Coordinating on the Research

Thump!

The glaring lights above the operating table flicked on. Shinnō groggily lifted his heavy head, and his first thought was, I'm still alive! He had thought they'd already killed him, but who would've guessed they'd let him live?

The dazzling light kept him from opening his eyes for a moment.

He heard two voices nearby.

"This doctor doesn't seem to have anything special about him."

"His left abdomen had a wound where I stabbed him with a kunai. It's almost completely healed now, so I suspect he has a technique similar to Body Regeneration, if not the actual technique."

"From the looks of it, he does have some value. Heh, you've uncovered some good material."

"Anything for Lord Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru!

At the sound of that name, Shinnō jolted in shock and came to his senses. He struggled to open his eyes.

After blinking repeatedly, his vision finally cleared enough for him to make out two figures—Orochimaru and Akashi.

He almost sat up on instinct, only to realize that his limbs were shackled and his torso was tightly bound. He could turn his head, but he couldn't do anything else.

"Oh? He's awake." Akashi glanced back at the monitor with a smile.

"How are his vital signs?"

"Everything is normal."

Orochimaru came over too, a sinister smile on his face. His golden eyes glittered with a terrifying menace that made Shinnō shudder with just one glance.

Akashi pressed a hand to Shinnō's shoulder and reassured him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. As long as you cooperate, we won't do anything to you."

"Cooperate how?" Shinnō grew wary.

"Don't sound so tense. I'm not a bad person. I'd never stoop to petty theft like you. We just want you to cooperate with a little research."

"What research?"

"Research on you."

Lying on the white operating table, Shinnō looked frightened and struggled desperately. But snake venom had been injected into him, leaving his body weak and limp. He had no way to escape.

"Y-you're actually doing this kind of thing inside the village!"

"Who told you that you were still in the village?" Akashi said with a beaming smile.

Shinnō froze.

He looked around. The equipment was extremely professional, and he couldn't even name some of it. So Orochimaru and Akashi had built a research facility this large outside the village. What were they planning?

"Enough talking."

Orochimaru cut off their conversation and said curtly, "Begin."

Akashi replied, "Understood. One more question, Shinnō: how far along are you with your research into Body Regeneration? Hand it over to us, and if you tell the truth, I might consider reducing your sentence."

"How can I trust you?" Shinnō asked suspiciously.

Ever since Akashi had cheated him out of his money at the restaurant, Shinnō's trust in him had fallen to zero. Now Akashi had even dropped the honorific after "Mr. Shinnō" and was calling him by name. That attitude hardly inspired confidence.

Akashi didn't seem to care. He shrugged. "Looks like you still don't understand your situation."

Two long wires were connected to Shinnō. As the lights on the control panel flickered, a powerful current surged through his body. The sudden burst of high voltage made him scream!

"AAAHHHH—!"

Akashi watched the readings on the equipment and recorded Shinnō's reactions. Orochimaru spoke coldly. "You can turn it up a little more."

"N-no, no, no—AAAH!"

"Turn it up."

"AAAH... AAH!"

"Turn it up."

"Please... AAH!"

Shinnō's bloodcurdling screams echoed through the research facility. Even Akashi couldn't bear to watch. Now he understood why Orochimaru had brought him outside the village when Akashi had suggested using Shinnō for experiments. If they'd done this in the village, even the Hokage would have been alerted by the screams.

Was it cruel? Not exactly.

To survive in a world, if you lack the power to change it, you have to adapt to its rules.

The Shinobi World was a place where people devoured one another.

If there was any consolation, it was that Shinnō wasn't a good person, which made it a little easier to bear.

Akashi scribbled away at his report. Besides the one in his hands, several more were spread across the table.

<An Initial Attempt to Study the Destructive Effects of Lightning Release Chakra Mode on the Body>

<Research on the Resistance of Body Regeneration to Snake Venom-α>

<A Hypothesis on the Feasibility of Regrowing Amputated Limbs>

<Proving the Upper Limit of an Explosive Tag's Blast Propagation Speed>

Every one of these studies would cause severe harm to a test subject. If they hadn't found Shinnō, they would've stayed buried in a box.

The current passed through Shinnō's body again and again, simulating the effects of Lightning Release. The method was crude, but it was still worth studying.

Ten minutes later, they paused the experiment.

Akashi kindly gave Shinnō some time to rest.

"How about it? Hand over your research results. It'll save time and spare us from having to keep going."

"If I hand them over, will you let me go?"

"Why are you making demands again?" Akashi smiled and pressed the power button.

Shinnō's screams rang out again, echoing shrilly.

Demons! These two were both demons!

After another round of torment, Shinnō shut his eyes in agony, his body trembling. His mind went blank, then a flash of inspiration struck him.

Got it. I'll play dead!

Shinnō squeezed his eyes shut and immediately stopped breathing. Pretending to be a corpse was easy for him. I'm a master at playing dead. Heh heh. Once they throw me out, I'll take the chance to escape.

Orochimaru frowned. "He doesn't seem able to take much more."

"No way."

Akashi checked Shinnō's breathing. He knew what was going on, and he exchanged a knowing look with Orochimaru.

Just as Shinnō was congratulating himself on his acting, Akashi's voice rang out. "What a joke. He claims to have Body Regeneration, yet he can't handle a few shocks."

"Should we preserve him as a specimen? Or take out his brain and slice it up for study?"

"Let's feed him to the snakes," Orochimaru said bluntly.

You're not human!

I'm not even that cruel!

Shinnō howled inwardly. Having seen what Akashi was capable of, he didn't doubt for a second that they meant what they said. He suddenly gasped.

"Wait! I-I-I... I think there's still time to save me!"

"Wow, you're pretty resilient."

Akashi still wore a mocking smile, and it made Shinnō shiver. "Have you made up your mind?"

"I have! I'll give it to you! I'll give you all the research I've done up to now!"

"Good. Then we'll skip this experiment."

Shinnō felt as if he'd been granted a new lease on life.

Even with his Body Regeneration technique, it wasn't fully developed yet. He could endure a few minutes of repeated exposure to such powerful electric currents, but if it went on for several hours, the damage to his body would be unimaginable.

He could recover, but each time it took longer.

Finally...

"Wait, this experiment?" Shinnō suddenly realized.

Akashi stepped aside to make room for Orochimaru and explained, "That was my research. Now it's Lord Orochimaru's turn."

"You..."

Shinnō's voice cut off midway. It felt as if his throat were stuffed with cotton; fear choked off his ability to cry out. A terrifying, sinister face drew closer. Orochimaru seemed to see his prey and lunged in to bite!