The machine hummed to life, accompanied by violent tremors far surpassing what Chu Yang had experienced when integrating the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
The temperature around the device soared, transforming the lab into a furnace.
Even monsters would find the heat unbearable, let alone Genus, whose physique was only slightly above that of an ordinary human.
"Do you need to step out?"
"No, sir. Please allow me to witness this miracle firsthand."
Genus clenched his teeth and focused intently on the nearly incinerated machine.
---
As the chamber door opened slightly, a burst of pressurized air blew Genus off his feet, only for Chu Yang to catch him.
When the door fully opened, Sonic's figure emerged from within, his left eye glowing a vivid red with a single tomoe revolving in the pupil.
The experiment was a success!
---
"...How do you feel?" Chu Yang asked.
"It feels… strange."
Sonic resembled a newborn, gazing at the world with eyes full of curiosity. It was as if the world he saw was fundamentally different, imprinted into his very being.
The next moment, Sonic sensed an intricate network within his body—a flow of unfamiliar energy coursing through it freely. The power of the Uchiha Clan's bloodline was activating.
"Teacher, something strange seems to be in my body," Sonic said nervously.
The flow of chakra was entirely foreign to him.
This was the hand-seal technique for the Clone Jutsu, one of the most basic shinobi techniques.
At the same time, Chu Yang's hand-seal movements slowed down dramatically in Sonic's vision. Just watching once, he memorized the entire sequence.
Then, his hands began moving.
Almost simultaneously, poof! Both of them were surrounded by bursts of white smoke. When the smoke dissipated, an identical version of themselves appeared.
Sonic turned to look at his clone, a perfect replica, and tears of excitement filled his eyes.
"Finally… I'm finally a ninja!"
Sonic's joyous laughter echoed throughout the laboratory.
Genus looked at him enviously, wishing he could become the boss's second experiment subject.
Unfortunately…
The boss had made it clear that regardless of Sonic's experiment's success or failure, the next experiments would focus on "monsters."
After all, Chu Yang's ultimate goal was to research the "Limiter," not merely to fulfill Sonic's dream of becoming a ninja. Capturing more powerful monsters, acquiring more genes, and creating ample research samples was his priority.
Saitama's blood had been hard to obtain, and Chu Yang didn't want to use it lightly. Instead, he planned to use samples from other monsters as the foundation for his experiments. However, this might lead to conflicts with the Hero Association.
Typically, after heroes dealt with monsters, the Association's logistics team handled cleanup, including recovering monster corpses. These corpses held value, especially if the monsters were unique—many research facilities would fight fiercely for them.
If the Hero Association became too aggressive, Chu Yang was prepared to part ways with them.
Given Sonic's current strength, capturing monsters below Dragon-level posed no significant difficulty, but the success rate for Dragon-level monsters wasn't guaranteed. Since higher-level specimens were more valuable for experiments, Chu Yang planned to train Sonic in ninjutsu before proceeding, focusing on genjutsu. After all, live samples were more valuable for research than dead ones.
Sonic, who had longed for this day, was so excited upon learning that Chu Yang would personally teach him ninjutsu that he couldn't sleep.
Chu Yang, experienced in teaching, found Sonic to be an eager student—a stark contrast to the mischievous Third Hokage in his youth. Starting with the basic Three Academy Jutsu and progressing to the Uchiha Clan's signature Fire Release techniques, Sonic quickly mastered them.
Sonic's exceptional physique also caused his chakra reserves to grow rapidly. His chakra affinities were Fire and Lightning. While he could learn Lightning Release, Chu Yang decided to focus on Fire Release first, as Sonic needed to devote more energy to genjutsu.
Biting off more than one could chew wouldn't work.
Mastering Fire Release and genjutsu simultaneously consumed all of Sonic's energy.
After a month, Sonic's Sharingan evolved into a two-tomoe state, and he mastered some C-rank and B-rank Fire Release techniques. Combined with his original S-class melee abilities, his overall strength ranked among the top five S-class heroes.
Seeing Sonic's dramatic improvement, Genus and Armored Gorilla's eyes sparkled with envy.
Chu Yang had to repeatedly warn them that forcefully injecting lineage factors carried an extremely high mortality rate. Not everyone could be as lucky as Sonic.
To reward Genus for his diligent work over the past month, Chu Yang gave him a new gift: an improved Iron Man suit from the Marvel universe.
This suit incorporated Asgard's Destroyer technology, significantly enhancing its melee combat capabilities.
Chu Yang had yet to test this armor's potential in real combat. The One Punch Man world presented the perfect opportunity.
When Genus received the design blueprint, his shocked expression betrayed his awe. He had thought the lineage factor technology was unparalleled, but this surpassed all expectations.
"Master's wisdom is truly unfathomable!"
Genus nearly knelt to kiss Chu Yang's shoes in reverence, though Chu Yang wasn't interested in such displays.
The improved armor's firepower rivaled Genos' incineration cannons, but its durability required unique materials. Vibranium wasn't readily available in this world. Thankfully, certain monster exoskeletons could meet the requirements.
Thus, the monster-hunting plan became imperative.
Meanwhile, Saitama and Genos passed the Hero Association's test. However, Saitama's last-place ranking in Class C left him visibly displeased—especially when he saw Sonic ranked second-to-last.
"Damn it! Why is that weird ninja bastard ranked ahead of me?" Saitama's bald head throbbed with frustration.
"Apparently, his mission completion rate is abysmally low, just enough to avoid being kicked out," Genos explained.
"That guy's strong, though. Why is his record so bad?" Saitama asked.
"He doesn't seem passionate about being a hero. It feels like he has other motives," Genos replied.
"What about his teacher? Where's he ranked?" Saitama asked, suddenly serious.
"A-class, Rank 1. He replaced Sweet Mask at the top."
Genos' tone turned strange.
"No way! That guy isn't S-class? Are all S-class heroes that strong?" Saitama was shocked.
"Probably not. Like you, his rating likely doesn't reflect his true strength."
As they discussed Sonic and Chu Yang, they heard a cry for help while passing an old park.
Saitama immediately dashed toward the park, eager to raise his ranking. Meanwhile, fleeing civilians bypassed him to seek help from Genos, mistaking him for the stronger hero.
"Hey! I'm a hero too! You can ask me for help!" Saitama protested.
"Don't joke around! Move aside!" a middle-aged woman snapped impatiently.
Saitama clenched his fists silently, veins bulging on his bald head.
"This huge gap between S-class and C-class…" he muttered with a resentful tone, heading toward the park alone.
Within the park, Sonic was already fighting a horde of brown-skinned underground monsters. Though vastly outnumbered, Sonic's speed and newfound ninjutsu turned the tide. His use of Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation incinerated the monsters in a fiery inferno, leaving even Genos and Saitama speechless.
As Sonic lamented accidentally turning the bodies into ash—contrary to Chu Yang's orders—Saitama approached, curiosity brimming.
"How did you do that? Spitting fire—is that a superpower?"
"Are you a monster too?" Saitama teased.
"You're the monster!" Sonic snapped, glaring at him.
Sonic glared at him in annoyance. "This is a ninjutsu taught by my master! Only a shinobi can learn it. What would you know?"
Saitama seemed to have discovered a whole new world, and Genos's eyes also lit up with interest.
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