate neural activity."
Ryu gestured, and a section of the brain pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light, demonstrating his control. "This is what I mean by seeing what's truly going on in a brain."
"But wait," Tsunade interrupted, her gaze still fixed on the shimmering brain, "how did you scan your own brain? You'd have to be looking at it to perform a scan like this."
Ryu's grin widened, a touch of mischievous pride in his eyes. "Ah, an excellent question, Auntie. I tried a little experiment in my new lab. I created a powerful, focused magnetic field and lined the chamber with a supercooled diamagnetic material, using endothermic chemical reactions. When you apply a magnetic field, the material reflects the magnetic lines. I simply used my [Electromagnetic Vision] to 'look' at the reflection of the magnetic field from within the chamber. It allowed me to see a perfect, real-time projection of my own brain activity." Ryu gestured to the shimmering replica in front of them. "What you see is a perfect recording of that reflection."
"He's already easily above Chunin level," Tsunade thought, her mind racing as she stared at the glowing brain. "And if he pushes himself, he could be a Special Jonin right now. The way he's going... just what will this boy become when he graduates? His Chunin exam will be too much to bear for others; I must pray for whoever his opponent will be... God bless them with strength; without it, they might not last a minute in the ring with him."
Everyone present now understood, with a chilling clarity, just how different Ryu was and where his seemingly boundless mental powers truly originated.
Yuki, watching the intricate dance of neurons within Ryu's projected brain, felt a profound mix of wonder and fear. She thought of all the brilliant people she had worked with, Orochimaru, Tsunade and the Second Hokage, and a shiver ran down her spine. "Such brilliance... it's a beacon. It draws attention. How long can we keep him safe in a world that fears what it doesn't understand?"
After the [Mind Palace] dissipated and they returned to the hideout's quiet hum, Tsunade's thoughts spiralled, weighing her down. She thought, with a frown, "The Cloud Village would kill him again. With that huge bounty on his head, it's not just them we have to worry about. Other villages, rogue ninja, and desperate factions will seek him. His genius draws praise and scorn. We must prepare. I must prepare. I must return from retirement and train regularly."
Ryu snapped again, and the projection of the brain hanging in front of them disappeared, and then the mind palace also started to fade.
-Genjutsu: [Mind Palace Projection] deactivated
The air in Tsunade's temporary office still hummed with the afterglow of Ryu's mind-boggling revelations. The team—Dan, Yuki, Tsunade, and Shizune—was a study in silent awe, each processing the immense implications of the new medical fuinjutsu Ryu had perfected.
The work was done, the final discussions concluded, yet they remained, stunned by Ryu's claim that the technique could be repurposed to train new ninjas at a monstrous speed.
"Let's go and test it," Ryu said, breaking the silence. "Souji's been waiting."
The group moved as one, leaving the office and making their way down the quiet corridors of the hospital. When they entered Souji's room, they found Rina already there, her wheelchair positioned perfectly beside the bed. She had been sitting vigil for days. Upon their entry, she bowed her head, a gesture of deep, uncharacteristic humility.
"Lady Tsunade, Master Ryu," she said, her voice soft but clear. "Thank you. For keep helping Souji … "
Ryu simply nodded, a small, knowing smile on his face. "Souji is a family now. And even if he wasn't, I would have helped him anyway."
He took his place beside the bed, holding the final, critical seal in his hand. The team gathered around, a silent, focused audience. With a single, fluid motion, he pressed the scroll against Souji's chest. The last of the glowing lines, a shimmering spiderweb of chakra, settled into Souji's skin and vanished.
Rina let out a long, shaky breath, her relief palpable. "Is it... is it finished?"
"First step is done," Ryu confirmed, his voice a low, steady rumble.
Souji's eyes, fixed on Ryu, blinked twice in rapid succession.
Ryu met his gaze, a quiet understanding passing between them. "Don't thank me yet, Souji. The real work is about to begin."
Ryu placed his hand gently on Souji's forehead. A soft, inner light erupted from the contact, tracing a familiar, yet astonishing, pattern. A network of brilliant lines, like a high-tech circuit board with small, pulsing nodes at key points, spread across Souji's entire body. The sight was a breathtaking display of both medical meticulousness and sealing mastery. Rina watched in stunned silence, her earlier awe returning tenfold.
Dan and Yuki simply stared, while Tsunade, a legend in the world of medical ninjutsu, felt a surge of profound respect. To effortlessly slot such a vast and complex seal onto a body—a feat that highlighted the immense advantage of Ryu's [Eidetic Memory] when it came to Fuinjutsu—was something she had only heard about in the most ancient of legends.
As the glow faded and the seal fully integrated, Rina leaned forward again, her voice tight with a mixture of hope and anxiety. "When will he be able to walk again?"
Ryu looked at her, his expression serious. "Not for a while. The [BodyGPT] seal has essentially replaced a damaged part of his brain. Right now, he's like a newborn. He must now train this new mental construct to perform even the most basic motor functions, a process that could take weeks, or even months."
Ryu then explained the training process to Rina and the others. "The training is a two-part process. Souji will have to consciously think about moving a specific muscle—say, his right index finger. At the exact same time, someone else, likely a medical ninja, must manually move that finger for him. The [BodyGPT] seal will observe the manual movement, understand the muscle firing patterns, and pair that data with Souji's mental command. It's a way of teaching his new brain what the physical sensation of movement feels like."
Ryu paused, acknowledging the monumental task ahead. "It won't work on the first try, or even the thousandth. But once the connection is made, the seal will remember the command. He has to repeat this for every single muscle. I know it's a long process, but I never told you his recovery would be easy. It will require immense patience and dedication from both Souji and his support team."
A collective murmur of surprise went through the room as Ryu continued. "The sealing work itself was a miracle. My team was able to finish it in just one month. That's a task that would have taken two renowned fuinjutsu grandmasters and four medical ninjutsu experts several months to accomplish."
"Despite this unprecedented speed," Ryu cautioned, "The training will still take months."
Rina, still concerned, then asked, "What if the seal doesn't work?"
##PoWeR StOnEs##
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