Kin removed his clothes and lay down on the brand-new experimental table.
The cold surface against his back was unmistakable.
So this is how every future test subject will feel, he mused. Perhaps this experience would make him gentler with his subjects later.
But this was the first time this particular table was being used.
And as always—
The first test subject was himself.
How unfortunate.
Though newly built, the lab was fully equipped with every necessary instrument.
Thanks to Orochimaru's generosity.
All of these had been willingly provided by Orochimaru.
Of course, their source was Shimura Danzō's Root laboratory.
As for Danzō? No gratitude necessary.
They still had unfinished business.
When Danzō finally kicked the bucket, Kin would make sure to send flowers.
Thanks for the equipment, old pal.
Shadow Clone #1 began moving life-support machines into position around Kin.
One by one, it inserted tubes with needles into critical points on his body—his neck, heart, and even his skull.
These tubes were insurance against accidents.
A last-ditch effort to save his life if things went wrong.
Though the techniques he'd deduced through deduction were reliable,
it never hurt to prepare for the worst.
As the needles pierced his skin, the nearby monitors flickered to life, displaying streams of data:
Vital signs. Cognitive activity. Chakra levels. Seal parameters.
Some of these instruments would've been considered cutting-edge black tech in his previous life.
Here, they were commonplace.
The distorted technological advancement of this world never ceased to amaze him.
The sting of the needles barely registered.
A ninja's pain tolerance was high by default.
Meanwhile, Shadow Clone #2 retrieved a piece of flesh and began extracting Hashirama's cells.
The flesh rapidly turned to wood—a phenomenon that had long puzzled Orochimaru.
Once woodified, the tissue registered as ordinary lumber under scans.
Yet if reused, it still exhibited effects similar to Hashirama's cells, albeit weakened.
Even in this diluted state, most couldn't endure the cells' influence.
Kin and Orochimaru had discovered that Hashirama's cells could be progressively weakened.
After nine iterations, the erosive effects vanished entirely.
This had stumped them both—until Kin's deductions revealed the truth:
Hashirama's cells could withstand tailed beast energy. That was why they endured nine dilutions.
Each dilution corresponded to one tailed beast's worth of power. Originally, they could've borne the full force of all nine.
It suddenly seemed as though Hashirama's very existence was meant to counter the tailed beasts—
not to fight his brother.
How absurd.
Clone #2's task was to weaken the cells to their ninth iteration.
Even at this limit, few could withstand them.
Orochimaru's experiments had stalled here, unable to progress further without a key component:
A specific Uchiha named "Shin."
As Clone #2 completed the ninth weakening, the resulting wood was processed into a liquid solution and loaded into a custom syringe.
Hashirama Cell Custom Injector.
Complete.
This syringe could be administered to any Uchiha who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
The solution contained not just medicinal compounds but also a precise ratio of blended chakra—
all of which ultimately transformed into a chakra born from Hashirama's cells.
This was the source of the cells' overwhelming dominance.
Orochimaru hadn't uncovered this truth. Kin had deduced it.
But one other person knew:
Uchiha Madara, lurking in the shadows of the shinobi world.
After all, the foundational research on Hashirama's cells had come from him.
That old fox had been studying them for decades.
Clone #2 approached the table.
"Hey, boss. Enjoy the ride," it said with a smirk.
Kin's eye twitched.
"You're my shadow clone. My pain is your pain."
"Not quite." Clone #2 shook its head. "We transmit pain to you, but you don't share yours with us."
"You little—"
"Insulting us is insulting yourself."
Kin swallowed his words.
Am I really this much of a jerk?
Finding amusement in others' suffering?
How despicable!!
...Okay, maybe a little.
But Uchiha Kin was not the type to revel in his own agony.
Who'd cheer while watching themselves suffer!?
Unbelievable!!
Unfazed, Clone #2 plunged the syringe into Kin's carotid artery.
As the liquid entered his bloodstream, wood-like patterns began spreading from the injection site.
Kin immediately activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, slowing but not stopping the transformation.
"Heavenly Demon Art!"
His chakra surged, weaving an intricate sealing technique within his body.
The seal generated immense suction, forcibly drawing in all chakra—including that produced by Hashirama's cells—and trapping it.
Yet the minuscule amount of injected solution continuously generated more chakra, dispersing it throughout the seal's structure.
Simultaneously, large sections of Kin's body began turning to wood.
"This is normal. This is normal."
He repeated the mantra like a lifeline.
According to his deductions, this was part of the process.
Soon, his entire body stiffened into wood. Kin lay motionless, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling as the transformation completed, his whispered reassurances the only sign of consciousness.
Until—
He was now fully petrified.
Clone #1 and Clone #2 turned to Clone #3, who was monitoring the instruments.
Without looking up, it reported:
"Data shows normal progression."
"Vital signs at minimum threshold but stable."
"Cognitive activity remains high."
"Chakra levels increasing exponentially."
The other two clones exhaled in relief. Though the deduction had predicted this stage, witnessing it firsthand was still unnerving.
For all his recklessness, Kin valued his life dearly.
Clones #1 and #2 joined #3, eyes locked on the fluctuating numbers.
Soon, the near-flatlined vitals began climbing—
surpassing normal levels—
reaching unprecedented heights.
Chakra quantities skyrocketed while cognitive activity held steady.
Then—
Crack.
A crisp sound made all three clones snap toward the table.
The wooden husk that was Kin's body had begun fracturing, fissures spreading rapidly.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The sound intensified.
A hand—pale and flawless as jade—emerged from the shattered shell.
...
Read 50 advance at patreon.com/CNBLUE
(End of Chapter)