Chapter 228: Activation Regeneration and the Stone Man
"Genichi-sama, why don't you try Jūgo's ability?"
Seeing Kinoshita Genichi fail time and time again, White Zetsu A-Dai suggested.
Genichi asked, "A-Dai, what do you think I'm doing right now?"
A-Dai thought for a moment. "Developing... some kind of medical ninjutsu?"
Genichi asked again, "Then, why am I developing medical ninjutsu?"
A-Dai laughed. "Genichi-sama, I may be an artificial human, but I still have a brain. You can't stump me with a simple question like that."
"You are trying to train your Yang Release, aren't you? Not for the sake of the jutsu itself."
A smile appeared on Genichi's face. "A-Dai, you've gotten smarter."
A-Dai's flattery immediately followed. "When you're with Genichi-sama, of course your brain gets smarter."
Genichi looked up at him slightly. "So, why did you suggest I call Jūgo over?"
A-Dai quickly said, "To test his abilities, of course! Maybe it could give you a little inspiration, Genichi-sama?"
"I have to say, that guy's ability is really something. It's almost on par with us White Zetsu."
Genichi thought for a moment and nodded. "If that's the case, go get Jūgo."
A-Dai nodded quickly and went to grab him.
Genichi continued his work.
One after another, the White Zetsu Rats lost their lives.
Soon, Jūgo was pulled into the lab by A-Dai.
"Genichi-sama!" The simple and honest Jūgo bowed respectfully.
Genichi looked up at him and said gently, "If it were you, how would you save this white rat?"
Jūgo looked at the freshly dead rat in Genichi's hand. A trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. "It's already dead. I have no way to save it."
"According to Orochimaru-sama's research, I can only use my cells to heal someone if they have the Curse Mark."
The young Jūgo paused, then explained, "It's using... cells that carry my chakra, and transforming them into the kind the other person needs."
White Zetsu A-Dai laughed. "That's just like us White Zetsu! We can adapt to anyone!"
Genichi nodded, and his movements stopped.
Jūgo currently looked like he was about ten, but he was actually only six or seven years old.
He was only about three when Orochimaru found him.
Or rather, it was Kimimaro who found Jūgo and brought him to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, who had been in the middle of researching Sage Art, felt like he had discovered a new continent. His Curse Mark research was rapidly perfected.
Before finding Jūgo, Orochimaru had, in fact, already been studying Sage Art.
Of course, it wasn't just Jūgo; Kimimaro had also become one of Genichi's subordinates.
Hearing Jūgo's words, Genichi began to ponder.
Jūgo's ability... take the battle with Killer B from the original timeline, for example, when Sasuke was beaten half to death.
Uchiha Sasuke was on the brink of death, his organs nearly blown out of his body. Jūgo had used his own cells to patch up Sasuke's wounds, achieving a rapid healing effect.
It was similar to transplanting an arm if one was missing, except Jūgo was outputting it at a cellular level.
But there was one prerequisite: the person had to be able to adapt to Sage Transformation's power.
The reason Jūgo could do this was because of Sage Transformation.
If the recipient couldn't adapt to the Sage Transformation's power, the cells he output would not be a healing miracle. Instead, they would "devour" the injured person.
The assimilation ability of Sage Transformation was astonishing.
Jūgo's other ability was to absorb other people's cells to heal himself.
This did not require the other person to have a Curse Mark.
Genichi thought it over carefully and had a realization.
Jūgo's ability wasn't just the use of natural energy and Sage Art; it also involved Yang Release.
Whether it was "Cell Expulsion" or "Cell Attraction," both involved the use of life force—that is, Yang Release!
If this ability of Jūgo's was developed further, he might be able to create a super-strong "devouring" type ability.
It was just... too anti-human.
Returning to the present, Genichi continued to process the lab rat.
Using Jūgo's ability... it was possible.
It was similar to how, in the original timeline, Kabuto Yakushi had saved Sasuke during the Fourth Shinobi War by giving him a "cell-transplant" surgery using a massive amount of cells.
