Around the container, several researchers in specialized protective suits operated the instruments. Their movements were precise, efficient, and cold, devoid of any superfluous emotion. Various tubes and sensors were connected to the container, and complex charts and data flickered on the screens.
Danzo Shimura's gaze swept indifferently across the laboratory, finally settling on a female researcher. She wore a fitted white coat, had a sharp black bob, and wore a pair of rimless glasses on the bridge of her nose. The eyes behind the lenses were calm, with an almost ruthless focus.
"Lord Danzo."
Sensing Danzo's presence, the woman, codenamed Weasel, stepped out. Her eyes lit up when she saw the report in his hand.
Danzo wasted no words and handed her the research report from the Technical Institute. Weasel took the report and quickly scanned its contents.
"My teacher's research is much more comprehensive than ours," she said in a clear, cold voice. "This report will save us many steps."
Weasel had been the middle-aged man's student, but her research philosophy was more radical, clashing with her teacher's conservative and cautious style. Years ago, Danzo took notice of her abilities, secretly contacted her, and then orchestrated an accident so she could fake her death and join his ranks. Here, she gained the research freedom and resources she had always dreamed of, at the cost of abandoning her identity and completely hiding in the dark.
"Weasel, can you tell me now…"
Danzo turned slightly, his eyes looking through the glass at the Hollow in the container. "Can the Hollow replace the Sharingan to suppress the Hashirama cells?"
This was the question he was most concerned with, and the reason he had spent so much money and resources to catalyze the Hollow's creation. Of course, this was only the first phase of the experiment. The Hashirama cells transplanted into his arm had become a fatal hidden danger, threatening to break the seal and completely woodify his body at any moment. He had previously tried to suppress them with more Sharingan, but after realizing the nature of the Hollows, Danzo saw that he might have a better option.
"Lord Danzo, the Sharingan suppresses Hashirama cells with its doujutsu, which is essentially a high-intensity, special mental energy."
Weasel adjusted her glasses. "And Hollows, as we previously speculated, are also highly condensed mental energy."
"Therefore, using a Hollow to replace the Sharingan for fusion with your arm is highly feasible."
"Moreover, it would be more stable, more lasting, and even more powerful."
Danzo narrowed his eye. "So, how do we do it?"
Weasel did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned and quickly operated the control panel, the cold light of the screen reflecting off her glasses.
Clang!
A section of the laboratory wall slid open, and a cold mist escaped from the gap, revealing a smaller, separate isolation chamber. Inside the chamber were several cultivation tanks, which contained not whole organisms, but rather some slightly wriggling and twitching cellular tissue.
These were, without a doubt, Hashirama cells. They had to be partially destroyed and then regrown periodically, or they would quickly grow to the point of breaking through the tanks.
"Please look," Weasel said, pointing to the bottom row of Hashirama cells. "These Hashirama cells were all cultivated in the same batch, but number 1354's growth rate is much slower than the others."
"This is because I tried putting Hashirama cell 1354 inside a Hollow, and I found that its strong erosiveness was inhibited and became stable."
As she spoke, she brought up the experimental footage. A violently wriggling piece of cellular tissue was carefully placed inside a Hollow's body, and the originally violent tissue gradually shrank.
"As you can see," Weasel said, "the Hollow's mental energy is indeed effective at neutralizing and suppressing the life force of Hashirama cells, even more so than the Sharingan."
Upon hearing this, an uncontrollable glint burst from Danzo's eye. He felt like he had seen the dawn of completely mastering the Hashirama cells.
"However," Weasel's tone suddenly shifted, "the Hollow's energy is also corrosive and uncontrollable. As time passes, the Hashirama cells will gradually wither."
Danzo frowned, glancing at Weasel. "Just tell me, what do you need me to do?"
"I learned from the people who killed Hollows before that a part of their mental energy, after they die, can be absorbed by the killer through their weapon."
"The benefits of stronger mental energy are many, including better control over one's chakra and faster chakra refinement..."
"So, I thought the same as you: this discovery is key, so the first thing we did was to verify its rules."
Weasel adjusted her glasses and smiled. "We found that whether the residual mental energy of a dead Hollow can be returned to the killer is not determined by the weapon itself but by its material."
"If you kill a Hollow with a regular kunai, the kunai will be given chakra conductivity by the mental energy, making it infinitely close to the properties of chakra metal."
"If you kill it with a weapon made of chakra metal, a part of the mental energy will remain in the weapon, and the other part will be directly returned to the killer."
"During the battle, Lord Kawa thought that only a sword could kill a Hollow because no one would be extravagant enough to forge a kunai out of chakra metal."
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes flickered slightly. "So..." he said in a deep voice.
"If I kill enough Hollows, I can not only turn ordinary metal into chakra metal but also make my own mental energy stronger?"
Weasel nodded, but then shook her head. "We have too little material for the experiment, so we don't know what the consequences of doing that will be."
"A very good discovery," Danzo said. "But what does this have to do with Hashirama cells?"
"It has everything to do with them."
Weasel's eyes held an almost fanatical desire for discovery. "The commonality between Hashirama cells and chakra metal is that they both have extremely strong chakra conductivity."
