Ryūzetsu nearly dropped her notepad. Anyone would be shocked at what they just heard. Where did Arthur acquire all those cells, and how did he even get Tsunade's?
Little did they know, his time spent in this world was always used correctly. Having located Orochimaru's hideout, it was quite simple in acquiring the first two Kage's cells.
Hiruzen's cells were also easy to acquire since he was in a comatose state at one point, allowing Arthur to take what he needed without leaving any signs behind.
He already had the fourth Hokage's cells, so that part didn't need to be explained. The fifth Hokage's cells were a little bit trickier to obtain. During the time when Tsunade and him were in Tanzaku Town, he had snipped small-enough follicles from her long hair.
As dangerous as it might have seemed on paper, Rin's potential was still undetermined. She had the cells but wasn't showing any signs of any of the Kage's abilities. At least until now that was.
"That rejuvenation you felt was from the first Hokage's regenerative cells," Arthur reasoned.
Rin slightly lowered her head. She seemed burdened. Not by knowing that her body was modified, but because it reminded her of Obito, who too had his body injected with the first Hokage's cells.
"I don't care what changes you go through," Tayuya suddenly announced, lunging forward. "You're still a stinking weakling!"
Rin was immediately caught off guard, forced to resume her training.
It was quite unclear what Arthur hoped to achieve by altering Rin so much. One thing was certain: if the latter failed to produce results, then it only proved that she was a letdown from the beginning.
Yet if she continued to show progress, she would be dubbed as one of the most versatile kunoichi in existence. Imagine Rin, the helpless girl who wasn't even close to Sakura's strength, had the powers of her village's Kage.
Arthur was taking a huge risk in doing what he did, but the payout would be well worth it. He knew that Rin was weak, hence why he recreated her in a manner that would be fit for someone to serve him.
"Think you can get me DNA from a shinobi named Hanzo?" Light refracted from her frames as she adjusted them. "I'd love to experiment on them."
Arthur shrugged, not wishing to think what this woman would do with the cells he's worked hard to obtain. Then again, that is why he hired her.
"I'm more interested if she'll acquire that Hokage's Kekkei Genkai," Ryūzetsu commented.
Her body still needed time to adapt, so there was no guarantee that Rin would achieve any Kekkei Genkai.
"Hey, daddy, I want cool cells too!" Koko exclaimed, bouncing with glee.
"Heck no!" Brie humorously shot back, knowing the drastic implications of splicing animal genes with that of a man's.
In truth, she wanted to perform the experiment yet knew that Arthur would never allow it due to their high mortality rate.
"Why not?!" Koko argued.
"You'll be spitting out tree branches from your mouth," Brie answered with a more authoritative tone.
Koko recoiled, eyes wide and innocent as she said, "Never mind! I don't want them anymore!"
As the hour passed, the training finally finished.
Everyone scattered to their respective duties. Be it showering, playing, or cross-referencing the data collected today, they all departed except for Arthur and Rin.
The kunoichi approached Arthur with a sense of emotional gratitude. Biting back a smile, she took a deep breath and solemnly bowed, feeling a mixture of hope and respect for the opportunities granted to her. "Thank you for giving me this second chance. I promise I won't waste it."
"Never bow to me," Arthur said, an undertone of seriousness. "Your gratitude is more than enough."
Straightening up, Rin met his gaze with sincerity and said, "I know. I just want you to know how grateful I truly am, lord Arthur."
At that moment, Koko suddenly hopped atop Rin's head. She raised her small arms in victory and announced, "He's mine!" Rin let out a laugh, wondering why Koko was here when she said that she wanted to go play in the jungle's playground. "But this is the jungle's playground!"
This only made Rin chuckle, yielding to Koko's desire of wishing to be Arthur's one and only favourite.
After a moment, he turned away to leave without a single word.
"Where's lord Arthur going?" Rin wondered aloud, glancing at his retreating figure.
"That's just what daddy does?" Koko cheerfully said. "He always leaves us. But it's okay! When he comes back, he always surprises me!"
Rin had no reason to be discouraged by this. She was, after all, in a secret land that no other had access to. There were places to train, supplies to keep everyone fed, and assured safety no matter where they went.
Yet Rin's thoughts were preoccupied. She couldn't shake her deeper worries, a concern that she'd been hiding till now.
"What exactly does lord Arthur do?" she asked Koko. "Like, what is his ultimate mission?"
Koko bounced off her head with a smile. She wagged her tail as she ran, yelling, "Ask daddy when he gets back!"
It was then that Rin began to feel a sense of clarity. She was brought back for a purpose, and she had every thought to help her caregiver.
With Tayuya's cynical guidance, Koko's childish spirit, and Brie's scientific support, she was determined to become stronger—not just to confront her past, but to build something anew, something she couldn't when she had first died.
Elsewhere.
Arthur materialized amidst the rocky terrain of a secluded hideout within none other than the Sound Village.
The Northern Hideout was what it was called. Its structure was carved into the mountainside, and it was a site of horror—a forbidding place where twisted experiments and manipulation had taken place on individuals—particularly those involving the cursed seal.
This hideout had never been pinpointed in any historical records. Nor was it on the map. But thanks to having read the minds of certain Sound ninjas, Arthur not only knew where it was located but also knew who was inside.
