In the research group's laboratory, every member of the pharmaceutical team was engrossed at their respective experimental stations, meticulously formulating drugs. Surrounding them, medical shinobi from the support team bustled back and forth.
These medical shinobi, temporarily reassigned to the research group, served either as couriers, delivering the necessary tools and poisons to each station, or as cleaners, swiftly clearing the stations for the pharmacists after failed formulations.
Everyone's expressions were serious, tinged with a heavy air of tension.
As the drug formulation experiments commenced, the research group's stockpiled resources were being consumed at a visibly alarming rate.
Tsunade, overseeing the operation, gazed at the pharmaceutical team's stations in the distance, her brows furrowed tightly as if staring at ravenous beasts devouring gold.
At that moment, Mute approached with a stack of documents. "Lady Tsunade, at this rate of consumption, the group's inventory will soon be depleted. These are the material requisitions from the pharmaceutical team, requiring your signature for submission to the village."
Tsunade took the documents, gave them a cursory glance, and forced her eyes away from the staggering figures, hastily scrawling her signature.
Handing the documents back to Mute, she asked, "Any progress?"
Mute shook her head, her face bitter. "So far, the pharmaceutical team has conducted over four hundred formulation experiments. Only one was marginally successful, but it was later rejected during potency testing."
Tsunade's expression darkened.
As a top-tier medical shinobi and pharmacist herself, she immediately grasped the immense difficulty of this drug formulation from the success rate alone.
Mute, somewhat timidly, asked, "Lady Tsunade, will we succeed this time?"
Tsunade replied, "Our approach is correct, so we will definitely succeed!"
"But with such enormous costs, will the Hokage continue to support us?"
Mute voiced her concerns.
Clearly, the entire research group had underestimated the cost of further optimizing the aging agent—or rather, underestimated the power of the Upper Moon demons' flesh.
Given that sealing techniques could now counter the Upper Moon demons, investing vast resources into developing a drug specifically targeting them was hardly a cost-effective endeavor.
"Sigh!"
Tsunade let out a faint, weary sigh.
The reality was even grimmer than Mute's concerns.
Beyond the issue of cost versus benefit, the advisory council, in an effort to curb the growing power of the Third Hokage, had begun to band together and oppose him on various matters.
The lack of progress in drug formulation could very well become a pretext for the advisory council to undermine the Third Hokage.
Just then, Shinji arrived at the laboratory carrying a refrigerated container.
Everyone in the lab was engrossed in their work, and aside from Yakumo, who greeted him, the others completely ignored Shinji.
Yakumo said, "Shinji, what took you so long?"
Shinji patted the refrigerated container slung over his shoulder. "I was busy with this! By the way, any progress from the pharmaceutical team?"
"Not yet!"
Yakumo shook her head, her face full of worry.
"Is that so? Looks like my efforts weren't in vain, then!" Smiling, Shinji placed the container on a table and carefully extracted the formulated drug inside. "This is a drug I formulated on my own. It should be a success, but it still needs the lab's instruments to verify its potency."
"What!?"
Yakumo's jaw dropped.
Not only Yakumo, but the nearby medical shinobi who overheard Shinji's words also stopped in their tracks, staring in astonishment at the drug in his hand.
The entire pharmaceutical team had burned through countless resources without achieving any notable progress, yet Shinji, a student who hadn't even graduated from the shinobi academy, claimed to have succeeded. It was utterly staggering!
Soon, the small commotion sparked a larger uproar.
Before long, even Tsunade was alerted. Hearing that Shinji had independently formulated a successful drug, she hurriedly strode to the potency-testing instrument.
By now, the instrument was surrounded by layers of medical shinobi, with even some pharmacists from the pharmaceutical team drawn over. Aside from Shinji, who was operating the machine, the crowd was packed tightly.
Tsunade, unimpressed, snapped, "What are you all crowding around here for? Have you finished your tasks?"
Yet, contrary to her expectation of the crowd dispersing, no one budged.
The onlookers remained fixated on the instrument, ignoring even Tsunade's reprimand.
"Hm?"
With a soft exclamation, Tsunade pushed through the crowd and glanced at the instrument.
Then, as if struck by lightning, she froze in place.
According to the instrument's data, Shinji's independently formulated drug was not only successful but also retained its potency remarkably well. Its metrics far surpassed those of the second-generation aging agent, nearly perfectly meeting the optimization plan's expectations.
"To think it's this ratio…"
"The potency retention is even better than expected!"
"How did this kid pull it off?"
"Luck! It has to be luck!"
As the data fully materialized, the crowd around the instrument grew larger. Their initial whispers soon turned into gasps of amazement.
Shinji stood and addressed the crowd, "I didn't expect to get lucky and succeed!"
Tsunade stepped forward, scrutinizing him with a piercing gaze. "This drug—was it formulated by you alone?"
"Yes!"
Shinji nodded.
Tsunade wasted no words. "If the subsequent live experiments succeed, I'll credit you with the prime achievement for this experiment!"
Shinji replied, "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"
With Shinji's formulated drug in hand, Tsunade conducted further tests through various methods to verify its potency. She confirmed that the drug's potency was seven to ten times stronger than the second-generation aging agent and contained a powerful neuro-paralytic toxin. Consequently, Tsunade officially named it the "Third-Generation Aging Agent" and began planning new live experiments.
Meanwhile, after nearly a week of grueling training, Shion finally mastered the "Water Breathing" technique's "Total Concentration: Constant," achieving a qualitative leap in her taijutsu prowess.
Moreover, as the bell artifact began to deteriorate, its suppression of her miko powers weakened, allowing those powers to gradually awaken. Subtle, miraculous phenomena began to manifest around her.
The awakening of her miko powers also made the sealing techniques exclusive to the Land of Demons' mikos, which she had previously struggled to grasp, suddenly feel effortless—as if she could master them with minimal effort.