Chapter 78 - Experiments

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A bottomless pit.

Akio and Hashirama had followed two Anbu to this very place.

The cave was dimly lit, with only a few candles to illuminate the way. Deep within the cave, something unknown lurked—so well hidden that even Akio's Kagura Shingan couldn't penetrate it.

The two Anbu had already plunged in with what they were carrying. Hashirama felt something was off. After exchanging a glance with Akio, he prepared to head down and investigate.

But Akio stopped him.

"This place is too well hidden. It could be an Anbu gathering point or even a training facility. It's best we don't intrude."

Hashirama was silent for a moment, then nodded.

On the way back to the village, Akio, taking advantage of Hashirama's distraction, quietly created a shadow clone to secretly explore the underground site.

What followed was… awkward. Akio's shadow clone encountered one of Hashirama's Wood Clones at the cave entrance.

The two clones exchanged a look. Akio sighed. "Let's go."

Internally, he muttered, "I hope it's not what I think it is…"

They stepped into the cave. After only a few steps, stairs began descending layer by layer beneath them. The deeper they went, the denser the candlelight became. After walking straight down for about a hundred meters, the path turned right, where a massive door came into view.

"This kind of structure…" Akio murmured. His sensory perception told him that the entire underground was wrapped in material similar to the giant gate, cutting off his ability to sense what lay beyond.

The two clones exchanged another glance and prepared to open the door—only for it to creak open by itself.

Two figures stepped out—it was the same pair of Anbu who had carried the body down earlier. The four of them locked eyes, and the air grew tense.

"Guzawa, iran, why are you standing at the entrance?"

A familiar voice echoed from within.

The Anbu didn't respond. The person who had spoken slowly emerged from the darkness—and upon seeing Akio and Hashirama, was momentarily stunned.

"..."

The silence was thick with discomfort. After a pause, Akio waved a hand.

"Tobirama… what a coincidence, running into you here."

It was none other than Senju Tobirama—his shadow clone, to be exact. If it weren't for the heavy atmosphere, the scene of Akio, Hashirama, and Tobirama's clones bumping into each other might have been oddly comical.

"Tobirama…" Tobirama hesitated for a moment, then stiffened. "Big Brother…"

"This is a training facility for Konoha's Anbu. What are you two doing here?"

Then, turning to the two Anbu, he ordered, "You two, return to base."

Once the Anbu were gone, Hashirama sighed.

"Tobirama, you're a terrible liar. Besides, Akio is a sensory-type ninja. The moment that door opened, the secret was out. Akio—what's inside?"

Akio was quiet for a moment, then shook his head.

"See for yourself."

Tobirama's expression shifted, but he couldn't stop Hashirama, who strode inside.

Akio looked at Tobirama with a sigh.

"How do you plan on explaining this to your brother?"

Even without going in, the secrecy, the location, and the fact that a live person had been carried in—it all painted a clear picture. Akio hadn't expected to see something like this until Orochimaru was born. Yet here was Tobirama, already delving into human experimentation.

Tobirama didn't answer. His expression darkened as he turned and followed Hashirama inside.

Akio shook his head and walked in after them.

What greeted him were the frozen corpses of various animals, encased in blocks of ice.

"Wait… These are all summoned beasts? Where did Tobirama even get these? Could it be that the experiments only involve summoned creatures?" Akio muttered. But remembering the live person carried in earlier, he shook his head and kept going.

In the next room, Akio scanned the surroundings, and his heart sank.

Human corpses and organs were sealed in crystal pillars—like a biological research lab. But this time, the subjects were human.

Looking closer, Akio sighed in relief. He didn't recognize a single face among them from the village. At least Tobirama hadn't stooped to using Konoha's own citizens like Orochimaru would later do.

He moved on, descending more stairs deeper underground.

From below, he could hear the faint sound of Tobirama and Hashirama arguing. He hurried his pace, and the voices grew clearer.

"Big Brother! I'm doing this for the good of the village! If I can perfect this jutsu, Konoha will be invincible in the wars to come!"

"Stop this experiment, Tobirama!"

"Big Brother! These test subjects are all enemy scouts from other villages—we're just putting them to good use."

"Test subjects? They're living, breathing people!"

…

Akio entered the room. Both Tobirama and Hashirama turned to him, catching him off guard. Unsure of what to say, he simply sighed.

"Go ahead, keep arguing. I'll just listen."

Hashirama shot another glare at Tobirama and was about to speak when Tobirama cut in, trying to persuade his brother.

"Big Brother, granduncle, I've made progress. Let me show you the results!"

He quickly disappeared deeper into the lab and returned shortly, dragging a man behind him.

Hashirama frowned. Tobirama remained defiant.

"This man is a scout from Takigakure. He was caught spying on Konoha's defenses."

Hashirama said nothing, only sighing.

Tobirama pulled out a sealing scroll, broke the seal, and revealed a small bloodstained cloth.

He formed hand seals. "Tiger—Snake—Dog—Dragon!"

Then clapped his hands together.

"Edo Tensei!"

A coffin rose from the ground and enveloped the unconscious Takigakure ninja. Moments later, it opened again, revealing a face unfamiliar to Hashirama.

Akio, however, was unsurprised.

"Edo Tensei, huh? Guess this is the shinobi world's version of a resurrection act."

The resurrected ninja slowly opened his eyes—then remained completely still.

Tobirama continued, "The summoned individual retains about half of their power from life. I'm currently working on restoring their consciousness. If I succeed, even if the other four nations band together against us, Konoha will have nothing to fear."

"Summon? Consciousness? From life?" Hashirama echoed each term, his frown deepening.

Then, his anger exploded.

"Tobirama! Not only are you experimenting on living people—you're also desecrating the souls of the dead! This jutsu must be stopped immediately!"

Tobirama looked confused. "Big Brother, it's for Konoha's—"

But Hashirama's glare shut him up mid-sentence.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Without another word, Hashirama moved to destroy the entire lab.

Akio, seeing the massive roots rising, turned pale.

He's going to bury us all alive…

But luckily, all three were just clones.

Back at Konoha's gates, the real Akio and Hashirama were just returning when the memories of their clones hit them. Both their expressions changed slightly.

Akio frowned.

"So I didn't end up participating in the development of Edo Tensei… guess I won't get any witness points for that."

He sighed again.

"But considering how it was developed… maybe it's better this way."

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