Chương 126: Chapter 125
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Time passed slowly, and several months went by. Fugaku's second child was born and, unsurprisingly, was named Uchiha Sasuke. If Fugaku claimed he didn't name his child to curry favor with the Sandaime Hokage, Toshiro wouldn't believe it, even if his life depended on it.
However, things often don't go as planned.
In a secluded room within Konoha Prison, Toshiro was conducting his experiments.
"Ah! Machi! Machi! Don't leave me; I will live with you forever!" A middle-aged man screamed and then muttered to himself.
On a small bed, the man was lying shirtless, with straps securing his hands and feet. His head and body were connected to various wires linked to several monitors. Toshiro stood above him, hands on the man's head, carefully sensing something. The man's head was covered with a white cloth inscribed with black seals.
"The potion tested this time isn't very effective." Toshiro noted. "Using chakra to stimulate the brain to control emotional fluctuations works, but the side effects are serious."
Toshiro had become somewhat of an expert in brain science. He knew that the human brain areas controlling emotions included the cerebral cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus.
The cerebral cortex, particularly the prefrontal and temporal lobes, processes emotional information. The prefrontal lobe also regulates emotional responses and performs self-regulation.
- The amygdala, deep within the brain, centers our emotional reactions, especially fear and anger. It's an ancient brain structure crucial for emotional responses.
- The hippocampus is mainly responsible for memory storage and links emotions and memories alongside the amygdala.
- The hypothalamus controls the autonomic nervous system, adjusting physiological responses to emotional changes such as increased heartbeat and sweating.
Emotion regulation is a complex process involving the interaction of these brain areas and neural pathways.
During this period, Toshiro attempted to amplify the emotional fluctuations of his test subjects using chakra, drugs, and illusions. He was particularly interested in the brain's secretion of special substances during sadness.
He primarily used Konoha Prison's inmates, especially death row prisoners, as his test subjects. His method was straightforward: first, use the Sharingan to make the subject relive their happiest and most painful moments, then seal those memories with a sealing technique. Using illusions, he made them repeatedly experience joy or sorrow while stimulating their brains with drugs and chakra.
Observations were equally simple. He monitored the subjects' brain waves and measured various brain secretions to assess the effects of his interventions. Additionally, he observed any changes in their mental state after these experiences.
These were all attempts Toshiro initiated after becoming the warden of Konoha Prison. However, the results were far from ideal.
Either the drugs or chakra stimulation had little to no effect, or the stimulation was too intense, causing irreversible damage to the subjects. Some developed severe mental disorders, turning them into madmen, while others experienced extreme mood swings, bursting into tears or laughter over minor incidents. Endocrine disorders were also common.
These issues gave Toshiro quite a headache.
"Sigh..."
Heaving a sigh of relief, Toshiro stepped out of his laboratory and said to Hana, his assistant, who was guarding the gate, "Hana, this person is your responsibility. Let him spend his last few days well before his execution."
"Yes, sir!"
Seeing the state of the laboratory, Uchiha Hana was no longer surprised. She calmly escorted Toshiro's experimental subject back to his cell. Initially, she had been troubled and even reported the situation to Fugaku. However, after Fugaku had a detailed discussion with Toshiro and found no harm done to anyone, he paid little attention to the matter. After all, these were death row prisoners, and Toshiro was conducting his studies under the guise of research into illusions.
"Warden, this is from ANBU. The prisoner transfer information needs your signature."
After delivering the unfortunate prisoner to his cell, Hana found Toshiro resting in his office and handed him a document.
"Oh! Retrial of the prisoner?"
Casually flipping through the document, Toshiro did not sign immediately but instead looked at Hana.
"Hana, is this the first time this month that ANBU has taken prisoners from us for retrial?"
"The sixth time, sir."
"The sixth time?"
Rubbing his chin, Toshiro almost knew the fate of these prisoners, but to confirm his suspicion, he asked, "What crimes did these prisoners interrogated by ANBU commit? And did any of them return to our prison?"
Facing Toshiro's question, Uchiha Hana answered without hesitation, demonstrating her thorough knowledge of the prison and its inmates.
"Most of them had severe sentences for serious crimes like murder and robbery. After ANBU's interrogation, none returned to prison. Some were spies, and due to their sensitive identities, we didn't ask further questions."
"They've been interrogated six times. How many prisoners in total?"
Toshiro was now almost certain these prisoners were used as experimental subjects by Orochimaru.
"Eighty in total, all of them prisoners with chakra."
Realizing something was amiss, Hana added another sentence after reporting the data.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the next step.
