"Now is the moment to witness a miracle," Haotian murmured, his scarlet Sharingan fixed tightly on the writhing black mass of flesh before him.
This nauseating thing had formed from the cancer cells he had injected into Hiruko's body, multiplying without limit.
His original plan had been to use it as a Jinchuriki-like vessel, creating a clone with powerful regenerative abilities. But what he was seeing now had far exceeded his expectations.
Unsettling patterns churned across the flesh mass's surface, as though countless tiny insects were wriggling within it, giving off waves of a suffocating stench.
Haotian frowned slightly. Mixed into that foul odor was a strange energy fluctuation that made him uneasy.
"Haotian, wh... what is that thing?" Obito's voice trembled, his face pale as paper.
He pressed himself tightly against the wall, as if that could give him even the slightest sense of safety.
Having watched a person be swallowed by something so bizarre, even he, who had seen the brutality of the battlefield, could not help feeling a chill crawl down his spine.
"Step back, Obito," Haotian ordered without turning around, his voice cold and calm. "This thing is highly unstable. Even I don't know what will happen next."
At once, Obito backed away several more steps. His Adam's apple bobbed as he stared in terror at the continuously expanding mass of flesh, fear washing over him like a tide.
Haotian closed his eyes and extended his senses into the flesh mass.
He could feel countless cancer cells frantically dividing and devouring, like a greedy beast endlessly drawing in all the energy around it, never knowing satisfaction.
Hiruko's life force had become so faint it was nearly undetectable. His Chakra was being broken down and absorbed by the cancer cells, becoming nourishment for the monster's growth.
"Hiruko's