While Xantrex had been away yesterday setting the bomb tags, Kazuma had gone off to check something out for himself. He should have been resting, but he'd found some valuable information. It was pure genius. Making sure to work quickly and get back to the Hideout before his mentors return, he got some more rest. Waking up the next day, today, he went to Xantrex's room and knocked on the door. He felt like a genius beyond his years, but it was up to Xantrex to determine whether or not the information was accurate enough. Kazuma yawned. He was still tired, but he was feeling better. And more importantly, his wound was healing perfectly. Tomorrow he'd be on a mission to kill his sister and bring the other back as a test subject, so he needed to be at the top of his game. This was super important though.

Xantrex tapped a pencil on the side of his head, papers sprawled out over his desk, along with a couple test tubes. It was a simple enough thing to suspend the virus in time so it wouldn't age, at least, it was now that he could use his left arm for jutsu once more. Xantrex looked at the test tube, suspended in mid air in front of him, before jotting down a couple notes. While he'd gotten sleep the day before, he'd only given himself three hours the night after setting up the traps. When he heard a knock on the door, he didn't look up from his notes. "It's open," he called absently. It didn't really matter who it was. But if it was Krissy, he had a few traps up designed for her specific chakra signature. It would probably get him killed though. Xantrex tapped his pencil on the paper again. He'd experimented a bit on a rat earlier, and sped up the aging process a bit to get faster results, before putting the rodent into the maze. It took a while for it to find the food, but that was fine. Xantrex planned on putting the food in the same place everytime to test the thing's memory. Right now the rat was in it's cage on a shelf above his desk, along with a few other rats, running around and squeaking every now and then. For being reanimated, the damn thing sure was lively. There were no signs of excessive aggression, blindness, insanity, cannibalism, or isolation just yet, and it's vitals seemed entirely stable. There were no signs of memory loss either, but it was a bit to early to judge that.

Kazuma entered the room when Xantrex said it was open. Kazuma wasn't that brave. The Akatsuki were not friendly, even within their own group there was issues. Not that he didn't think there wasn't, he just thought that it would be a bit different. It is, he reminded himself. They're brutal. Kazuma sniffed. "I think I've got a solution to your problem," he stated, waiting for Xantrex to turn around. That usually got people's attention, hopefully it would work for Xantrex. At one time, he'd done that to his mother on her birthday. She was so caught up in work that she wouldn't turn until he told her that, and then it was a big surprise! Kazuma almost smiled at the memory, which he could have passed off as any old smile, because he was on to something here.

Xantrex didn't turn around right away when Kazuma spoke again, but gave his notes a quick once over before turning his chair to look at his student. "Which problem?" he asked with a grin. He didn't really mind being interrupted right now. Progress was being made and that was always a good thing. And Kazuma said that he had a solution to something that he had yet to reveal. Just what had this boy thought of?

Kazuma smiled carefully. "You still don't know how the Magma won that fight right. Well I do." Kazuma was practically shaking with excitement. "You see, where you had a very well devised plan, it was quite genius in fact, nature had a different plan. Where it was very apparent that the Magma Pools were exhausted from the previous fight, a volcano erupted during the fight. The Magma however are very smart people. Instead of the magma from the volcano flowing into the villages, they flow into Magma chambers beneath the village so that the Magma Pools can be refilled. So in the process, the Magma Kage got stronger. That's why they were able to win. It wasn't your fault, it was just bad luck." Kazuma took a deep breath. "Had that not happened, there jutsu would have been exhausted, and the Akatsuki would have won."

Xantrex looked at Kazuma, blinking as the boy explained. "Where did you find this out?" he asked. He sounded quite surprised by the information, almost to the point of looking impressed. He wasn't sure if this would help with convincing Deidara, but if the kid got it from a good enough source, it sure as hell was worth a shot. It might even get him off Death Row. This was...actually brilliant. Fantastic actually. If this panned out...

Kazuma couldn't help but silently cheer in his head at the look on Xantrex's face. They looked surprised, and he never looked surprise. Kazuma gave an almost mischievous smile before he answered. "The Magma Village." Since no one knew he was an Akatsuki member, and his parents just assumed him to be a runaway, Kazuma was free to go wherever he pleased without trouble. So when he'd asked the Magma Jonin about the war, they guy was eager to boast about how great the Magma Kage was. Kazuma faked his interest until he'd gotten the information he needed, and then he'd went around asking others the same question to make sure the story was accurate. He would have went into the Chambers himself, but it was excruciatingly hot in the Magma, and he didn't know how to get down there. Kazuma had just done what no order Akatsuki could do. Walk freely amongst the villages without a disguise and gain intelligence.

