Chapter 122: The Strongest Support
Had he not heard the name, Kakashi would never have associated it with one of the most 'overpowered' elements in the Naruto world: Hashirama Cells.
Their known functions include increasing chakra, enhancing the body's self-healing abilities, and enabling the user to employ Wood Release, among other effects.
He had originally thought that after Danzo's death, the only individuals left in the world who had mastered Hashirama Cell cultivation techniques would be Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara.
He never expected to encounter this here.
He had almost forgotten that Yakushi Nonou had also been a member of Root, and indeed, the strongest medical-nin within Root. Thus, it was logical that she possessed this cell cultivation technique.
What was strange, however, was why she continued cultivating these cells in the Land of Rain.
"Human experimentation is forbidden in Amegakure." Kakashi reminded the white-robed nun. The latter discarded the used gauze from her medical kit, disinfected her tweezers, and only after completing everything did she stand before him, joining him to observe the various organs forming inside the containers.
"These cells were sealed in a scroll and brought here by me when I left Konoha. The First Hokage's cells were initially researched by me and other members of the medical squad, under orders. Later, for a period, Lord Orochimaru joined, and the research made significant breakthroughs. However, Lord Orochimaru subsequently used them for human experimentation."
"So you withdrew from that research team."
"Yes. I couldn't bear to see those children become test subjects. Later, I attempted to infiltrate and rescue them, but in the end, only one child survived and was taken by Lord Danzo to Root. That child is probably about your age now."
[Is that Tenzo?]
Kakashi pieced the information together.
"You started researching the First Hokage's cells with Orochimaru so early?"
"I began researching the First Hokage's cells with Lord Orochimaru when I was ten years old." It was clear how profoundly her childhood experiences had impacted this white-robed nun, and thus, it was no wonder she always sought to rescue children in distress.
"Why are you researching this now? For you, it should be an indelible trauma, shouldn't it?"
He bluntly pointed this out, tearing open her old wounds. Kakashi thought the nun's expression would sour, but unexpectedly, she merely offered a couple of helpless laughs.
"The first thing before entering Root was to eradicate all emotions. At that time, I already understood that I would live my entire life burdened by the guilt of having been an accomplice in harming children. But this has nothing to do with the First Hokage's cells themselves. These cells don't actively invade and proliferate within other bodies. If used properly, and if one day I can analyze why these cells possess such powerful regenerative abilities, I'll be able to save more people and preserve more children's lives."
"This is very dangerous. Researching it will inevitably involve human subjects. How will you resolve that?"
"What choice do I have?"
"May I not say?"
"No."
"Such a persistent child." The white-robed nun sighed, poured some pale cells from a solution bottle, placed them into a syringe-like device, made a circular incision on her wrist with a round bladed tool, and then swiftly injected the First Hokage's cells into her arm.
Before she could complete the action, Kakashi was ready and intervened, stopping the woman's suicidal act, using Lightning Release to incinerate the cells about to invade her arm.
"Are you trying to die?"
"Actually, this was inevitable sooner or later. I will inject these cells into my own body. I am a medical-nin; no one understands the changes these cells undergo within my body better than I. Such research would also be more accurate."
"I thought you were trying to die."
"For the sake of patients and children, what does it matter if I die?"
"If you die, how will you write research reports, how will you save people?"
"According to my previous research, the First Hokage's cells do not spread quickly. As long as I remove the affected organ before the cells invade my other organs, I can continue to live."
"In other words, you were just prepared to amputate your own left arm?"
"Yes."
A long silence.
This was the first time Kakashi truly felt respect for this woman. If he had harbored even a shred of doubt about her benevolence before, that doubt had now completely vanished.
She was a true saint.
Every action she took revolved solely around how to better help others. She harbored goodwill towards all children, and when faced with dilemmas, her first instinct was self-sacrifice, even to the point of risking her life at any moment.
What more was there to doubt?
