In the dark cell, Hino huddled in a corner, listening to Shayan's heavy breathing from the cell next door.
The walls were damp, and the air was filled with the smell of rust and decay.
The prison cells in the Inspection Department were more oppressive than I had imagined. There were no windows, only a dim yellow light that made my eyes sting.
Hino's fingernails dug deeply into his palm.
He recalled the hesitant look in his wife's eyes when she saw him off for the last time, the child clinging to his legs, and the hunched back of his elderly mother cooking porridge in the kitchen.
"Just this once..." That's what he was thinking at the time.
But this time, it ruined everything.
Suddenly, Shayan from next door slammed his fist against the wall and said, " Hino, do you think... their families might be implicated?"
Hino's throat tightened.
Everyone in Sunagakure knows the methods used by the Inspection Department; at best, they confiscate property, at worst, exile the entire family, or even execute them.
"No, we just stole some scrap metal, we're not missing-nin," Hino low voice, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.
Is it really just 'scrap metal'?
Those prosthetic body parts can be exchanged for money on the black market, used to assemble weapons, and are not subject to the innovative network surveillance.
The last one alone is already a colossal sin.
As dawn approached, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Hino suddenly looked up, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.
The person who came simply said "Wait" and left.
The wait is more agonizing than the interrogation.
Countless possibilities flashed through Hino's mind.
Exile? Hard labor? Or become a living corpse like those laborers in the eastern mines?
At this moment, Shayan suddenly sneered, "I should have run away with that black market merchant. At worst, we could have just left the Land of Wind."
Hino didn't reply. He recalled the look in the man's eyes when he left, as if he were looking at them like trash.
Moreover, unlike Shayan, he has a wife, children, and an elderly mother, while Shayan is an orphan with no family, all alone and without any ties, so he naturally has the confidence to do so.
After an unknown amount of time, the cell door was opened.
"Consider yourself lucky. Get lost." The inspector ninja waved his hand impatiently at Shayan. " The Inspection Department's punishment for you is confiscation of your illegal gains and expulsion from the mining area."
Then, pointing at Hino, he said, "You stay. Your business isn't over yet."
Hearing the surveillance ninja's words, Shayan was stunned, clearly not expecting that he could leave so easily.
She was the one who proposed it, the one who was absolutely instigated, yet she could leave while Hino had to stay.
He glanced at Hino instinctively, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
Hino lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he had resigned himself to his fate.
Shayan opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just silently followed the supervising ninja out of the cell.
The corridor lights stung his eyes.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Shayan's heart—a sense of relief, guilt, and resentment.
As he walked out of the Ministry of the Inspection Department, Shayan looked up at the gray sky.
The suddenness of his freedom made it feel unreal.
He glanced back at the eerie building and silently vowed, "One day, I will leave this hellish place, leave Sunagakure..."
In the prison cell, Hino did not return to his cell, but was instead taken to a small room by the surveillance ninja.
The room contained only a table and two chairs, and the lighting was still dim.
He sat in the chair, his hands clenched so tightly that his fingernails almost pierced the panel.
Time passed second by second, each second feeling like torture.
A short while later, the door was pushed open, Uchiha Inabi walked in, looking coldly at the middle-aged man sitting in the chair.
Hino instinctively stood up, his throat tightening, but he couldn't utter a single word.
"Sit down," Inabi said calmly, and sat down first.
I sat down Hino trepidation, my heart pounding like a drum.
"Do you know why you can't leave yet?" Inabi asked bluntly, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Hino shook his head. "I... I don't know."
"Because you are useful."
Hino was stunned; he couldn't understand what use an ordinary miner like himself could be.
Inabi took a scroll out of his pocket and pushed it in front of Hino.
"This is a task. If you're willing, regardless of whether you succeed or not, your family will receive a spot in one of the five major departments."
It's important to understand that not just anyone can get into one of these five departments.
While not all requirements such as ability, strength, and awareness need to be met, one must at least excel in one aspect to have a chance of entering.
Now, all the other party needs to do is complete one task to join.
For miners like the Hino family, this was an unattainable dream, a blessing.