Xantrex raised an eyebrow at Kazuma. "When did you have the time to go there?" He shook his head. "Nevermind. Are you telling me you just waltz right in there and asked around?" This didn't sound much like a concept that the Mad Scientist believed. But if that was really what happened, then Deidara might've ended up using Kazuma for more than just simple search and destroy missions. Xantrex guessed that was fine, so long as Kazuma didn't get killed in the process. He sat back in his chair. So it was just a bout of bad luck...

Kazuma shrugged. "Yesterday when you were gone. I was a bit bored, and I knew it was bugging you, so I thought I'd check into it." He said honestly. Kazuma crossed his arms behind his back. "Pretty much," he answered. Waltz right in there. That was a funny way of putting it. He was such a kid. "That's all I wanted," he told him. "I'll be heading back to my room now." He didn't want to overstay his welcome.

He'd been bored? The kid was still injured. What the hell had he been thinking? Xantrex shrugged. "Thanks kid." He wondered when a good time to tell this to Deidara would be. It would actually probably be easier for Kazuma to tell him, it would save Xantrex the issue of getting his ass kicked again, but he didn't want to put the kid in fron of Deidara's wrath. Not just yet anyways. The way Kazuma's personality was, it was bound to happen sometime. When Kazuma turned to leave, Xantrex watched him for a moment before speaking again. "Bring me one of those rats you used the memory jutsu on, willya?" he said, before turning back in his chair to look at the notes again. The bugs in the formula had been fixed, but something still seemed off to Xantrex. What is it...? What's wrong this time...?

Kazuma nodded and headed out, stopping when Xantrex told him to bring a rat. "Okay." Kazuma went back to his room and looked at the five rats he had on the shelf. "Hey little guys. Look like today's the big day." He pulled the one from the middle after giving it a quick exam and then hurried back to Xantrex. He held the cage out towards the blond haired man. "Here." A slight pause. "How's the SSP Drug coming along?" He asked.

Xantrex wasn't much aware of how much time passed between Kazuma leaving and coming back, but it seemed much too short a time. Xantrex took the cage and loked at the rat for a moment before putting it on the desk and leaning back in his chair at Kazuma's question. He scratched the side of his head lightly. "It seems to be going well for the moment. I've had the first rat enfused with the drug for about..." He paused. "Eight hours or so thusfar, and there's been no negative side effects yet..." He sighed. "But that's what worries me. It can't possibly be this simple. The only thing I've noticed in the rat is slight hyperactivity soon after it was reanimated." He looked at the rat that Kazuma had just brought it. "There's something missing, something I can't see. There has to be." In contrast with how Xantrex had acted only days before, now he was acting as the scientist that everyone thought him to be. This was how he worked, how he functioned. How he got things done.

Kazuma gave Xantrex a look when he stated he was missing something. So he's looking for a problem... "Can I see some of the paperwork, and the rat," he asked. "Maybe I can find what's missing." Kazuma was sure Xantrex had ran all kinds of test on the rat, but it wouldn't hurt to double check. He wasn't questioning Xantrex's work, but he had nothing better to do. So why not help out where he could. Then he came up with a conclusion. "Maybe it just needs more time to kick in. None of the subjects showed irregular signs in the first 24 hours after the injection," he stated lightly. "Maybe give it another day or two." Even with that input, he still wanted to see what Xantrex had come up with.

Xantrex looked at Kazuma as he asked to see the paperwork and the rat. Standing up, he grabbed the cage with all the rats in it and placed it next to the cage with Kazuma's rat. "It's the one running around in the middle," he pointed out. "As for the paperwork...well, it's all here." He motioned to the desk where the papers were all spread out. Xantrex didn't mind treating the kid like an equal when it came to things like this. Hell, the kid was the one who'd worked out most of the remaining bugs anyways.

Kazuma almost cringed at the scattered papers on Xantrex's desk. It was no wondered he couldn't find what was missing. Didn't Xantrex ever hear of organization? Kazuma went over to the cages and pulled out Xantrex's hyperactive rat as well as some of the papers off of Xantrex's desk. Spreading them out on the floor, he took a seat indian style and begin to read over them. When he found nothing out of the ordinary he looked at the rat. Let's see what's up with you. Kazuma examined the rat closely, checking for any signs that would make him different. Pulling a miniature flashlight out of his pocket he ran the light across the rodents eyes. Nothing wrong there. So he went to test taste, hearing, and smell. Still nothing out of the ordinary. Kazuma sighed and tried feeling, by giving the rat a light pinch, which in return he was bit. Kazuma snatched back his hand with a barely inaudible "Ow." He could have sworn the thing smirked at him. "Xantrex," he said clearing his throat. "Does it ever say anything about increased intelligence in the documentations," he asked. He didn't recall seeing anything like that, but he may have missed something, so he wanted to double check. He looked at the rat and then turned it over on it's back and checked it's heart rate by using his thumb. It was slightly higher than a normal rat's heartbeat, considering it was reanimated. "I wished we could have gotten some pictures of what the normal genetic code looked like, so we could know if there was a mutation occurring or not. Unfortunately the only picture of any genetic change is the mutation that occurred in Five." Kazuma sighed. He was starting to agree with Xantrex. Something was missing, but what.

