The soft sound of the door opening caught Rikusei's attention. It was Naori and Mao.
During their time in Rōran, with things being far too leisurely, the two of them had taken it upon themselves to patrol the farm's perimeter.
Seeing them come and go from the base together so intimately made Rikusei, who was in charge of research, feel as though he had returned to his days at the Ninja Academy.
Except—
After returning from patrol, the dust staining their clothes and the ruined ground around the God Tree showed that the patrol had not been nearly so pleasant.
"How is the fusion progressing?"
Naori entered the laboratory first, interrupting Rikusei's thoughts as she curiously examined the test tubes on the instrument.
"Several times faster than the fusion inside a Perfect White Zetsu."
"What about mine?"
Having understood the situation, Mao stared at the container holding her cells.
"The Hagoromo Clan's special physique is similar to that of the Senju Clan. After entering Sage Mode, your cells neutralized the cells within White Zetsu, reaching a level close to Hashirama Cells."
As she listened to Rikusei, Naori turned and walked over to the large storage tank standing on the floor. Tilting her head back, she inspected Mao's flesh and blood soaking in the transparent liquid.
It had reached the level of Hashirama Cells?
The white flesh drifting with the ripples held her gaze. In other words, once Mao's and White Zetsu's cells had fused for a while, they could put it into practice.
Thinking that the third pair of Mangekyō Sharingan would be born in this crude laboratory, Naori quietly clenched her fists within her long sleeves, as though she wanted to crush the restraint she had endured these past few days.
If they had not needed Mao's cells, she