Chapter 17: I am here to increase my favorability

Note:Did a minor change, where he addressed others by his codename and position as I felt it was unprofessional not to do otherwise.(of course there is some exception.)

·Nezumi Ichi means Rat-1

(Akio POV)

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(In his mindscape)

"I think this is enough training for today…"

Today's training session went well. I made significant progress in understanding the learning curve of the Flying Raijin technique, which is much clearer to me now compared to the complexities of the Hyuga slave mark.

I believe that if I can get some guidance from Lady Mito, I might be able to master this technique within a year, at the very least.

Even if it takes an additional year to perfect, it would be time well spent because this jutsu is truly worth the effort and dedication.

As I dispelled the multiple shadow clones within my mindscape, I slowly inspected their memories one by one, keeping only the ones that showed some progress. (It's not like I won't have a stroke if I accept all of their memories in one go.)

Though the progress was not much, it is better than nothing.

Afterwards I focused my chakra and prepared myself.

'Genjutsu: Release!'

***

As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by darkness, my old friend again. (Who says lightning doesn't strike twice?.)

I checked my body out of habit, ensuring everything was as it should be, and pinched my skin to confirm I wasn't lost in my mindscape. Satisfied, I stretched my limbs that was aching to move.

Knock Thud Knock

'Why is Anbu here?' I wondered as I reached for the light switch.

With a flick, the room was bathed in light. I moved towards the door, where I was met by a gust of wind, a burst of sunlight, and the Anbu operative.

"Danzo-sama is calling you," he said curtly before disappearing as swiftly as he had appeared, leaving behind a note.

Picking up the note, I felt a muscle in my eye twitch involuntarily.

Sighing deeply, I resigned myself to the inevitable as I went to change my clothes.

'Let's meet her at another time,' I thought, already aware that a long day awaited me.

***

Entering the Forest of Death, I checked the coordinates in the note once more.

Navigating cautiously within a defined radius using my shadow, I evaded traps designed to ensnare unsuspecting children and inexperienced shinobi who disregarded warnings from authority.

After a relatively short journey, about an hour later, I arrived at the designated caravan.

"Halt," an Anbu operative commanded, materializing before me.

"Identify yourself and state your purpose."

"I'm First Anbu Squad Leader of the Anbu White Ops division and an Anbu Torturer from the T and I subdivision of the Anbu Grey Ops division, codenamed Nezumi Ichi. I was summoned by Ojii-sama based on instructions sent from an Anbu," I replied, handing over the note.

The Anbu scrutinized the note, then directed his gaze back to me. "And why did Danzo-sama request your presence?"

"To assist in his wood release experiment," I answered.

He had already informed me beforehand that he would call if he started the experiment, so it wasn't difficult to guess the reason for his call. Bringing it up in the note would also be unwise, especially after last month's incident that necessitated the tightening and increased ambiguity of the Anbu protocol.

Every one of our minds had to undergo scrutiny with the Anbu Memory Extractor to ensure security, which led to the identification of additional spies.

Although we were already aware of their identities and were utilizing them to disseminate false information to foreign villages, we could no longer afford to underestimate them, especially if they were somehow linked to that woman who nearly leaked the secret of the 'Magnet Release' technique to Iwagakure before we apprehended her.

That woman will surely carve out a place for herself in our history with that incident, a truly rare accomplishment.

Once the verification process was completed, I proceeded into the heavily guarded caravan, escorted by Anbu members, until we reached a door reinforced with steel.

As I entered, an ominous atmosphere engulfed the room, suffocating the guards, scientists, and the human subjects restrained on the tables.

The human subjects varied in origin:

Some were foreign shinobi captured in battle.

Others were criminals who had evaded imprisonment at Hozuki Castle.

A few were spies intercepted during Academy or ANBU training, and others apprehended just last month.

Some are naive children and young shinobi that were captured today.

The last group consists of unfortunate civilians from Nawaki's class who didn't pass an exam they were never meant to take. These individuals later became Genins in the Genin Corps, repaying the Academy's investment before mysteriously going 'missing' during supply transportation.

Yes, it's accurate to say this situation is deeply troubling for them.

The only thing within my power to prevent is the 'disappearance' of Nawaki's cousins and civilians born to a Senju parent who relinquished their family name.

For now.

Glancing around, my eyes widened slightly as I noticed that traitorous woman restrained on the table.

Before I could process this sight, a familiar hoarse voice responded to my unspoken question.

"She was deemed unfit for childbearing, hence she was reassigned from the insemination program."

Blamekage, his expression stern, approached the scientists to begin the experiment. He was dressed in a dark coat over a visible shirt, gloves on both hands. A pouch hung from his right leg, and bandages wrapped around both legs, secured by sandals. His right eye, once bandaged, now sported an eyepatch.

'At least he heard my suggestion,' I mused.

The character 'Kanzo' he portrayed looked visually appealing compared to his appearance at the end of Shippuden.

After a ten-minute discussion, they chose that traitorous woman as the first subject.

As the syringe containing Hashirama cells was injected into her body, I swiftly positioned my shadow to enter injection site while I positioned myslef from a distance while also ensnaring her within my Genjutsu, both serve to infused her with my Yin Chakra.

This was a critical moment to test my hypothesis: that a controlled amount of Yin Chakra could counteract the effects of the cells.

Initially, everything seemed fine. I continued injecting Yin chakra, carefully maintaining the amount I was administering.

It was surprisingly monotonous as there were no visible changes, which I accepted as a good sign.

I decided to decrease the amount of Yin chakra by 10%, and everything still appeared to be stable. She seemed to calm down, no longer trembled at the sight of me, reassured by the lack of immediate changes.

"How many minutes have passed?" I asked, focused on keeping her condition stable.

"An hour," the scientist replied.

I nodded and gradually reduced the Yin chakra by another 20%, feeling confident that my hypothesis was being validated.

Yin chakra can counteract the erosion caused by Hashirama cells.

However, when I decreased it further by 30%, I noticed tears forming on her face. Through the shadows, I could sense the vibrations of the cells, indicating that the cells were beginning to sprout. I speculated that if I continued to reduce the Yin chakra, she would not survive.

Soon after, my speculation was proved correct seeing the cells had indeed sprouted. I could see the face of the naive fool protruding from her right shoulder, with wooden veins emerging from her impaired limbs.

Increasing the Yin chakra halted the further growth of the cells, but unfortunately, it did not reverse the effects. Once I stopped injecting the Yin chakra, there was little chance she would survive.

While I detest her actions, such as selling herself to Iwagakure and leaking sensitive intel that significantly escalated the difficulty of the mission I was assigned at that time, I didn't wish for her demise to come so swiftly.

Alas, it's not as I had hoped she would adapt to the cells. Even if she were to have the Sharingan implanted in her eyes, which supposedly excels in providing Yin chakra to counteract the cells based on my hypothesis, compared to my own method of injecting Yin chakra, it still cannot ensure survival if the user is running low on chakra

Moreover, I can't divulge the simplest method to utilize wood release until I have firmly established my influence and reliability in their minds. Until then, the risk is too great.

At least, I understand that the proper amount of Yin chakra can stabilize the cells. By demonstrating this to one of them, I can shift their research focus in another direction.

As for their success in creating reliable sources of Yin chakra to maintain stability in the test subject's body, it's irrelevant to me. The important part is that it has already served its purpose of highlighting my capabilities.

Furthermore, given the allure of Scorch Release—which can neutralize attacks from three Kekkei Genkai and Magnet Release—the insemination project will undoubtedly receive the most attention and resources. This will also allow me to gain more influence, as I was the one who made it possible.