Upon hearing this, Danzo's expression changed as he seemed to realize what she wanted to do.
"You want me to use my arm to bear the Hollow's mental energy instead of a sword?" His expression darkened slightly. "One is flesh and blood, the other is metal. How can they be compared?"
This crazy woman's guts were truly too big. Was she trying to use him as her guinea pig?!
"But it's theoretically feasible, isn't it, Lord Danzo?" Weasel's voice held a hint of temptation.
"If your arm can truly bear the Hollow's mental energy and find a balance with the Hashirama cells' vitality…"
"You will be able to perfectly master the Wood Style power hidden in this arm, and you will never have to worry about the Hashirama cells going out of control again!"
"This is the most direct and effective method. It just needs you to personally verify it."
"..."
Danzo fell silent. The muscles on his face twitched, and his breathing became slightly heavier.
There was no doubt that he was facing a huge risk. If something went wrong, the Hashirama cells could go out of control, and he could be woodified in an instant. Directly receiving a Hollow's mental energy into his body could also have unknown consequences.
But the power of the Wood Style, the power of the Hollow…
There was no doubt that for him, these two temptations were like the sweetest poison, causing the scales in his heart to gradually tip.
Danzo's lone eye flickered with hesitation, greed, and madness. He only came back to his senses slightly when the pain of his fingernails digging into his palm brought him back to reality.
"Are you sure it will work?" His voice was terrifyingly hoarse.
"The success rate is 77.3%." Weasel reported the cold number. "You should understand that risk and reward go hand in hand."
Less than an 80% chance of success!
Danzo's heart sank. But now, the Uchiha clan's high-level combat power had been slaughtered by Uchiha Itachi, and not even the bodies of those with Three-Tomo Sharingan remained. With no way to contact Orochimaru, he seemed to have no other choice.
Taking this gamble was much better than relying on a seal and barely surviving, waiting for the Hashirama cells to go out of control and consume him.
Besides, what he had said to Hyuga Kawa before wasn't entirely false. He truly believed that the appearance of the Hollows would completely disrupt the status quo of the ninja world and bring about unexpected opportunities. And what he had to do was seize that opportunity.
With this thought, Danzo looked up, gave Weasel a long, deep look, and sneered, "You're a real lunatic. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Weasel smiled. "If I wasn't a lunatic, I wouldn't have followed you, would I?"
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted, then said with finality, "Lead the way!"
The corner of Weasel's mouth curved upward. She turned and walked toward the heavy lab door.
Click.
As the door opened, it revealed an operating room filled with complex seals and wires. The control panels for the various instruments faced the large container that imprisoned the Hollow. Danzo strode into the room, looking at the Hollow that was now so close.
"Lord Danzo, please prepare yourself."
Weasel stood in front of the control panel. "In ten seconds, please release the first seal on your arm. At the same time, the container will open, creating an attack window for you."
"Although only one seal is released, the Hashirama cells will immediately go out of control and can never be re-sealed, so you only have one chance."
At this moment, all the researchers had left the laboratory, leaving only a few Root ninja who were skilled in sealing jutsu outside. They would rush in if anything went wrong.
"Less talk, let's go."
Danzo replied coldly, pushing his sleeve to reveal the three chains of the seal on his arm. Then, he looked up, stared intently at the Hollow, and placed his hand on the first chain.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
As Weasel's countdown reached his ears, Danzo did not hesitate to undo the first chain.
Hum!
A low hum sounded. A powerful aura, like a volcano that had been suppressed for too long, surged from the arm made of Hashirama cells. The bandages wrapped around his arm were instantly torn to shreds, revealing his pale, wrinkled, tree-bark-like arm. The flesh beneath his skin wiggled wildly and expanded in an instant!
"Roar!!"
At the same time, the sealed container holding the Hollow was also opened. The Hollow, which had been in a dormant state, suddenly raised its head and let out a roar of anger and hatred at Danzo.
"Now!" Weasel's voice was a little rushed.
Danzo fought the excruciating pain that felt like his body was being torn apart and poured all his chakra into the terrifying arm.
Wood Style: Piercing Spikes Jutsu!
Pfft!
The rapidly woodifying arm thrust forward. Sharp, spear-like wooden spikes rapidly grew from the tip of his arm, shooting out and covering the Hollow's body, also piercing its pale, bony mask!
Crack!
As the mask shattered, the Hollow's body swelled and exploded, and a cold mental energy gushed out like a flood from a broken dam! Under the gaze of Weasel and Danzo, the visible mental energy surged into the constantly growing arm.
"Ugh!"
Feeling the cold, bone-chilling aura rush into his arm like ice needles, Danzo couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
But soon, the Wood Style jutsu, which had been multiplying and growing uncontrollably like a wild horse, draining Danzo's chakra and about to fill the entire laboratory, began to slowly stop.
Although the pain was still bone-piercing, the Hashirama cells that had almost drained him of chakra were actually forcibly suppressed!
"This…"
Feeling the two powers in his arm that had reached a strange balance, Danzo cautiously began to guide the power to retract.