That Root—a place so extreme in its disregard for emotion, contempt for humanity, and sole pursuit of power and gain—could actually produce such a devoted and supremely benevolent individual.
Indeed, extremes breed opposites.
"Let me join this research."
With that, Kakashi calmly said to Yakushi Nonou, as a bottled potion materialized in his right hand—one he had never shown to anyone except Terumi Mei and Sara.
Intermediate Recovery Potion
It was arguably the silver-haired youth's strongest support item before he acquired the 'Advanced Recovery Potion'—a miracle drug capable of healing injuries such as a pierced heart, severed muscles, or broken bones within one or two days.
"No, it's too dangerous."
She firmly refused Kakashi's request. Although she didn't understand what the bottled liquid he held was, the sheer, potentially fatal danger alone meant the white-robed nun would not allow anyone to interfere with this research.
In fact, when she first mentioned the First Hokage's cells, she hadn't expected this child in front of her to grasp their significance. After all, this was a top-secret within Root; even the Third Hokage only knew a superficial amount about it.
Only Orochimaru and she truly understood it.
She never expected this child to seem so familiar with these cells.
Yakushi Nonou shook her head, her smile fading, and replied to Kakashi with an unyielding tone.
"Absolutely not."
"Refusal is invalid. Here in Amegakure, I am your superior. Tomorrow, I will inform Yahiko that I will be taking over the medical squad. Even if you are the medical squad leader, you still have to listen to me."
"You child, how dare you be so reckless!"
Yakushi Nonou was getting angry. She had never met such an unruly child, and yet, she could not even control him herself.
She also regretted mentioning the First Hokage's cells.
"Your current behavior is what truly resembles a child's. You'll understand soon enough, won't you?"
Kakashi poured a single drop of the potion onto the wound on the white-robed nun's wrist where she had just prepared to inject the cells. The wound healed at a visible rate; in under three seconds, her skin was as good as new.
"I don't have much of this potion, but for research, it's definitely more than enough. You can implant the First Hokage's cells into my body. If I can't handle it, I'll naturally drink this."
Had he not heard the name, Kakashi would never have associated it with one of the most 'overpowered' elements in the Naruto world: Hashirama Cells.
Their known functions include increasing chakra, enhancing the body's self-healing abilities, and enabling the user to employ Wood Release, among other effects.
He had originally thought that after Danzo's death, the only individuals left in the world who had mastered Hashirama Cell cultivation techniques would be Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara.
He never expected to encounter this here.
He had almost forgotten that Yakushi Nonou had also been a member of Root, and indeed, the strongest medical-nin within Root. Thus, it was logical that she possessed this cell cultivation technique.
What was strange, however, was why she continued cultivating these cells in the Land of Rain.
"Human experimentation is forbidden in Amegakure." Kakashi reminded the white-robed nun. The latter discarded the used gauze from her medical kit, disinfected her tweezers, and only after completing everything did she stand before him, joining him to observe the various organs forming inside the containers.
"These cells were sealed in a scroll and brought here by me when I left Konoha. The First Hokage's cells were initially researched by me and other members of the medical squad, under orders. Later, for a period, Lord Orochimaru joined, and the research made significant breakthroughs. However, Lord Orochimaru subsequently used them for human experimentation."
"So you withdrew from that research team."
"Yes. I couldn't bear to see those children become test subjects. Later, I attempted to infiltrate and rescue them, but in the end, only one child survived and was taken by Lord Danzo to Root. That child is probably about your age now."
[Is that Tenzo?]
Kakashi pieced the information together.
"You started researching the First Hokage's cells with Orochimaru so early?"
"I began researching the First Hokage's cells with Lord Orochimaru when I was ten years old." It was clear how profoundly her childhood experiences had impacted this white-robed nun, and thus, it was no wonder she always sought to rescue children in distress.
"Why are you researching this now? For you, it should be an indelible trauma, shouldn't it?"
He bluntly pointed this out, tearing open her old wounds. Kakashi thought the nun's expression would sour, but unexpectedly, she merely offered a couple of helpless laughs.
