Perfect Development Potion

A few weeks later, at the Ninja Academy.

Jiraiya staggered into the classroom, his face as lifeless as a zombie's.

"Hey! Jiraiya! Are you all right?" Tsunade, who was seated in the classroom, asked with concern when she saw his expression.

"Haha, what could possibly happen to me? I'm Hero Jiraiya!" Jiraiya snapped back to his senses, forcing a smile as he shouted.

"It's good that you're fine. Oh, right, you, Orochimaru, and I have been assigned to the same class. We can still train together from now on. So, are you happy?" Tsunade said with a sweet smile, the corners of her lips curling into a malicious grin.

Crack. Jiraiya froze, then slowly turned his head back. "I... I'm in the same class as Orochimaru and you...?"

"That's right. You look very moved, Jiraiya." A sinister voice rang out as Orochimaru appeared beside Jiraiya.

"No! Why does it have to be you two?! Where's Toru?"

At the mention of Sarutobi Toru, Tsunade's face immediately darkened.

As one of Konoha's most prominent second-generation ninja, she had learned of the team assignments yesterday, after graduating.

She had been assigned under Sarutobi Hiruzen, the current Acting Hokage and her second grandfather's disciple. Orochimaru and Jiraiya had been assigned there as well.

As for Sarutobi Toru, because he and Sarutobi Hiruzen belonged to the same clan, he had not been assigned with her.

Come to think of it, this was all the Second Hokage's fault. He was the one who had established the rule that a three-man squad and its leader could not come from the same Ninja clan. On one hand, it deepened the Bonds between Konoha ninja and weakened the imprint of the Ninja clans; on the other, it prevented squad leaders from showing favoritism and gave team members a relatively fair environment.

But now, Tsunade felt this was the most mistaken decision her second grandfather had ever made.

With that thought, Tsunade, now in a foul mood, coldly told the Jiraiya who had stepped on a landmine, "Don't worry. Although Toru wasn't assigned with us, I'll take over his job from now on and make sure to treat~ you~ properly!"

Jiraiya shuddered. After several weeks of daily ninjutsu testing, he had developed something of a conditioned reflex toward both Tsunade and Orochimaru.

Fortunately, whenever he was injured, Sarutobi Toru used Medical Ninjutsu to heal him. He also often brought him nourishing medicinal soups to drink. Otherwise, even though this training had indeed greatly improved his strength, he probably would not have been able to keep going.

As for Tsunade? Jiraiya still did not know much about her healing skills, but the Strong Fist she was developing really hurt when it hit someone!

Just as Jiraiya was missing Sarutobi Toru and feeling that his future team life was utterly bleak, Sarutobi Toru was also missing Jiraiya in an underground laboratory.

"Thanks to Jiraiya, my Perfect Development Potion has finally succeeded!"

Hiruko, standing beside him, stared at the test tube in Sarutobi Toru's hand with shining eyes. The golden potion inside emitted a captivating glow.

The Perfect Development Potion was a medicine Sarutobi Toru had been researching ever since he ate the Hormone Fruit.

The Hormone Fruit had given Sarutobi Toru an instinctive understanding of the functions of every hormone in his body. Even the most complex hormonal reactions were as clear to him as the palm of his hand, so he had easily adjusted his hormone secretion to a perfect state, allowing his growth and development to reach the theoretical maximum.

However, replicating that state in someone else was extremely difficult. If Sarutobi Toru activated his fruit ability and injected them directly, it was fairly simple. But analyzing it into a formula was truly difficult.

Of course, difficult was only relative. With a finished product to work from, Sarutobi Toru's keen perception of hormones, extensive animal testing, Jiraiya's wholehearted contribution, and the help of the new laboratory, the Perfect Development Potion was ultimately created.

"Let me try it first! I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"

Hiruko's eyes gleamed as he spoke feverishly.

When Sarutobi Toru had first proposed the concept of the Perfect Development Potion, Hiruko had been its most enthusiastic participant. A medicine that could draw out potential and improve one's physique was undoubtedly the miraculous drug Hiruko, whose body was weak, desired most.

"You'd better think this through," Sarutobi Toru said, but he directly handed the potion to Hiruko. At the same time, he secretly pressed his thumb against the test tube and dripped several drops of an unknown liquid into it.

Those were special hormones Sarutobi Toru had created with his fruit ability based on his usual examinations of Hiruko's body. They were truly custom-made, and even more effective than the potion in his hand.

"I made up my mind long ago!" Hiruko took the potion with trembling hands. After a moment, he firmly clenched the test tube and drank it in one gulp.

After drinking it, Hiruko broke out in sweat and panted heavily. He felt dizzy and disoriented, then quickly lost consciousness.

"Mm, the reaction is the same as Jiraiya's. After Jiraiya took the final version, he woke up after being unconscious for two hours. (Seriously, what exactly did Jiraiya go through? Why does he still trust you so much?) With Hiruko's physique, he should wake up in an hour or perhaps a little over half an hour."

This was not because Hiruko had a better physique. On the contrary, it was precisely because his physique was ordinary, so his potential was inferior to Jiraiya's.

The Perfect Development Potion could only bring a person's physique to its theoretical limit, adjusting the hormones throughout the body to their optimal state. It could not alter a person's genes, so naturally, the better one's physique was, the better the results would be.

"Jiraiya's Chakra increased by fifty percent after waking up. Hiruko used the specially tailored version, so it might reach eighty percent. But even so, Jiraiya's Chakra base far exceeds Hiruko's, so the gap between them has actually widened."

"Once Hiruko's experiment succeeds, I can arrange it for Orochimaru and Tsunade as well. One test tube of this potion is worth Six Million Ryo. Ordinary ninja simply can't afford it!"

"Fortunately, I can forge the potion with my fruit ability. It'll be even more effective, and I can apply for more funding as well. With the formula as a foundation, the twelve million ryo will definitely be approved. Then my research funds will be plentiful again."

In Sarutobi Toru's heart, the order was Tsunade > Orochimaru > Hiruko > Jiraiya, so he naturally started the experiments with Jiraiya.

Even so, a permanent thirty-percent increase in Chakra—including Chakra gained with age—along with minor increases in physique, strength, neural reaction speed, and even lifespan... if the effects of this medicine got out, ninja willing to become test subjects would fight until their heads cracked open. Sarutobi Toru did not think Jiraiya had gotten the short end of the stick.

If it had not really worked, Jiraiya would never have believed in something like All-Nourishing Tonic!

Perhaps I can change my approach in the future. Permanently altering the endocrine system costs too much. I could make it temporary instead. Not only would the cost be greatly reduced, it would also strengthen control over ninja.

Just as Sarutobi Toru was brainstorming and inspiration was bursting forth, Hiruko let out a groan and woke up.