Chapter 72: The Seed of Life
When Baishi appeared, the group immediately fell silent, bowing in unison. "My lord!"
"Hmm."
Baishi nodded slightly and said, "Follow me."
Passing between them, he strode toward the depths of the forest.
Kamimura Takashi and the others exchanged glances but dared not speak, hurriedly following him.
Soon, the group left the misty area around the hot spring laboratory. The dense fog dissipated, and the warm sunlight once again bathed them.
Yet, Kamimura Takashi and the others felt no warmth; they were filled with unease. Distracted and anxious, they merely followed Baishi out of instinct.
"We've arrived."
Baishi's voice startled them, snapping them back to reality.
Looking ahead, they saw that the forest had been deliberately cleared, leaving an open space devoid of grass or fallen leaves. The barren area was stark and striking.
What stood out most were dozens of wooden cages of varying sizes scattered across the clearing.
These cages appeared entirely natural, devoid of any artificial carvings, clearly formed by Baishi's Wood Release technique.
Inside the cages were various small animals.
The creatures were of different species and sizes, but they all shared one distinct feature: a glowing green light emanating from somewhere on their bodies.
It was clearly an experimental site.
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing hard broke the silence as the five pirates shivered. They glanced nervously at Baishi's back.
Without turning, Baishi sensed their fear and said, "Relax. Like all previous experiments, this one is harmless."
But his words only heightened their terror.
"Harmless? Then why are those things glowing green?" they thought, trembling internally.
Unlike previous experiments, which had at least seemed normal, this one involved cages and eerie green lights—more than enough to unsettle them.
"Are we going to end up in those cages too?"
Their fear deepened, and had they not known escape was futile, they might have bolted already.
Ignoring their wild imaginations, Baishi opened a cage, grabbed a rabbit, and pointed to the glowing spot on its chest. "Do you see this green light?"
The pirates nodded cautiously.
"This," Baishi explained, "is the Seed of Life."
"The Seed of Life?"
"Exactly." Baishi nodded. "As the name suggests, it's a seed that sustains life."
"Do you know how long this rabbit has gone without food?"
The pirates shook their heads.
"Six days," Baishi replied.
"Six days? That's impossible!"
Staring at the lively rabbit in Baishi's hands, the pirates couldn't hide their disbelief.
"No need to doubt me. Even after another six days, it will still be alive," Baishi said confidently.
Without further explanation, Baishi began meticulously inspecting each caged animal.
After a while, he finished his checks and muttered, "It seems the heart is indeed the best placement."
Baishi's creation of the Seed of Life wasn't just to assist Kamimura Takashi and the others—it was also the first step toward realizing a long-held vision: enabling ordinary people to possess abilities akin to shinobi.
Of course, the current version of the Seed of Life fell far short of that goal and offered little immediate benefit to the pirates. But it was a start.
With this thought, Baishi took out a tree seed and turned to Kamimura Takashi and the others. "Who wants to go first?"
The pirates exchanged uneasy looks, each hoping someone else would volunteer. While they knew resistance was futile, none wanted to be the first.
Left with no choice, Baishi pointed. "Kamimura Takashi, you're up."
Kamimura Takashi's face instantly fell, his expression resembling someone in mourning. The others, meanwhile, heaved sighs of relief.
Baishi, noticing their reactions, snorted coldly. "Don't get too comfortable. You'll all take part."
Hearing this, Kamimura Takashi's expression improved slightly.
After all, there's some comfort in shared misery.
Baishi ignored their shifting emotions and raised the tree seed in his hand. Slowly, he infused it with Wood Release chakra, causing the seed to swell and pulse as if about to sprout.
Once it reached the desired state, Baishi stopped infusing chakra and instead poured in Yang Release energy—pure life force from his body.
In an instant, the seed seemed to come alive, glowing with a vibrant green light.
The pirates stared at the seed in Baishi's palm, mesmerized by its jewel-like brilliance. Some even began to drool.
Though they didn't understand Baishi's methods, they instinctively knew the seed was extraordinarily valuable—worth a fortune if sold.
Unfortunately for them, Baishi wasn't interested in money. Besides, the seed's glow wouldn't last long.
With no time to waste, Baishi clasped the seed between his palms and began forming hand seals.
"Serpent–Ram–Boar… …Monkey–Serpent."
It was the longest sequence of seals Baishi had ever performed—fifty-one in total, taking nearly ten seconds to complete.
With the final seal, Baishi struck Kamimura Takashi's chest, right over his heart.
At once, Kamimura Takashi's shirt tore, revealing his bare skin. A complex sealing pattern emerged, centered around his heart.
The seal, based on the Four Symbols Seal and enhanced with elements of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, was specially designed to house the Seed of Life.
Now, the seed was firmly embedded within Kamimura Takashi's body.
"Phew…"
Exhaling deeply, Baishi relaxed.
While Baishi felt relieved, Kamimura Takashi grew increasingly anxious. He tentatively touched the glowing spot on his chest. "My lord, what… what is this?"
"Don't worry," Baishi replied nonchalantly. "As you guessed, it's the Seed of Life."
He continued, "You can feel it if you concentrate. It's rooted in your heart."
Kamimura Takashi paled and quickly closed his eyes to sense it.
Moments later, he opened them, his expression a mix of confusion and excitement. He seemed eager to speak but couldn't find the words.
Seeing his hesitation, Baishi said plainly, "You've noticed its benefits, haven't you? Even if you go without food, it will keep you alive for quite some time."
For now, that was the Seed of Life's primary function.
It absorbed external energy—much like photosynthesis—and converted it into sustenance for the host's body, ensuring survival without food.
Baishi's next goal was to enhance the seed so it could channel energy into strengthening the host's body.
If successful, even non-shinobi would gain physical capabilities comparable to trained fighters.
After a brief rest, Baishi repeated the process, implanting Seeds of Life into the remaining four pirates.
With that, his five experimental subjects were ready. Now, he only needed to observe them for adverse reactions.
(End of Chapter)
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