Once this idea took root, it became hard to suppress.
Sora's gaze swept over this remote, untouched primeval forest. What this place lacked least was all kinds of wild beasts.
"I need to verify if it's equally effective on other creatures, and also... if there are any limitations or risks."
Sora's personality determined that he would not be blindly optimistic.
Tenji was born with six ears, was a member of the Enma clan, had a special bloodline, and possessed extremely high intelligence. As for the Small White Tiger, while its exact origins were unknown, the fact that Sora could sense its 'pure potential' clearly indicated it was also no ordinary creature.
Their success might not be replicable.
Sora restrained his chakra. His powerful sensory perception spread out, quickly locking onto several targets.
The first target was an adult wild wolf drinking water by a stream. It had a robust build and fierce eyes, a decent predator in this forest.
Sora silently approached. Taking advantage of its unpreparedness, he sent a finger-sized chakra wind blade across the wolf's hind leg, leaving a wound that was neither deep nor shallow.
The wolf yelped in pain. Just as it was about to roar and retaliate, Sora flicked his finger. An ordinary, crimson drop of blood shot precisely into its open mouth.
The wolf's movements abruptly froze. Then, the ferocity in its eyes was rapidly replaced by a kind of frenzy and pain.
The muscles on its body began to unnaturally swell and writhe. Its bones continuously made cracking sounds. Its presence surged sharply in a short time. Its speed and strength seemed to have been enhanced.
However, this enhancement was extremely unstable.
It began to madly crash into the surrounding trees. Saliva flowed from its mouth. It had completely lost its sanity.
After about the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, its body reached a critical point. With a dull explosive sound, the massive body actually burst apart from the inside, becoming a bloody mess, dying on the spot.
Sora frowned slightly, but wasn't too surprised.
"Ordinary blood also has an enhancing effect on common beasts, but it is extremely violent and uncontrollable, ultimately leading to the increase of life force and bodily collapse."
After clearing the scene with one dragon's breath, Sora found his second target: a larger, more robust black bear.
This time, he decided to increase the dosage, directly flicking three drops of ordinary blood into its mouth.
The result was even more tragic.
While the black bear gained greater strength, its loss of control was also faster. After rampaging wildly for less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it let out a series of even more intense convulsions and expansion before 'bang' exploding into a shower of blood rain. Its death was even more miserable than the wolf's.
"It seems increasing the dosage only accelerates the process of collapse, without changing the outcome."
"Common beasts' physical bodies and life levels simply cannot withstand the infusion of this kind of power, even with the relatively milder ordinary blood."
Sora calmly recorded the observation results. What about the more potent refined blood, which contained greater energy and traces of his own essence?
Sora turned his gaze towards a mountain leopard that happened to dart out from the bushes.
"Swish."
A precious drop of refined blood shot into its yawning mouth. The effect was immediate, even terrifying.
That mountain leopard didn't even manage to let out a howl of agony. Its body instantly swelled up like an inflated balloon. Its skin was stretched transparent, its blood vessels bursting one by one. Then, under Sora's watchful eye...
Boom.
A sound of an explosion far louder than the previous two times. The leopard completely exploded. Not even a slightly larger intact piece of tissue could be found. It was almost instantly vaporized, leaving only a shallow pit in the original spot.
One drop of refined blood, instant annihilation.
Sora stood in place, silent.
The cruel experimental results before him were like a basin of ice water, dousing the blazing fantasy about a "hundred beast army" that had just ignited in him.
His previous guess was correct.
His blood was by no means a universal panacea. It was more like an extremely overbearing, high-threshold "catalyst" or "evolution trigger."
It could stimulate potential and transform the body, but the prerequisite was that the recipient itself possessed a sufficiently strong foundation, be it a special bloodline or exceptional potential.
Ordinary beasts, with their weak bodies, commonplace bloodlines, and undeveloped intelligence, simply could not withstand this energy impact from a higher life form.
Ordinary blood still caused them to lose control and explode to death, let alone refined blood containing part of his life essence. For them, that was no different from the most potent poison, instant destruction.
"It seems wanting to mass-produce strong individuals is ultimately a delusion."
Sora inwardly sighed with a bitter smile, completely abandoning the thought of imitating Kaido to form a beast army. Tenji and the White Tiger were rare, exceptional cases that couldn't be sought out, and should be cherished.
"However, those intelligent toads and snakes in Myobokuzan and Ryūchi Cave... I can find an opportunity to try on them."
Sora seemed lost in thought. Then his eyes regained their usual calmness and caution. He took a deep breath, a scorching heat rising from deep within his throat.
"Dragon's Breath."
Flames swept over the experimental site, vaporizing and incinerating all the messy flesh, shattered bones, and any possible residual energy traces, completely erasing all evidence.
After finishing this, Sora did not linger. He turned and raced at full speed towards the direction of Konoha.
...
Sora, keeping within the final few days of the mission deadline, returned to Konoha village at a leisurely pace.
He first went to the Hokage Building to report back. He handed over a prepared task report to Sarutobi Hiruzen. The report detailed the post-war weakness of Sunagakure, internal instability, and their lack of strength and will to restart hostilities in the short term.
The report content was detailed and logical, combining various signs he observed within the Land of Wind and some "reasonable" deductions, enough to be credible.
After carefully reading the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face showed a smile of approval.
"Very good, Sora. The mission was completed excellently and with high efficiency. It seems assigning you to the special operations unit was the correct decision. This information is crucial for the village's assessment of the Land of Wind's movements."
Sora bowed slightly, his tone flat and unfluctuating. "You overpraise me, Lord Hokage. This was my duty."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, seeming to appreciate Sora's "not claiming credit or being arrogant" attitude.
He pondered for a moment, then said,
"The mission was taxing. You have two days of leave. Rest well. I will notify you of future mission arrangements later."
"Yes. Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Sora bowed again, then exited the Hokage's office.
Walking out of the Hokage Building, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar village scene before him, Sora let out a soft sigh.
Two days of leave, though brief, were enough for him to handle some matters.
The first place Sora went to was the Anbu logistics registration office. He wanted to know Fox's specific arrangements after returning, and also wanted to inquire about the location of the "Root" base from him.
After some inquiries, Sora found Fox in a filing room piled high with scrolls and documents, buried in organizing files.
Some time apart, Fox looked much better. Though still missing an arm, the exhaustion in his eyes and the battlefield's depression had faded considerably, replaced by a bit more peace.
"Captain."
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