Chapter 644: The Exploding Laboratory

Chapter 644: Chapter 644: The Exploding Laboratory

Chapter 644: The Exploding Laboratory

"Boom!"

Hearing the explosion from not far away, Amado shook his head helplessly.

He really could not understand why Kenichi’s experiments always seemed to end in explosions.

Logically speaking, that should not have happened.

Kenichi was only researching some strange liquids this time, not dangerous explosives.

Yet the blast had been quite powerful, which left Amado even more confused.

Still, he suspected Kenichi had anticipated something like this.

Otherwise, Kenichi would not have asked Amado to temporarily move his daughter to another laboratory farther away, while also transferring most of the important data, equipment, and research materials there.

Clearly, Kenichi had prepared for the possibility of an accident.

Amado yawned and turned his attention back to the work in front of him.

These were research projects Kenichi had handed over to him.

Originally, Kenichi had intended to handle them personally, but because he had become occupied with new research, he had entrusted the projects to Amado instead.

Amado did not mind.

In fact, he was quite interested in them.

And the most important project he had been assigned this time concerned something essential to everyone.

Food.

Looking at the grain seeds before him, Amado felt a faint excitement rise in his heart.

He had also been born into an ordinary family, so naturally he understood just how important food was.

One of the reasons the number of shinobi had always been limited, and why villages frequently fought one another, was the shortage of food.

There simply was not enough to support unlimited numbers of shinobi.

A shinobi’s appetite was rarely small.

And that was true for both male and female shinobi.

As Amado looked at the seeds before him, another scene seemed to appear in his mind.

The golden afterglow of sunset covered an endless wheat field, draping a thin layer of gold over heavy ears of grain.

A gentle breeze passed through.

Waves of wheat rolled across the land with a soft rustling sound, rising and falling like ocean waves stretching toward the horizon.

Within those fields lay the sweat and effort of countless farmers.

They carried the hopes of individual families, villages, and perhaps even the entire Shinobi World.

In such a field, anyone could feel the vitality of life and the joy of harvest.

Children ran through the fields, laughing and playing.

Their voices blended with the rustling wheat, creating a carefree countryside melody.

Elderly people sat along the edges of the fields and looked over the golden sea with satisfaction.

Their eyes seemed to hold countless stories about the land and endless hopes for the future.

Food was not merely something used to fill the stomach.

It was the foundation of life.

A barrier against famine.

The nourishment that allowed children to grow.

If crops with such high yields could be planted throughout the world, countless people could escape the shadow of hunger.

The entire world could enter a more prosperous era.

When night fell, the wheat fields would gradually grow quiet.

Yet that golden color would continue shining in people’s dreams, illuminating the road ahead.

And once food production increased enough, the number of shinobi would also rise dramatically.

Amado had already made up his mind.

He would complete this task.

He wanted the world to become more prosperous.

To him, that was what science was truly meant for.

Science should improve people’s lives.

It should allow people to live better and give them the opportunity to pursue their own goals.

"Whew. Looks like I’ll have to work hard."

Amado took a deep breath and stretched.

This life was sometimes troublesome.

Kenichi constantly brought him new problems and research projects, which could be exhausting.

But when Amado thought about the contribution his work could make to the world, he did not feel nearly as bothered.

He twisted his waist slightly and focused on his research again.

Kenichi had already handed Toneri over to him.

More accurately, he had handed over several clones of Toneri, along with the methods needed to cultivate crops and accelerate their maturation.

Amado did feel that using the clones this way was somewhat cruel.

But considering that they were merely clones, and specifically clones created from Toneri, he ultimately said nothing.

One could only say that Toneri’s sacrifice was worthwhile.

His contribution could help bring peace to the entire Shinobi World and allow countless people to survive.

Amado thought about it for a moment.

Once the research was completed, if Kenichi had no objections, he planned to name the new crop variety the "Otsutsuki Toneri Grain."

It could serve as a tribute to those who had sacrificed themselves for the sake of food production.

With that thought, Amado’s expression became more serious.

He looked toward the Toneri clone in front of him with cold indifference.

Since the experiment had already begun, Amado would no longer waste time wondering whether the treatment of the clones was humane.

Once a formal experiment started, allowing such considerations to interfere with the process was one of the greatest taboos.

Amado opened his research journal and began recording the experiment.

His voice was calm and cold.

Standing beside him was the real Toneri, not one of the clones.

Toneri wore a white lab coat and stood expressionlessly in the center of the laboratory.

His gaze was cold and sharp, as though he were trying to see endless knowledge and truth through the laboratory walls.

There was almost no emotion in him.

Only the pursuit of science and a thirst for knowledge.

Amado glanced at Toneri with a strange expression.

He had personally taught Toneri many things.

But in Amado’s opinion, Toneri did not resemble a normal person at all.

There was almost no emotional fluctuation in him.

His existence resembled that of a cold and efficient machine.

Whether he was looking at his own clones or at sacrifices required for research, Toneri showed no pity or sympathy.

He seemed to believe that as long as science could move forward, any sacrifice was worthwhile.

Toneri looked across the surrounding experimental equipment.

His eyes carried only curiosity toward knowledge and an obsession with truth.

In his view, the clones seemed to exist solely for experimentation.

To him, their individual existence had little value.

What mattered was that they could help push science forward.

Toneri moved efficiently around the laboratory.

Every motion was calm and precise.

He was not skilled at communicating with others, nor did he seem to need emotional connections.

His entire existence appeared devoted to pursuing truth and advancing scientific knowledge.

