Shinji remained expressionless as he watched rows of dejected criminals being escorted into cells by Tenseigan puppets.
He knew that among these criminals, some were likely wrongly accused, or at least did not deserve death. But right now, he did not have the capacity to investigate and judge each case individually.
Amado approached Shinji with a file in hand and reported, "A total of 778 criminals have been taken into custody so far, and another 221 are currently in transit."
Shinji took the document and glanced at it.
Including those in custody and those on the way, the total was 999 people—less than a thousand. Even if more criminals were delivered later, the number likely wouldn't be very large. After all, whether they were wanted criminals or mountain bandits, they were living beings; seeing their peers vanish in large batches would surely drive them into hiding.
Shinji asked, "Not enough?"
Amado nodded with a solemn expression. "Not enough."
Shinji instructed, "Notify the Daimyos of all nations and the leaders of each village. Demand all death-row inmates currently in their custody be transferred here."
Amado nodded. "Understood. I will arrange it immediately."
Shinji continued, "If it's still not enough, then recruit volunteers through various channels."
Amado asked hesitantly, "Should we inform them of the truth?"
Since the experiments involved cell tissue from Otsutsuki Shibai, one didn't even need to test to know that the mortality rate of the transplantation trials would be extremely high. Amado was worried that if the truth were told, volunteers would be deterred.
Shinji nodded. "Of course. I want volunteers."
Aside from basic ethics, volunteers tended to have stronger subjective initiative than average people. They were more likely to overcome fear, which would lead to better experimental results.
Time ticked by, and in the blink of an eye, two weeks passed.
After these two weeks of rest, Shinji's condition had returned to its peak. His strength had even improved slightly compared to before the battle in the Sixth Ring World. This was because, after several rounds of pollution and counter-pollution, his chakra had become slightly more refined than before.
Similarly, the Research Institute, running at full throttle, had produced preliminary results after two weeks of frantic cell transplantation trials.
Amado found Shinji again and reported, "Across our twenty-seven groups, we have conducted a total of 2,600 cell transplantation trials. Here is the experimental report."
Shinji took the report, his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise. "Seven?"
Amado nodded. "Yes. Currently, a total of seven test subjects have successfully undergone the cell transplantation and obtained power from that Otsutsuki remains."
Shinji hurriedly flipped to the details page at the back of the report.
Among over 2,600 trials, only seven cases had successfully obtained the power of Otsutsuki Shibai. The ratio wasn't high, but it wasn't low either. If everything went smoothly, he believed that based on these seven successful cases, the institute would soon be able to solve the problem of Shinjutsu transplantation.
However, just as a look of joy surfaced on his face, the content on the detail page caused his brow to slowly furrow again.
Although these seven had obtained power through the surgery, unfortunately, none had gained a true Shinjutsu like Eida or Daemon. They had either gained a Sage Body comparable to the Uzumaki clan, had their chakra volume doubled, or awakened superhuman taijutsu—but at this level, it was still a far cry from "Shinjutsu."
It wasn't until Shinji flipped to the final page that his furrowed brow relaxed into confusion. "Zabuza Momochi?"
Amado nodded slightly. "Yes. The last one is the Mist Jonin, Zabuza Momochi."
Shinji asked casually, "What crime did he commit?"
Amado shook his head. "No, he's not a criminal. He was a volunteer."
Shinji was speechless. "What a madman."
In this timeline, Zabuza had never defected. He was still an Elite Jonin of the Mist, a candidate capable of vying for the position of Mizukage. A shinobi of his status would normally never volunteer for such a dangerous experiment.
Amado explained, "His right eye is currently mutating. We cannot yet confirm what kind of dojutsu it will become. Simultaneously, his taijutsu capabilities have increased significantly, and he is suspected of possessing Daemon's 'Reflection of Killing Intent'."
Shinji glanced at Amado. "Suspected?"
Amado replied, "The test personnel I arranged were easily defeated by him, so we cannot yet test the limits of his abilities."
Amado had no close confidants; he was essentially a loner at the institute, which was part of the reason Shinji was willing to delegate power to him. However, because it involved the maintenance and upgrading of her prosthetic body, Delta was the only person Amado could mobilize.
When Amado said the test personnel were easily defeated by Zabuza, he undoubtedly meant that Delta had lost to him.
Shinji thought for a moment and said, "I'll go test him personally."
"Yes. I will arrange it immediately." Amado turned and left.
Not long after, in a specialized training ground, Shinji met Zabuza Momochi, who had been transplanted with Otsutsuki Shibai cells.
From the outside, Zabuza hadn't changed much, but his aura had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Upon seeing Shinji, the corner of Zabuza's mouth quirked up. "'A'? I didn't expect you to come personally."
Shinji wasted no words and simply beckoned to Zabuza. "Come. Let me see the abilities you've gained."
"I've wanted to fight you for a long time!" Zabuza laughed, then flickered toward Shinji in a sudden lunge.
Shinji didn't dodge or retreat. He raised a hand and caught Zabuza's side kick. "Speed is alright, but this level of power isn't enough."
Zabuza's expression darkened as he seemed to put his all into it, launching a fierce onslaught. Shinji remained standing in place, unmoving, using only his hands to easily block every strike.
As he fended off the attack, Shinji spoke to Amado outside the ring, "In speed, power, and technique, there is a clear gap compared to Daemon..."
Amado hurriedly began taking notes. He knew how precious Shinji's time was; having him personally test a subject was a rare occurrence.
Shinji continued, "He doesn't have 'Reflection of Killing Intent,' but he likely possesses some sort of rapid-response capability. Perhaps it's an ability brought about by that mutated right eye."
Amado paused mid-note. He hadn't expected Shinji to judge so definitively that Zabuza lacked the reflection ability just by fighting him.
Watching Shinji effortlessly block all his attacks while calmly critiquing his abilities, veins bulged on Zabuza's forehead. He felt exceptionally irritated. One had to understand that since surviving the surgery, his strength had grown day by day, and with it, his confidence had skyrocketed. Even facing "A," he could not accept being critiqued in such a manner.