Chapter 232: Lineup

"What a giant."

"Is he even human?"

"I can't imagine how huge he must be—"

Jūgo listened to the Konoha townsfolk gossiping on the roadside. When he saw their curious gazes wandering over certain parts of his body, he hunched his shoulders in embarrassment, trying as hard as he could not to stand out too much.

"What an annoying bunch," muttered Karin, pushing her glasses up with a helpless expression.

Next to her, Tezuru sighed but didn't say anything. After all, they were dependent on others for shelter—whether they were prisoners or something else was still unclear—and they needed help treating their "illness."

Let them stare if they want to stare.

"Pop~"

Utakata sat comfortably on a nearby rooftop, blowing bubbles. He had known as soon as they entered the village that they would draw attention, so the moment Link left, he instantly moved up to the rooftop to watch the show.

One had to admit, the villagers of Konoha were surprisingly accepting; quite a few of them showed no fear at all toward someone who stood as tall as a house.

Maybe it was also because Jūgo's default personality seemed too harmless?

"Shff~"

Hearing the sound of someone moving, Utakata turned his head. He saw a woman wearing a white coat.

"I'm Shizune, a jōnin from the medical corps," the woman said with a small nod. "You must be Utakata?"

"That's me." Utakata stood up. "Does Link need something from me?"

"He went to pick up Sasuke," Shizune explained in a serious tone. "He asked me to bring Jūgo, Karin, and Tezuru in for a checkup."

"Whew~"

Utakata whistled. The three on the ground looked up. "Let's go," he said.

Together, the four followed Shizune to a spacious facility—the same place where Kimimaro had nearly exploded and required emergency treatment. Originally one of Root's research bases, most of its equipment and extra furnishings had been torn out after that incident. They had even taken down several walls.

At the time, Kimimaro hadn't been moved right away, so a large amount of medical equipment had been brought here for various experiments. Later, when the test subjects were transferred elsewhere and Root was disbanded for good, the base was abandoned, and the medical corps simply took it over.

Because Root chose such a remote location, few med-nin actually came out here to use the large space. But after Tsunade returned and Link kept bringing back more things to study, nearly all the medical research took place in the main medical corps building under Tsunade and Shizune, so the facility ended up unused for a long time.

The original two-story ceiling had been removed, giving the hall a height of roughly eight meters. Jūgo, who had to stoop when entering buildings, finally breathed a sigh of relief once inside.

A few med-nin and nurses who usually assisted Shizune were busy adjusting various pieces of equipment. Karin glanced around nervously. This place was indeed pretty isolated—she was still shaken by memories of Orochimaru's experiments.

Standing quietly off to the side, Utakata maintained a rather elegant posture. His loose robe revealed a bit of his pale collarbone; his calm expression offered Karin a reassuring look.

Once the Six-Tails fell asleep, Utakata had fully mastered using the Tailed Beast's chakra. He let the Beast produce large amounts of chakra, then infused it into himself. Aside from giving off a faint bluish-white glow, he no longer had to fight over chakra or worry about Tailed Beast chakra corrosion. His strength had effectively multiplied several times over.

Aside from Sasuke, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, there wasn't anyone he really feared.

That eye was just plain broken.

"Let's start the physical exam with you, big guy," Shizune said, sizing up Jūgo. Her calm face showed a hint of curiosity—it wasn't every day you met someone who had broken through normal human growth limits, let alone an experimental subject of Orochimaru.

Maybe he could help solve whatever's going on with Kimimaro, she thought, helping Lady Tsunade in the process.

"Oh." Jūgo gave a muffled response and obediently stepped forward.

They began with the usual physical tests: the most straightforward measurements of strength and speed, then lung capacity, heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, body structure, organ condition, chakra extraction, release, and basic ninjutsu usage. Finally, they took a DNA sample and blood work.

The whole process caused no harm. Jūgo, Karin, and Tezuru had been through similar exams under Orochimaru, down to nearly identical procedures.

[Do all the Konoha shinobi like doing this kind of testing?] Karin wondered. Still, she cooperated fully. Tezuru followed suit, though she trembled unconsciously, even after all this time since their escape.

When they finished drawing blood, Karin sat in a corner sucking on a piece of candy while waiting for results. Suddenly, she stood up with a big smile and looked toward the door.

Tap—

"Sasuke, you're here." She sprinted forward and clung to Sasuke's arm. "Want some candy?"

As if she were showing off a treasure, she offered him another piece of candy.

Right after she spoke, she regretted it. Argh, Sasuke doesn't like sweets… She was silently berating herself for this slip, but the candy she offered got picked up anyway.

"Well, I won't say no." Link unwrapped the candy and tossed it into his mouth. Smiling at Karin, he asked, "So, how'd the tests go?"

