"Jugo, try absorbing some Natural Energy," Takuno said.
Jugo was stunned, because, according to what Takuno had previously told him, the reason he went berserk was his inability to control the absorption of excessive Natural Energy.
"Don't worry. Even if you go berserk, you won't be able to hurt me," Takuno chuckled.
"Mhm."
Jugo nodded, then, for the first time, actively began pursuing the source of his berserk state.
Soon, countless black irregular markings appeared on Jugo's body; this was the origin of the Cursed Seal researched by Orochimaru.
When these black markings appeared on Jugo, it was clear that his eyes had changed. He stared at Takuno with a predatory gaze, a ferocious smile twisting his lips.
The next moment, Jugo charged at Takuno, his fist transforming into a monstrous arm as he slammed it forward.
Takuno merely stretched out his hand to block the fist. The monstrous punch made no impact; it was stopped directly by Takuno's seemingly slender palm.
The berserk Jugo seemed momentarily stunned, completely surprised that his attack had been blocked so easily.
Then, he bared his teeth, and his entire body became shrouded in black markings, transforming him into a monster.
Several barnacle-like protrusions appeared on his back.
Immediately following this, intense Chakra fluctuations erupted from those protrusions, and several Chakra projectiles shot out from the barnacles toward Takuno.
Takuno watched the projectiles and formed a hand sign with one hand.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Instantly, an earthen wall blocked the space between the two of them. The projectiles struck the wall, causing only slight tremors but failing to break through it.
Jugo looked at the wall before him, laughing maniacally as he rushed to the other side. The moment he passed through, however, he found no trace of Takuno.
"The intensity is decent, but that's all," Takuno's voice echoed in Jugo's ear. Before Jugo could react, Takuno appeared behind him and touched his back with a single finger.
Following this, countless sealing marks surged from Takuno's finger and spread onto Jugo's body.
Even as Jugo turned around, the sealing marks were rapidly spreading across his body.
In his berserk state, he ignored the sealing marks. His arm grew large once more and swung toward Takuno.
Takuno watched Jugo's monstrous fist and did not dodge. When Jugo's arm was halfway through its swing, he stopped.
It wasn't that he had stopped willingly; the sealing marks had already covered his entire body, completely restraining him.
Immediately after, he collapsed to the ground, unable even to stand.
Takuno sat beside him, and a blue light appeared in his hand—a Chakra Scalpel.
He needed to collect some of Jugo's cells and the substances generated after he transformed into a monster during his berserk state for research purposes.
He did not hold back, taking a considerable portion directly from Jugo's body, knowing that Jugo could recover quickly while in his berserk state.
After completing all this, Takuno slowly waited for Jugo to emerge from his berserk state.
The wait lasted an hour. At this time, the monstrous appearance on Jugo's body began to recede, revealing his original form.
The restored Jugo looked slightly dejected; he truly was a monster.
"Your berserk state can usually last about two to three hours," Takuno said, explaining that because Jugo's attack consumed some Chakra and he had taken a portion from Jugo's body, the duration of his berserk state had been shortened.
As he spoke, he also released the Sealing Jutsu he had placed on Jugo.
"Mhm." Jugo nodded, his face still showing disappointment.
Takuno said nothing more, taking out a scroll and beginning to engrave markings onto it.
Jugo looked curiously at the scroll in Takuno's hand but found that he couldn't understand any of it.
Soon, after completing the Sealing Jutsu engraving, Takuno tossed the scroll to Jugo.
"This is the Sealing Jutsu I just used on you. Keep it with you; when you feel yourself going berserk, just tear it open. It will last for four to five hours and then automatically release," Takuno instructed.
Jugo's eyes lit up as he looked at the scroll in his hand. Was this the method Takuno mentioned that could stop him?
And he wouldn't even need to personally intervene?
At this point, Takuno also stood up, formed hand signs, and the materialized Chakra that Jugo had first seen him use appeared behind him once more.
After that, he left, taking Jugo with him.
Since Jugo was now with him, he couldn't use the Summoning Jutsu to leave.
Ultimately, Takuno handed Jugo over to his subordinates for care; he couldn't possibly bring him back to the experimental base.
If he brought him back to the experimental base, Jugo would have to stay in a cultivation tank. Since Jugo was so obedient, Takuno didn't want to do that.
He only needed to take some cells and Cursed Seals from him when necessary. Furthermore, even when Jugo went berserk normally, he could have his subordinates collect some of the resulting substances and deliver them to Takuno.
He also informed them of the precautions for caring for Jugo and left four or five Sealing Jutsu scrolls, which should be enough for their use.
After all, in a large, populated village like this, he estimated that the Natural Energy concentration was very low. It was generally unlikely that Jugo would absorb enough Natural Energy to go berserk.
Of course, Takuno couldn't be completely sure, because he genuinely couldn't sense Natural Energy.
Therefore, he could only speculate that the highest concentrations of Natural Energy in the current world were the Three Great Holy Sites, followed by natural areas like forests, and finally, large villages such as this one.
"Are you leaving?" Jugo asked as Takuno was about to depart.
Takuno looked at Jugo, nodded, and said, "Here, you don't need to worry too much about going berserk. It's fine to occasionally have someone take you out for a walk. So, live well."
Jugo was momentarily speechless. He had initially thought Takuno was not a good person, especially after Takuno took a painful portion of his body while he was berserk.
However, after hearing Takuno's words, he finally spoke after a long pause, "Thank you, sir. You are a good person."
Takuno found this somewhat amusing. If the souls of those who had died by his hand heard Jugo's words, they would surely crawl out and accuse Jugo of being 'blind.'
Moreover, he himself did not consider himself a good person.
Takuno waved his hand at Jugo, and then his figure vanished before everyone's eyes.
Jugo watched the disappearing figure, etching Takuno's image deeply into his mind.