"These people are really unscrupulous!" Toshiro muttered, exasperated. In less than a month, the ANBU had used up experimental materials from 80 people—a staggering number.
"No, we need to stop this!" If this continued, his prison would soon be empty. How could he carry on with his own experiments, then?
"Are their procedures complete? Have they obtained Hokage-sama's approval?"
"...Their procedures are complete, but... they have the signature of the Sandaime Hokage."
"That's good!" Toshiro responded. "Inform them that the Sandaime has abdicated. To continue interrogating the prisoners, they need the Fourth Hokage's signature."
With the Sandaime Hokage having stepped down, relying on his signature was no longer valid. He, as the warden, wouldn't be so easily deceived. Besides, the authenticity of these signatures was questionable.
"Yes, sir! I'm on it!"
Receiving Toshiro's instructions, Hana left to inform the ANBU.
"Tsk! It's really better to be a leader!" Toshiro mused, watching Hana leave. Having a capable secretary made things much easier. Having a beautiful one was an added bonus.
But his reverie was cut short when an ANBU operative wearing a tiger mask entered his office silently.
"Uchiha Toshiro, do you..."
The ANBU seemed ready to invoke Danzo's authority to intimidate Toshiro, but Toshiro was unfazed.
"Who let you in?" he interrupted. "Go out and remember to knock before entering!"
With a mere glance, Toshiro rendered the ANBU immobile. The operative stepped out stiffly and even closed the door behind him.
"Asshole! Damn Uchihas…" the ANBU muttered once outside, regaining control of his body. Despite the instruction, he didn't knock. The warden's disdain was clear, and showing their boss's authority seemed pointless.
Shortly after, in a dark basement within a dense forest in the Konoha back mountains, an old figure paced slowly. He addressed a figure busy at an experimental table: "Damn it! These Uchihas are becoming more defiant. They're saying the Sandaime Hokage's signature is outdated!"
"They're really getting more and more arrogant!" The word "outdated" felt like a deliberate slight.
"Orochimaru, you're consuming materials too quickly. It's difficult to find more prisoners with chakra!"
"Kukukuku.." Orochimaru laughed. "If you want results quickly, this is the easiest shortcut!"
Without lifting his head, Orochimaru continued dissecting the corpse on the experimental table, his response dismissive and indifferent.
In contrast to Toshiro's experiments, which mainly induced madness and mental illness, the fate of prisoners here was truly grim. The bloodied corpse on the table and the pale body tissues preserved in nutrient-filled glass jars on the shelves behind Orochimaru painted a bleak picture of their suffering.
"Orochimaru, you must realize that without my support, you wouldn't be able to conduct your experiments so safely!" Danzo growled. "Also, those prisoners in Uchiha Prison are our best source of materials. You don't want your experiments to be interrupted, right?"
"Compared to the corpses and crippled wandering ninjas, you wouldn't want to give up on the experimental material in the prison, right?" He added, knowing exactly how to manipulate others to his will.
"Well, this isn't my problem," Orochimaru replied, his focus unwavering on the corpse in front of him.
Danzo's anger simmered. If he didn't need Orochimaru to study the First Hokage's cells, he wouldn't tolerate this increasingly insolent snake. Ever since he witnessed the power of wood release, Danzo has channeled all his energy into its research. But Orochimaru, obsessed with his immortality research, diverted significant resources, much to Danzo's ire. While immortality was tempting, developing wood release was paramount, especially with the threat of the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki looming.
"Hmph!" Danzo scoffed as he left with his subordinates, turning to his newly promoted aides for updates.
"It's been so long! Is there still no news about the Wood Release guy who killed our ANBU?" Danzo barked.
"My subordinates have been unsuccessful and have found no clues," one replied.
"What about the Sandaime's side? Are you sure Wood Release isn't their doing?"
"We have confirmed that the Third Hokage does not have any ninja with the Wood Release Bloodline." the aide assured.
Danzo was perplexed. Neither he nor the Third Hokage had such a ninja, so who in Konoha possessed the power to use Wood Release?
"Is there anything strange happening with Tsunade?" he asked.
"Tsunade-sama continues to travel the world, gambling and evading debt." The aide reported, his tone reflecting his bewilderment at Tsunade's behavior. He never expected the legendary Tsunade to be a compulsive gambler, shattering his respect for her.
"Hmph… Sarutobi's disciples are truly disappointing!" Danzo sneered. He thought of Orochimaru in the basement, Jiraiya wandering aimlessly, and Tsunade suffering from hemophobia. Even Danzo couldn't help but criticize them.
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