bookbashuk Chapter 330 You are still too weak
Chapter 330 You are still too weak
Chapter 330 You are still too weak
Meanwhile, in the underground base far away in the Land of Fields, a different smell emanated.
The smells of medicine, blood, mold, and damp earth mingled together, with a faint, sweet, fishy scent of rotting plant lingering in the air.
On the long stone platform, three white Zetsu corpses lay there, their skin rolled up, their muscles and veins exposed under the cold white light. However, unlike the bright red flesh of a normal person, they had a grayish-white hue like damp wood.
Wearing gloves and with the light reflecting off his glasses, Kabuto was meticulously peeling away the tissue from the chest cavity of one of the White Zetsu with an extremely fine blade.
There were already seven or eight thin tubes soaking in the medicine in the iron tray next to it, and those tubes were still wriggling very slightly.
Jugo stood a little further away, arms crossed, staring at it for a long time before finally unable to hold back: "Don't you think this thing gets more and more disgusting the more you look at it?"
Without even looking up, he said, "Disgusting and valuable are never mutually exclusive."
"They look like trees, and they also look like people. When you cut them open, the inside looks like mycelium that has been soaked in water."
"Um."
"Isn't your reaction a bit too bland?"
"Because I've been watching it for many days."
Kabuto gently parted a section of light green veins inside White Zetsu's chest cavity, his eyes filled with obvious interest. "Moreover, I'm increasingly convinced that this thing isn't just a simple experimental subject."
Jugo frowned: "What is that?"
"It's something akin to a 'basic life form.'"
Jugo looked completely bewildered: "Speak like a human being."
Dou then looked up at him and smiled.
"That means White Zetsu are more receptive to external cells, chakra, and even will than normal people."
Jugo didn't understand: "What does this have to do with you locking yourself in here these past few days?"
"It's very important."
Kabuto took off his gloves and put on a new pair. "For example, if a normal human body is forcibly transplanted with too many foreign cells, it is very easy for it to collapse. Lord Orochimaru has done many similar experiments before, and the success rate has never been high. But White Zetsu is different. Hashirama cells are not 'foreign objects' in their bodies, but more like a natural component."
Jugo moved closer and looked down at the corpse on the stone platform.
"You mean, they are inherently related to interstitial cells?"
"They're not just related, they're highly similar in origin."
Dou picked up a thin needle and gently inserted it into the light green veins. Liquid was drawn out along the needle, and there were even tiny wood fibers floating inside.
"I now suspect that White Zetsu are essentially products of Hashirama cells that have been stabilized through some method. Or rather, containers for Hashirama cells that have been humanized."
Jugo was silent for a moment before saying, "So you're thinking of using them as a culture medium?"
Kabuto chuckled: "As expected of Jugo, he can occasionally grasp the key point."
Jugo's face darkened: "What do you mean by occasionally?"
"Literal meaning."
Dou dripped the extracted liquid into the petri dish next to him, and a small piece of white tissue that had been still suddenly trembled, as if it had been stimulated.
His eyes behind the glasses brightened instantly.
"really."
Jugo leaned closer: "What's wrong?"
"They have an extremely high acceptance rate for the same type of tissue fluid, with almost no rejection." Kabuto's voice softened, as if he were talking to himself. "If this characteristic were further amplified, perhaps we could mass-produce more stable White Zetsu individuals—"
They even modified special containers suitable for use as sacrificial offerings.
Jugo's expression changed: "You're thinking about Edo Tensei again."
"Isn't this just natural?"
As Kabuto took notes, he said, "Ordinary sacrifices result in death, death leaves traces, and traces can cause trouble. But White Zetsu are different; they are not human in the normal sense. Using them as sacrifices is not only suitable, but it can also reduce my own burden."
As Jugo watched him speak with increasing ease, a strange, familiar sense of unease rose within him.
This feeling was very similar to when he watched Orochimaru conduct his experiments.
It's not that Kabuto went completely insane like Orochimaru, but rather that once he becomes interested in something, his tone becomes softer and softer, while his eyes become brighter and brighter.
"pocket."
"Um?
'
"You're starting to look more and more like Orochimaru lately."
Dou paused for a moment, then laughed.
Is this a compliment?
"6
"no."
"Then I'll take it as a reminder."
Dou put the syringe back on the tray and turned to walk towards the culture tank on the other side.