But, as mentioned before, this didn't fit Genichi's goal.
His ultimate goal right now was not to develop a resurrection medical-ninjutsu, but to expand and improve his Yang Release nature transformation.
It was an exploration and advancement in the "activation" aspect of Yang Release.
But Jūgo's ability had given Genichi a different kind of inspiration.
Seeing that Jūgo looked uncomfortable, Genichi said, "Jūgo, why don't you go find Kimimaro?"
Jūgo looked relieved. He quickly bowed and left.
As someone who could understand what animals were saying, being in a place like this was torture for him.
Genichi continued his work. White Zetsu A-Dai helped dispose of the rat corpses, saying, "It seems Jūgo's ability was of no use to you, Genichi-sama."
Genichi chuckled. "No, on the contrary, it was very useful. Just... not here."
Time trickled by, and it was soon late at night.
A-Dai had already disposed of over a hundred corpses.
Suddenly, he looked at the rat in Genichi's hand and gasped, "Genichi-sama, it's alive!"
The tail of the rat that had been dead... had twitched!
A smile spread across Genichi's face.
It had twitched, but it wasn't fully moving.
Life is movement. When the rat died, its cells stopped moving, and all its organs stopped functioning.
Genichi's goal was to use the "activation" property of Yang Release to "reboot" the cells, restarting all life activities, thereby achieving resurrection.
In simpler terms, it was like restarting a heart that had stopped beating, using an external force.
Seeing this progress, Genichi decided he was pulling an all-nighter.
He just... really missed the warm comfort of Tsunade and the others.
And so, after midnight, Tsunade, who had gotten used to his visits, waited and waited at home, but Genichi never came. She quietly went to Genichi's house, only to find Shizune and Ina both sleeping alone. After a moment of surprise, she headed to the lab.
She heard A-Dai's exclamations before she even reached the door.
Inside the lab, Genichi was also beaming as he looked at the squeaking lab rat.
It was alive!
Within five minutes of its death, he had used Yang Release to reboot its dead cells, miraculously bringing it back to life.
A-Dai was at his side, laying on the flattery. "As expected of the greatest genius in the shinobi world, Genichi-sama! You completed a forbidden jutsu that can revive the dead in just one night!"
"A feat like this is unprecedented and will never be surpassed!"
Just then, Tsunade appeared at the door. "A forbidden jutsu that revives the dead?"
Genichi turned at the sound, smiling. "Just a little progress in Yang Release."
"Genichi-sama, you're being too modest!" A-Dai immediately said.
"Tsunade-sama, just now, Genichi-sama revived a dead lab rat!"
Tsunade was astonished. She stepped forward. "How did you do it?"
Reviving a dead animal... this was a taboo field. Currently, only the Rinnegan was known to be capable of it.
Genichi explained, "Well, it wasn't completely dead. I bound its soul beforehand."
"The resurrection was completed on that premise."
"Mhm, this jutsu uses the 'activation' property of Yang Release."
"The core concept is what I've said before: Life is movement."
"On the premise that the soul is still present, I used Yang Release to restart the cells that had stopped all activity, thereby achieving resurrection."
Tsunade was both shocked and overjoyed. "But that's already astonishing!"
"And... for you, even if the soul has already entered the Pure Land, as long as it hasn't been dead for long, you could still do it, right?"
Genichi nodded. It was true.
Edo Tensei could summon the souls of the dead from the Pure Land. If he had the person's genetic information, just summoning the soul-form alone would be no trouble.
Of course, Genichi couldn't do it like the Sage of Six Paths, who could summon souls from the Pure Land without any medium.
But this was enough.
Summon the soul, use Tobirama Senju's Soul Restriction Jutsu to bind it to the dead body, and then use Yang Release to restart cellular life activity.
But the person couldn't be dead for too long, or the cells would have dissolved and the tissues would have rotted.
