"Nawaki!" Jiraiya looked at the group of elementary school students in front of him and said helplessly, "Who sent you here?"
What was going on?
He clearly remembered that Nawaki should still have one more year before graduation.
Why had he suddenly come to the battlefield?
Even if he had graduated, he would only be a genin. Shouldn't he be sweeping garbage or catching cats in the village?
What was this all about?
"It was arranged by Uncle Hokage," Nawaki said with a proud expression. "I'm already a genin now!"
"Is the old man crazy?" Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru, and the two of them exchanged glances. "Why did he send a bunch of kids here?"
What use were these kids on the battlefield?
Especially now, when they were facing two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and Amegakure, which was led by the "Demigod of the Shinobi World"!
Were they here to feed themselves to the enemy?
Orochimaru also frowned slightly, then smiled at Nawaki and said, "Tell your big brother Orochimaru, what happened in the village?"
"Ah!" Nawaki scratched the back of his head, seemingly unsure how to explain. "It seems Aunt Koharu said that because the war isn't going well, we were allowed to graduate early and sent here to help."
"..."
What is that old woman doing?!
Jiraiya's face darkened with displeasure as he said angrily, "What does that menopausal hag want?"
Aren't she afraid of getting beaten up when Tsunade finds out?
"In a few days, I'll arrange for someone to send you back. This isn't a place for you," Jiraiya said, patting Nawaki's head. "You're still too young. Stay in the village where it's safe."
Orochimaru also nodded in agreement. Forget about whether these kids could be of any help—if they didn't cause trouble, it would already be a miracle. And even if they were sent to the battlefield...
They would just be cannon fodder.
Not to mention, if Tsunade found out, he and Jiraiya would be finished.
"I'm already a shinobi," Nawaki said unhappily. "I can help."
"Tch." Jiraiya smirked. "An early graduate genin!"
What use was that?!
"I was originally planning to help Jiraiya-nii chase after Tsunade-nee," Nawaki said, seeing Jiraiya's disapproving expression. "But now I think that gentle, handsome blue-haired guy might be a better match for her."
"Huh?" Jiraiya froze when he heard Nawaki's words. "What did you say?"
What gentle, handsome blue-haired guy?
"Kukuku." Orochimaru forced an awkward smile and rubbed Nawaki's head, quickly saying, "Stay here for a few days. We'll see how things go before making any decisions."
The current battlefield...
Really wasn't suitable for these kids.
"Hmph!" Nawaki snorted at Jiraiya and took out a letter. "This is for you from Uncle Hokage."
"Hey, hey, wait a second, Nawaki," Jiraiya called out urgently. "What's this about the gentle, handsome guy?!"
But Nawaki left without looking back.
Serves you right for looking down on me!
A letter?
Orochimaru frowned as he looked at the letter in his hand. Why would the old man write to him now?
Was there some new arrangement?
But...
The front lines weren't looking good at all!
He opened the envelope directly to see what it said.
"What's going on? What did the old man say?" Although he still hadn't figured out the situation, there was no point in overthinking it. He could just ask Tsunade later.
Jiraiya said in a complaining tone, "What are those village advisors even doing?"
Sending a bunch of kids to the battlefield.
"The old man..." Orochimaru finished reading the letter and smiled bitterly. "If Tsunade finds out about this later, she'll probably beat us to death."
Tsunade the Violent Princess!
Orochimaru really didn't want to provoke her.
"What exactly does it say?" Now Jiraiya was even more curious. He snatched the letter and read it, then suddenly looked up at Orochimaru with wide eyes. "Is the old man out of his mind?"
...
"So, we still can't forcibly extract chakra?" Uzumaki Jun rubbed his chin as he looked at a strange device in front of him—something that resembled a blood-drawing tube. "You just created this by studying Samehada's chakra-absorption ability?"
"Yes!" The elder said with a smile. "Science is truly full of incredible knowledge!"
"Originally, we were researching how living creatures forcibly extract chakra from Samehada."
"But in the end, we ended up creating this."
"The Life Extractor!"
"A device that can forcibly extract life energy."
"Truly amazing!" Uzumaki Jun said with admiration. "But what's the use of this?"
He remembered that Kyoko, due to her special Uzumaki constitution, had overflowing life energy. Biting her could heal injuries, but the principle was also absorbing her life energy. To some extent...
It would harm Kyoko's lifespan.
So later, Uzumaki Jun told her not to let others bite her arm anymore.
"Through several experiments," the elder said with a smile, "we discovered that the extracted life energy can be transferred to other animals."
"It can heal injuries, extend lifespan, or enhance physical constitution."
"!!"
That powerful?
Hearing the elder's words, Uzumaki Jun was stunned. If this were true, couldn't they achieve immortality by continuously extracting life energy?
"Not possible." The elder seemed to guess what Uzumaki Jun was thinking and shook his head. "There seem to be limitations. Long-term injections aren't feasible."
"I see." Uzumaki Jun felt a little disappointed. Looking at the extractor, he asked, "Can it work across species?"
"All the creatures we've tested so far have been compatible," the elder nodded. "As for humans, we haven't conducted experiments yet."
"In that case..." Uzumaki Jun nodded in satisfaction. It seemed the researchers had taken his words to heart—avoiding human trials until the product's safety was confirmed. He said with emotion, "Looks like clinical trials will begin soon."
Should they use Kirigakure prisoners?
Or just grab a few terrorists from outside?
And...
"Let's call it the Vitality Enhancer!" Uzumaki Jun rubbed his chin and said, "If it's harmless to humans, we can dilute it ten thousand times and sell it to other villages—10,000 ryo per bottle, 100 bottles per course, three courses for guaranteed results."
No results?
Then it's your constitution's fault. Maybe drinking a few more bottles will help?
That's how all health supplements work.
"We'll arrange clinical trials as soon as possible," the elder said with a nod. "But the test samples are still insufficient."
They only had a dozen or so middle-aged Kirigakure prisoners. The limitations were too great.
"Perhaps..." Uzumaki Jun stroked his chin and suddenly thought of someone. "Extract a few bottles for me." A mysterious smile appeared on his lips. "It's time to give Tobi some benefits."
What would happen if old Madara took it?
Would his back stop aching, his legs stop hurting, and he could walk without a cane?
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