Hino took the scroll with trembling hands and carefully opened it.
After Uchiha Inabi stated those conditions, his resistance was no longer very strong.
After all, joining the five major departments would allow my child to receive better educational resources, my wife would no longer have to worry about the trivialities of life day and night, and my elderly mother could live a peaceful life.
But when he saw what was written on it, his pupils suddenly contracted.
His mission required him to enter the southern mining area and use live streaming to expose the Council of Elders ' cruel exploitation and oppression of the villagers, so that everyone could see the true situation in the southern mining area.
The eastern and southern mining areas are the territory of the Council of Elders.
Unlike the eastern mining area, where he had at least accidentally entered before and encountered no trouble upon exiting, he was different.
However, the southern mining area was closed off and difficult to enter. Few people were ever seen coming out; only occasional messages were sent out, and wages were delivered directly to their homes.
Sending him to do a live stream in the southern mining area now is practically suicide.
"This... I'll be discovered as soon as I go in, let alone livestreaming!" Hino up in horror.
Seeing this, Inabi reassured him, "We will grant you weapon module licenses and further enhance your cybernetic modifications, doing everything we can to ensure your safety in the southern mining area."
"You just need to follow the plan and present the situation there truthfully to everyone; there's nothing else to worry about."
Although Hino was filled with fear, he gritted his teeth and agreed when he thought of his family's future.
Seeing this, Inabi nodded slightly, then called over a subordinate, "Take him to the modification site, and make sure the prosthetic body and weapon modules are installed smoothly."
A moment later, Hino was led out of the room and followed the ninja toward the modification area.
Upon entering the modification room, one finds it filled with various cold mechanical instruments and flashing indicator lights, where several technicians are busily preparing.
Hino was placed on a huge modification platform, and the surrounding robotic arms slowly started up.
First, the prosthetic eye was replaced. Hino felt a sharp pain in front of his eyes as the old prosthetic eye was slowly removed and a new one was precisely implanted.
These prosthetic eyes not only possess enhanced night vision, analytical capabilities, and insight, but they also establish a closer connection with his brain, allowing all information to be presented directly in his mind.
Its effect is practically indistinguishable from Sharingan with One-Tomoe.
Next came the prosthetic modifications to other parts of the body.
The robotic arm skillfully disassembled his original limbs and installed the specially made prosthetic components one by one.
At this time, Inabi's second-in-command was also a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Looking at Hino, who was undergoing surgery, he frowned and whispered to Inabi, "Is this person reliable?"
Inabi sneered, "Whether it's reliable or not, we just need a reason. They're conducting human experiments in the southern mining area anyway; let him 'accidentally' discover it."
The renovation lasted a very long time.
When it was finally over, Hino felt as if he had been reborn.
He tried moving his body a bit, and the new prosthetic made him feel full of power; every movement was smooth and natural.
Inabi reappeared before him, holding a small live-streaming device.
"Remember, this is a live streaming device specially prepared for you. The signal is very stable and will not be easily interfered with."
"Once you enter the southern mining area, you need to find the right opportunity to broadcast the entire situation there live. If anything goes wrong, you should know the consequences."
Hino took the device and nodded silently.
In the days that followed, under Inabi's guidance, he began to learn how to control his new prosthetic body, how to use weapon modules, and how to hide himself in complex and dangerous environments.
The meeting room of the Reform Society was dimly lit, as if shrouded in an invisible haze.
A huge conference table occupied the center of the room, with four chairs occupied by the true senior executives of the Reform Society, while the chair symbolizing the Scientific Research Department remained empty.
Temari up and paced anxiously back and forth in the meeting room, the sound of her shoes hitting the floor particularly jarring in the quiet room.
Her brows were furrowed tightly; her usual calm and competence had been replaced by anxiety.
"Where did Hoshino go? The plan has already officially started, how could he disappear at this time?"
Even the Shadow Clone that Hoshino left outside to stay permanently had exhausted their Chakra and had not been replenished.
She's been handling the daily routines these past few days!
Unlike Temari's impatience, Gaara sat in a chair with his arms crossed over his chest.
