"Hahaha... This student has a sharp eye! That's right, my youth burns intensely! How could a mere four rings possibly restrain my fiery youth?"
"What! He actually brought it!"
"Then how heavy is the weighted suit, Sensei?"
"Emmm... I believe it's 2,000 kin."
"2,000 kin! Doesn't that mean you're carrying a total of 3,000 kin when added together!"
"Exactly! Your math is excellent, student! How about it? Don't you want to put on this weighted suit yourself and experience an even more concentrated taste of youth!"
"No... I absolutely do not!"
"Don't be shy, student! I've prepared one for every single one of you! You'll all be wearing it eventually!"
After all, youth is meant to be shared!
"Huh! Student, what's the matter with you!"
Heh.
Yahiko felt no trace of youth; only the imminent arrival of death.
Having known the upcoming training regimen beforehand, the last bit of strength he was forcing himself to maintain finally collapsed.
Yahiko's legs instantly gave out, and he tumbled forward.
He dragged Nagato down with him, and the two of them passed out simultaneously.
"Could it be that they are already overwhelmed by the scent of youth?"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Student, why did you check out so quickly!"
"Ah! It seems the pressure of youth was too much for them!"
"Hey! Two more have passed out here, come and retrieve them."
Might Duy watched Yahiko, who had just been speaking with him, instantly fall asleep. He kindly called for a 'designated driver,' intending to send the two students to a warm place to rest.
Hearing Might Duy's shouts from below, Konan, who was performing a patrol mission in the sky, descended.
She looked at the two boys sprawled on the ground, sound asleep.
She simply and roughly picked them up, one in each hand.
Then, with a flap of her paper wings, she flew toward the truck with the two boys in tow.
Meanwhile, on the truck, two medical personnel were already prepared.
The two of them each uncovered a large pot.
Inside the pots flowed a deep crimson liquid.
If the two boys had been awake, they would have instantly recognized it.
Wasn't this the Number One Medicinal Bath Mixture they soaked in every night?
It was just that this time the color was newly intensified and much deeper red.
"Thump. Thump."
As Konan successively dropped the two boys onto the truck.
Konan paid them no further mind, flying off on her own business.
Most of the 'Kappas' had reached their limits, and now two more had fallen asleep.
After Yahiko and Nagato were tossed onto the vehicle.
The two medical personnel immediately stepped forward.
They each injected a milky white liquid, laced with faint luminescence, into the arm of one boy.
They then tossed the boys into the pots and sealed the lids.
Following that was a rapid sequence of hand seals performed by the two medical staff.
As two simultaneous cries of "Seal!" rang out.
Various Fūinjutsu runes surged forth across the surface of both pots.
Three minutes later.
The pots began to vibrate.
The pots shook violently from side to side. To prevent them from tipping over and rolling off the truck.
The two medical personnel pressed their bodies firmly onto the lids.
In a nearby vehicle, Pakura observed the entire scene.
She turned and asked Chiyo, who was in the passenger seat.
"Chiyo-sama, what exactly is in those pots? Why are they reacting so violently once the boys are inside?"
"Ah, that? Pakura, don't you use it yourself every night?"
"What! The Number One Medicinal Mixture? But we're long used to that! Why would it cause such a massive reaction?"
"Well... what if it was the raw concentrate?"
"What! The raw concentrate! The one formulated from 72 types of animal venom and 13 types of poisonous herbs! Undiluted?"
"Not quite!"
"Phew, thank goodness. Chiyo-sama, you startled me."
"That was the old formula! I've added twenty-seven more poisonous herbs to it! The previous formula could only destroy cells and muscle tissue, but the current formula targets the internal organs and bones as well!"
"How about that? Isn't it wonderful!"
"Wait! Can the people inside possibly survive that? They should have liquefied within three minutes!"
"Emmm... Theoretically speaking, it only takes about ten seconds!"
"But they were injected with a dose of the Number Two Raw Concentrate before entering the pot, weren't they? Don't worry, it's not a major issue!"
"Chiyo-sama, is the restorative power of the Number Two Raw Concentrate truly sufficient?"
"The old one certainly wasn't! But I added some special substances to it, and now it is!"
"What substances?"
"Kazekage-sama's blood, and Tobi's... blood, I suppose!"
"!!!"
"That many vials of medicine? Chiyo-sama, did you drain Kazekage-sama dry?"
"What are you thinking? It was only a few drops!"
"The sheer energy contained within Kazekage-sama's blood is immense, and it's saturated with Natural Energy. Forget one drop—even when I diluted it ten thousand times, it was still too much for ordinary Shinobi to withstand."
I had no choice but to try casting a wide net, hoping to find a solution.
So, I approached Sunaen and requested access to the lowest level of the biological research facility.
That level holds the physical data and blood samples of every Suna Shinobi. It is one of the most heavily guarded locations in the entire Sunagakure, currently accessible only by Shamon-sama and Sunaen.
Once inside, I went straight to the combat personnel section, reasoning that anyone who could withstand that drop of blood must possess exceptional physical strength. However, after numerous tests, not a single person was compatible. Even the blood of the Uzumaki Clan, known for their powerful physiques, was completely absorbed by Sunaen's blood within seconds.
Just when I was at my wit's end... I inexplicably glanced over at the research personnel section. Something seemed to flash, and amidst a sea of red luminescence, I spotted a trace of... white!
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Tobi's blood.
It was milky white, and the difference wasn't just the color.
Normal blood quickly loses its vitality upon extraction and requires refrigeration.
Yet, even in a low-temperature environment, Tobi's blood was still bubbling slightly, completely full of life force.
In that moment, I knew I had found it!
I took that vial of blood back to the lab and attempted to adjust the two blood types into a state of mutual balance, aiming for roughly a one-to-ten ratio.
However, reality did not align with my hypothesis; the two cell types did not achieve balance.
They attacked each other like mortal enemies, each striving to devour the other.
Just when I thought the experiment had reached a dead end, a breakthrough occurred.
After a prolonged struggle, the two blood types miraculously settled down and became still.
I immediately analyzed the two blood samples.
It turned out that neither blood type could overcome the other. Faced with the crisis of rapidly depleting their own energy, and in order to ensure their prolonged survival, they simultaneously shed their aggressive properties—though not completely, they were much safer than before. How should I explain it?
Emmm... You can think of it as two countries attacking each other, but neither can conquer the other. So, both countries collectively change their strategy, stop fighting, and simply wait to see who outlasts the other."