"Ugh, so bitter!" Anko scrunched her face in disgust, shutting her eyes tight as she pinched her nose and downed a bowl of dark, murky herbal medicine in large gulps.
After finishing, her stomach churned violently, and she felt she'd need at least three bowls of sweet Anko soup to quell the nausea rising within her.
"It's terrible!" Anko spat the words out one by one through gritted teeth, afraid that if she opened her mouth too wide, she'd end up throwing the medicine back up.
"Just bear with it. Medicine always tastes like this," Kagetsu tried to comfort her.
"Have you ever had it?" Anko asked, covering her mouth.
"The Nara clan members are all walking medicine jars," Kagetsu replied calmly, gesturing to a round platform behind Anko. "It's time to get on."
Anko glanced at Kagetsu, then at Orochimaru, who was standing nearby, meticulously examining Kagetsu's experimental data and procedures.
She finally spared a glance at Uchiha Shisui, who stood to the side of Kagetsu, before quickly stepping onto the platform, standing straight as Kagetsu had instructed her to.
Kagetsu adjusted a few settings on a machine beside her, and a hollow, transparent cylindrical tank rose from beneath the platform, its funnel-shaped top securely locking into place.
A layer of nutrient solution began seeping up from the platform, gradually rising up the cylinder, enveloping Anko until she was fully submerged.
Soon, streams of data appeared densely on the instrument panel next to Kagetsu, displaying Anko's current physical state and real-time changes in her medication absorption and consumption.
Monitoring the data, Kagetsu made constant adjustments to the machine, adding more substances and modifying various parameters to ensure the experiment proceeded safely.
Inside the cylinder, Anko, immersed in the nutrient solution, seemed to lose control of her consciousness, as if under a genjutsu. Her expression of pain that occasionally surfaced showed that she was enduring a deep and agonizing discomfort.
After a final round of adjustments, Kagetsu stepped back from the controls. Now, all she could do was wait and watch. The only actions left to her were either to halt the experiment and rescue Anko if something went wrong or to see it through to its conclusion.
With the system fully set up and calibrated, the machine would now run the programmed procedure autonomously, either until the experiment failed—or succeeded.
Orochimaru approached, standing beside Kagetsu, both of them watching Anko in the tank with a look of eager anticipation.
Perhaps others hadn't realized it yet, but in Orochimaru's eyes, Kagetsu's experiments were close to granting a ninja an ability akin to a Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit).
He had attempted something similar before! His research into Wood Release was meant to restore this unique Kekkei Genkai to Konoha.
But there were significant differences between Kagetsu's research and his own. Danzo and Orochimaru had aimed for rapid results, often using members of the Senju clan as test subjects to increase the chances of success.
Kagetsu, however, took a different approach.
His research seemed more focused on isolating certain traits of a Kekkei Genkai, then gently transferring them to a person. This method was less aggressive, resulting in a lower rejection rate and a higher probability of success.
Most importantly, Kagetsu had a wider selection of test subjects, without restricting himself to people with specific bloodlines.
Orochimaru found Kagetsu's research fascinating and fully supported it. He hoped this experiment would succeed, as Kagetsu's willingness to share his progress would benefit him as well.
"Has the first stage been completed successfully?"
Moments later, Orochimaru observed Anko's contorted expression gradually ease. His eyes moved to the data displayed on the equipment. Without Kagetsu's response, he already deduced the result.
"Yes, the first stage is complete," Kagetsu sighed in relief.
The first stage involved fully absorbing the previous drugs, adjusting Anko's body to achieve a balance with the external nutrient solution containing Wood Release properties. This was a test to see if she would accept part of the nutrient's power without rejection.
If there had been any issues, they would have paused the experiment, stabilized Anko's condition, and run a series of tests to pinpoint the problem. After identifying and solving the issue, they would have repeated the first stage.
This process required time.
If no issues emerged, however, and everything proceeded smoothly with the drugs absorbed and Anko's vital signs stable, they could move on to the second stage.
The second stage involved a gradual and thorough transformation of the body, using cellular-level medical technology.
The sealed capsule, with engraved fūinjutsu (sealing techniques) on its lid, served as both a medical chamber and a final protective barrier.
Control of the medical chamber was managed by Nonō Yakushi. With Tsunade absent from the village, Nonō was one of the village's top medical ninjas and even received a salary from the Technology Development Department.
At this moment, Nonō Yakushi was in the corner, dealing with medical ninjutsu problems. She wore a heavy metal helmet, attached to many jars, each connected to the helmet's body.
However, in Kagetsu's test, once it reached the second stage, external influence and assistance were minimal. They could only deal with things after the fact.
The second stage was Anko's battlefield. If she could endure the pain without her body rejecting the new power, and allow her body to transform, the only factor that would determine whether she succeeded or not would be whether Anko could persevere.
Compared to the first stage, this was a much longer waiting process.
As for the third stage?
That was the recovery and observation stage.
In this stage, they would check Anko's body to see if the new power caused any side effects and to assess the extent of its effectiveness and stability.
Everyone present was patient.
While their main bodies were overseeing the experiment, they didn't hesitate to send shadow clones to handle other tasks. Even Nonō Yakushi sent a shadow clone to the medical department to supervise.
The only one who didn't send out a shadow clone was Shisui.
The second stage lasted for three full days and nights, with Kagetsu's shifts changing several times.
Finally, on the fourth morning, Anko's consciousness began to stir, detected by the instruments, and she started to regain control of her body.
Bang, bang, bang!
Anko, now awake, opened her eyes and realized she was still submerged in the nutrient solution. Instinctively, she began to struggle. Her pale hand clenched into a fist and hit the glass wall.
The loud alarm echoed throughout the entire lab, startling Kagetsu, who was on the night shift.
***
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