Chapter Forty-Four: Concealment and Possession (Part Two)-This Ninja Is Not Normal(Shredded Abalone with Green Peppers)

Within the soul space of the “patient,” Kato Mikikaze followed the flow of those eerie energies until he finally located the target’s soul. At this point, her soul, like her body, was almost unrecognizable as human—only from the vague outline of hair and chest could one barely discern that she had once been a woman.

Kato Mikikaze tried to communicate with her, but she was nearly devoid of consciousness; all he received in response were hoarse, agonized, and maddened screams. The ghastly green energies from every corner of the soul space converged here, battering her soul relentlessly.

Her soul did not seem to change much in size, but Kato Mikikaze sensed that as more of that sickly green energy gathered, her soul felt on the verge of exploding. Carefully avoiding the dangerous green energy, he delicately placed a soul-sealing formula upon her soul—without activating it.

He waited, planning to trigger the seal at the moment her soul was about to burst, shattering it to see if any soul fragments would drop.

“Yesterday I somehow managed to coax a kiss out of Tsunade—well, actually, I left Tsunade so flustered that I kissed her myself. I didn’t quite make it to her lips, but still, that’s half a ‘kiss of death,’ and maybe half a luck buff… The odds of a soul fragment dropping are dismal, but it’s worth the gamble.”

The reason he set the seal but did not activate it was simple. Based on his previous experiences with possession, activating the soul seal would temporarily grant him control of the body, and then the target of those dreadful green energies might shift to his own soul. He had already been grazed by those energies when he entered earlier and had no desire for a repeat encounter.

Furthermore, any extraneous measures he took might reflect on the patient’s physical body, potentially triggering those monitoring instruments and arousing Orochimaru’s suspicion. That would render all his efforts at stealthy possession pointless.

It was not long before he saw her soul about to burst from the influx of that green energy. Kato Mikikaze seized the moment and unleashed the soul-sealing technique—a finishing move that shredded the patient’s soul.

Once the soul was shattered, the green energies, as if losing their target, ceased their chaos, and no new sickly green energy emerged from the edges of the soul space. This made it easier for Kato Mikikaze’s soul to slip out and escape from the patient’s soul space.

…

In the operating theater, the staff continued their orderly reports.

“Test subject’s respiration…”

“Test subject’s blood pressure…”

“Test subject’s body temperature…”

“Test subject’s brain activity is abnormally high; brainwave activity has exceeded the threshold; mental energy readings have also surpassed the threshold; brain and mental fluctuations are extremely active…”

…

“Test subject’s respiration…”

“Test subject’s blood pressure…”

“Test subject’s body temperature…”

The “patient” bound to the operating table abruptly ceased her violent struggles, leaving only a few spasmodic twitches as a reflex. Then, her bark-like monstrous body swelled rapidly like a balloon… and finally—pop.

…

“Record: Final spiritual fluctuation of the test subject has reached zero. Brain death confirmed, followed by catastrophic body failure within a short time. Time of death is about ten minutes slower than average for previous tests—likely due to Lord Kato Mikikaze’s secret technique. Catalyst No. 3 remains stable…”

After leaving the patient’s soul space, Kato Mikikaze did not immediately return to his physical body in the surgical lounge. Remaining invisible, he waited a moment to see if a soul fragment would drop from the patient.

He was not disappointed. The risk he had just taken was not in vain, and he silently thanked Tsunade for her kiss. The patient, now transformed into a monster, had been ruptured by the uncontrollable force within her body. Right away, Kato Mikikaze spotted a soul fragment beside the patient’s ruined form.

“Green! There’s a trace of green in this soul fragment!”

Unlike the ordinary, transparent fragments left by enemies slain with the Soul Cultivation Technique, this fragment was tinged with a faint verdant hue.

Kato Mikikaze immediately maneuvered his soul closer, amplifying his soul-sensing ability to the utmost.

“There’s none of the previous madness or strangeness about it, and the color is different—it’s a lively, emerald green, not that ghastly green from earlier.”

The fragment was rapidly disintegrating and shrinking away…

Time was short.

Ensuring there was no significant danger from this freshly dropped soul fragment, and seeing it about to vanish, Kato Mikikaze hesitated no further. With a burst of soul power, he created a sealed space and drew the last of the fragment into his soul.

His soul cast a final glance around the operating lab. The six staff members, seeing the patient’s body had gone still after the explosive death, were preparing to open the protective cover of the surgical table. Orochimaru was flipping through the experiment records, occasionally questioning his assistant.

Satisfied that all was normal, Kato Mikikaze swiftly returned his soul to his body in the surgical lounge.

Now was not the time to absorb the fragment. Within his soul space, he set the fragment aside in a specially cordoned area before merging with his main soul.

He pushed his soul-sensing ability to its peak, carefully examining both his soul and soul space.

Once he was sure nothing was amiss, Kato Mikikaze woke up in the surgical lounge. He had been feigning paralysis, but now he rose and walked over to Orochimaru, adopting an air of curiosity as he gazed at the “patient” still strapped to the operating table.

Glancing at Orochimaru, who was still poring over the experiment records, Kato Mikikaze remarked, “So this is the power contained within the First Hokage Hashirama Senju’s cells? For ordinary people—or even ordinary shinobi—it’s truly dangerous…”

At the sound of his voice, Orochimaru turned, his serpentine eyes sizing up Kato Mikikaze, who had just come to his side. He replied, “Indeed, this is the power within the First Hokage’s cells—not only Wood Release, but immense vitality as well… How are you feeling, Kato? After your soul returned, you rested a while in the lounge. Are you all right?”

In reality, not much time had passed between Kato Mikikaze’s possession of the patient and his body’s awakening.

“Suspicious? Or just cautious…” Kato Mikikaze pondered, then said, “I’m fine—just a bit drained, so I rested a little longer. The process of treating the patient was extremely hazardous; her soul had been corroded. Even maintaining the connection for a short while was exhausting, and I had to be wary of that corrosive force.”

Satisfied with the answer, Orochimaru nodded. “Come, let’s go to my office. Leave this to them. The test subject’s body is ruined now—no further value. You’ll see many more like this in the future…”

…

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