Chapter 343: Shiromo's Rigor
"Prepare the anesthesia."
Shiromo gave an instruction to Yakushi Nono.
"Huh? Anesthesia is needed?"
Rin, who hadn't lain down yet, looked confused.
"Impure World Reincarnation bodies don't feel pain. But once you cross the critical point, when you transition from death to life, you won't be an Impure World Reincarnation body anymore. Are you sure you don't want it?"
"Sorry… I'm an idiot."
After hearing Shiromo's explanation, Rin lowered her head in embarrassment and quickly apologized.
This was the first time performing a revival procedure. No one knew exactly at what point the boundary between life and death would be crossed.
If she transitioned into a living state halfway through, she'd probably experience what it felt like to be slowly cut apart alive.
"Understood."
Yakushi Nono took out several syringes and placed them to the side.
Ready at any moment.
"To be safer, we won't use full anesthesia. Is that okay? You'll stay conscious so you can give feedback in real time."
"Mm, that's fine. I can handle it."
After some more discussion, Rin lay down.
Yakushi Nono pressed a button. Rin's head and body were separated by a partition, and she injected a specially prepared anesthetic through a tube into the chamber.
The anesthetic mixed into the nutrient fluid surrounding the body.
"Since everything's ready, we'll start with the most critical part, the head."
Shiromo climbed directly onto Rin and sat over her, extending one hand toward Yakushi Nono.
The anesthetic, of course, had no effect on him.
"Here."
Nono handed over a mass of cultured Rin cells.
Shiromo stuffed the cells into Edo Rin's head and began working.
Shiromo's requirement for Orochimaru had been very simple. There was no need to cultivate full organs, cells alone were enough.
The new ability Shiromo obtained from Kaguya's severed hand, granting life, he had named "Gold Experience."
The ability was similar, but not exactly the same.
If someone was missing a limb, Shiromo could simply take a brick and shape it into the appropriate organ to restore them.
That would truly be "inorganic reincarnation."
So why emphasize "similar, but not identical"?
Because the original Gold Experience couldn't use this ability on living beings.
If someone lost an eye, you could only create a new one from inorganic material, you couldn't repair the damaged eye and put it back.
Rather than healing, it was more like patching.
But Shiromo could do it.
That was why he told Orochimaru that only cells were needed, no organs.
To Shiromo, there was no fundamental difference between organs and cells.
A simple mass of cells was actually easier to work with.
As for why he specifically used Rin's cells instead of shaping everything from inorganic material.
The reason was simple.
If Rin's cells were used as the foundation, then after revival, her soul would be her own, and her body would essentially be a cloned living body. Genetically, it would still be hers.
But if Shiromo created everything entirely from inorganic matter, then her soul would still be hers, but her body would be completely Shiromo's creation.
In that case, after revival, Rin would probably have to call Shiromo "Dad."
"Alright, do you feel anything?"
Very quickly, Shiromo finished shaping the head.
It was clear that the whites of Rin's eyes had returned to normal, and the cracks on her face were gone.
"No."
Rin's gaze was somewhat blank.
This was counterintuitive. Her brain had already been restored, and her head was "alive", yet she felt nothing.
But Shiromo thought of something and no longer found it strange.
For Impure World Reincarnation bodies, unless something had special properties, there was essentially no difference between organs and cells.
Implanting Senju Hashirama's cells into an Impure World Reincarnation body was the same as transplanting Hashirama's Dio.
In the original story, when the four Hokages were revived, the Second Hokage had even remarked that his body was almost entirely composed of his brother's cells.
This showed that even filling an Impure World Reincarnation body with living cells wouldn't turn death into life.
Perhaps only reaching 100% replacement could achieve that.
And sure enough, Shiromo's assumption was correct.
Next, Shiromo began shaping the body, piece by piece, assembling it bit by bit.
Anyone unaware might have thought he was assembling a life-sized figure.
Even when he was nearly finished, with only the last part remaining, Rin still reported no sensation.
To confirm whether she was still an Impure World Reincarnation body, Shiromo directly controlled his strength and punched Rin's hip.
After the hit, just beat it, it quickly recovered.
"Is there really a need to test this? Why not just finish the last part and then ask Rin if she feels anything?"
Kushina didn't understand why Shiromo stopped at the final step of the test.
Rin, lying in the chamber, had a flushed face and confusion in her eyes.
As for why she was blushing,
Shiromo's ability included turning inorganic matter into organs and shaping cells into organs, but it didn't include turning living beings into inorganic matter.
In other words, Shiromo couldn't create clothes.
Some… actions had already taken place earlier.
As for what actions?
Let's just say this, at the moment, Sakura was on her way to the Otogakure Village, seeking estrogen compounds to catch up to Ino.
In reality, she could've just come to Shiromo.
If she were determined enough to cut off what she originally had and let Shiromo shape a new pair like balloons, her combat power would skyrocket instantly.
What Shiromo was doing to restore Rin's body was essentially that kind of operation.
Shiromo had become the second person to "touch" Rin like this.
Who was the first?
Obviously Kakashi.
Who else could it be, Obito?
Back then, Kakashi's Chidori had pierced straight through Rin, far more intense than anything Shiromo had done.
"There's a reason I'm doing this."
Shiromo spoke slowly, looking at Kushina as he explained,
"If Rin had already broken free from Impure World Reincarnation at this point, then I wouldn't need to continue."
"We could let Tsunade inject life force, and she could naturally regenerate the remaining missing parts."
"But she hasn't broken free yet. All her organs and cells are still in a dormant state, sustained only by the fluid in the chamber…"
"Then just finish shaping it?"
Kushina was even more confused.
Why bring up Tsunade at all?
If Shiromo could finish everything in one go, why involve someone else?
"If I gave you a lump of clay, could you sculpt Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's appearance?"
Shiromo asked.
Kushina shook her head. "I've never even seen what Ōtsutsuki Kaguya looks like. How would I sculpt her?"
"Exactly. How would you sculpt her?"
Shiromo repeated.
"Uh…"
Kushina seemed to understand.
Right now, Shiromo was being extremely serious, extremely meticulous, approaching this with scientific, medical, and cellular precision.
In other words, he needed to observe carefully.
(End of this chapter)