Like a machine, he quietly performed experiment after experiment, constantly accumulating and refining information without being disturbed by emotion.

Of course, it was not that Toneri refused to listen to anyone.

He simply seemed willing to follow Kenichi’s orders above all others.

Almost like a puppet under Kenichi’s control.

Kenichi had no idea what Amado and Toneri were doing.

At that moment, he was sitting inside his own laboratory, covered in dust and soot while cleaning up the mess left by the explosion.

Kaguya stood beside him.

Unlike Kenichi, however, there was not a single speck of dust on her.

The instant the explosion occurred, Kaguya had erected a defensive barrier.

She had originally intended to protect Kenichi as well.

Kenichi refused.

He wanted to personally experience the force of the explosion.

Kaguya had not understood why, but she had said nothing.

Now she quietly watched Kenichi clean the laboratory while thinking deeply.

A strange emotion appeared in her eyes.

She looked at him with a complicated expression.

Kenichi did not notice.

At the moment, he was too busy questioning his experiment.

The previous test could be called both a success and a failure.

It had succeeded in some respects.

But considering that the entire experiment had exploded, it was also unquestionably a complete failure.

Still, Kenichi had gained some useful information.

So he was not discouraged.

He simply stared at the remaining materials and thought carefully about what had gone wrong.

During the experiment, Kenichi had attempted to insert an additional atom into the substance and alter its overall atomic structure.

The result proved that his attempt had failed.

The atomic insertion triggered a massive explosion.

Its destructive power had been greater than Asuma’s Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, and the temperature had also been higher.

But Kenichi was not particularly concerned about the explosion itself.

What bothered him was a different question.

How exactly was he supposed to manipulate this substance correctly?

The materials used in the experiment had been taken from beneath Mount Myoboku.

Because Kenichi had removed them, the Great Toad Sage could now be considered permanently separated from the conditions that had allowed it to sleep for long periods and occasionally foresee the future.

It would now have to return to a more ordinary way of living.

The substances that enabled its prophecies had all been taken away by Kenichi.

The Great Toad Sage had not objected.

After all, it knew very well that it could not defeat him.

More importantly, Kaguya had been standing beside Kenichi.

When faced with Kaguya, the Great Toad Sage had wisely chosen to give in.

Surrendering was not shameful.

Dying because it angered Kenichi or offended Kaguya would have been much worse.

After bringing the materials back, Kenichi first analyzed their atomic structures to ensure there were no hidden problems.

Only after confirming that did he begin experimenting.

Yet the moment he attempted atomic insertion, the substance exploded.

That result had genuinely baffled him.

Kenichi scratched his head as he looked at the remaining samples.

He intended to return to the cavern and study exactly how those different substances naturally mixed together.

After all, his attempts to combine them manually had also failed.

That left him feeling rather helpless.

Could their fusion require specific environmental conditions?

Location?

Temperature?

Pressure?

Something else entirely?

If that was true, the problem would become much more troublesome.

Kenichi might have no choice but to expand the original cavern into a large experimental facility and conduct his research directly there.

"Where are you going?"

Kaguya followed him.

Kenichi glanced at her with a strange expression.

He still had no idea what this woman was thinking lately.

Her behavior had become extremely unpredictable.

Not long after they returned, Kaguya had even dragged him into a fight.

That battle had taken place inside a cavern where faint light flickered across the walls.

Kenichi gathered Lightning Release chakra.

A violent bolt of lightning tore through the darkness and illuminated the entire cavern in an instant.

He descended toward Kaguya beneath the overwhelming pressure of the attack.

Yet Kaguya showed no fear.

Her body moved lightly as she shifted aside with agile footwork, avoiding the lightning.

Kenichi immediately followed with another Lightning Release attack.

Thunder surged like a dragon and crashed toward her.

Kaguya countered with All-Killing Ash Bones.

The technique somehow neutralized the force of the lightning.

Her movements appeared gentle yet extremely sharp, like a nimble creature dancing through the cave.

The battle continued.

Kenichi repeatedly used different Lightning Release attacks.

But no matter how he changed his offense, Kaguya handled everything with ease.

She calmly avoided one attack after another.

Kenichi had been genuinely surprised.

It seemed Kaguya was not merely powerful because of overwhelming chakra.

Her earlier poor performance might truly have been caused by spending too much time sealed away.

The current Kaguya moved with skill and grace.

She avoided Kenichi’s lightning attacks so effortlessly that he could not even touch the edge of her clothes.

From time to time, Kaguya counterattacked with All-Killing Ash Bones.

Each attack made Kenichi feel a bone-chilling sense of danger.

Yet she never genuinely injured him.

The battle had almost felt like a carefully controlled exchange.

Kenichi’s Lightning Release carried tremendous pressure.

Kaguya responded with effortless offensive and defensive skill.

As for what happened afterward...

Kenichi’s expression became somewhat strange.

During the fight, an unconscious action he made happened to match something from the memories he had once implanted in Kaguya.

Kaguya’s face instantly turned red.

Then she left while visibly sulking.

Kenichi had been speechless.

How old was Kaguya?

Seeing her act like a young girl was almost painful to watch.

Still, there was at least one positive conclusion he could draw from it.

She did not seem particularly hostile toward him anymore.

That counted as progress.

"I’m going back to the cavern."

Kenichi briefly explained his plan.

"I want to figure out why those substances can fuse naturally there when every attempt to reproduce the process here fails."

Kaguya nodded.

Then she followed behind him.

....

https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR

[If you don’t want to wait for the next update, read 50+ Chapters ahead on P@treon.]

[[email protected]/FanficLord03].