CHAPTER 77 - An Unexpected Guest from the Future
"Eat this!"
"Mirai-sama, this tastes awful…"
"Don't worry, you have to trust my skills!"
The taste of this oral genetic enhancer could only be imagined if it was able to make a snake feel this bad.
After speaking, Hyuga Mirai forcibly pried open the large mouth of the purple snake and poured the genetic booster into it. He then injected three optimization serums into it.
The purple snake had already grown to ten meters long. It used to be able to climb up his leg and rest on his shoulder, but now, it could only coil around Mirai's side. Its appetite had also grown substantially. Mirai was nearly unable to keep up with its feeding needs and would have to rely on the snake to hunt for itself.
After injecting the genetic optimization serum, Mirai waited for the effects to take place. Meanwhile, he conducted a thorough checkup on the purple snake to ensure that its bodily changes were within the simulated parameters. Once confirmed, he sent the snake back to the Ryuchi Cave to hunt.
Every time after a genetic optimization injection, the snake's appetite would soar. This time, it was expected to eat prey several dozen times its own size to satisfy its hunger.
After sending the snake off, Mirai suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. The 18th experiment was a success, and the purple snake's evolution was progressing smoothly, but other research projects lacked funding.
"I should give myself a full-body checkup."
Mirai recalled the recent episodes of his Byakugan occasionally blurring and tearing up. Though it had returned to normal later and his attention had shifted to other matters, this bodily anomaly still worried him.
After splitting off a few shadow clones, Mirai lay down on the examination table, letting the clones handle his tests.
After a series of precise procedures, including a check on his genetic sequence, over an hour later, Mirai had completed the entire checkup.
"How are the results?"
The shadow clone shook its head and said, "You should see for yourself, Mirai."
After the shadow clone dispelled the jutsu, a wave of chakra and memories surged into Mirai's mind.
"The genetic sequence has changed. The new genes are not entirely new, but more like a form of reversion to ancestral traits…?"
Mirai tapped his chin thoughtfully. If this truly was a case of genetic reversion, he would need more comparison with the bloodlines passed down from the Otsutsuki clan. He had already collected samples from the Uzumaki clan, so now he needed to acquire the Uchiha and Kaguya clan's bloodline genes.
However, merely collecting one person's sample wasn't enough; he would need more from the same clan to accurately deduce a more perfect genetic sequence.
There would be more opportunities in the future. The Uchiha clan hadn't yet appeared on the battlefield in the Land of Rivers, and he had nearly finished collecting the Hyuga clan's genetic material. Whenever he encountered someone not yet included in his database, he would take the opportunity to collect their genes during treatment.
---
"Lord Kazekage, the ANBU has gathered information about the medical ninja in Konoha who is capable of preparing antidotes," a Sand Ninja wearing an ANBU mask kneeled before Kazekage, reporting.
Kazekage's gaze sharpened as he immediately asked, "Who is it?" If this person could be dealt with, the plan to ambush Konoha would have a better chance of success.
The Sand Ninjas were continuously engaging with Konoha's forces to wear them down. Even if there were casualties, Kazekage didn't mind. As long as Konoha didn't notice the movement of the One-Tail Jinchuriki, they would have a good chance of using this war machine to deal a heavy blow to Konoha.
The ANBU agent answered, "It's a medical ninja from the Hyuga clan. It's said that he is considered a genius in Konoha, ranking alongside Kakashi, but his expertise is in medical ninjutsu."
"Kakashi's peer? How old is this person?" Kazekage asked, a sudden thought forming in his mind. He knew some information about Kakashi, as the grudge between Konoha White Fang and the Sand Ninja had made this piece of intel somewhat well-known. If he wasn't mistaken, Kakashi should be a little over ten years old.
The Sand ANBU replied immediately, "It's said that he is in the same cohort as Kakashi. This person's reputation is quite prominent, and some information has been leaked to the merchants in the Land of Wind."
Kazekage's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he was unsettled. The Sand Ninja were renowned for their expertise in poisons, and half of their defeat in the Second Shinobi World War had been due to Konoha's Tsunade. While Tsunade wasn't around this time, a new medical genius who could break Chiyo's poison had appeared in Konoha. The situation was certainly not in their favor. From Tsunade to the White Fang and now this medical genius from the Hyuga clan, Konoha seemed to always have the upper hand.
"Continue to gather all the information about this person, as well as the deployments of the Konoha ninjas in Kikyō Castle." Kazekage ordered. If the opportunity arose, he would never let Hyuga Mirai slip away, even if it meant sacrificing some of his own ANBU.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage," the Sand ANBU immediately answered, ready to withdraw.
"Wait…" Kazekage stopped him. "Don't let Chiyo-sama know about this just yet." He would discuss it personally with Chiyo later. The fact that a teenager had managed to break the poisons created by over a dozen Sand Puppeteers in just a few days was likely to demoralize her, and Kazekage didn't want her confidence shaken.
---
While the Sand Ninjas and Konoha were embroiled in intense conflict, several Konoha ninjas had mysteriously appeared in the Land of Wind. However, their mannerisms and actions seemed completely out of place for this era.
"Just now, that was really dangerous. Captain Yamato, why did those Sand Ninjas react so aggressively when they saw us?" A Konoha ninja with short blonde hair said angrily, but before he could continue, a pink-haired female ninja punched him. The force of the blow sent the blond ninja face-first into the sand.
"Naruto, you idiot! Didn't we already learn from the queen about the state of this time period? It's the Third Shinobi World War! Konoha and the Sand may be at war right now, and you just went ahead and tried to greet them!"
Naruto Uzumaki, from over a decade later, hadn't fully realized the danger of war. The only wars he had witnessed were those in which Orochimaru had allied with the Sand to destroy Konoha, a battle where he had summoned Gamabunta to defeat Gaara. Though Konoha suffered significant losses, Naruto had performed admirably, even advancing to Chunin during that battle. This had subconsciously made him believe that war wasn't so terrifying.
After taking the punch, Naruto hesitated but then asked, "Then what should we do now, Sakura?"
Bang!
Before Naruto could even finish his question, Sakura Haruno punched him again, sending him flying. Furious, she yelled, "It's your fault! If you hadn't messed with the seal, we would've already completed our mission and returned to Konoha! We wouldn't have had to go through another time travel!"
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(End of Chapter)
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