"Let's call this jutsu... 'Activation Regeneration.' How about that?" Tsunade immediately snatched the naming rights.
Genichi gave her maximum emotional value. "Perfectly fitting!"
"That's all for tonight..." Genichi wanted to go home, but Tsunade's interest was now piqued.
"First, tell me about this new 'Activation Regeneration' jutsu of yours."
Genichi could only obey. "Yes, my Hokage-sama."
He then began his lecture.
Activation Regeneration was different from a medical ninjutsu like Mitotic Regeneration, but it wasn't an unfamiliar field for Tsunade.
After all, her current Strength of a Hundred Seal and the Art of Pyo she had already mastered were both about enhancing cellular activity.
Furthermore, even Mitotic Regeneration was, in essence, the result of highly activated cells.
But, even with Tsunade's high talent, the secrets contained within were not something she could master in a single night.
...
The next morning.
Leaving A-Dai to clean up the lab, Genichi took Tsunade home.
At breakfast, Genichi had a "super-stuffed-sandwich" (ahem), and then, while in "Sage Mode" (post-breakfast clarity), he cultivated his Sage Transformation.
He then went to the place where Kakashi and Guy were training in Sage Mode.
Leaving a Shadow Clone to watch them, Genichi went to the side and used Earth Style to create a life-sized stone man.
The completion of the Activation Regeneration jutsu didn't just mean progress in his Yang Release; it also meant a small step forward in his Yin-Yang Release.
Genichi had now broken down his Yin-Yang Release training into three steps:
Continue to improve Yin Release and Yang Release separately, and then combine them.
One step at a time, spiraling upwards.
Yesterday, Genichi had successfully "activated" the dead. Now, he was staring at the stone man he had just created with Earth Style.
Yin Release creates form from nothing.
Yang Release infuses form with life.
Tsunade's Yin-Yang fused Wood Style could create "living," clone-like Wood Golems and Wood Dragons.
But in reality, it wasn't true creation of life. Whether it was the Wood Dragon or the Wood Golem, they were still being controlled by the caster's spiritual consciousness. That's why they were "clone-like."
Genichi knew that creating a sentient life form like a Tailed Beast from scratch with Yin-Yang Release was currently beyond him.
But after succeeding in "activating" the dead, he had a new idea.
Could he... activate non-living matter?
For example, this stone man in front of him. Could he use Yang Release to grant it life?
This was Genichi's next exploration of Yang Release.
He stared at the rather ugly stone man for a long time, then finally raised his hand and placed it on its "forehead." He closed his eyes, infusing the stone man with life force.
But... the stone man remained motionless.
Genichi pulled his hand back and thought, "What I want isn't a Wood Golem or Wood Dragon like in Wood Style. I want a 'man,' made of stone... even if it has no intelligence."
"Does it... need cells?"
"No, no. If it needs cells, that's something else entirely. Pure Yang Release should be able to do it."
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Again...
...
On the other side, Guy was also failing, time and time again.
For him, sensing natural energy wasn't hard. Controlling it was extremely difficult.
And Kakashi... was still just trying to sense it.
The issue of talent... was hard to put into words.
...
Unknowingly, the evening sun cast its rays.
Kakashi and Guy finished their training for the day and walked over to Genichi.
"Genichi, what are you doing?" Guy asked curiously, walking circles around the stone man.
Is there something special about this? Genichi's been staring at it all afternoon.
Kakashi said, "Developing some new jutsu?"
Genichi said, deadpan, "I'm trying to turn it into a person."
"What do you guys think... a stone man should be like?"
Kakashi was baffled. What does that mean?
Might Guy understood. He stroked his chin, looking at the stone man... or rather, stone statue.
He stepped back a few paces, took a stance, and shadow-boxed at the statue. "Let's have this stone man train with me!"
Genichi's eyes lit up. "Train with you?"
Might Guy nodded. "If it can move, it'd be a better partner than a wooden dummy, right?"
"And... and it would be best if I can't break it."
