Attack

Medical ninjutsu could not be perfected in a day or two. Fortunately, with Seimei's research ability, everything progressed smoothly. Many things from the materials could be put into practice. Ruri accompanied Seimei through three days of human experiments, and after laying the foundations, he found a Genin with precise chakra control to help, while he went off to handle official duties.

It was said that the Genin's mental fortitude was too weak. His hands trembled during the research, making it impossible to proceed smoothly. In the end, Seimei forced him to eat and sleep alongside corpses before he overcame his psychological issues. Scientists really were ruthless.

Two months had passed since the human experiments began. That day, Ruri received word from Seimei that the development of the medical ninjutsu had reached its final stage.

"This is... a Chakra Scalpel?" Ruri exclaimed as he looked at the scalpel formed from chakra in the Genin's hand. The Chakra Scalpel demanded extremely precise chakra control. Anyone capable of this could be called an elite! Not to mention that this was a ninjutsu that had appeared ahead of schedule!

[Name: Seiryu]

[Overall Strength: Chunin]

[Talent: Genin]

[Attribute: Water]

[Special Ability: Medical Ninjutsu.]

[Evaluation: Exceptional chakra control, but limited talent.]

Compared to two months ago, Seiryu's system panel now had medical ninjutsu, and his overall strength had risen from Genin to Jonin.

"Seiryu's control is quite good. I gave him a little training, and his chakra reserves should now be at the level of a Chunin," Seimei said. To raise a ninja with only Genin-level talent to Chunin in just two months, even with the boost from medical ninjutsu, showed that his teaching ability was anything but ordinary.

"Mm. He can follow you from now on." Ruri readily handed him over. In any case, he had already stationed plenty of guards around this secret base. Giving Seimei one Chunin would not let him stir up much trouble, especially when Amaterasu was still sealed within him.

"Thank you, Lord Takikage. Seiryu, continue." Seimei pointed at the corpse on the operating table and had Seiryu carry on.

Seiryu nodded. He used the Chakra Scalpel to cut open the corpse's abdomen, then reached inside. A green glow appeared, and a heart was pulled out just like that.

"This is..."

"A medical ninjutsu capable of extracting diseased or damaged organs, as well as toxins. As long as replacement or treatment is performed within the time limit, the patient can be restored completely. It is a ninjutsu refined with chakra based on the concepts in these materials. It's called the Cellular Extraction Jutsu." Seimei placed the organized documents before Ruri as he spoke.

Ruri silently reviewed the materials. It seemed that people before them had also researched medical ninjutsu, though it was probably not truly medical ninjutsu—just ordinary dissection and human experimentation.

The Cellular Extraction Jutsu existed in the original story as well. It seemed that the creator of this technique had likely obtained these materials from somewhere too.

After extracting the heart, Seiryu did not stop. He directly used the Chakra Scalpel to cut the heart in half!

Then Seiryu pressed the two halves back together. Chakra flowed from his hands, stimulating the heart cells to divide. The separated heart actually began growing back together bit by bit. Moreover, under the stimulation of chakra, it began recovering its blood-producing function and slowly started beating!

Seiryu used the Cellular Extraction Jutsu to return the heart to its place. Several seconds later, the corpse on the operating table let out a heart-rending scream of pain!

However, just as it was about to make a sound, Seimei swiftly cut its throat with a scalpel.

"This technique can already be used in the field, right?" Ruri asked after watching.

"That's right. This was the twenty-seventh experiment, and not a single abnormal reaction appeared," Seimei answered. To develop unprecedented medical ninjutsu in just two months, even with the materials left behind by others, he was still undeniably exceptionally gifted.

"Begin Kakuzu's treatment. Record these techniques and give them to the Medical Team to learn." Ruri was not one to hoard knowledge. If Takigakure was to develop and casualties in the village were to be reduced, medical ninjutsu had to become widespread. It would benefit both ninja and ordinary villagers.

"Yes." Seimei hesitated briefly before agreeing. Though he had researched these techniques, medical ninjutsu was merely a hobby compared to ninja tools. A man had to bow beneath another's roof. He did not yet have the power to defy Ruri.

As Ruri looked through the research records from the past few months, he suddenly felt a tremor.

The secret base was underground directly behind the Takikage Building. Ordinary people could never appear here. Unless there was an earthquake or someone had used a large-scale ninjutsu aboveground, there was no way the experiments inside could have been disturbed.

"Lord Takikage, something's wrong!" A ninja wearing a hood undid the seal on the secret base and rushed inside.

"Takiichi, what happened outside?" After his trip to the Land of Artisans, Ruri had set up a small number of Anbu ninja. Other than using hoods instead of masks, they were no different from Konoha's later Anbu. Ruri believed hoods were better than masks—only by concealing one's hairstyle could one hide one's identity. Silver hair like Kakashi's would expose him in minutes. It was practically the Open Division.

Takiichi had followed Ruri since before Takigakure was founded and was an absolutely loyal subordinate. He had previously handled Takigakure's dealings with the Black Market Exchange, and recently he had been responsible for monitoring the secret base.

Yet this was Takiichi's first time entering the secret base. Even after seeing the corpse on the operating table, he showed no fear. As a Takigakure Anbu and the Takikage's most loyal follower, he only needed to obey Ruri's orders. He did not need to ask or think about anything else. Even if he witnessed forbidden human experiments, he would not say a word.

"A massive fortress has flown over the village. There seem to be people on it, and they are attacking us. Takiji and Takisan have already led people to evacuate the villagers, but we don't have enough manpower. We ask that Lord Takikage personally take command of the battle."

"A massive fortress flew here?" Ruri froze when he heard that, thinking of the Sky Ninja.

At this time, the Land of Sky had not yet been destroyed. It lay at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, with the Land of Rain above it and the Land of River below it. It occupied a vast territory, yet never communicated with the outside world. It was even more isolated than the Land of Iron. That was why, during the Six Kage Assembly, Ruri had proposed that the Land of Wind dig a canal through the Land of Rain to divert water, while saying nothing about the Land of Sky or the Land of River. From the Daimyo down to ordinary civilians, the Land of Sky was extremely hostile toward outsiders.

Having spent over twenty years in the world of Naruto, Ruri no longer remembered many things clearly. He racked his brain and recalled that the Land of Sky did not exist at all on the original story's map. Its territory had been divided among the Land of Rain, the Land of River, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Wind. Seizing territory was probably the main reason Konoha destroyed the Sky Ninja Village.

In the original story, Sky Ninja survivors in Naruto's era tried to revive the Sky Ninja Village. They resurrected the Zero-Tails and activated the flying Angkor Fortress. But if the giant fortress flying here now truly was Angkor Fortress under the Sky Ninja's control, why were they attacking Takigakure?

Still full of confusion, Ruri left Seimei in the secret base and brought Seiryu to the surface. Seimei could not contribute much in battle without ninja tools, and it would be a terrible loss if he was not protected and died in the crossfire. Seiryu, on the other hand, had learned medical ninjutsu and would be very useful. People had surely been injured in the earlier air-to-ground bombardment. With the Sky Ninja attacking, a brutal battle was likely ahead.