The next day, there were four or five more people in the underground laboratory.
These people were dressed like farmers working in the fields, but their faces bore fierce expressions, and they were robust in build. Even though they were tied up, their eyes shone with a ferocious glint, exuding a murderous aura, suggesting that they had probably stained their hands with many lives.
Hakushi didn't ask where these people came from or what their original identities were, but they were likely bandits that robbed and killed outside.
Now that the world outside was in chaos, with bandits looting and killing everywhere, during previous missions, similar situations were encountered and many bandit groups were dealt with as a result.
However, at this moment, Hakushi didn't care where they came from or what work they did. Once in this laboratory, their fate was akin to the mice Hakushi used to toy with, becoming experimental subjects.
Through systematic planning, the experiment with Natural Energy itself posed no life-threatening risks. However, nothing could be said with absolute certainty, since previous experiments were conducted on animals, who have significantly different life structures from humans. Therefore, when using humans for the Natural Energy injection experiment, unexpected risks couldn't be completely ruled out.
"Test subjects are hard to find, don't use them all up at once."
Ruri said before she left.
A lot of manpower and resources were used to transport these few test subjects here, so she specially reminded him.
"Don't worry, don't forget I am a Medical Ninja, I can use them repeatedly."
Hakushi knew that it wasn't easy for Ruri to get these test subjects, so he didn't intend to use them up all at once.
Medical Ninjutsu can be very useful in situations like this. As long as they're not dead, they can be reused repeatedly.
Moreover, Hakushi believed that the likelihood of his research endangering life was extremely low; he had conducted a lot of tests on animals before proceeding with human experimentation. As long as caution was exercised, lives were generally assured.
After Ruri left, Hakushi entered into his formal working state.
The mouths of the people brought in were covered with cloth, unable to speak loudly, only letting out muffled grunts of anger, seeming very dissatisfied with such treatment.
For these bandits who lived on the edge of a knife, there was no fear in their eyes, perhaps thinking about how to kill Hakushi and escape from here.
Hakushi ignored their low grunts of anger, casually selecting one of them and placing him on the operating table. Because he was too restless, Hakushi had to inject him with a small amount of anesthetic, causing him to become lethargic, thus calming him down.
"Rest assured, serving as my test subjects here, you'll have food and water, lacking nothing. It's much better than licking blood from the edge of a knife outside, not knowing when you might suddenly die. And my experiments generally don't pose any life-threatening risks, this I can guarantee you."
The emotions of these people seemed to change, their gaze turning evasive, yet Hakushi's tone remained calm.
Even for sustainable utilization, Hakushi would try to ensure that the lives of these people could be extended.
After all, in such chaotic times, many people lived just for a morsel of food.
Major countries were fine, but for the people of small countries, even a meal was a luxury, forced to gnaw on wild vegetables by the roadside, maybe sometimes not even having that.
In an era of war without regard for ethics, Hakushi had long told himself that life wasn't worth celebrating, and death wasn't worth mourning.
Life was priceless much of the time, simply because it was worthless.
◎
Two days later.
Hakushi emerged from the underground laboratory. Except for mealtimes and sleeping outside, Hakushi spent the majority of these two days immersed in the laboratory conducting experiments.
Although no breakthrough had been made yet, considering that human trials had just begun, at least a week of observation would be needed before drawing any conclusions.
After emerging from the underground laboratory, Hakushi took a breather.
It was now July, and the sunlight was a bit harsh, as if the sun's scorching rays were sucking away one's energy.
Hakushi couldn't help but complain, despite this world having electric lights and computers, why didn't it have air conditioning?
Heading to Ruri's room, the contrast between its coolness compared to the stifling heat outside was stark.
Because the room had a lot of ice, and the electric fan was constantly blowing, the cool air quickly spread to every corner, creating an air-conditioning-like effect.
Ruri was wearing a loose blue casual outfit at this time, with some scattered scrolls and black leather boxes around her.
"What's this?"
Hakushi pointed at the scrolls and black leather boxes.
"Payment from a previous mission, this is your share. A total of 1.2 million ryo in money, the rest being scrolls of medical knowledge, and a few practical Medical Ninjutsu."
"I see." Hakushi sat down, opened one of the scrolls, a smile immediately spreading across his face as he said, "I never expected the village to be so generous, rewarding me with such precious items, these are all significant data I hoped to obtain. I initially thought they would casually give me something just to settle this matter. It seems the village's higher-ups still have some humanity, after all."
"It's precisely because they wanted to dismiss you offhandedly, that they gave you these things, you idiot, are you satisfied with just this?"
Ruri rolled her eyes at the pleased Hakushi.
"???"
"To them, being able to appease you with these things is the most hassle-free and resource-saving solution."
Upon hearing Ruri's words, Hakushi immediately understood.
"Doesn't matter, although it was a fluke, these materials and Medical Ninjutsu indeed benefit me significantly."
"Is that so? As long as you're happy."
"By the way, what about your reward, Ruri?"
"I'll be going to the Hokage Building later; the village's upper echelons have approved me to choose any jutsu from the Sealing Book."
Ruri's expression was quite surprised as she said this.
It seemed even she didn't expect that the Third Hokage had such decisiveness.
To her knowledge, the relationship between the Senju lineage and their Uchiha Race had always been tense. Even though it had eased somewhat over the years, it was merely a superficial friendship.
Upon hearing this, Hakushi suddenly felt the scroll in his hand wasn't that appealing.
"Have you decided which jutsu to choose?"
Hakushi composed his sulking disposition and inquired.
Ruri yawned boredly, laying down sideways, toying with a kunai in her hand.
"The clan elders respect my personal choice, but I don't know specifically what formidable jutsu are in the Sealing Book, and I'm not particularly lacking in high-level jutsu, so I haven't really decided yet. Do you have any thoughts?"
Ruri had some knowledge of the Sealing Book, but not the specific details of how many forbidden techniques, ultimate skills, and secret arts were recorded on it, nor their categories.
"What about choosing a Soul-related jutsu?"
Hakushi suggested.
"Soul?"
Ruri raised an eyebrow.
"I heard there's a Jonin in the village named Katou Dan who possesses a very mysterious type of Soul Jutsu. He is also supposedly Tsunade's boyfriend. I think this kind of jutsu would greatly help my research."
"Understood."
Ruri thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
She had no particular demand for the jutsu in the Sealing Book, and if a Soul-type jutsu could genuinely aid Hakushi and help uncover the secrets of the Immortal Technique sooner, it would also be a significant improvement for her.