For now, the matter of war has no direct impact on Shiraishi. Although the impending war bothered him a little, even if he were to join the battlefield, it would be two years from now.
Let's stay optimistic. Maybe the war will be over in two years, right?
Besides, war has its own benefits. Due to the war, manpower in Konoha is somewhat limited. The Anbu under the Hokage will surely be occupied with tasks every day. Who would care about him, a low-profile student at the academy?
The attention of Hokage and other high-level officials is focused on the Sunagakure.
——The Uchiha Clan, the underground laboratory in Ruri's house.
The laboratory is spacious, covering an area of 100 square meters, and equipped with complete electrical equipment, illuminating the space as bright as day.
In the center, there is an open area for people to move around, with testing equipment and operating tables placed nearby.
Within a floor-to-ceiling transparent cylinder filled with a green solution, animal parts are immersed. After being catalyzed by an unknown method and to a certain extent, they transform into peculiar shapes.
Shiraishi, holding a glass test tube containing a solid light green liquid energy, which is the physical form of the natural energy he extracted from the earth and air.
"How is it going? Any progress?"
Ruri, who descended from above, inquired about the research progress on natural energy.
In order to support Shiraishi's research, Ruri finds ways to acquire necessary equipment and materials.
The manpower and resources invested in this endeavor far surpass the trivial ones of the past.
"Not yet. Although the manifestation time of natural energy has slightly increased, it is still too short."
Shiraishi sighed and put down the test tube. The light green liquid energy within it began to dilute without warning, gradually becoming lighter until it turned blank, leaving the test tube empty.
The natural energy had dissipated.
This happens when the natural energy is not fused with another substance during its manifestation.
However, it is still usable once the natural energy dissipates.
The only drawback is slightly reduced efficiency in sustainable utilization.
The process of receiving, refining, and solidifying natural energy through experimentation is arduous, and it requires the assistance of metals with ultra-high chakra conductivity.
Therefore, extracting natural energy is not only cumbersome but also costly.
"And, the most important issue lies elsewhere."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look at these various biological parts. They take on these strange shapes as a result of being injected with natural energy on top of chakra, forming and absorbing a senjutsu chakra."
Shiraishi walked up to a floor-to-ceiling glass cylinder and tapped on it, producing a crisp sound. The creature inside did not react, appearing lifeless.
"What does this mean?"
"In other words, using senjutsu chakra comes with a significant risk."
Shiraishi's eyes darkened, revealing an inexplicable expression.
He went to a nearby bookshelf, picked up a scroll, spread it out on the table, and pointed to a specific line.
"Ryuuchi Cave, Mount Myōboku, and Shikkotsu Forest are places known as the Three Great Sacred Grounds. The scroll mentions that one can trai the Sage Node in these locations, but the Sage Mode inherited from the three sacred places seem to be different from the human processing system. After learning them, the practitioner develops corresponding biological characteristics."
Speaking of which, Shiraishi couldn't help but sigh.
"The Uchiha Clan's collection of books is truly extensive. Although I haven't discovered any specific practice methods, these materials have provided me with a lot of inspiration. It appears that the Sage Mode of the three sacred places are likely unsuitable for human beings. Finding a system of Sage Mode that is compatible with humans... that would be an incredible undertaking."
Shiraishi has concrete evidence to prove that the Sage Arts of the three sacred places are incompatible with the human body's system.
This is because the biological structure of frogs, snakes, and slugs is entirely different from that of humans.
Sage Mode suitable for frogs, snakes, and slugs are likely to clash with the human processing system. Consequently, the mortality rate and failure rate of humans practicing the arts of the Three Great Sacred Grounds would be significantly higher.
Shiraishi gazed at the creatures within the glass cylinder, now transformed into something alien due to the magical chakra. This serves as the most compelling evidence.
For instance, by using a mouse as the source to use senjutsu chakra and transferring it to the limbs of a snake, the snake begins to exhibit certain mouse-like characteristics.
Similarly, if the chakra source is a snake, and the senjutsu chakra is transferred to a mouse, the mouse will acquire snake-like characteristics.
This is how the alien creatures within the glass cylinder came to be.
This is also why Shiraishi concluded that the sage arts of the three sacred places is incompatible with humans.
The human body structure is far more complex and diverse than that of frogs. Mistakes in the process would have disastrous consequences.
Shiraishi will not attempt it until he is completely certain.
Consequently, he can only conduct experiments using animal bodies for now and resort to human experimentation once the risks are minimized.
However, he rejected such inhumane practices. Yet, if he wanted to master chakra jutsu without risks, human experimentation becomes inevitable.
Life isn't something to be taken lightly.
That being said, it's a bit hypocritical.
Nevertheless, reality unfolded step by step.
The more advanced medical science and life sciences become, the more impossible it is to avoid human experiments.
All progress is built upon the countless sacrifices and deaths of those who came before, as well as the valuable knowledge gained.
Fortunately, he has only taken the initial steps in sage mode research, conducting experiments on humans would be many years later. Besides, even if the use of senjutsu chakra proves impossible, the potential of natural energy is still vast.
The vitality contained within natural energy is immense and holds tremendous medical value.
Thus, it is a wise choice for Shiraishi to temporarily shift his focus to maximizing the utilization of natural energy to enhance his own strength.
"Ruri, could you assist me in locating some medicinal herbs? I intend to extract new medicines that enhance physical abilities using natural energy."
"What about the chakra experiment?"
"Before proceeding with the next experiment, I still need to gather more information on Sage mode to ensure its success. Integrating senjutsu chakra is highly dangerous, and one small mistake could be fatal. Unfortunately, we have limited information available. We'll have to slowly uncover the details of the sage arts from the three sacred places."
Shiraishi is in no rush to utilize senjutsu chakra and finds great satisfaction in working with natural energy.
"I see. Please write down the names of the medicinal herbs you require and create a list. I will arrange for the ninja cats to purchase and collect them as soon as possible."
Ruri possesses her own private channel that allows her to obtain various materials from outside Konoha without attracting attention. Thus, procuring medicinal ingredients poses no difficulty.
Furthermore, in order to safeguard the lab's secrets, Ruri has placed numerous activation detonation seals around the area. If an intruder were to enter, Ruri would immediately sense their presence and activate the spell, causing all the detonation symbols in the laboratory to explode, annihilating both the intruder and the laboratory itself.
"Excuse me, but if war is inevitable, we must prepare ourselves. I have a strong intuition that this war will be extremely tragic."