From a safe distance, he took a moment to assess the perimeter of the hideout, noting the patrolling guards and the building's architecture.
He needed stealth; direct confrontation was not an option.
As such, he transformed into smoke, slipping through the air until he entered inside. The guards on duty had no inkling that a predator had infiltrated their ranks.
Because of that, he'd easily seen through the weak points in the guards' routines. Navigating through the facility was simply too easy.
Gratifyingly, the security measures seemed less impressive than he had expected, perhaps a sign of Orochimaru's interest in training the Uchiha more.
As Arthur moved through the corridors, he placed flying raijin marks in discreet locations—behind loose bricks, beneath the thinnest layers of dust, and under cornerstones. They were all nearly impossible to detect.
He then silently moved deeper within the structure. The hallways were narrow, lined with rooms where twisted experiments were currently taking place.
Eventually, he reached an underground area. One room in particular stood out among the others, the same room he had come here for.
Because inside that room was Jūgo.
Jūgo was written to have been a shinobi from an unnamed clan known for their unique ability to absorb natural energy, which allowed him to undergo drastic physical transformations.
This Kekkei Genkai granted him the power of "Sage Transformation," a technique that enabled him to utilize the natural energy he had gathered and enhance his abilities.
His Sage Mode allowed him to alter specific parts of his body at will, significantly boosting his physical prowess. This transformation could include extensions or augmentations such as expanding limbs into weapons or gaining powerful physical enhancements, resulting in increased strength, speed, and durability in battle.
Despite the potential benefits of Sage Mode, his ability came with a curse: an inability to control his rage.
The constant absorption of natural energy led to sporadic surges of uncontrollable anger, manifesting in violent outbursts that were often catastrophic for those around him. This turbulent mental state forced him to isolate himself, fearing the destruction he might cause, until he willingly joined Orochimaru, thanks to Kimimaro, in hopes of finding a cure.
Orochimaru's interest in Jūgo's abilities ultimately led to the creation of cursed seals, akin to Jūgo's natural transformations, which he used to experiment on others.
In addition to Jūgo's physical transformations, he possessed an enhanced connection to nature, which allowed him to communicate with and command wildlife, further extending his capabilities in various situations.
Through his experiences and connections—with individuals like Sasuke Uchiha, who served as a stabilizing influence on his unbridled nature—Jūgo's potential in Sage Mode underscored the duality of his character: a shinobi battling his devils while harnessing the raw power of nature.
Arthur didn't care who Jūgo was, nor did he worry about the consequences of his actions. His mind was solely focused on the valuable cells he believed were hidden away in the jumbled recesses of Jūgo's abnormal physiology.
Nearing the secured door, he slipped through and entered the room.
Just ahead, in a shadowy corner, sat Jūgo, lost in a world of his own. Arthur could see that, despite the boy's eyes being closed, he was awake, trying to suppress his rage.
Was it safe to invade him now? Surely, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Just as easy as it was to sneak into this facility, scalping a few hairs or dead skin cells wouldn't be too hard.
As smoke began to coil and waft up towards Jūgo, the boy's eyes snapped open, instantaneously piercing the darkness with a furious vigilance.
"Who's there?!" he screamed with both confusion and rage.
'Darn it…'
Not wanting to become an immediate target, Arthur began to retreat silently into the shadows, but his movements only fueled Jūgo's anger.
In an instant, the boy transformed, his body morphing into a monstrous form as he unleashed a barrage of savage attacks, lashing out in the direction of the intruder.
Arthur remained unfazed; he knew Jūgo's enhanced senses would make it a tad difficult for him to escape unnoticed.
Not even a moment later, an explosion rattled the foundation of the hallway. A scientist ran to see what the outburst was about.
His wide eyes reflecting the disorder; Jūgo had caused an outburst, running rampant as he continued to bellow for his attacker.
"Come out and face me!" the boy growled.
It was so chaotic that the scientist stumbled to the ground. He scrambled to regain his footing, calling frantically for backup. But Arthur had long vanished from the scene, slipping into an adjacent medical unit.
He had failed in acquiring the rampaging boy's cells, but that didn't mean he was out of options. It was time for plan B.
With alarms blaring throughout the facility, he had to act fast. Inside the medical unit, he quickly found vials and instruments, a collection of evidence from previous experiments conducted on subjects like Jūgo.
These things were spotted before, but there was no telling how volatile they were or if they would be useful as compared to live cells taken from the source.
Gaining access to a sample of Jūgo's unique cells became his primary objective, and as he carefully extracted the samples from the available materials, he noted how many of them appeared modified, clearly indicative of the tampering of someone like Orochimaru.
With his acquisition underway, now was the time to depart: 'Flying raijin…'
As he re-emerged in a secluded location, it became evident that the Northern Hideout would have its securities amplified. Perhaps that snake would go there himself to see what became of Jūgo and the boy's sudden outburst.
Yet none of that concerned Arthur in the slightest. He got what he came here for. Modified cells or not, that was the reason what made his laboratory so special—he could possibly reverse engineer them.
And if he was successful, he could implant them and not just amplify his own Sage Mode but have it be passive!