Gray-white parchment scraps sifted through his fingers, drifting lightly into the murky sewage and stirring several nearly imperceptible ripples.
A dank wind swept through the sewer, carrying the stench of rotting earth and pungent filth. In the shadows by the wall, several bloated rats gnawed on an unidentified animal bone, making faint crunching sounds.
Hyuga Xiao stood at the edge of ankle-deep sewage. The hem of his dark gray cloak hovered half an inch above the water, untouched by filth. With lowered eyes, he watched the scraps of paper gradually sink, a naked sneer curling his lips.
"Forcing the remnants of the God Tree together with scraps that fell from the stars..." Xiao's voice echoed through the hollow pipes, carrying the cold disdain of one looking down on ants. "Danzo's greed can't even fit inside his pathetic brain."
Qiye, kneeling on one knee in the sewage, raised his head. Beneath his pale mask, his face showed unconcealed revulsion. As an informant planted deep within Root, he had witnessed that disastrous experiment firsthand.
"Master, that couldn't even be called an experiment. It was a completely illogical slaughterhouse." Qiye lowered his voice as his scarlet Sharingan slowly turned in the darkness. "Culture Tank No. 6 in Root's lower levels has become a meat grinder. Danzo directly injected the extracted Astral Matter into test subjects implanted with Hashirama Cells."
Kurenai Yuhi stood behind Xiao, her silver-gray Eye of Time narrowing slightly. "And the result?"
"They couldn't last three minutes." Qiye swallowed, his voice tightening. "I hid in the shadows and recorded the data. Those Branch House ninja were tied to operating tables. The instant the drug entered their bodies, their skin split open, and gray-brown bark erupted wildly from their flesh. Then silver-white scales pierced out from between their bones."
Qiye's breathing quickened.