The success of the startup didn't mean I was ready to jump in. I was an engineer, not a reckless idiot. I knew that applying untested energy to a human nervous system was a great way to end up as a vegetable.
For the next three days, my dad and I ran a "closed beta." I didn't lie in the furnace. Instead, we spent seventy-two hours straight debugging the output. I built biological tissue simulacra basically blocks of animal meat with different densities and placed them in the chamber. Sharyu acted as the power supply, injecting tiny, controlled bursts of chakra into the core while I monitored the "Life-Energy" field.
"Output at 5%, duration ten breaths.
Surface temp increased by 0.3 degrees.
No cellular distortion," I'd mutter, scribbling in my log.
"Power up to 8%.
Cell activity is spiking, but we've got mild dehydration in the muscle tissue.
Dial back the frequency."
It was exhausting. One wrong adjustment and a piece of test meat would literally start to smell like a barbecue, sending a cold sweat down my back. If that had been my arm, I'd be headed to the prosthetic wing. We worked until our eyes were bloodshot, living on dry rations and lukewarm water. Sharyu didn't complain once. He just sat there, his hands on the input nodes, precisely controlling his chakra output like the veteran he was.
Finally, after three days of trial and error, I found the sweet spot. A stable, gentle frequency that mimicked the natural rhythm of a healthy body.
"Dad," I said, my voice hoarse but steady. "It's time. We're live."
Sharyu nodded gravely. He took a deep breath and locked into the input nodes. This wasn't a test anymore. This was the real deal.
I stripped down to my undergarments and stepped into the cold metal chamber of the Gen 1. The soft white light was already humming, washing over my skin like a warm breeze. I lay down, staring up at the etched runes on the ceiling of the cylinder.
"Begin," I said.
Buzz—!
The furnace emitted a deep, powerful thrum. The white light intensified, and the temperature inside the chamber rose to a perfect, comfortable warmth.
I held my breath, pushing my sensory abilities inward. Initially, it just felt like soaking in a high-end hot spring. Then, the energy hit my cells.
It was a strange, deep tingling not on my skin, but inside my muscles, my bones, and my organs. It was like a parched desert finally receiving a thunderstorm. Every cell in my body seemed to "wake up," greedily absorbing the purified life-energy.
I could "introspect" and see the damage. The sluggish, underdeveloped tissue from my premature birth was being flooded with vitality. The "rusted gears" of my metabolism were being lubricated and forced to turn.
It wasn't all pleasant. When the energy hit my atrophied meridian nodes, it stung. It was a sharp, swelling ache, the price of rewriting my own biology. I gritted my teeth and endured it, sweat pouring off my face only to be evaporated by the field.
I could feel it. The foundation that had shackled me for nine years was being mended, thread by thread.
Outside, Sharyu was pouring himself into the machine. He could hear my suppressed gasps, but he stayed rock-steady. He watched the chakra levels, maintaining a perfect, stable flow.
When he reached the halfway point of his tank, the field began to dim. The humming faded, and the white light receded.
I lay there for a minute, drenched in sweat and shaking. My face was pale, and I felt like I'd just survived a three-day fever. But when I opened my eyes, the world looked sharper.
I slowly sat up and flexed my fingers. I clenched my fist.
For the first time in this life, I felt a tangible sense of "presence" in my own muscles. I wasn't a powerhouse yet I was still scrawny but the omnipresent, soul-crushing weakness was... gone. The "glitch" was patched.
"Dad..." I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "It worked. It actually worked."
Sharyu was at the side of the furnace in an instant, helping me out. He checked my pulse, his eyes searching mine. My breathing was deeper. My heart wasn't racing just from sitting up.
The silent, hardened Puppeteer didn't say anything, but I saw his eyes well up. He'd spent nine years watching his son struggle to breathe, and today, he finally saw the dawn.
I wasn't a god. I wasn't a "genius" like Sasori or Kakashi yet. But my foundation was repaired. The chains were off.
Now, the real training could begin.