After Shinju finished speaking, the prison, which had just fallen silent, erupted into noise again.
"Orochimaru being this generous? Since when?"
"If you ask me, he's not even one of Orochimaru's men!"
"It's obvious—Orochimaru's just using us for another twisted experiment!"
"I went through so much hardship to gain this power! There's no way I'll give it up so easily!"
Hearing the noisy discussion, Shinju laid it all out directly:
"My name is Shinju. I am an enemy of Orochimaru. I came here today because I want to use your bodies to test a method of removing cursed seals."
"If you're willing, you can step forward."
"If you're not willing… hmhm…"
The prison fell silent.
(ー_ー)!!
The boy looked only in his teens, but his presence was far beyond that of an ordinary shinobi!
That little "hmhm" made his meaning clear.
If you don't want to… then he'll beat you until you do!! (||๐_๐)
Suddenly, a scream came from the second floor cells. A middle-aged man spoke up excitedly.
"I'm willing to be part of the experiment!"
"I've heard his name before—Shinju! He's that Wood Release shinobi from Konoha!"
The other test subjects asked, "Why do you know this when we don't?"
"Don't tell me you're just some spy this kid planted in the fortress!"
The middle-aged man sneered: "You've been locked up in this hellhole for who knows how many years. I only came in two years ago. That's why I heard about the genius from Konoha, Shinju, the Wood Release prodigy! ╭(￣▽￣)╮"
"Anyway, I believe in him! I've had enough of rotting in here!"
Once one stepped forward, others followed.
After the middle-aged man, another dozen or two stood out one after another, willing to let Shinju use their bodies for his research.
Facing their trust, Shinju solemnly promised:
"No matter the outcome, I will guarantee your lives."
The rest of the test subjects on the higher levels leaned against the iron bars, watching with mocking expressions.
They were curious too—did this boy really have what it took to undo something Orochimaru-sama had created?
The experiment began.
Shinju used Wood Release to create a makeshift operating table, then pulled out all sorts of surgical tools from his summoning battles—scalpels, shadowless lamps, sutures, microscopes, and more.
Naruto, standing by: (￢‸￢)?
"Did you empty out the entire Konoha Hospital or something?"
Shinju replied, "I'm a doctor. Carrying extra tools is perfectly normal. ┐(´-｀)┌"
Then, Shinju made Naruto put on a lab coat to act as his assistant. The two busied themselves around the operating table…
A few minutes later, the first experiment failed.
The test subject's body was overwhelmed by the cursed seal's chakra, leaving him on the verge of death…
The spectators up on the platform were overjoyed.
"Told you the kid was useless!"
"Exactly! Thinking he can erase Orochimaru-sama's cursed seals? What a joke—wishful thinking, biting off more than he can chew, playing tricks before Guren with his blade… վ--0027ᴗ--0027 ի"
"Pretty sure you just used up every idiom you know…"
"I don't know what those fools were thinking, trusting a kid like him. Now look—the experiment failed, and he's dead!"
"Wait! Look closely—what's that kid doing?! (≖╻≖;)"
One of the test subjects pointed anxiously at the operating table.
There, Shinju's hands glowed with medical chakra, his scalpel flashing nonstop…
Moments later, the near-dead man suddenly opened his eyes, alive again!
Shinju smiled confidently.
"I'm a medical-nin. My chakra scalpel is meant to save lives. How could I possibly kill someone by mistake? ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
The surrounding test subjects were stunned.
This kid's medical ninjutsu was incredible—he had pulled someone back from the brink of death in just minutes!
The experiments continued.
Cursed seal research turned out to be harder than Shinju had expected.
What he thought would take half an hour ended up taking over an hour before he finally found a way to remove them.
Once he grasped the method, he quickly formed hand seals:
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Hundreds of clones appeared at once, helping everyone who wanted to rid themselves of the cursed seal and return to normal.
As for the rest—well, they could just stay in this prison for life.
With the fortress business resolved, Shinju and Naruto continued on their way.
A few minutes later, they came upon a forest thick with fog.
Naruto rubbed his eyes, then pointed ahead.
"Do you see that?"
Shinju nodded, drawing the Kusanagi sword from his back.
"I see it!"
Through the dense mist, the faint figure of a child appeared like a ghost.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked.
From the mist came the boy's childish voice:
"Do you like camellias? Do you prefer the white ones… or the red ones?"
Shinju and Naruto exchanged a glance.
What the hell was this kid?
It was strange enough that he just appeared out of nowhere in the fog—but that question?
"I don't like either. I like money-flowers. The kind that automatically produces coins every few minutes. (๑╹ヮ╹๑)"
Shinju replied casually.
Naruto: (‧_‧?)
What the hell was Shinju saying? How could he even respond to that?
And what's a flower that produces coins supposed to be?!
∑(✘Д✘๑)
The boy was stunned by Shinju's answer.
The reply didn't seem to be on the same wavelength… but it was, in fact, an answer.
The boy spoke again, his tone full of confusion and doubt.
"Tell me… where is a person's true home?"
Shinju thought for a moment, then replied:
"Death. No matter how glorious or how miserable a person's life is, in the end, everyone dies."
"That is the law of nature, the rule of all things."
The boy fell silent, seemingly convinced by Shinju's words.
After his mother's death, his heart had been empty.
Even though Kabuto treated him well, he knew this place was not his home.
Maybe the red-haired boy had been right—perhaps he should just die. Then maybe he could meet his mother again in another world…
Within the misty forest, the boy's figure disappeared.
Shinju frowned slightly, deep in thought.
...
Dozens of kilometers away from Naruto and Shinju.
Kabuto and Guren walked in front, while a green-haired boy hesitantly followed behind.
Sensing something off, Kabuto turned back.
"What is it, Yukimaru?"
The boy lowered his head.
"Kabuto-san… where is my true home?"
Kabuto smiled gently, not taking the question seriously. The boy had asked it many times before.
"Wherever the people who care about you are—that is your home, Yukimaru."
"Care about me…"
The boy lowered his head again, saying nothing.
Since his mother's death, he hadn't felt genuine care from anyone.
Yukimaru's once-confused eyes hardened with resolve.
Suddenly, he stepped forward, accelerating into a collision with a nearby tree.
"Death is my home!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo