"It's stabilized? It didn't just blow up on contact like before?"
First thing in the morning, Habara received this startlingly good news. Perhaps because they'd failed so many times before, he actually found Daigo's report somewhat hard to believe.
"Yes. Trial 69, completed last night, was successful. To rule out chance, I ran several repeat experiments afterwards, and the results were identical… It's safe to say this is the first stable mixed sample we've obtained since the research began," Daigo reported.
Speaking, she led the way into the laboratory, guiding Habara over to the newly stable mixed samples.
Habara reached out and picked up a test tube. The liquid inside amounted to perhaps forty or fifty milliliters. Outwardly, it was as clear as water, but as Habara gently swirled the tube, the sample moved sluggishly… That wasn't like water at all; it clearly possessed considerable viscosity.
"Live testing is definitely necessary," Habara mused after staring at the sample for a moment. "But animal trials would be meaningless. Yet, jumping straight to human testing isn't exactly standard procedure."
"Do you need to design a sealing formula for encapsulation?" Daigo asked.
Habara shook his head. "No. Doing that would put us too close to Orochimaru's approach—just a safer version of his research. What I actually want is something more advanced, a more natural and safer method. Since we've already significantly reduced both the power and the risk compared to the original 'Curse Mark,' I hope others can use this as naturally as breathing, as effortlessly as moving their own limbs."
Habara aimed for a deeper level of fusion or assimilation; what he was creating was less a curse mark and more akin to a type of vaccine.
Therefore, sealing formulas wouldn't be part of the final design; they were fundamentally safety mechanisms meant to keep volatile powers segregated.
"That said," he added, clarifying further, "the final product ideally won't require seals. However, at this experimental stage, out of concern and support for the participant, appropriate seals are definitely necessary."
"And now," Habara continued, a hint of dark amusement in his voice, "it's finally time for my good friend Tenzo to truly take the stage. Theoretically, there's no one in all of Konoha more suitable as a test subject. After all, the sample was only stabilized thanks to him, and he's inherently a Wood Release user. He needs to demonstrate the superiority of Mokuton, you know. Can't embarrass the First Hokage in something like this, or we might hear his coffin lid rattling."
"You don't need to worry," Habara reassured him, noticing Tenzo tense slightly. "Our preparations are extremely thorough. Even if there's some unforeseen accident, you won't have any lasting problems. Think on the bright side: once this experiment succeeds and the 'vaccine' is finalized, thanks to your merits and contributions, you'll go from being just a ninja to a great ninja."
"If possible, I'd rather not become a great ninja," Tenzo said flatly. "I just want to keep being a living ninja." Alas, the little white mouse on the operating table never gets to argue its case.
"Besides," Habara continued smoothly, "medical ninjutsu is constantly advancing. In a few more years, probably forty percent or more of a ninja's organs will be hot-swappable. What's really there to be afraid of?"
That kind of thinking is perfectly rational, Tenzo conceded internally. He just hoped Habara's 'concern' wouldn't turn into 'end-of-life care.'
Thanks to Habara's previous applications of the Technique of Six Rens and the Arc Gradient Sevenfold Amplification seals, developing protective formulas based on them wasn't overly difficult; minor modifications would suffice. Three days was more than enough time.
Thus, the experiment on Tenzo was scheduled for three days later.
Three days later, at a secret ANBU base on the outskirts of Konoha. Considering the minuscule possibility—say, Tenzo unfortunately losing control and turning central Konoha into a primeval forest—it was better to conduct this kind of experiment far from populated areas.
The participants remained Habara, Tenzo, and Daigo.
Before they officially began, Habara glanced out the window at the lush green scenery and couldn't help but sigh, "This really is a nice place." He paused, gaze lingering, before adding dryly, "...A good place to dump a body."
Tenzo: "…" Can I still back out of this unreliable experiment? Seriously…
Habara ignored him and gestured to Daigo. "Let's begin."
Tenzo sat in the chair like a puppet resigned to its fate. Daigo placed a hand on his shoulder, while Habara held Tenzo's right wrist.
Next, Habara drew a sealing formula on the back of Tenzo's hand, followed by another ring-shaped formula around his elbow.
With three layers of protection now in place, the risks of the experiment were significantly mitigated. In the worst-case scenario, Tenzo would likely only lose an arm.
"Ready..."
The syringe needle pierced the back of Tenzo's hand. As Habara slowly depressed the plunger with his thumb, the solution entered Tenzo's body.
"Injecting!"
Two or three seconds later, Habara finished and withdrew the needle. Daigo watched Tenzo intently, ready to note the slightest change. Scientific research carries risks; being a test subject requires caution.
"How is it?" Habara asked.
Tenzo frowned. "It feels like... nothing unusual..."
However, before the words fully left his mouth, the flesh on the back of his hand suddenly began to twist and swell violently, as if two or three hundred aunties were square dancing vigorously inside his veins.
Without a word, Habara calmly and swiftly activated the sealing formula on Tenzo's hand. Simultaneously, an extremely fierce and incredibly potent surge of chakra erupted from Daigo's palm resting on Tenzo's shoulder. This torrent of chakra surged down Tenzo's arm like a flash flood breaking through a dam, sweeping away everything in its path—in that instant, the substance injected into Tenzo's body was forcefully expelled.
Tenzo's arm returned to its normal state. Aside from a lingering numbness, there was no particular discomfort, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
But it definitely wasn't an illusion. After a moment, still shaken, Tenzo said with lingering fear, "It felt like... like a snake rushed into my meridians. And not just any snake... it felt like Manda, at least..."
Habara turned his gaze to Daigo.
She reported, "The inherent corrosive effect was quite limited. However, upon entering Tenzo's body, the 'vaccine' underwent instantaneous, large-scale activation. As a result, it became completely uncontrollable."
Habara nodded. His own senses told him the same. The experiment hadn't gone smoothly, but that couldn't dampen his enthusiasm.
"Good thing we were prepared," Habara remarked coolly. "Otherwise, 'activation' could have instantly become 'cremation.'"
People's joys and sorrows truly aren't interconnected, Tenzo thought, listening to Habara.