Chapter 48: A Turning Point

Karin insisted on watching from the side, which was quite cruel given that the transplantation process wasn't pleasant to observe. Nevertheless, both Yumi and Karin were adamant about this.

"Karin, listen. Since you came to Konoha, I've never told you this because I wasn't sure if you could handle it. But now, I can say it.

If one day you become a powerful enough ninja, remember everything we suffered in the Grass Village. Remember our hatred, and remember... revenge."

Aoba's transplantation procedure couldn't be as simple as Madara's, where he directly pressed a piece of Hashirama's flesh onto his chest.

To ensure a high success rate, the placement, size, various auxiliary medications, and the neutralizing agents made from White Zetsu cells all needed precise control.

This was a task that one person would find very challenging. While he could use Shadow Clones to form a team, Kakashi's involvement was essential.

His role was not just as an assistant. It was primarily about Kakashi himself. Aoba knew that Kakashi's current recognition of him was only partial, which was far from enough.

He didn't need Kakashi to be an obedient subordinate—that wasn't necessary or even feasible. He only needed Kakashi to trust him.

There are many ways to make someone believe in you. The simplest method he was using now was to give Kakashi a sense of inclusion.

"I'm sharing one of my secrets with you. Shouldn't that make you believe in me?"

"Yumi, because the fusion process requires your mental will for self-regulation, we cannot use anesthetics on you.

So, you will face intense pain, loss of bodily control, and even near-mental breakdown. If you can't withstand any of these, the surgery will fail completely. I'll ask you one last time—are you ready?"

"I'm ready. Let's begin."

"Good. The scalpel."

"...Ah..."

Karin sat in a chair nearby, listening to her mother's agonized screams from a distance. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, but she seemed unable to feel it.

She bit her lip, trying not to cry out loud, afraid that her sobs might disrupt the surgery.

It was only the night before that she learned her seemingly healthy mother was about to die.

And the reason she was dying was due to the countless bites from those Grass Village demons.

Karin was still young and didn't fully grasp the concept of hatred at first. It wasn't until her mother explained that their feelings towards the Grass Village were rooted in hatred.

And hatred doesn't disappear unless revenge is exacted.

At this moment, Yumi's body began to tremble, and localized distortions started to appear. The aggressiveness of Hashirama's cells was too strong.

Aoba, at the peak of his physical abilities and a high-level ninja, could endure it, but that didn't mean Yumi could.

In fact, Yumi's physical condition was very good. If she hadn't experienced everything with the Grass ninjas and had received ninja training, her success rate might have been higher than Aoba's.

After all, the Uzumaki and Senju clans' physical constitutions are closely related. Her chance of successful fusion should be quite high.

Unfortunately, she had neither undergone ninja training nor had her origins healed. Her body was riddled with damage and could not withstand the invasion of Hashirama's cells.

As soon as the transplantation ended, Yumi began showing signs of collapse.

Her body's surface started to exhibit irregular writhing, as if some living entity was about to burst out.

This was a phenomenon caused by the runaway Hashirama cells, combined with chaotic chakra.

Aoba pondered and gathered a ball of natural energy, attempting to slowly infuse it into Yumi's body.

At this point, her body hadn't fully mutated. If he could suppress it now, there was still hope.

In a sense, natural energy was even more dangerous than Hashirama's cells. Thus, his movements were very cautious.

He tried to use natural energy to suppress the runaway Hashirama cells, but this was also a very risky move. A small mistake could petrify Yumi with natural energy.

Soon, he noticed some effects, but not as good as he had hoped. Moreover, the side effects were quite pronounced.

His original idea was to have the natural energy bear the brunt of the Hashirama cells, allowing Yumi to get a chance to breathe.

But to his surprise, the Hashirama cells were too rapidly invasive. Perhaps it was due to her body being too depleted.

In just a few seconds, the link between the two was inseparable. The petrification from the natural energy directly affected both the Hashirama cells and Yumi's own body.

Aoba immediately stopped, realizing that if this continued, she would turn into a statue in less than a minute.

He then injected Yumi with life-sustaining medicine, but it was absorbed simultaneously by Yumi and the Hashirama cells, with the cells absorbing more.

He tried injecting more White Zetsu cells. Initially, it had some effect, but soon it seemed to become immune and no longer effective.

Aoba began to feel a sense of despair. There was little that external forces could do to intervene in this surgery. He had done everything he could; now it was up to Yumi's will to resist.

"Yumi, I'm sorry I can't do more. It's up to you now. Think about your hatred, think about Karin, think about your future. You must believe that you can survive."

He could sense Yumi struggling to resist, but her efforts seemed futile as her condition continued to deteriorate.

At this moment, even Kakashi realized that the surgery was heading towards failure.

Then, an unexpected change occurred.

But the change didn't come from Yumi. It came from behind. Aoba spun around abruptly, his Kusanagi Sword already in hand. But he saw no one except Karin running towards him.

The strange chakra fluctuations were coming from Karin.

Aoba hesitated for a moment but didn't stop her. Karin leaped directly onto her mother.

"Mom, please, don't die. Don't leave me…"

Karin's repressed emotions could no longer be controlled, and she cried out loudly, lying on her mother. Yumi's writhing, mutated body seemed to be temporarily subdued by this intense emotion.

But soon, there was a more violent backlash. Kakashi, seeing the situation was dire, prepared to move forward to save Karin. If Yumi truly mutated, the plant-like transformation would immediately endanger Karin.

However, at that moment, Aoba suddenly reached out to stop Kakashi.

"Don't rush. It looks like there might be a chance."

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