A Little Shock for the Flowers in the Greenhouse

Most of the test subjects were human—men, women, old people, and children—but children under ten made up the largest group.

Children their own age were stripped bare and soaked in dark green nutrient fluid, their bodies riddled with tubes pumping all kinds of strange liquids into them.

The researchers beside them turned a blind eye to their pain and numbness, diligently recording notes with pen and paper or entering experimental data into computers disconnected from the outside internet.

"The third through seventh comparative test groups in Area Ten have all failed. Every test subject is dead. The relevant data has been recorded; arrange for personnel to clean up immediately.

Notify Logistics. The next batch of test subjects needs to be as young as possible. Before humans enter their growth and development stage, the success rate for targeted alterations to their talents is still higher. A success rate of one in several thousand or one in ten thousand is simply too low."

A middle-aged Medical Ninja in a white lab coat studied the experimental data on the computer intently while casually issuing orders.

He did not care in the slightest whether the test subjects were pitiable. They were merely expendable experimental materials, consumed on a regular basis.

It was only natural, perfectly justified. Did you pity the rice and slices of bread you ate?

"How are the experiments progressing?"

Daren Yi walked over and asked curiously. Izumi and he had previously only visited a few of Root's branch bases; he had never been to this core base.

Those branch bases had also conducted human experiments, but neither their scale nor their numbers came close to the rows upon rows of huge nutrient tanks holding test subjects before them, a sight that assaulted the eyes and nerves.

Before entering, he had not expected it to be like this. The shock for the little ones seemed to have been too intense all at once.

They had been left with only their instincts, blankly following behind him. Their minds had likely been blasted completely empty by the impact; not one of them had spoken a word so far.

Hopefully the kids hadn't been scared stupid!

"Lord Danzo!"

The interrupted Medical Ninja had initially been somewhat displeased. A scouting ninja had just suddenly reported that the guard ninjas had not returned alongside Lord Danzo.

They might have been attacked. He had assembled everyone to follow the plan Lord Danzo had arranged beforehand.

Then, after some time, they said Lord Danzo was unharmed and everything was normal. He had only just gotten his train of thought for the experiment back—why was someone disturbing him again?

But when he looked up and saw "Lord Danzo," he hurriedly rose and reported respectfully. If he angered this lord, he might end up becoming experimental material himself.

"The experiments have not made much progress. We have repeated them countless times, set up numerous control groups, and made minute adjustments to every experimental parameter, but we still have not successfully replicated a second Kinoe!

I suspect that although Orochimaru may not know how Kinoe came into being, he still held something back. He did not give us the complete experimental data back then, or perhaps he altered it.

It's just that we... we have failed to discover it all these years...

I even suspect that the reason the Third Hokage took Kinoe away under a pretext was that he wanted to obstruct your experiments, Lord Danzo.

If I had a complete finished product as a reference, I might—perhaps, possibly—have already created a second, a third, countless Kinoes for you, Lord Danzo, and formed an army of Wood Style ninjas absolutely loyal to you!"

"Is that so?"

Daren Yi glanced sideways at the guy. He had spent years studying Orochimaru's old experimental data and killed who knew how many test subjects.

Yet he was still muddleheadedly unsure whether the data had been altered and could not even understand the principles or details. Where did this third- or fourth-rate "pseudo-scientist" get such nerve?

And a "Wood Style ninja army"? Danzo's hidden ambitions really were not small! No wonder he had not reacted too strongly when Hiruzen Sarutobi took away Kinoe, the only Wood Style ninja and sole experimental result he had painstakingly produced over many years.

So it was because he had some mysterious confidence that, with the experimental data in hand, he could replicate countless Wood Style ninjas afterward?

The Red Ribbon Army, huh?

Fortunately, this was not the neighboring world of Dragon Ball, and Danzo did not have a scientist as absurdly heaven-defying as Dr. Gero under his command.

Otherwise, Artificial Hashirama No. 1, Artificial Hashirama No. 2... all the way to Artificial Hashirama No. 17, Artificial Hashirama No. 18, Artificial Otsutsuki Cell Version...

What would protagonists Naruto and Sasuke fight them with?

"Lord Danzo, please believe in my abilities! I am only a tiny bit worse than Orochimaru!"

That third- or fourth-rate "pseudo-scientist," who only excelled at casually wasting lives and experimental resources, was still trying to defend his ability.

Daren Yi could not be bothered to listen anymore. If you were a white-haired teenage boy with glasses named Kabuto Yakushi, I might believe you a little, but your appearance and record make it impossible for me to trust you, you useless scrub!

No, wait. I, Daren Yi, am a good person. What was there to discuss with a pure-black villain like you, someone who could not be redeemed no matter how hard anyone tried to whitewash you?

"Hand over your work to those Hyuga Clan ninjas as well. Follow their arrangements from now on. Do not ask why. This is an order!"

"Yes, yes, Lord Danzo!"

Seeing "Lord Danzo" give an order outright, he did not dare say anything more. He lowered his head and agreed meekly.

Then, two more Hyuga Clan ninjas split off from the formation. Their Byakugan had nearly been provoked into Red Eyes by all the scenes they had witnessed along the way.

These two burly men from the Hyuga Branch Family gave that "criminal scum"—someone who deserved to be stabbed to death ten thousand times with a kunai—a vicious smile.

Then, with exceptionally rough movements, they dragged him away for interrogation, to "hand over" his work!

"Did you see it? Just the tip of the iceberg of the real world!"

Daren Yi turned around and asked the group of "flowers in the greenhouse" following behind him, his tone full of interest.

As ninjas, they were destined to leave the "greenhouse" one day and throw themselves into the cruelest and most direct "arena of slaughter" in the world.

Their current slackness and carelessness were a joke at the expense of everything they would cherish in the future. By the time they lost it and regretted it, it would already be too late!

"So this is the darkness hidden within the village? Naruto-kun has been fighting against this kind of darkness all along!"

Among the young rookies, the first to recover from her shock and fear was unexpectedly Hinata Hyuga, the little girl who was usually so delicate and timid, easily embarrassed, and sparing with words.

And the first person she thought of was not anyone else, but Naruto, who was not present. That should have been expected, only natural, right?

For someone lovestruck, that was probably perfectly reasonable—standard behavior, even?

Daren Yi smiled and could not help glancing at Izumi Uchiha beside him. The girl happened to look at him as well, and after they exchanged smiles,

the teardrop mole girl lowered her head and committed that little Byakugan girl, who resembled herself so much, to memory.

The mistress of the great Shamate organization decided that in the future, she would give this fortunate girl just a little more care!