"The first thing before entering Root was to eradicate all emotions. At that time, I already understood that I would live my entire life burdened by the guilt of having been an accomplice in harming children. But this has nothing to do with the First Hokage's cells themselves. These cells don't actively invade and proliferate within other bodies. If used properly, and if one day I can analyze why these cells possess such powerful regenerative abilities, I'll be able to save more people and preserve more children's lives."
"This is very dangerous. Researching it will inevitably involve human subjects. How will you resolve that?"
"What choice do I have?"
"May I not say?"
"No."
"Such a persistent child." The white-robed nun sighed, poured some pale cells from a solution bottle, placed them into a syringe-like device, made a circular incision on her wrist with a round bladed tool, and then swiftly injected the First Hokage's cells into her arm.
Before she could complete the action, Kakashi was ready and intervened, stopping the woman's suicidal act, using Lightning Release to incinerate the cells about to invade her arm.
"Are you trying to die?"
"Actually, this was inevitable sooner or later. I will inject these cells into my own body. I am a medical-nin; no one understands the changes these cells undergo within my body better than I. Such research would also be more accurate."
"I thought you were trying to die."
"For the sake of patients and children, what does it matter if I die?"
"If you die, how will you write research reports, how will you save people?"
"According to my previous research, the First Hokage's cells do not spread quickly. As long as I remove the affected organ before the cells invade my other organs, I can continue to live."
"In other words, you were just prepared to amputate your own left arm?"
"Yes."
A long silence.
This was the first time Kakashi truly felt respect for this woman. If he had harbored even a shred of doubt about her benevolence before, that doubt had now completely vanished.
She was a true saint.
Every action she took revolved solely around how to better help others. She harbored goodwill towards all children, and when faced with dilemmas, her first instinct was self-sacrifice, even to the point of risking her life at any moment.
What more was there to doubt?
That Root—a place so extreme in its disregard for emotion, contempt for humanity, and sole pursuit of power and gain—could actually produce such a devoted and supremely benevolent individual.
Indeed, extremes breed opposites.
"Let me join this research."
With that, Kakashi calmly said to Yakushi Nonou, as a bottled potion materialized in his right hand—one he had never shown to anyone except Terumi Mei and Sara.
Intermediate Recovery Potion
It was arguably the silver-haired youth's strongest support item before he acquired the 'Advanced Recovery Potion'—a miracle drug capable of healing injuries such as a pierced heart, severed muscles, or broken bones within one or two days.
"No, it's too dangerous."
She firmly refused Kakashi's request. Although she didn't understand what the bottled liquid he held was, the sheer, potentially fatal danger alone meant the white-robed nun would not allow anyone to interfere with this research.
In fact, when she first mentioned the First Hokage's cells, she hadn't expected this child in front of her to grasp their significance. After all, this was a top-secret within Root; even the Third Hokage only knew a superficial amount about it.
Only Orochimaru and she truly understood it.
She never expected this child to seem so familiar with these cells.
Yakushi Nonou shook her head, her smile fading, and replied to Kakashi with an unyielding tone.
"Absolutely not."
"Refusal is invalid. Here in Amegakure, I am your superior. Tomorrow, I will inform Yahiko that I will be taking over the medical squad. Even if you are the medical squad leader, you still have to listen to me."
"You child, how dare you be so reckless!"
Yakushi Nonou was getting angry. She had never met such an unruly child, and yet, she could not even control him herself.
She also regretted mentioning the First Hokage's cells.
"Your current behavior is what truly resembles a child's. You'll understand soon enough, won't you?"
Kakashi poured a single drop of the potion onto the wound on the white-robed nun's wrist where she had just prepared to inject the cells. The wound healed at a visible rate; in under three seconds, her skin was as good as new.
"I don't have much of this potion, but for research, it's definitely more than enough. You can implant the First Hokage's cells into my body. If I can't handle it, I'll naturally drink this."
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