He tried to maintain his usual composure, but his slightly furrowed brows and the occasional glances toward the door betrayed his inner worries.
" Hoshino should be in the lab right now, but we can't get in at all with the communication devices. The private lab is also sealed off, and it's guarded by many Spirit Puppet. We can't get in at all."
Kankuro frowned deeply and said in a deep voice, "A failure at this time would be disastrous. Without his participation, what will happen to the approval of the Scientific Research Department?"
Rasa said in a deep voice, "How about we force a breakthrough?"
Although there are many Spirit Puppet guarding the private laboratory, they can still be suppressed if everyone present works together.
Gaara shook his head slightly. "No, Hoshino must have his reasons for sealing off the lab. There might be a crucial experiment taking place inside that cannot be interrupted."
"If we force our way through and interfere with him, the consequences could be far more serious than if he were to go missing."
Temari stopped, hands on her hips, her face full of helplessness. "Are we just going to wait here like this? Without Hoshino's support, we can't solve many of the technical problems."
After a moment of contemplation, Kankuro said, "For now, we can only proceed according to the original plan! As for Hoshino, continue trying to make contact and arrange for someone to closely monitor the laboratory's movements, reporting any developments immediately."
Rasa nodded slightly and said, "For now, this is the only way. Fortunately, the plan has only just begun, and the Armed Forces Department doesn't need to get involved yet!"
In the following time, everyone began to discuss the various possibilities of the plan and formulate corresponding strategies.
The Reform Society has three underground floors.
Hoshino lay on the operating table, connected to various complex instruments. The data on the vital signs monitor flickered and emitted a heart-wrenching alarm.
His body had reached its limit after undergoing multiple trials, including Kikaichū symbiosis, bone replacement from the Shikotsumyaku, and full-body cybernetic modification.
Beneath the panel, Kikaichū surged wildly, trying to break free of the body's constraints.
The newly replaced Shikotsumyaku did not integrate smoothly with his body, resulting in a strong rejection reaction. Chakra surged wildly within him like an out-of-control torrent, impacting his meridians.
Hoshino's clones stared intently at the monitor screen, their foreheads covered in fine beads of sweat, their eyes filled with tension and anxiety.
"Adjust the energy output and increase the stability coefficient to 80%, quick!"
One of the clones, while keeping a close eye on the flashing data on the vital signs monitor, shouted loudly.
Another clone rapidly typed commands on the control panel, and the robotic arm began adjusting the instruments connected to Hoshino, attempting to stabilize his disordered Chakra.
"The procedure involves regional cryopreservation of the Shikotsumyaku area to slow down the rejection reaction; the temperature is set at -5 degrees Celsius."
Another clone issued an order, operating the nearby cooling device. A cold mist quickly enveloped the parts of Hoshino's body undergoing the Shikotsumyaku modification.
"Closely monitor the movements of the Kikaichū, analyze their clustering patterns, and see if we can find a way to control them!"
The clone responsible for observing microscopic conditions kept its eyes glued to the microscope, its hands constantly operating the instruments, transmitting real-time data on the Kikaichū ' activities to the central computer for analysis.
Despite the clone's best efforts, Hoshino's condition remained critical. His body convulsed uncontrollably, and small bumps bulged on the surface of his panel due to the frenzied surge of Kikaichū.
The Chakra caused his meridians to resemble a river about to burst its banks, on the verge of complete collapse.
"No, while cryopreservation can temporarily suppress the rejection reaction, it cannot fundamentally solve the problem, and prolonged low temperatures may damage the body's normal tissues!"
"It's the clone in charge of the refrigeration unit," said anxiously.
"Increase the flow of Chakra, guide it along the new loop route, and transfer the excess Chakra to the prosthetic storage modules in the limbs!" the leader of the clones decisively ordered.
Several clones immediately surrounded Hoshino, operating the control devices on his prosthetic body in an attempt to channel the disordered Chakra into the storage module.
"This can't go on. The Kikaichū are getting more and more agitated, and my Chakra just can't stay stable!"
"A new anomaly has appeared in the fusion of the Shikotsumyaku with the body; the bone cells are beginning to show signs of mutation!"