Konoha Prison?Akira Sato looked with some confusion at Uchiha Shizuka, who was leading the way.
She and Uchiha Shota were both die-hard supporters of Mei, so sharing some information with her was actually a good thing — it could bring many advantages.
"Where do you think all those test subjects in Konoha Hospital come from?"Seeing Akira's puzzled gaze, a trace of sarcasm flashed across Uchiha Shizuka's face.
The so-called Will of Fire? Not even the dogs believe that nonsense!
No matter how pretty it sounds on the surface, the major ninja clans weren't fooled.Only the lower-ranking ninja and a few others truly clung to the belief in the Third Hokage's Will of Fire.
Especially that certain clan leader's son — completely brainwashed.
"I see…"Akira now understood where the hospital's experimental subjects came from.
Medical ninjutsu required a massive number of test subjects for practice.
At first, fish were used for practice, but eventually, one had to practice on human patients.
Of course, they couldn't use village civilians or actual patients, so the heavy criminals in the prison would "volunteer" for the sake of medical progress.
And then there were the Root Division's experiments, which also required human subjects.
That's why, for human experimentation, Uchiha Shizuka was bringing Akira here — not only were there plenty of test subjects, but it was also safer and more secretive.
When they entered the inner part of the prison, Akira got a good look at the defensive setup.
All the guards were Uchiha.
There were even several jōnin on standby at all times, plus various traps and mechanisms.Even if a Kage-level opponent tried to break in, they could be stalled here.
After wandering through the maze-like Konoha Prison for quite some time, the two finally stopped.
"Captain Shizuka!"A female Uchiha standing guard at the cell door greeted them and opened the door.
Uchiha Shizuka led an all-female ninja squad.Yes — her official position was Captain of the Fourth Unit, First Division, of the Konoha Police Force.
The Police Force had four major divisions!Each division had four units, and each unit had four squads. Together with some internal departments, it formed a complete organization — practically a world of its own.
Also, each division's leadership was tied to a specific Uchiha family branch.
Once inside the cell, Akira saw a male prisoner strapped to a metal-frame restraining rack inside a caged compartment — his right arm had been severed.
"This is a ninja we captured earlier. For now, he's the only one I have who fits your needs."Uchiha Shizuka began explaining.
A ninja!
That was an essential requirement for the experiment.
Because no one knew if the Rebirth Serum would work the same on ordinary people as it did on ninja.
After all, there was a massive difference between ninja and regular humans.
Chakra!
This one thing meant that, although they looked alike on the surface, they were fundamentally two different types of beings.
That's why the experiments had to be conducted on ninja, not ordinary people.
"No problem — we probably won't need that many test subjects,"Akira replied, thinking they might not even need more than one.
He wasn't worried about whether the serum worked; the key was figuring out the correct dosage — and that kind of testing shouldn't consume too many subjects.
As for whether it was cruel to use humans as test subjects?
Sorry, but in this twisted ninja world, no one cared.
As long as you didn't use your own villagers.
The reason future Orochimaru would be branded a criminal wasn't because of human experimentation.
Every major ninja village had done it — no one cared.
The real taboo was using "people from your own village" as test subjects; that was unforgivable.
If you used outsiders, someone of Orochimaru's status wouldn't have caused such a scandal.
Now you understand how the ninja world views human experimentation, right?
As long as you're not using your own people, no one bats an eye.
That's also why Uchiha Shizuka brought Akira to the prison for the test instead of doing it outside the village.
It simply didn't matter!
And Akira himself wasn't some moral saint — his bottom line was simply not to use innocent people as test subjects.
When it came to heinous criminals like this ninja, he wouldn't hesitate.
"I'll begin now!"
Akira entered the metal cage compartment and carefully injected the serum into the unconscious prisoner's body.
The reason he specifically had Uchiha Shizuka present was not only to let her witness the serum's effects firsthand but also to have her here to hold the line.
If anything went wrong, a high-ranking jōnin could easily handle the situation.
Akira had no intention of following the tragic path of predecessors who were torn apart by their own test subjects.
He wasn't Orochimaru — he didn't have Kage-level strength, nor was his survival ability maxed out.
After finishing the injection, Akira quickly exited the cage and observed carefully from outside.
Thump, thump!
The sound of a heartbeat, like the beat of a drum, began to echo.
It had started!
The effects of the Rebirth Serum were kicking in.
The dosage had been carefully calculated by Akira.
Animal testing versus human testing, ordinary people versus ninja — these were all variables that had to be accounted for.
If the dosage was wrong, there was only one outcome.
Boom!
The subject would explode like an overinflated balloon.
Also, the Rebirth Serum was astonishingly expensive.
Just the single injection Akira had used now cost nearly ten million ryō.
That was at cost!
The dosage used on a lab mouse was probably less than one percent of this vial.
In the future, Orochimaru would end up collaborating with the Root Division, likely because the experimental funding demands were just too high to handle alone.
"Ahhhh!!""So hot!""What's happening to me?!"
…
The previously unconscious prisoner suddenly awoke under the serum's effect, screaming in agony.
There was no need to worry about the noise leaking out.
This was a prison — soundproofing was professionally handled.
Akira's gaze remained fixed on the man's severed right arm.
They had deliberately chosen this particular chūnin as the test subject precisely because his right arm had already been severed when captured.
Fine new tissue began pushing through the previously healed-over stump, wriggling and growing.
Such an eerie and terrifying sight, yet the two people outside the cage weren't afraid — they were full of anticipation.
Because this meant only one thing:
The Rebirth Serum was effective on ninja.
As long as they confirmed the right direction, all that was left was refinement and further testing.
"It hurts!""So much pain!""Somebody help me!"
The prisoner shrieked, struggling violently.
As the thrashing grew more intense and the ropes binding him were stretched tighter and tighter, Akira spoke up.
"Aunt Shizuka, please make him quiet."
He had expected pain.
Just like with the Natural Energy Potion, compressing medicinal effects into such a short burst was bound to be agonizing.
What he hadn't expected was that the pain would clearly exceed the human tolerance threshold.
Even with chakra, the subject couldn't withstand it.
Step!
Uchiha Shizuka took a step forward, her pitch-black pupils suddenly turning blood-red, three tomoe spinning into view.
The Sharingan!
The Uchiha clan's proud kekkei genkai — powerful, versatile, and upgradeable — it was practically perfect.
If only it didn't come with the downside of mental strain.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"
Uchiha Shizuka activated a genjutsu exclusive to the Sharingan.
Soon, the struggling prisoner gradually quieted down, leaving only the sight of the wriggling tissue in his right arm.
Half an hour later!
The prisoner's missing right arm had already taken on a rough shape.
Just as Akira thought the experiment was a success —
Boom!
The prisoner's body exploded, splattering blood and flesh across the entire cage.
(End of Chapter)