What was soaking inside was not a White Zetsu, but a small section of grayish-white tissue that had just been cut off, its surface covered with fine chakra lines.
"But there is one thing that makes me different from Lord Orochimaru."
Jugo walked over: "What?"
"He conducts experiments mostly out of curiosity and a desire for control."
Kabuto reached out and pressed his hand against the glass of the culture tank, looking at the slightly trembling tissue inside. "And I do this because I need results."
Shigego remained silent.
Dou didn't continue speaking, but simply raised his hand to adjust the infusion line above the culture tank.
On the other side, a slight noise came from the bed near the corner.
Kimimaro slowly sat up, his face still pale, but his breathing was much more stable than a few days ago.
The eyes in his sockets now are not the white eyes of the past, but a pair of new eyes of very ordinary color, with grayish pupils and no special fluctuations, but at least they allow him to see his surroundings clearly again.
"You're awake?"
Shigeo immediately went over.
"Um.
""
Kimimaro's voice was soft, but it was stronger than it had been the previous two days.
Kabuto also turned around and glanced back: "How are you feeling?"
"There is no rejection."
Kimimaro raised his hand and touched the corner of his eye slowly. "My vision is still adjusting, but I can move around normally now."
"That's good."
Dou walked to the bedside, looked down at him, and said, "You're recovering faster than I expected."
Kimimaro bowed slightly: "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Jugo, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown: "Why are you still saying things like that? It's clearly Black Zetsu and that Uchiha."
"I know."
Kimimaro interrupted him, his tone still calm, "There's no point in saying all this now."
Dou looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"You're still the same as before, so quiet that it's impossible to tell what you're thinking."
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Kimimaro looked up: "I just feel that now that we've given away our eyes, we should look to the future."
"So what did you see after that?"
Kimimaro remained silent for a moment.
"We've seen they won't just let this go."
Jugo was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
"I don't know that person named Toneri, but Black Zetsu and Obito aren't the type to easily trust others."
Kimimaro said slowly, "Since they gave him my eyes, it means they want more from him. But that man called Toneri doesn't seem like he'll really be manipulated by them."
Dou pushed up his glasses: "So?"
"So they're bound to run into problems sooner or later."
The smile on his face deepened.
"That's what I think too."
Looking at the two of them, Jugo suddenly felt like he was the only one who hadn't kept up with their train of thought.
"So what do we need to do now?"
Dou turned around and walked back to the stone platform, gently tapping the metal plate on it.
"Continue researching White Zetsu, and wait while we wait."
"What are you waiting for?"
"I'll wait for Black Zetsu to come to me, or I'll go to him."
Jugo frowned: "Didn't you say there was no rush?"
"I meant I wasn't in a hurry to turn against you."
Kabuto picked up the notebook and flipped to the back pages, which were filled with data on White Zetsu cell activity, chakra compatibility, and Edo Tensei adaptation rate.
"But the score still needs to be settled."
Jugo looked at him: "Are you confident now?"
"I'm not entirely sure."
"Then you still—"
"6
"But I have more and more chips to play."
Dou looked up at the slightly wriggling tissues in the culture tank, his voice as soft as snake scales brushing against the ground.
"Besides, Black Zetsu might not be as relaxed as I am."
The days passed by.
Just as Izumi said, the rhythm on the surface of Konoha was not disrupted too much by the news from the Allied Forces.
At dawn, the bell of the Ninja Academy will still ring as usual.
Iruka stood in front of the podium, tapping the blackboard to quiet the noisy students below.
Naruto sat by the window, his body in the classroom, but his gaze had wandered off somewhere else.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Iruka's forehead twitched.
Naruto jumped to his feet: "Here!"
The classroom erupted in laughter.
Iruka, his face stern, asked, "Where was I?"
Naruto scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "Speaking of, speaking of chakra nature transformation—"
"The second half of the sentence."
"Well----"
Sasuke, sitting in front, didn't even turn his head, coldly uttering, "The relationship of mutual restraint between basic nature transformations."
Naruto immediately chimed in, "Yes! That's it!"
Iruka's face darkened: "Sit down. And Sasuke Uchiha, you're not allowed to answer for him."
Sasuke said calmly, "I just find him too noisy."
Naruto protested, "Who's making noise?!"
Karin sat on the other side, listening to the two bickering, and couldn't help but twitch her lips.
