Chapter 24: The Regeneration Potion and the 'Worker' Kakuzu!
Chapter 24: The Regeneration Potion and the 'Worker' Kakuzu!
In the laboratory!
A rat with a severed hind leg had now fully recovered, the only difference being a few missing patches of fur. Despite the loss of vision in her eyes, Uchiha Yaei's other senses were still sharp, and she could easily confirm that the rat in her hand had not been switched.
"This... This is impossible!"
She had recovered from her earlier despair and was now muttering to herself, feeling the rat in her hands.
For a shinobi like her, touching a rat—or even a snake—was nothing to flinch at.
"Why is it impossible?"
"You're being too narrow-minded!"
"Nothing is impossible."
Tohei's tone was confident. The evidence was right there, and there was no way she could deny it.
He didn't think his achievement was anything out of the ordinary. In the future, Tobi, the white-eyed wolf, had lost half his body and was brought back by the master of dodging, Madara, using White Zetsu. There was also Orochimaru's cloning techniques, which were far more advanced than his.
Those were feats of technology, while his success was entirely due to his special blood.
Without it, he couldn't have created this 'Regeneration Potion.'
The Regeneration Potion!
Anyone who used this potion would be reborn, making the name fitting.
"When can I start?"
Uchiha Yaei turned to him, her eyes filled with urgency.
The days since she lost her eyes had been a living hell. She couldn't wait another second.
"Not yet," Tohei shook his head, "We've only tested it on animals, and we don't know about any side effects. Most importantly, we need to determine the correct dosage!"
Hearing this, Yaei calmed down and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
With this successful example, she no longer feared losing her sight forever, and her patience returned.
Patience was a necessary trait for a shinobi.
"I need you to find someone to place a commission at the Exchange Office to look for a Summoning Scroll. I also need these materials and a test subject!"
Tohei listed his requirements.
"Alright!"
Uchiha Yaei didn't hesitate for a moment, agreeing to everything.
As the granddaughter of a former clan leader, her influence was immense. She had been in despair earlier, but now that she was determined to act, neither manpower nor funds were an issue.
It didn't take long for the commission to appear at the underground Exchange Office.
The Exchange Office!
A network that spanned the entire shinobi world, where any task could be posted with no restrictions.
A 30 million ryo bounty!
This was an astronomical amount. Even the leaders of small hidden villages rarely offered such high rewards.
In a secret Exchange Office in the Land of Rice Fields.
Bang!
A corpse was thrown onto the counter.
A figure in a cloak, with eyes like green beans, quietly counted the money in his hand.
"Mr. Kakuzu, would you be interested in a 30 million ryo task?"
The Exchange Office manager asked cautiously.
"30 million ryo?"
Kakuzu, who had been counting his money, suddenly found it less appealing. He had worked hard for a month to hunt down the jonin in front of him, earning only 2 million ryo. A 30 million ryo task was too tempting to ignore.
"Yes, the client specifically requested that you complete it..."
The manager didn't understand why anyone would dare to work with such a dangerous person, but he kept his thoughts to himself, doing his job.
"I'll take the mission, old man!"
Kakuzu wasn't afraid of the mission's difficulty; what he feared was not having enough money.
With such a high reward, even assassinating the Shadow Master of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages would be within reach.
Bang!
The mission coordinator, upon hearing Kakuzu's acceptance, immediately performed a summoning jutsu to retrieve the mission scroll.
Kakuzu took the scroll, checked that the seals were intact, and then opened it to read the details.
The mission was straightforward.
He was to travel to the Drowning Marsh and retrieve a summoning scroll.
The employer provided some information: the scroll was guarded by a powerful giant lizard, skilled in...
With this intel, Kakuzu felt confident about completing the mission.
The only complication was that upon completing the task, he wasn't to deliver the item directly to the employer but to a small caravan instead.
But that was fine; the payment had already been deposited with the Exchange Office, a trusted intermediary, so there was no worry about not getting paid.
After carefully reading the scroll and tucking it into his robes, Kakuzu counted the money and placed it in his money box before slowly leaving the underground Exchange Office.
---
On the other side of things, Tohei was always busy.
He had to focus on his own training in various aspects, develop new techniques, research potions, and more—wishing he could split himself into several people.
Oh right!
There was a jutsu that could achieve that effect.
The Shadow Clone Jutsu!
This B-rank jutsu was a must-have for any Transdimensional Traveler.
While Uchiha Yae could obtain this jutsu, she couldn't teach it to him.
Apart from the village and clan restrictions, the learning difficulty was another barrier.
At least a High-Ranked Ninja (Jonin) was required to master it.
Tohei's combat strength had improved dramatically due to Taichi's presence, making him far stronger than an average Middle-Ranked Ninja (Chuunin).
However, in terms of his own abilities, he was still far from reaching High-Ranked Ninja (Jonin) level.
In the anime, High-Ranked Ninjas were a dime a dozen, Village Leader-level shinobi were everywhere, and Sages were not uncommon, with only the Six Paths being truly exceptional.
But in the real shinobi world, he realized how unrealistic that was.
Even background High-Ranked Ninjas were considered 'big shots' in the major shinobi villages.
In the entire Hidden Leaf Village (Konoha), with over ten thousand active shinobi, there were fewer than two hundred High-Ranked Ninjas, highlighting their rarity and the difficulty of advancement.
So for Tohei, a newly graduated Low-Ranked Ninja (Genin), even thinking about learning a High-Ranked Ninja-level jutsu was wishful thinking.
Of course, if he were a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki with the Uzumaki bloodline, it might be a different story.
(Naruto: Just say my name already!)
Unfortunately, he wasn't, so he had to be a 'time management master,' carefully allocating his daily schedule and working hard.
His dream was to live a laid-back life.
Now, not only could he not relax, but he was also living a 24/7 grind, and the frustration was palpable.
All thanks to Danzo!
The best news, perhaps, was his rapid progress in developing new techniques.
Though he couldn't match the insane abilities of the main characters, he could at least be called a 'genius.'
Tohei had no lack of creativity or foundational knowledge, and with guidance from Minato Namikaze, practical application and technique development were smooth sailing.
With his own unique jutsu, his strength would soar.
He had also extracted a few new potions, which could be put into use after human testing.
As for the testing?
Tohei couldn't do it himself, but with Uchiha Yae's arrangements, it was a different story.
Today was the day of the experiment.
He arrived at an unexpected location for the test.
(End of Chapter)
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