He hoped his methods would not disappoint him. Then his figure vanished and moved toward Konoha Hospital.
If nothing went wrong, Third Hokage would also send him a gift. Yunchuan Hyuga was already looking forward to it.
Deep underground at Root Base, within the special research zone.
Cold metal walls reflected harsh white light, and the air reeked of disinfectant and preservative. This was the deepest and most heavily guarded area of Root.
Unlike the milder environment of Konoha's research institute, this place felt oppressive, cold, and forbidden. Danzo Shimura passed through layers of alloy doors and entered a massive laboratory, looking through glass at what lay inside.
A huge cylindrical container stood at the center, and within it was a Xu. Unlike the Xu captured by the institute, this one had been personally catalyzed by Danzo Shimura of Root through various forms of torment, based on words from "Shadow".
It was not an easy task. Pure pain alone was almost impossible to catalyze a Xu.
So Danzo Shimura found a Ninja skilled in Genjutsu, then brought the family that ninja cherished most. He tortured them to death in front of his eyes.
Only then was a most ordinary Xu finally produced. In Danzo Shimura's view, it was all worth it.
Danzo Shimura withdrew his gaze from the Xu and looked down at the report on the table. The title read, "Forced Fusion Experiment Report of Hashirama Cells and Xu."
He smiled in silence.
Around the container, several researchers in specialized protective suits operated the instruments. Their movements were precise, efficient, and cold, with no extra emotion in them at all. Tubes and sensors were linked to the container, while complex charts and data flickered across the screens.
Danzo Shimura swept his indifferent gaze across the laboratory and finally stopped on a female researcher. She wore a well-fitted white coat, had neat short black hair, and a pair of rimless glasses on her nose. Her eyes behind the lenses were calm and focused to the point of coldness.
"Danzo Shimura-sama."
Sensing Danzo Shimura's arrival and gaze, the woman codenamed "Marten" stepped forward, her eyes lighting up when she saw the report in Danzo Shimura's hand. Danzo Shimura did not waste words and handed over the research report from the Technical Research Institute.
Marten took the report and skimmed through it quickly. "The research on my teacher's side is far more comprehensive," she said in a cool voice. "This report can help us skip many steps."
Marten had once been the student of that middle-aged man, but her research style was far more radical and completely at odds with his cautious approach. Years ago, Danzo Shimura had noticed her talent, contacted her in secret, and staged an accident to let her fake her death and join him. Here, she gained the research freedom and resources she desired, at the cost of abandoning her identity and hiding in the dark forever.
"Marten, can you tell me now…"
Danzo Shimura turned slightly and looked through the glass at the 'Xu' inside the container. He asked, "'Xu', can it replace Sharingan to suppress the Hashirama Cells?"
This was the question he cared about most, and the very reason he had spared no expense to cultivate 'Xu' and pour vast resources into the research. Of course, this was only the issue that needed to be solved in experiment Stage One.
The Hashirama Cells transplanted into his arm had become a fatal hidden danger that could break through the Sealing Technique at any time and completely erode his body into wood. He had previously wanted to rely on more Sharingan to suppress it, but after understanding the nature of 'Xu', Danzo Shimura realized he might have a better option.
"Danzo Shimura-sama, Sharingan suppresses Hashirama Cells through Dojutsu Power," Marten said as she pushed up her glasses. "Dojutsu Power is essentially a high-intensity form of special mental energy."
She continued, "'Xu', just like our earlier conclusion, is also composed of highly condensed mental energy. So using 'Xu' to replace Sharingan and fuse it with your arm has extremely high feasibility."
"It would be more stable, longer lasting, and even stronger."
Danzo Shimura narrowed his eye slightly. "Then how do we do it?"
Marten did not answer right away and instead turned to the control console, operating it quickly as cold light reflected off her lenses. With a series of mechanical sounds, a section of the laboratory wall slid open and cold mist spilled out, revealing a smaller isolation room.
Inside were several culture tanks filled not with complete organisms, but with twitching and writhing pieces of tissue. There was no doubt they were Hashirama Cells. These cells had to be partially destroyed and regrown regularly, or they would soon grow enough to break the tanks.
"Please look," Marten said, pointing to the bottom row of Hashirama Cells. "These were cultivated in the same batch, but number 1354 grows much more slowly than the others."
"That's because I placed number 1354 inside a 'Xu' and found its aggressive erosion was suppressed and became stable."
As she spoke, she brought up the experiment footage. A violently writhing mass of cells was carefully placed into the body of a 'Xu', and the originally ferocious tissue gradually shrank.
"As you can see," Marten said, "'Xu's mental energy can effectively neutralize and suppress the vitality of Hashirama Cells. It is even more effective than Sharingan."
A sharp light burst from Danzo Shimura's single eye as if he had seen the hope of fully controlling Hashirama Cells. "But," Marten added suddenly, "'Xu's energy is also corrosive and uncontrollable. Over time, Hashirama Cells will gradually wither."
Danzo Shimura frowned and glanced at her. "Speak plainly. What do you need me to do?"
"From the few people who killed 'Xu' before, I learned that after it dies, part of its mental energy may enter the killer's body through the weapon," she said. "Stronger mental energy brings many benefits, including better control over one's Chakra and faster refinement of it."
She adjusted her glasses and smiled faintly. "We found that whether the mental energy feeds back to the killer does not depend on the blade itself, but on the material of the weapon."
"If a normal kunai is used to kill 'Xu', the kunai will gain some Chakra conductivity and become close to chakra metal. If the weapon is made from chakra metal, part of the mental energy remains in the weapon, while another part feeds directly back to the killer."
"That is why Lord Yunchuan thought only blades could kill 'Xu'. No one would be extravagant enough to make a kunai out of chakra metal."
Danzo Shimura's gaze flickered. "So you're saying…"
"If enough 'Xu' are killed, not only can ordinary metal become chakra metal, but one's own mental energy can also grow stronger," he said.
Marten nodded, then shook her head. "We still lack enough materials. We don't yet know what consequences this will bring."
Danzo Shimura asked calmly, "Interesting, but what does this have to do with Hashirama Cells?"
"Of course it does," Marten said, her eyes shining with near-mad curiosity. "Both Hashirama Cells and chakra metal share one trait. They both have extremely strong Chakra conductivity."