She had only been in Konoha for a short time, and although she had begun to adapt to life there, she still felt a little unfamiliar with the classroom atmosphere every time she saw it.
In the Land of Grass, she had witnessed too much filth and strife. She had seen adults kick people into mud pits for half a bag of grain, and children steal and cheat to live a few more days.
But here, the classroom is noisy, the teacher gets angry, bangs on the desk, and punishes students by making them stand up to answer questions, but there is no suffocating malice.
She was lost in thought when Iruka's voice suddenly called on her again.
"Karin, you answer this. Between the Wind and Thunder attributes, which one is more advantageous in terms of general elemental affinity?"
Karin immediately stood up, her voice still slightly tense from when she first arrived.
"Wind attribute, Clay attribute."
"Good, sit down."
Iruka nodded, then glanced at the students. "You've all heard something about the coalition. But I want to remind you that right now, your most important task isn't to let your imagination run wild, but to learn what you need to learn and practice what you need to practice. When the time comes to need you, the village won't forget anyone. But until then, make sure you have a solid foundation."
The classroom was silent for a few seconds.
Naruto suddenly raised his hand: "Iruka-sensei, what if someone wanted to become stronger right now?"
Iruka glanced at him: "Let's start with today's clone technique, and try not to blow yourself up into smoke every time."
Laughter filled the classroom again.
After class, Naruto was the first to rush out of the classroom.
"Sasuke! Let's have a match at the training ground!"
Sasuke didn't even turn his head: "I'm busy."
Are you scared?!
"idiot."
Karin stood at the door, watching the two people run out one after the other, and couldn't help but purse her lips.
Hinata whispered from the side, "Aren't you going?"
Karin turned to look at her: "Are you going?"
Hinata blushed and whispered, "I...I'm going to the Hyuga clan's training ground in a bit."
Karin looked at her and suddenly realized that Hinata seemed to be more easily distracted these past few days.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Huh? No, it's nothing."
"7
Hinata waved her hand instinctively.
Karin stared at her suspiciously for two seconds, about to ask again, when Naruto's shout suddenly came from afar.
"Hinata! Are you coming or not?!"
Hinata's face turned even redder. She hurriedly responded, grabbed the book, and ran out quickly.
Karin stood still, squinting her eyes.
"This guy... something's not right."
In another training ground on the east side of Konoha, Kakashi was lazily squatting on a wooden stake, holding a book in his hand, but his eyes were not actually on the pages.
Below, Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin have just finished a round of basic sparring.
Naruto gasped for breath: "Why is even Karin using me as a target now?!"
Karin, hands on her hips, said, "Who told you to be so straightforward? I could see right through you."
Sasuke said coldly, "Her perception is strong; of course, she can't hide your little tricks."
Naruto immediately bristled: "Don't get too cocky! Didn't she just tie you up from behind too?!"
Sasuke's face darkened: "That's because I wasn't taking it seriously."
Karin snorted: "Stubborn."
Kakashi looked at the chaos below, his eyes crinkling into a smile, and suddenly jumped down from the wooden stake.
"Three."
The three of them looked at him at the same time.
"Starting today, extra training."
Naruto was stunned: "Why?"
"Because you are still too weak."
"—That reason is way too direct!"
Kakashi scratched his head: "There's nothing I can do, the situation hasn't been good lately. Although it's not your turn to go into battle yet, it can't hurt to train more."
Sasuke looked at him: "Is it because of the Allied Forces?"
Kakashi paused for half a second, then closed the book: "I guess so."
Naruto immediately clenched his fist: "Let's go! I'll definitely become stronger!"
Karin glanced at him, then at Sasuke, and finally turned her gaze toward the distant village.
From here you can see Fire Shadow Rock, and also the undulating sea of trees in the distance.
She suddenly remembered the dirty alleyways in the towns of the Land of Grass, and the fearful yet complex looks in people's eyes when they saw Uchiha Ikezumi.
Then she looked at the village in front of her.
She suddenly understood why Konoha still stood by Uchiha Ikezumi, even though the Allied Forces were clearly targeting him.
Because this place, at least, really feels like a place where people can survive.
Meanwhile, time ticked by inside the underground base.
Kabuto placed the new slice of White Zetsu tissue under the microscope, observed it for a while, and suddenly frowned.
"strangeness."
Jugo looked up from the corner: "What is it now?"
"The activity of this batch decreased too quickly."