Forbidden Technique

Although Moriyue had gained the cheat-like gift of immortality, he did not get carried away. He had seen quite a few nearly immortal creatures in movies, and many of them had met terrible ends.

"Sealed away, captured for biological research, turned into human-shaped punching bags... And once they learn the Dog Talisman's secret, they'll definitely do everything they can to take it. I need to find a way to make the Dog Talisman fully merge with my body..."

He knew he absolutely could not be too high-profile. The nail that stuck out got hammered down. Besides, the other eleven talismans were nowhere to be found. Once those ninjas discovered the talismans' secret, they would surely search for them relentlessly. It was best to keep a low profile.

Human lives were limited, and so were the things one could learn and the knowledge one could encounter in a lifetime. An infinite lifespan meant an infinite future, and likewise, infinite potential.

"I still need enough strength to protect myself. Otherwise, I'm just a walking heavenly treasure that anyone can bully."

Moriyue treated all his wounds, and at least nothing looked amiss on the surface. The most iconic thing in the Naruto World was Chakra. Through Chakra, one could perform all kinds of ninjutsu, fly through the sky, burrow through the earth, and ride the wind. Chakra was the foundation of all ninjutsu.

Yet Moriyue was stuck at the very first hurdle. Everyone possessed Chakra, but only ninjas could extract it. He had no clue where to start with that problem, so he could only return to Kumogakure first and get his physical injuries treated.

Following a mountain path, Moriyue found a stream. To avoid frightening anyone with his appearance, he deliberately washed himself. The clear spring water washed away the dried blood, revealing his originally fair skin, though plenty of wounds still remained.

After briefly washing up, Moriyue set off for the village. Kumogakure stood atop the mountain peaks, and the road up was no easy climb. When Moriyue reached the outskirts and looked down at the bottomless abyss below, he could not help wondering why he had not been smashed into pulp.

The several ninjas guarding the village naturally recognized Moriyue. There were only so many people in the whole village, and Kumogakure had a tradition of unity, so everyone knew one another well. After exchanging greetings, Moriyue returned to the village.

"I'm hurt this badly, yet those two didn't show the slightest intention of helping me. Is that because of the gap between ninjas and civilians?"

Moriyue stopped dwelling on it and headed toward the hospital from his memories.

Everyone in Kumogakure looked like an irritable brute ready to start fighting at the slightest disagreement. In truth... that was indeed the case. Still, they were brutes who had mastered advanced technology. Unlike the aggression they displayed, their technological research had always surpassed that of the other major villages. Even Konoha lagged behind Kumogakure in this regard, since Kumogakure's technology was focused on weapons of war.

The moment Moriyue entered the hospital, he sensed a different atmosphere. If the large word "Hospital" had not been displayed above the entrance, he would have suspected he had walked into some laboratory.

Steel and stone were the building's dominant colors. Moriyue wrinkled his nose slightly as the air was thick with the pungent smell of disinfectant. All kinds of scrolls were neatly arranged on the counters, each bearing a black character for "Forbidden" at its center.

Moriyue's arrival did not draw anyone's attention. A civilian's life was ultimately worth less than a ninja's, and prioritizing injured ninjas had become an unspoken rule in every hospital. They casually assigned a nurse to take Moriyue to a ward and simply used Chakra to close his wounds. If he lived, he lived. If not, then he was unlucky.

"This is way too rough! Their medical skills are far behind Konoha's! Is it really this simple? They don't care about whether I live or die at all..."

"It'd be great if the Horse Talisman were here too. Those two together would be an instant kill..." Moriyue silently complained, but he did not dare say a single word aloud.

The young nurse initially looked extremely impatient. Moriyue did not appear seriously injured on the surface; he merely had several bloody holes in his body, probably from the fall. A quick treatment would do. The doctors had more important things for her to handle, and if she did not hurry back, it would be too late.

But when she sensed Moriyue's chaotic blood flow and his internal organs riddled with punctures, she had to admit that she had been ignorant. How was someone like this still alive?

Was this a final burst of vitality before death?

Moriyue watched the nurse's expression shift constantly, and his heart skipped a beat. Could she have sensed his Dog Talisman? That should not have been possible. He only wanted his wounds treated quickly; an infected wound was no small matter. He had overlooked that point.

"I was careless. I should learn how to treat myself in the future." Moriyue made up his mind, while the young nurse sighed.

"You can't be saved. With injuries like these, I truly don't know how you managed to come back alive. We can't save you..." The young nurse looked at Moriyue with pity, but then she seemed to think of something and gently patted his shoulder.

"There may still be hope. I heard the doctor say that forbidden technique might be able to..." The young nurse rushed out in a panic. Moriyue was an ordinary person, and the forbidden technique still under development could only be performed on ordinary people. If things continued like this, he would die sooner or later. It was better to take a gamble; at least he might have a chance to survive...

The young nurse returned, supporting a bald doctor with a solemn expression. The doctor held a pale purple scroll in his hand, identical to the ones Moriyue had seen on the counter earlier.

"Did the patient agree? We can indeed give it a try." The bald doctor looked highly professional. As he asked the nurse about the situation, he opened the scroll. He had been worried about finding a volunteer for his forbidden technique. Was this not a pillow delivered just as he was getting sleepy? He had to seize this opportunity.

After the nurse explained the situation clearly to Moriyue, he nodded as well. According to her, the forbidden technique was still in the development stage. Its ideal result was to give ordinary people skin and organs no less resilient than steel. If it succeeded, then everyone in Kumogakure could become a soldier, and its combat strength would rise dramatically.

As for failure, that was simple.

Death.

Seeing Moriyue nod in agreement, the doctor did not waste words. He spread out the scroll and wrapped Moriyue in it from head to toe.

Like a burial shroud.

"Now comes the moment to witness a miracle. Let's see if he can endure it." The bald doctor pushed the nurse outside. This forbidden technique was naturally not as simple as the nurse had described. If artificial soldiers could truly be created so easily, then so many wounded people would not rather die than become volunteers.

"This test subject is pretty good. He still looks full of life. The previous formula was too violent. In the end, it did not even leave scraps behind..."

The bald man muttered to himself. What doctor was he? He was merely a somewhat deranged researcher. As for so-called treatment? It did not exist at all. He only wanted someone to test his forbidden technique on. He had never expected Moriyue to survive.