Karin shot him a grateful look.

Just look at that—he ate her candy, and she's the one who feels like she should thank him.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't wearing his forehead protector. He'd left it at home when he initially departed the Konoha, thinking he'd never return. He hadn't expected to be back so soon.

He wasn't really bothered by minor physical contact or overt attention from girls—Ino and Sakura were both pretty bold. He might look cold, but he was actually soft-hearted, and once he had settled his vengeance, he'd become more at peace.

"He's just like Kimimaro—can't refine chakra normally," Shizune began, but Jūgo couldn't help interrupting.

"Wait… Kimimaro. You mentioned that name, right?"

Link wasn't surprised. "Yes. He's in the lab at the medical corps building. I'll bring him here to meet you soon."

Turning to Shizune, Link explained, "They're friends."

Jūgo's face brightened. He got up from the ground, then sat down again, overwhelmed by the happy surprise that Kimimaro was still alive. He had assumed Kimimaro was long dead.

Seeing no one else jump in, Shizune went on to summarize the conditions of the three patients.

In short, Jūgo resembled Kimimaro, but with a far higher adaptability to natural energy. By using natural energy, his body had grown huge—completely beyond any normal biological structure—just to withstand its corrosive effects.

Inside, his cells were stuck in a cycle of constant death and regeneration. Newly created cells under the influence of natural energy had an even stronger pull on natural energy, forming a vicious cycle: the faster cells died, the stronger he got, and eventually the regeneration speed wouldn't be able to keep up. His body could only keep enlarging to avoid dying too quickly. Once it reached a certain point, the fragile balance would break, and he would simply burn up, turning to ash.

He might end up dying sooner than Kimimaro. That's what people mean by "the stronger you get, the faster you burn out."

The other two also showed some degree of natural-energy-related damage.

Karin's case was very minor. Her huge chakra reserves strongly suppressed natural energy's influence, and only a small part of her body had been reconstructed by Jūgo, so her overall condition was excellent. She could still refine chakra with no issues.

Tezuru, on the other hand, had already developed some of Kimimaro's symptoms: chakra extraction difficulties and clear dissipation of chakra whenever she used ninjutsu. She didn't have any original cursed-seal cells herself—it was all tissue provided indirectly by Jūgo—so the cursed-seal-like effects were slow to manifest, but it was still there. Chances were that in a few years, she wouldn't be able to refine chakra normally anymore.

During this process, her physical abilities and healing factor would gradually improve. Over enough time, she might become like Jūgo, where her cells grew ever more attuned to natural energy—leading, eventually, to death.

[This girl might be able to learn Sage Mode…] Shizune thought, sneaking a glance at Karin, who was comforting Jūgo and Tezuru. With formidable chakra and a body that naturally absorbs a bit of natural energy, she was practically blessed with an innate Sage Mode physique.

Compared to the original cursed-seal cells, Jūgo's body tissue was much milder. It absorbed natural energy more slowly and wasn't as destructive. If Tsunade had used Jūgo's cells instead of the originals, she might have finished her training and come back already.

"As of now, the only way to extend their lifespans would be through sealing techniques or your jutsu," Shizune concluded.

[Maybe I can just kill them all and then resurrect them…?] Link briefly had this bizarre thought, then dismissed it immediately. The idea of "fixing" someone's illness by killing them outright was far too extreme.

No, better not go down that road. Even if it could be misused, you can't solve every problem by killing living people.

After coordinating with Shizune to arrange accommodations for the three patients, Link took Sasuke and Utakata to find Tobirama Senju, and they left the village together.

They had already done a quiet check on the "reincarnated one's" body. Everything was normal, and even the Second Hokage's advanced sensory abilities hadn't detected any issues with his soul or physical form. Shizune's medical exam likewise found nothing strange.

There was no longer any reason to hesitate.

They would head to their base in the Land of Waves and retest the black mud produced by the Swamp of the Underworld. They would resurrect some more people to see if there were any hidden dangers. Finally, they would bring back Uchiha Fugaku and his wife. Doing it in Konoha was too risky—too many surveillance jutsu that could expose them if a Hyūga happened by, for instance.

After discussing it, they decided the base in the Land of Waves was the best place to experiment.

As for Orochimaru's base, after speaking with the Third Hokage, they planned to wait a few days for Jiraiya—one of the Legendary Sannin—to return. Then Jiraiya would lead a team of elite jōnin to coordinate with Iwagakure, aiming to demolish Orochimaru's base or capture him if possible.

From what Link knew, the initial lineup would probably include Kakashi and Might Guy, plus the "Pervy Sage." No matter what Orochimaru tried, he likely wouldn't pose too big of a threat. Even if they couldn't beat him, they could always retreat without too much trouble.

~~~

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