Experiment Failure X2

He then dismissed the absurd idea, considering the little slime to be merely a clone of himself.

Next, he increased his efforts in cultivating the little slime. He extracted some of his own tissues to grow more slimes, but out of ten samples, only one successfully developed into a little slime. The rest remained as just active tissue with no further changes.

Under his care, the two little slimes grew remarkably fast. The larger one was already the size of an apple and actively sought out food, appearing like entirely new life forms.

However, Yu knew these two little slimes lacked self-awareness. Their life activities were purely instinctual responses.

Naruto and Sasuke's tissue samples remained viable. He had originally planned to experiment on himself, but with the two little slimes available, he decided against it, as such experiments were quite dangerous.

Just like in the anime, where the Root organization, in collaboration with Orochimaru, conducted numerous experiments to obtain Hashirama Senju's power, resulting in countless deaths before only one person succeeded in obtaining the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. Even then, "Yamato's" Wood Release Kekkei Genkai was vastly inferior to Hashirama Senju's, by a hundred thousand miles.

His own life was paramount. Since he now had alternatives, he couldn't be the first test subject.

Extracting cells was simple, and he had a complete set of experimental equipment. After a few practice sessions, he successfully extracted Naruto and Sasuke's cells.

Number One and Number Two were currently in their incubators, consuming nutrient solution. Yu, dressed in a white lab coat, took Number One out of its incubator.

Number One remained still in his hand. As Number One grew, he discovered he could control its movements, and the more it grew, the stronger his control became.

He could now control Number One to perform simple movements.

He placed Number One on the lab table and carefully took out a syringe containing Naruto's cells from the refrigerator.

"Success or failure rests on this single move."

Yu said, then inserted the needle into Number One's body.

A pale red cellular fluid began to enter Number One's body.

Now, all he could do was wait. He had also asked Sasuke to request a few days off for him. During this time, he would monitor the experiment non-stop. His notebook began to fill with records as soon as the experiment started.

"Naruto's cells injected into Number One's body for one minute. No particular phenomena observed."

"Naruto's cells injected into Number One's body for ten minutes. Number One's body color began to change, turning a pale red."

"...Thirty minutes. Number One's body has completely turned transparent red, but its life signs show no significant changes."

"One hour..."

"Five hours..."

"Seven hours, sixteen minutes, and thirty-seven seconds. Number One began to show changes, physiological activity intensified, and its body started to transform."

This process continued for about five more hours.

"Thirteen hours and thirty-three minutes. Number One's body began to change drastically, continuously protruding spike-like tissue..."

"Fifteen hours and thirty-six minutes. Number One's body suddenly stopped changing and dissolved into a pale red liquid within a minute."

"Experiment failed."

After writing this in his notebook, Yu felt a sense of emptiness. Although he hadn't expected immediate success, the actual failure was still disheartening.

The writing in his notebook was from his previous life, a measure to prevent his research from being exposed. He had also used "wild cursive" script as a double layer of security; only he could decipher his own handwriting, a skill that had earned him many scoldings from teachers in the past.

"Failure is the mother of success. Organizing information to begin the next experiment." After a brief moment of sadness, Yu began preparing for the next trial.

However, he needed to cultivate more little slimes first. Perhaps experimenting with multiple samples at once could lead to success.

While cultivating slimes, he was also working on something else.

The progress on the [Metal Skeleton] was still in its preliminary stages.

Creating a metal skeleton wasn't difficult, and he didn't fear pain, making it easy to install metal bones within his body.

However, while the metal skeleton could be successfully installed and did increase his physical strength, it significantly reduced his reaction time, making even normal movements cumbersome.

He first installed a metal forearm bone in his right arm. Each joint of the metal forearm was separate to allow for free movement.

This was likely something only Yu would dare to do in this world. Cutting open his arm to replace bone with metal—others would tremble at the mere thought, let alone the actual procedure.

Upon cutting open his arm, the muscle tissue, veins, and bones appeared identical to those of a normal person, with minimal bleeding. As long as Yu willed it, no blood would flow, even with his arm severed.

He directly removed the bone and set it aside, intending to use it later for cultivating little slimes. Soon, his right arm's bone was replaced with metal.

The metal skeleton was manufactured to a one-to-one scale of his own bones, ensuring a perfect fit and quick installation.

After his arm recovered, he lifted his right hand, but it felt incredibly heavy. Even moving a finger felt like operating a rusty machine.

In this state, he couldn't engage in combat, nor could he even pick up a bottle of water. Another problem was that the metal skeleton was prone to displacement when subjected to external force, much like a fractured bone.

Thus, the first experiment with the metal skeleton also ended in failure, and the problem encountered this time was not easily solvable.

Creating a complete set of metal bones and connecting each joint could significantly prevent the metal skeleton from shifting due to external forces, thus resolving a minor issue.

However, a full set of metal bones, even made from the lightest metal, would weigh dozens of pounds. Furthermore, as his body grew, the metal skeleton would need to be larger and heavier. Therefore, the practical utility of the [Metal Skeleton] seemed limited.

Moreover, there were many ways to enhance physical strength. For example, the Third Raikage's Nintaijutsu, the [Lightning Release Armor], was renowned as the strongest elemental ninjutsu in the ninja world. Its principle involved concentrating Lightning Release Chakra throughout the body, covering it in Chakra and lightning, which could vitalize the body and enable the Lightning Body Flicker technique. It also significantly improved defensive capabilities. The lightning generated within the body could accelerate nerve conduction, and as the Lightning Release Chakra increased, both defense and speed would enhance. This was another branch of ninjutsu: [Nintaijutsu].

Although he couldn't use Nintaijutsu yet, he might be able to learn it in the future.

[Nintaijutsu] was far superior to the metal skeleton. Therefore, without a perfect solution, his [Metal Skeleton] idea could only remain a fantasy.

"It seems I can't become the second Wolverine."

Yu swept the pile of metal bones into the recycling bin.