Sixteen hours had passed since the experiment began.
Shinji sat on the Chair, quietly watching Nobihi in the nutrient tank across from him.
A bored Madara Uchiha had dragged Hashirama Senju out for a sparring match, and the two were still going at it. Tobirama Senju and Shisui had sent updates more than once.
They reported on the current state of the Shinobi World.
One word summed it up: "chaos."
Still, both said that despite the mess everywhere, they had found a thread to follow and were beginning to make headway.
Shisui, meanwhile, had run into a tough nut to crack—
—the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron was notorious for sitting on the fence, and it still wanted to remain "neutral."
In other words, it wanted to continue existing as the Land of Iron.
It proposed a mutual nonaggression pact with the soon-to-be-established New Ninshu: each side would mind its own business. It even floated the idea of free trade.
Shinji almost laughed when he heard it.
And yet... Shisui was willing to sit down and negotiate with them.
From what he said, the Land of Iron had a great many skilled samurai. If they fought a large-scale battle head-on, shinobi would suffer casualties...
The whole argument left Shinji baffled.
What happened to the Shisui who never held back?
Anyone listening would think every person in the Land of Iron was a Mifune. Even if they were, what gave them the right to bargain? Why bother negotiating at all?
"Shinji!"
Orochimaru's voice came suddenly. Shinji turned toward him, a question on his face.
But Orochimaru was staring fixedly at Nobihi inside the nutrient tank.
Panic showed in his eyes.
Shinji paused, then looked up and froze for a moment.
"Uh..."
Inside the tank, Nobihi's skin had turned deathly