A Turn for the Better

Karin asked to watch from the side, which was actually rather cruel. The transplantation process was not pleasant to watch. But both Yumi and Karin insisted.

"Karin, listen to me. Ever since we came to Konoha, I have never said these things to you. Because back then, I wasn't sure whether you could do it. But now, I can say it.

If one day, you become a powerful enough ninja, remember everything we suffered at the hands of the Grass Ninja. Remember our hatred, remember... revenge."

Aoba's transplantation surgery could not naturally be handled the way Madara Uchiha's had been, with a piece of Hashirama simply pressed onto his chest.

To ensure the success rate, the implantation site, the size, the various supporting medicines, and the neutralizing agent made from White Zetsu Cells all had to be strictly controlled.

It was difficult for one person to complete all this work. He could certainly use Shadow Clones to form a team. But Kakashi's involvement was essential.

His involvement was not merely a matter of having an assistant. The real target was Kakashi himself. Aoba knew that Kakashi only partially acknowledged him now. But that was far from enough.

He did not need Kakashi to become a subordinate who obeyed his every word. That was unnecessary, and difficult to achieve. He only needed Kakashi to trust him.

There were many ways to make someone trust you. The method Aoba was using now was the simplest one: giving Kakashi a sense of shared identity.

I'm sharing one of my secrets with you. Isn't that enough to make you trust me?

"Yumi, because the fusion process requires a certain degree of self-regulation from your mental will, we cannot use anesthetics on you.

"So when the time comes, you will face intense pain, loss of control over your body, and even the risk of a mental breakdown. If you fail to endure any one of these, the surgery will fail completely. I'll ask you one last time: are you ready?"

"I'm ready. Begin."

"Good. Scalpel."

"...Ah..."

Karin sat in a chair nearby, listening from afar to her mother's screams. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails had already cut through her palms. Yet she seemed unable to feel it at all.

She pressed her lips together tightly, refusing to let herself cry out. She was afraid her sobbing would interfere with the surgery.

It was not until last night that she finally learned that her mother, who had always seemed so healthy, was going to die.

And the reason she was dying was because those demons from the Grass Ninja had bitten her too many times.

Karin was still young, and at first, she did not truly understand the concept of hatred. Not until her mother told her that what they felt toward the Grass Ninja was hatred.

And hatred would not disappear unless one day, you returned it.

At this moment, Yumi's body had begun to tremble, and localized distortions had appeared. The invasive nature of Hashirama Cells was simply too strong.

A ninja like Aoba, with peak physical ability and the strength of a Jonin, being able to endure it did not mean Yumi could do the same.

In truth, Yumi's physical condition had originally been excellent. If she had not suffered everything the Grass Ninja did to her, and if she had received ninja training, her chances of success might have been even higher than Aoba's.

After all, the physiques of the Uzumaki and the Senju were naturally among the closest. The probability of her successfully fusing should have been extremely high.

Unfortunately, she had neither received ninja training nor escaped damage to her very foundation. Her body was riddled with wounds and simply could not withstand the erosion of Hashirama Cells.

The transplantation had barely ended when signs of collapse began appearing across Yumi's entire body.

Irregular writhing appeared over the surface of her body, as though some living creature were about to burst out from within.

Those were Hashirama Cells running wild, mixed with chaotic chakra to create a violent reaction.

After thinking for a moment, Aoba gathered a mass of Natural Energy and tried to slowly inject it into Yumi's body.

Her body had not truly mutated yet. If it could be suppressed now, there was still hope.

In some ways, Natural Energy was even more dangerous than Hashirama Cells. So Aoba moved with extreme caution.

He tried to use Natural Energy to suppress the rampaging Hashirama Cells. But this was also an extremely risky move. One careless mistake, and Yumi would be petrified by the Natural Energy.

Very quickly, Aoba discovered that there was some effect, but it was not as good as he had imagined. And the side effects were extremely obvious.

His original idea had been for the Hashirama Cells to bear the Natural Energy. If the Hashirama Cells and Natural Energy fought each other, Yumi herself would have a chance to catch her breath.

But unexpectedly, the Hashirama Cells had eroded Yumi far too quickly. Perhaps it was because her body had been depleted too severely.

In just a few seconds, the connection between the two had become inseparable. The petrification caused by the Natural Energy was directly fed back into both the Hashirama Cells and Yumi's own body.

Aoba stopped immediately. If this continued, she would turn into a stone statue in less than a minute.

After that, he injected Yumi with a Life Potion. But the Life Potion was likewise absorbed by both Yumi and the Hashirama Cells. The Hashirama Cells even absorbed more of it.

He tried injecting more White Zetsu Cells. At first, there was a slight effect. But very soon, it was as if she had developed immunity, and it no longer worked.

Aoba was beginning to feel somewhat despairing. There was not much external forces could do for this surgery. He had done everything he could. Now it depended on Yumi's own will to resist.

"Yumi, I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do. Now it's up to you. Think of your hatred, think of Karin, think of your future. You have to believe that you can survive."

Aoba could sense that Yumi was resisting with all her strength. But her resistance was weak. Her body was still deteriorating bit by bit.

At this point, even Kakashi realized that the surgery was about to end in failure.

Then, a sudden change appeared.

But the change did not come from Yumi. It came from behind them. Aoba spun around sharply, the Kusanagi Sword already in his hand. But he saw no one, only Karin running toward them.

And that strange chakra fluctuation was coming from within Karin.

Aoba hesitated for a moment, but did not stop her. Karin threw herself directly onto her mother.

"Mom, please, don't die. Don't leave me..."

Karin's suppressed emotions could no longer be restrained. She lay on her mother and burst into tears. Yumi's writhing, mutated body seemed to be briefly suppressed by those intense emotions.

But this was followed by an even fiercer backlash. Seeing that something was wrong, Kakashi prepared to step forward and save Karin. Because if Yumi truly mutated, she would become plant-like and immediately kill Karin beside her.

But at that moment, Aoba suddenly reached out and stopped Kakashi.

"Don't rush. It looks like there may be a turn for the better."