Click! Clank!
The giant tree that had filled the entire laboratory gradually shrank, and finally, under Danzo's control, it turned back into an arm.
Danzo looked down at his arm. The pale, rough, tree-bark-like skin, which had been knotted like an old vine, was now covered in several fine black lines. The lines extended from his palm to his shoulder and now wiggled slightly like a living thing, exuding an aura similar to that of a Hollow.
Danzo could now clearly feel that the highly corrosive Hashirama cells in his arm had been forcibly suppressed by that power. The two had formed a strange balance, no longer an endless rampage and growth, but a power that could be guided.
"Lord Danzo, don't just stand there, move it!" Weasel's voice trembled with excitement. "Then try to use a Wood Style jutsu with this arm!"
Hearing this, Danzo seemed to finally come to his senses. His throat moved instinctively, and he slowly raised his mutated arm. He spread his five fingers in front of him, then slowly clenched them.
Crack! Clank!
His knuckles made a light sound, filled with a strange power. It was as if this arm was no longer a burden but had truly become a part of his body. An unprecedented sense of power filled the arm!
"Wood Style…"
Danzo's hoarse voice whispered. With a hint of disbelief, he tried to channel his chakra and carefully injected it into the arm. The black lines on his arm glowed with a faint light. He looked up sharply, his gaze on the high-strength alloy wall in front of him.
Danzo slowly raised his palm and aimed at the hard glass. He didn't even need to form a hand sign; he just thought of it.
Wood Style: Four-Pillar House Jutsu!
Pfft!
A sharp, hard wooden spike instantly shot out from his palm. With a piercing screech, it went directly into the wall. Then, it exploded!
Clank! Crack! Clatter!
A harsh, grating sound of metal clashing erupted. The wooden spike that had entered the wall grew sharp branches, sending a shower of sparks flying in an instant!
Inside and outside the entire laboratory, there was a deathly silence! Only the grating sound echoed in the lab, along with the sound of metal fragments clattering to the floor.
"..."
Danzo slowly lowered his arm, looking at the alloy wall covered in spikes and scratches. He then looked down at his arm. His face was devoid of expression, but his lone eye burned with a near-mad excitement!
It worked! It actually worked?!
"Hahaha!"
Feeling the power that was truly his to command, a joyful smile appeared on Danzo's face, which had been twisted in pain.
"Data! Quick! Record all the data!" Weasel's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "It's perfect! Lord Danzo, this is a perfect fusion!"
Danzo ignored Weasel's excitement. He felt the power flowing in his hand, and the black lines brought a faint chill. At this moment, it made him feel incredibly excited.
Power! This is my power!
"It's not enough."
Danzo looked at the two remaining chains on his arm, knowing that the mental energy of one Hollow was not enough to completely suppress the Hashirama cells in his arm. If he were to release the remaining two chains, the Hashirama cells would still go out of control. The jutsu he could now use with this arm was only on the level of the "Wood Style: Piercing Spikes Jutsu," but the true power of this arm was far greater.
"Weasel, I will give you whatever you want," Danzo said, looking up at her with an unquestionable tone. "I need more Hollows."
Only by killing more and more Hollows could he completely master the power of this hand!
Hearing this, Weasel, who had been excited by the new discovery, instantly calmed down. She instinctively wanted to say something, but she looked up and saw Danzo's eyes, which now only held greed and madness…
"..." She swallowed her words.
She had actually wanted to remind Danzo that although the Hashirama cells were suppressed, the consequences of absorbing a large number of Hollows were unknown, and it was uncertain whether his mind and body would be corrupted. But she wisely kept her mouth shut, because she knew that the current Danzo wouldn't listen.
Besides her former senior, Orochimaru, no one understood what the Wood Style meant to Danzo. It not only meant powerful strength but also the title of Hokage.
The Wood Style had a special significance for the entire village of Konoha. It was the kekkei genkai of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the powerful force that had laid the foundation of the village. After his death, no one had ever mastered that power. Even Tenzo, the test subject, couldn't unleash even half of the Wood Style's power; it was a completely different thing from the First Hokage's Wood Style.
So if Danzo could truly master the Wood Style, even if he couldn't reach the level of the First Hokage, as long as he could use the "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence," he would have the qualifications to become Hokage. Not only would the people of Konoha be shocked and delighted, but the other ninja villages would also feel wary and fearful.
So, in the end, Weasel said nothing. She knew that the Hollows' mental energy was filled with immense resentment, hatred, and destructive desires. The price of absorbing it directly into one's body was to endure the negative corruption. In the end, he might become a non-human monster.
But what did that matter?
From the way she tempted Danzo to be her guinea pig, it was clear that she had no loyalty to him. She and Orochimaru were fundamentally the same kind of person. If Orochimaru wanted to master all the truths in the world, she cared about exploring the unknown. The unprecedented existence of the Hollows was what she was curious about, and she saw Danzo as her one and only test subject. She really wanted to know what would be born from the fusion of a human and a Hollow.
She knew it was a path full of danger and taboo, but to explore that unknown territory, she was willing to pay any price. And she was sure that Lord Danzo had made the same determination.