Chapter 240: Sage Body
"Test subject Number 5's vital signs are stable. All physical parameters show a slight increase."
"Continue the injection. Stop when the cell coverage reaches one-third of the body."
"Yes, sir."
In Kyosuke's secret laboratory, three figures watched the test subject—a cloned wild boar—with looks of eager anticipation.
After a period of cultivation, the previously cloned test subjects had finally matured, and Kyosuke had wasted no time in restarting his experiments. He was far more confident now than when he had first established the facility. The reason for his confidence was simple: his "Cell Transplant Technique" skill had reached level 6.
Though it was only a single level increase, it was a significant one. Level 6 was the threshold at which a basic transplant could be performed without having to account for the subject's own chakra. The only variable now was the fusion rate of the Hashirama cells.
If he were working on anyone else, he would have had to carefully consider the risks. But for himself, he had no such concerns. Even if his body showed signs of rejection, even if he had to use a massive amount of his own chakra to suppress the rampaging cells, as long as the "Sage Body" skill was generated, he could use experience points to level it up and increase the fusion rate.
With this relatively safe fallback, as long as the initial transplant process was not life-threatening, he could proceed immediately.
While Kyosuke was busy with his experiments, his three students were training diligently.
At the Uchiha clan's training grounds, Shisui and Yamato had each claimed a section for themselves, silently torturing the wooden training posts before them.
The success of that last mission was mostly due to Yamato, Shisui thought, shooting a sideways glance at his teammate. My performance... was not good enough. I have to work harder. He renewed his assault on the training post, his movements a blur of motion. Shuriken practice, clan swordsmanship, fire ninjutsu—these were his daily routine.
Was it hard? Of course it was. Even a Chunin twice his age would have struggled to maintain such a grueling regimen. But the six-year-old Shisui pushed through. Beyond his own desire to grow stronger, his teacher, Kyosuke, was a powerful source of motivation. Whenever he felt his resolve waver, he would remember that Kyosuke had been the same age when he had first made a name for himself. The comparison was enough to extinguish any thoughts of slacking off.
Yamato felt the same. It was thanks to Kyosuke that he had been freed from Root and given a life in the sun. He now had a name, and a place he could call home. The desire to protect that newfound warmth burned just as brightly in him as it did in Shisui.
Kyosuke had no worries about his two diligent students. He only had to give them their training assignments, and they would see them through. The real headache was Anko.
It wasn't that she was lazy. She wouldn't have been able to master the "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands" technique so quickly if she were. But her restless nature made it difficult for her to focus on training for long periods of time. If this continued, the gap in their strength would only widen, to say nothing of the inherent difference in their natural talent.
He would have to find a way to address this.
"Lord Kyosuke, are you ready to begin?" an assistant asked.
Finally... the moment has come, Kyosuke thought, taking a deep breath. He gave the assistant a nod.
"Alright. Commencing the Hashirama cell transplant."
The assistant flipped a switch, and the carefully prepared Hashirama cells began to flow from the IV bag, through the transparent tube, and into Kyosuke's arm.
"It's a little cold... feels nice," he said, his voice light.
But before he could say another word, a searing pain shot through his arm, quickly spreading to the entire left side of his body.
It was a rejection reaction, more violent than he had anticipated, but he was prepared.
A massive amount of chakra surged through his body, converging on the rampaging Hashirama cells, forcing them into submission. As expected, the carefully modified cells were no match for his own chakra. Under the immense pressure, they began to fuse with his native cells.
"It's a success, sir!" one of the assistants cried, his eyes glued to the data on the monitor.
But his excitement was quickly dampened by the other assistant.
"The fusion is happening, but it's too slow. His chakra might not last," he said, his voice calm and analytical.
The first assistant's face fell. But before he could do anything, the data on the monitor changed drastically.
The red line representing Kyosuke's internal chakra was climbing at an incredible rate, quickly surpassing the level of an elite Jonin and entering the range of a Kage-level shinobi.
"Look at him!"
"What... what is that?"
A powerful, visible chakra had erupted from Kyosuke's body, and his physical appearance had begun to change.
"Could it be... the legendary Sage Mode?" the assistant watching the monitor whispered in awe. He then quickly turned his attention to the fusion rate of the Hashirama cells.
Under the influence of the sage chakra, the fusion was now proceeding at an astonishing speed.
Two minutes later, Kyosuke's appearance had returned to normal. According to the data, the transplant was complete. But he remained on the operating table, his eyes closed, completely still.
The two assistants exchanged a worried look, wanting to ask what was wrong but afraid to disturb him.
But there was nothing wrong. In fact, the experiment had been a resounding success. The reason for his stillness was simple: he was looking at his system panel.
Sage Body LVL 1 (0/200)
After years of hard work and countless experiments, he had finally succeeded.
Kyosuke's Sage Body was now active.
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