"Too slow. The sun is about to set. Where did you go?"
As soon as Hakushi returned, Ruri frowned and asked.
"Sorry, I needed some rare ingredients, and I had to visit several places before finding a store that sold them. Here, this is the natto you wanted."
After apologizing, Hakushi tossed the bag of natto snacks he held to Ruri.
Ruri took the bag of natto snacks, her expression slightly softened.
"By the way, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to the lab. There's a ton of work waiting for me there."
Noticing Ruri still sitting there motionless, Hakushi lifted his foot to leave the room.
Having gathered Ayane's latest body data, the work ahead could only be handled by himself.
Whether it's the Caged Bird or the perfect fusion of Natural Energy and regular Chakra into Sage Art Chakra, it all requires his personal touch.
Since the obliteration of the Hidden Sand unit within the Land of Fire and returning to Konoha, nearly a week has passed. The next mission could be anytime soon, and at the latest, within half a month, he would have to leave the village again.
Konoha still has a tough war to fight, and as one of the top Elite Jonin, their squad leader, Hatake Sakumo, naturally can't rest in the village for too long.
As for what exactly the next mission entails, Hakushi couldn't deduce any useful information from the current intelligence, but he is certain the mission difficulty would be at least A-level.
Back in the lab, Hakushi opened one of the hidden doors. Inside was a room about thirty square meters, equipped with a bathroom and a shower room. The five people used for human experimentation usually lived here.
The lights inside were always on, so when Hakushi opened the door, they saw him clearly, their bodies involuntarily shuddering.
Then one person came out in order, albeit with somewhat restored spirits after such a long rest, but the terrifying memories that flooded his mind indicated he was aware of what to cooperate with Hakushi next, his face a bit pale.
Hakushi nodded slightly satisfied; that's how it should be.
Be proactive, don't resist, and he can reasonably bring over some rich and delicious nutritious meals, which is much better than the life of licking blood off a knife edge outside.
After that person walked out, Hakushi looked at the remaining four, took out two relatively thin books from the Ninja Tool Bag, and tossed them in front of the four of them.
"Read more books when there's nothing else to do. Books are a good thing for human progress."
The four prisoners inside looked at each other, not knowing what Hakushi was up to.
Hakushi didn't explain anything further. The point was that these guys seemed too bored, so he found two books for them to see, which could also help in recovering their spirits.
After closing the hidden door and turning around, Hakushi found that the person who had come out earlier was already lying prepared on the operating table, staring at the light above.
If resistance is futile, then enjoy it.
After all, being here is much better than the chaos outside, with no worries about food or clothing.
"Lord Hakushi, could you give me more anesthetic?"
Seeing Hakushi approaching, he turned his head and quietly asked.
"..."
Hakushi didn't know how to respond.
But he didn't do as the test subject wanted either.
Too much anesthetic could cause circulatory failure and lead to the heart stopping, so dosage and usage need caution.
"Rest assured, the human experimentation conducted on humanitarian grounds; I will be responsible for both your health and safety. Moreover, compared to last time, my experiments have progressed significantly, and it shouldn't be as painful."
Hakushi patiently explained.
Konoha hasn't established specific rules regarding human experiments, but Hakushi always adhered to the principles from his past life.
Especially when it comes to something as unethical as human experiments, it can't be casually put into practice.
Preserving the participant's bodily interests, promoting medical development, and following scientific settings are principles Hakushi upholds. If the participant shows signs of mental collapse, stop immediately and switch to another person.
If the Sage Art succeeds, it can indeed boost medical progress, which is undeniable.
The experiment itself aligns scientifically, based on a comprehensive theory, with enough accumulated animal cases, indicating a very low risk.
The progress wasn't slow due to starting directly with human testing. Apart from violating the first principle of the participant's informed consent, in times of war, Hakushi believed he could take some liberties, not needing too many precise classifications.
Hakushi picked up a syringe filled with Natural Energy liquid and started injecting the test subject.
To avoid issues, while injecting the Natural Energy, Hakushi based it on the test subject's physical constitution, including the maximum Chakra they could harness internally, conducting a neutralizing reaction to create complete Sage Art Chakra within the test subject.
Once the Sage Art Chakra forms, observing the test subject's rejection response to the Sage Art Chakra, the maximum duration, and whether it causes damage to various organs require detailed consideration.
During the initial stages of fusing Sage Art Chakra with animals, Hakushi already knew that the practice of Sage Techniques was fraught with unknown dangers.
It's precisely because of these unknowns that caution is necessary, avoiding overly ambitious steps in one go.
The test subject, now hooked up with fine wires all over their body, was connected to a sizeable computer, which could timely reflect all the test subject's body data, meticulously recording it in the computer's database.
In this manner, the test subject was placed on the operating table, with the computer recording data at any time.
Meanwhile, Hakushi commenced another experiment— the Caged Bird unsealing.
The issue of whether death would occur when Chakra was exhausted had always troubled Hakushi.
But this experiment couldn't directly apply to humans; it still had to start with animals.
Like humans, animals in nature also contain Chakra within.
Therefore, Hakushi prepared fifty small mice suitable for experimentation to conduct the "Chakra Disappearance" experiment.
If this experiment succeeds, it would greatly aid in cracking the Caged Bird.
Even if not perfect, it provides a reasonable line of thought.
An hour later, the test subject undergoing the Natural Energy and common Chakra neutralizing into Sage Art Chakra experiment completed the process.
The results from the experiment indicated a slight improvement compared to the last attempt. At this rate, there's a significant chance of exploring a Sage Art System suitable for human practice before he leaves Konoha.
Removing the wires from the test subject, he was sent back to the room behind the hidden door.
However, before he returned, the test subject picked two books from a nearby shelf and discreetly glanced at Hakushi, checking for any reaction.
Hakushi merely turned a blind eye to it, saying nothing.
The bookshelf contained a variety of genres, including history, geography, chemistry, and biology, but none held crucial research materials.
Learning is an essential process for enlightening humanity.
Since they are keen on learning, Hakushi is naturally willing to support it.
But when one is meant to be a test subject, being one is important.
Hakushi looked at the dead little mouse on the experiment table, succumbing after Chakra was drawn completely, shaking his head.
The experiment failed.
Though there were efforts to preserve the life of these little mice, the results still weren't satisfactory.
Noticing the time, Hakushi prepared to leave the lab when suddenly something cold touched his throat, making his hair stand on end.
A sharp Kunai was now at his throat. A gentle swipe was all it would take to erase him from this world.