At this, Guy couldn't help but scratch his head and laugh.
Kakashi put a hand to his forehead. "Are you two kidding?"
Genichi nodded seriously. "I'll try."
He raised his hand to the statue's head, once again infusing it with Yang Release.
"Is he... really trying to create life?" Kakashi wondered.
Might Guy watched with anticipation.
Hum!
Suddenly, a strange thrumming appeared, causing the air to ripple with a faint sound.
Kakashi and Guy then saw the statue's eyes glow with a golden light, which quickly faded.
But, looking at the statue's eyes now, they were no longer lifeless. They... it felt like they were being watched.
But... it also felt... dull.
"Did it work?" Kakashi's gaze sharpened.
Genichi removed his hand, took two steps back, and said to Guy, "Guy, give it a try."
Guy pointed at the stone man. "Really?"
Genichi nodded.
Guy grinned. "Then I won't hold back!"
With a strange cry, Guy threw a punch at the stone man.
The stone man immediately turned, raising its right arm to block.
Bang!
The arm exploded. Stone shrapnel flew everywhere.
Guy froze, then looked at Genichi with embarrassment. "Uh..."
"It's fine," Genichi waved his hand.
Just then, the earth at the stone man's feet churned, and its shattered arm rapidly reformed.
Guy was both shocked and delighted. "It can really heal itself!"
Genichi smiled. "Guy, keep trying."
Guy nodded. "Then I won't hold back!"
He launched himself forward with a Konoha Strong Gale, kicking at the stone man.
The stone man raised its left arm to block, while its other hand lashed out to grab him.
Bang!
The stone man's left arm exploded, but its right hand caught Guy's leg and slung him through the air.
Guy landed steadily and charged again. "I'm speeding up! Watch out!"
Kakashi's eyes were wide. "Genichi... did it... really become a person?"
Genichi shook his head. "Of course not."
Creating true life wasn't that simple.
Genichi explained, "I just gave it 'life genes'."
Kakashi looked completely lost. He understood "life," and he sort of understood "genes," but put them together and he was full of question marks.
Genichi said, "You can think of it as... I gave this statue a 'reaction program'."
"For example, Guy throws a punch, the stone man defends."
"Also, it can autonomously use the surrounding earth and stone to repair its broken body."
That was it.
He would have to observe it for anything else.
In any case, this was a stone man with no independent personality and no soul.
"I see..."
"But that... is still staggering."
Kakashi watched the stone man—which was constantly defending, being shattered, and reforming—and Guy, who was having the time of his life. The shock on his face was unconcealed.
"Is this Yin-Yang Release?"
"You've... you've already researched it to this extent?" Kakashi said in awe.
Genichi shook his head. "No. This is just an application of Yang Release."
Kakashi mused, "Yang Release? It can be used like this?"
He also had the Yang Release nature, and had mastered low-level medical-ninjutsu like the Mystical Palm Technique.
Genichi smiled. "Life is movement."
Although the stone man couldn't be considered truly 'human', it could act autonomously, without the caster's control. And its actions were not being executed by the spiritual consciousness carried in Genichi's chakra.
This was different from the Wood Golem.
The stone man currently had no chakra within it. All its abilities, all its action logic, came from a set of "genes" that Genichi had endowed it with using Yang Release.
You could also call it an 'action logic chain', or a 'program'. And a very simple one at that.
The stone man was definitely not a person.
How could something with no soul, no self, and no personality be called a person?
But... the stone man was moving.
It was no longer a lifeless statue. Genichi had given it a different kind of "life."
Just then, Guy ran over. He looked at Genichi, a little sheepishly. "Genichi... uh..."
Genichi smiled. "The stone man is yours. Your new training partner."
"But, if it starts to change in any strange way, you have to tell me."
Guy was overjoyed and agreed instantly. "No problem!"
"But..." Guy immediately looked confused. "By the way... what kind of 'strange change'?"
Genichi said, "For example... if it gets smarter."
(End of Chapter)
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