"Kurenai, why are you here? Did Shimizu leave again?"
Sarutobi Asuma was puzzled. He thought he had just seen Yūhi Kurenai take a scroll from the table and slip it into her pocket.
"I don't know. I just got back from the restroom."
Kurenai's lips curved into a slight smile, feigning innocence as if nothing had happened.
It had to be said—women were natural-born actresses. Even though her mind was in turmoil, Kurenai still managed to put on a flawless smile.
The straightforward Asuma didn't notice anything amiss and went to the front desk to request a refund of their deposit.
"Kurenai, let's head back together later."
"Uh… alright."
Kurenai hesitated for a moment before nodding.
She had been waiting for the others to leave so she could have a private confrontation with Shimizu. The excuse she had used was wanting to walk home with Asuma.
Although she really wanted to go home and brush her teeth right now, she decided to stick to the plan to avoid raising Asuma's suspicions.
--
The Next Day
Konoha Hospital, Shimizu's Office.
"How's everything coming along lately?" Shimizu asked, glancing at Nohara Rin, who stood behind him.
He had dumped all the tasks requested by Fugaku onto her.
It was exhausting, but Rin had not disappointed him.
Her talent was exceptional. In just a short time, she had made significant progress.
Being able to master the Mystical Palm Technique at the chūnin level, Rin's talent in medical ninjutsu was on par with—or perhaps even superior to—Sakura's.
After all, Sakura didn't master the technique until the events of Shippuden, and Rin was currently younger than Sakura had been at that time.
"I've hit a bit of a bottleneck," Rin admitted.
"How far have you gotten with the cloning?" Shimizu's brow furrowed slightly.
"I've managed to clone the vitreous humor of the eye, but the cornea still has some inconsistencies."
"What about the chakra network?"
Shimizu wasn't particularly concerned with the minute details of the eye's structure. What he cared about was the progress of the chakra network.
Despite being more advanced than the technology of his past life's Earth, cloning in the Shinobi World was still incredibly difficult due to its ethical implications.
For now, Rin had only been conducting experiments on small lab mice in the hospital.
In this world, cloning wasn't as simple as isolating and replicating an individual organ. The process involved asexual reproduction—for instance, most cloning began with fertilized eggs since they were totipotent cells capable of developing into all necessary biological components.
However, neurons, cardiac muscle cells, and skeletal muscle cells could not undergo reproduction or division, making cloning even more challenging.
Essentially, to clone an organ, one had to first clone an embryo and then extract the required organs or cultivate stem cells from it.
As for what happened to the embryos afterward… that went without saying.
If cloning mere flesh was already this difficult, then replicating the unique chakra network that every living being possessed was an even greater challenge.
"It's… still not possible yet," Rin lowered her head.
No matter how much of a genius she was, there was no way she could achieve such results in such a short time.
"Alright, you can go now," Shimizu waved dismissively.
Perhaps Orochimaru would have a solution, but Shimizu had no intention of seeking him out.
Fugaku's assigned task only needed to be completed to a reasonable extent.
Right now, Shimizu had yet to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, so he wasn't at immediate risk of blindness. Thus, there was no urgent need for cloning.
Instead, delaying further would continue to degrade Fugaku's eyesight.
During the Third Shinobi War, it was impossible for Fugaku to refrain from using his Mangekyō Sharingan.
And every time he did, it was a direct weakening of his power.
"Um…"
Rin remained in place, fidgeting as if she had something else to say.
Tapping his fingers on the desk, Shimizu asked, "Is there something else?"
"You've given me too many tasks. I barely have time to go outside, let alone spend time with Kakashi," Rin pouted, glaring resentfully at Shimizu.
"Did you forget something?" Shimizu suddenly appeared in front of Rin, grabbing her wrist just as she was about to step back.
"Once you complete your current assignments, I'll give you some time off."
"Really…?"
"Of course."
Shimizu nodded.
Fugaku had given him this assignment purely to keep him occupied with research inside Konoha.
Once Shimizu was sent on a mission outside the village, Rin would naturally have her 'vacation.'
Rin's eyes brightened as if she wanted to say something, but just then, Shimizu leaned in closer.
"What are you doing…?"
Shimizu simply smiled. What else could he possibly be doing?
--
Hyūga Clan, Main House
As usual, Hyūga Natsu sat in seiza on the wooden floor, waiting for Hyūga Ginka to finish her sweets and clear the dishes.
"Clean up."
Ginka licked the last bits of cake from her full lips, narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, and waved dismissively, signaling Natsu to tidy up the crumbs that had fallen onto the tatami mat.
She was a clean freak and couldn't stand even the slightest filth.
"Yes, my lady."
Natsu quickly stood up, ignoring the dull ache in her legs from kneeling for too long, and carefully cleaned the area.
Her thoughts wandered back to her visit to the hospital earlier that day—specifically, Shimizu's cryptic words about a 'gift.'
What did he mean? He hadn't given her anything…
Distracted, her cleaning was noticeably slower than usual.
Noticing this, Ginka immediately slapped her.
How dare a servant slack off in her presence? If this continued, she'd simply replace her with someone else.
If Natsu refused to work, there were plenty of others who would.
"Forgive me, my lady. I was negligent. I will clean up right away," Natsu apologized repeatedly, keeping her face submissive while burying any trace of resentment deep in her heart.
"Hmph! Hurry up!"
Ginka pointed at the crumbs on the tatami.
"Eat them. Don't let them go to waste."
Natsu lowered her head and obediently picked up the crumbs, swallowing them without hesitation.
As she lifted her head to inform Ginka she had finished, their eyes met.
In that instant, an almost imperceptible chakra fluctuation rippled through the air.
Something invisible reflected from Natsu's eyes and flowed directly into Ginka's body.
"Ugh…! It hurts!"
Ginka clutched her stomach as excruciating pain twisted her once-elegant features. She writhed on the tatami, breaking out into a cold sweat that soaked through her robe, her delicate figure faintly visible beneath the fabric.
Natsu stared blankly at the scene, recalling Shimizu's mention of a 'gift.'
In that moment, memories of past suffering flickered through her mind.
She hesitated, her feet seemingly rooted to the tatami. As a servant of the main house, she should have assisted her mistress—or at least gone to call for help.
Yet as she watched Ginka writhing in agony, she hesitated for just a moment longer.
Then, she finally ran forward.
"Are you alright, my lady?" Natsu asked, concern in her voice—yet the slight curve of her lips betrayed a deep, unspoken satisfaction.
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