The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 155 The Failed Experiment

Along the border of the Land of Fire, small-scale conflicts have escalated into a protracted war of attrition.

The face of the daimyo of the Land of Fire had become haggard over the past seventeen months.

The dark circles under my eyes tell a story of countless sleepless nights.

The atmosphere inside the council chamber of the Daimyo Palace was even more oppressive than in the trenches on the border.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire sat on a throne covered with a white tiger skin. His face, which had been full and rosy seventeen months ago, was now nothing but loose flesh and sunken eye sockets.

He was holding a newly delivered battle report in his hand, the edges of the paper crumpled.

The messenger's voice trembled slightly, and he dared not look the daimyo in the eye: "The Third Battalion of the National Protection Ninja Army was ambushed by Iwagakure yesterday in the Stone Valley. Captains Sarutobi Matsuoka and Shimura Yosuke were killed on the spot, and the rest of the team was wiped out."

Daimyo's body stiffened abruptly, and the battle report in his hand fluttered to the ground.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but it felt like he had inhaled a ball of scalding ash, burning from his throat to his lungs.

For seventeen months, such news has been repeated every day. Every name was once a guest at his banquet, but now can only be a cold ink mark on the list of the dead.

"Prepare the car, we're going to the research institute." After a long while, Dai-ming opened his eyes, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded.

As night deepened, in a secluded valley deep within the Land of Fire.

Above ground, there is only a dense bamboo forest, but underground lies a secret research institute covering thousands of square meters.

Inside the cave, the heavy gate slowly opened, and the daimyo's convoy drove in, its wheels rolling over the marble floor with a dull thud.

Inside the research institute, staff members were busy at work.

The cold walls are inlaid with countless fluorescent tubes, emitting a cold, eerie blue light.

Various precision instruments continuously emitted subtle sounds of operation.

In the center of the laboratory, a cylindrical culture tank, five meters high and four meters in diameter, stands out. In the pale green nutrient solution, a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old floats, his body covered with green nutrient tubes.

The other end of the pipeline was connected to complex instruments, and the screen displayed a dense stream of data, recording the boy's vital signs.

The lord paced anxiously, his luxurious silk robe sweeping across the cold ground, leaving a fleeting trace.

His authoritative voice broke the silence of the laboratory: "How much longer until success?"

The lab director and Ma hurriedly bowed, fine beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads, sliding down their cheeks and dripping onto the ground.

"Your Excellency, the test subject 'Ku' has survived for 133 days. The fused Seven-Tails chakra has not shown any rejection reaction, and the body's compatibility has reached 87%. However... there are still problems with chakra control. During the last simulated activation, it almost burst the incubation tank, and it is prone to going out of control..."

The daimyo whirled around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Kazuma like an enraged lion: "I don't want to hear this! I'm asking you, how much longer do you need before you can join the battle?"

Kazuma's body trembled, and his voice trailed off: "At the current pace... it might take another year or so. We need to repeatedly adjust the neural connection device to ensure that 'Ku' can fully control the Seven-Tails' power..."

"waste!"

Suddenly enraged, the daimyo raised his precious, jewel-encrusted cane and slammed it down on Kazuma's arm.

A loud "snap" rang out!

He Ma grunted, not daring to dodge, and could only endure it.

"Back then, you confidently claimed you could create a weapon comparable to a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki in just six months! Now it's been 17 months! And you still haven't succeeded. Do you know how much we've sacrificed for this 'plan'?"

The daimyo's voice echoed in the empty laboratory, filled with hysterical despair: "More than 8000 members of the National Protection Ninja Army have died! More than 100,000 villagers on the border have been displaced! I've invested over 100 billion taels! And you're telling me I have to wait another year?"

In the shadows, an elderly man dressed in dark armor stood quietly; it was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the chief instructor of the National Guard Ninja Army.

His eyes were icy cold, and his killing intent was almost tangible.

If it weren't for the authority of the famous name, he would have already turned He Ma to dust.

For this absurd plan, the daimyo forced him to personally lead a team to infiltrate Takigakure and steal the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fu.

This action angered the three major ninja villages: Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure.

They quickly deployed troops on the border, and what started as a small-scale conflict later escalated into a full-scale war of attrition.

What pained Hiruzen Sarutobi even more was that, in order to appease the daimyo, he had to send the elite troops of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Minato clans to the front lines of the border.

To date, more than two thousand people from the four families have died in battle, and every day a thick list of the dead is delivered to his desk.

The other three clan leaders also harbored great resentment towards him.

Looking at the unconscious boy in the incubation tank, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surge of intense disgust...

This so-called "pseudo-Seven-Tails Jinchuriki" was nothing more than a live experiment conducted by Kazuma using his own son's body.

Such inhumane things are utterly unworthy of being the hope of the Land of Fire.

Kazuma, clutching his injured arm, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, tried to explain, "Your Excellency, please give us some more time... Just give us another six months... no, three months... we will definitely be able to solve... the problem of control..."

But under the terrifying gaze of the famous man, his voice gradually weakened and eventually disappeared into the air.

The lord stared at the boy in the incubator with a complex expression, a mixture of eagerness, resentment, and deep weariness.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his back hunching over slightly. "There's no time. Tomorrow... tomorrow, I will convene a five-nation conference to announce the return of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fu."

Kazuma looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Daimyo! You can't do this! Our research has reached its final stage. If we just persevere a little longer... we can succeed, we can create countless pseudo-Jinchūriki weapons... At that time, the entire ninja world will be yours..."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire struck the ground heavily with his cane, making a "bang... bang" sound!

His voice was filled with unprecedented resolve: "Enough! The country can't hold on any longer; we can't let your obsession cause us to bleed any more."

After saying that, Daimyo didn't look at Kazuma again, turned around and strode away from the laboratory.

The head of the research institute and Ma stood frozen in place, their faces ashen.