"They possess powerful vitality and extremely high cellular compatibility."
"Through induction, we can make them differentiate into hearts, livers, and even—brains!"
Tsunade suddenly turned her head, staring intently at Kakashi, her voice rising sharply.
"Do you know what this means?"
"In the future, whether as sacrifices for Edo Tensei, as scaffolds for regenerating severed fingers, or even as perfect vessels for resurrection—"
"They are the most perfect, most versatile materials!"
"They are an irreplaceable resource, and most importantly—they can be mass-produced infinitely!"
Tsunade grew more and more excited as she spoke, as if showcasing a work of art that could change humanity.
"As long as we have these things, we will never need to use humans for experiments again, nor will we have to worry about organ rejection!"
"But—"
Kakashi gritted his teeth, trying to defend his crumbling moral baseline.
"Even if they are plants—"
"But they look like humans, have the structure of humans, and can even think—then they are human!"
"Treating them as consumables—this is challenging the very baseline of humanity!"
"Lady Tsunade, please come to your senses!"
Hearing these words, the excitement on Tsunade's face faded slightly.
Looking at the self-righteous Kakashi, she suddenly let out a cold laugh.
Tsunade walked up to Kakashi step by step, forcing him to take a half-step back subconsciously.
"Ethics? Morals? Baselines?"
Tsunade's voice sank, carrying a hint of long-suppressed anger.
"Kakashi, you're talking to me about baselines?"
"On the battlefield, sending teenage children to their deaths—is that Konoha's baseline?"
"Abandoning companions for the sake of a mission—is that a ninja's morality?"
"Giving up the hope of resurrecting loved ones for the sake of meaningless concepts—is that your ethics?"
Kakashi's pupils shrank slightly.
"You—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Tsunade suddenly reached out, grabbed Kakashi by the collar, and stared dead into his eyes.
"Kakashi, what if I told you—"
"That as long as we kill this room of monsters, as long as we use their bodies—"
"We can bring back your dead teammates, your dead teacher, your dead family—"
"Tell me!"
Tsunade almost roared, her voice exploding in Kakashi's ears.
"Would you still think—they are human?!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering all of Kakashi's psychological defenses.
He stood frozen on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
His mind went completely blank.
Obito... Rin... his parents...
Those faces that used to wake him up in the middle of the night now circled in his mind.
If he had to choose between this room of monsters and Obito—
So-called morality and so-called ethics became incredibly pale.
Kakashi opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but could not make a sound.
Because deep in his heart, a voice was screaming frantically.
Trade!
Kill them!
Don't hesitate!
"I—"
Kakashi's head slumped powerlessly, his eyes completely lost, like a child who had lost his way.
Looking at Kakashi in his struggle, the anger in Tsunade's eyes gradually subsided.
She released Kakashi's collar and expressionlessly straightened her lab coat.
"This is reality, Kakashi."
"So-called morality is just a shackle used to control the weak."
"Here—"
Tsunade pointed at this place filled with blood and hope.
"We only care about results."
With that, Tsunade ignored him, turned back to the operating table, and continued her unfinished experiment.
"Karin, reagent number thirteen, continue."
"Yes!"
"Let's go."
Naruto, who had been standing at the door the entire time, spoke calmly now.
He glanced at Kakashi, who was still frozen on the spot, then at Sakura, whose eyes were filled with complex emotions, and Sai, who looked completely indifferent.
"Kakashi-sensei needs some time to think."
Naruto turned and walked deeper inside, his voice flat.
"Let's go to the next place."
"The things there are also quite interesting."
Sai and Shin didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately followed Naruto's footsteps.
Sakura stood on the spot, glancing at Karin and Tsunade, who were busy and working in perfect harmony.
That sour, bitter feeling welled up in her heart once more.
She bit her lip, took one last look at the despondent Kakashi, and turned to quickly catch up with Naruto.
They walked for another distance.
Leaving the dead silence of the Biological Laboratory, they walked through a long corridor.
The mixed odors in the air gradually dissipated.
Boom!
Suddenly, a violent explosion echoed through the thick walls.
Immediately after, a hysterical, hoarse, and frantic roar echoed.
"Idiots!"
"All of you are idiots!"
"Are your brains made of mush?!"
"How many times do you have to repeat such a low-level mistake?!"
The door slid open.
A wave of noisy heat rushed over them.
This was a completely different world from the one before.
The Cursed Seal Research and Development Center.
Within the massive space, dozens of researchers in lab coats were running around various test benches, drenched in sweat.
In the testing grounds on the left, numerous ninjas branded with experimental cursed seals were frantically unleashing ninjutsu at targets, with recorders furiously taking notes nearby.
On the right were blackboards and display screens, recording complex chakra calculation formulas.
And in the center, Orochimaru was grabbing a team leader by the collar, his golden pupils filled with killing intent.
"Something this simple—I already laid out the framework, and yet you still almost blew up the laboratory!"
"If this were the past, an idiot like you would have died ten times over!"
The leader was scared witless, trembling all over, unable to even speak.
"Orochimaru."
Naruto's calm voice cut through the noisy background and went straight into Orochimaru's heart.
Orochimaru paused, tossing the person in his hand aside like trash.
When he turned around, the ferocity on his face had subsided, though his expression was still rather unpleasant.
"Naruto-kun, you're here."
His gaze swept over the crowd behind Naruto, finally resting on Naruto, as he complained with a hint of helplessness.
"I've made a fool of myself in front of you."
"Tsunade and Kabuto have gone to handle other projects, so I can only lead this bunch of mediocre talents to tackle the most difficult subjects."
Naruto walked to the console, looking at the dizzyingly complex cursed seal model on the screen.
"Is progress stalled?"
"Yes."
Orochimaru pointed without hesitation at an entire wall of blackboards, which were covered in dense derivation formulas, but ultimately crossed out with a large 'X'.
"According to your vision, we need to program the hand seal process of ninjutsu and the flow trajectory of chakra into the underlying logic of the cursed seal, just like writing code."
"So that the user doesn't need to learn or form hand seals; as long as they activate the cursed seal, they can unleash ninjutsu at will, as if by instinct."
"They can even download and upload ninjutsu experience and soul fragments at will."
A fanatical light of excitement first shone in Orochimaru's eyes, but it quickly dimmed, carrying a hint of unwillingness.
"The concept is perfect."
"But—"
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250 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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