Xantrex sat on the edge of his bed and watched Kazuma do a variety of tests on the reanimated rat. He'd done all of it before, but there was nothing wrong with second tests. Or third. Or fourth. Tests were what science thrived on. He nearly smirked as the rat bit Kazuma. "Hm?" He asked casually as Kazuma called him. "Not really. But I'd assume that there would be. Technically speaking, the drug isn't doing anything usual to the host, only unlocking it's full potential. After all, we as humans only use about ten percent of the things that our brain is truly capable of performing. The scientists in the Stealth didn't phrase it as such, but I'm sure that's what they were trying to do." Now the question remained, why were the subjects incapable of using more than ten percent? Why did it produce such heinous side effects? He nodded when Kazuma said he wished they had a picture of the original genetic code looked like. He agreed on that one.

Kazuma hadn't thought of that. "So, what i-nevermind." Kazuma realized how stupid that question was going to be so he stopped before he could do any real damage. The Stealth had succeeded in producing two healthy Super Soldiers and although Jutsumaster had said nothing about whether or not they were still stable, he believed they were. Kazuma wondered if he could make a trip there and search for anymore records, but he knew the chances of him finding anything was slim to none. The Project was a secret to everyone but the scientist. Kazuma sighed. They didn't even have a list of who had participated in the program. So many dead ends.

Xantrex tilted his head a bit when Kazuma started to ask a question, frowning as he stopped. "What were you going to ask? Go on, spit it out. Every question thought of by an intelligent mind is worth being thought aloud," he said. Besides, even if the question was not one with a great answer, it could always inspire better questions once said aloud. That was how Xantrex thought, anyways.

Kazuma quickly shook his head. "Not that one." He looked down at the rat who seemed to have settled down a bit. Kazuma petted it on the head and looked up at Xantrex. "I was going to ask. If we only to use about 10% of our brains, and the SSP Drug is suppose to allow us to do more, but it keeps failing, what if we're not meant to use that other 90%. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't want to go through with this, but all the experiments, minus two individuals have failed to come through without flaws." Kazuma looked back down at the rat. "What if those two were just flukes? What do they have in common that the others do not?"

Xantrex wasn't going to argue with the kid on an unspoken question right about now. He nodded at the boy's next question though. "I was thinking the same thing. Maybe humans haven't evolved enough yet to be able to use the other 90%. That being said, all we're doing is trying to speed up the process." He smiled. "We just have to figure out what modifications have to be made so that the other 90% is available for use," he explained. Oh how he did love science and puzzles and riddles. Xantrex nearly leaned back again, but remembered that he was sitting on his bed, not in his chair. "There's no flukes in science, just explanations." He took a breath. "What indeed..." he mumbled. Crossing his arms over his legs and leaning forward, he began tapping his finger on the side of his leg. "There's countless factors...blood type, original personality type, their genetic coding..." he mumbled, half to himself. His yellow eyes were pratically shining. He always enjoyed this part of science.

Kazuma paused for a very long time. Slowly he turned and looked at Xantrex. "Modifications can vary depending on our approach, right? What if we actually modify the brain itself," he suggested. "But instead of working on the brain as a whole, we work on specific parts, like the Parietal Lobe." Kazuma rocked back and forth, forgetting he had the rat in his hand. "If we can find a way to...trigger that other 90% before inserting the SSP Drug, then maybe the effects will be better." Kazuma knew it was a long shot because he was implying brain surgery, but it was worth a try.

Xantrex looked at Kazuma as he started speaking, still tapping his finger on the side of his knee. The tapping started slowing as Kazuma spoke, before coming to a complete halt altogether. "That's one hell of a idea. Knew there was a reason I picked you," he said with a grin before sitting upright again. "Hm. Brain surgery. The only reason that hadn't been done before is due to ethical reasons. That's not much trouble here. I like it. Of course, now stands in our way the issue of how to unlock that other 90%," he said. He'd never been happier to have a student on board, or at least someone who could follow his train of thought without complaining about the things he was going to experiment on.

Kazuma smiled. I have my moments, he thought to himself when Xantrex said he picked him for a reason. Kazuma motioned to all of the rats. "That's not a problem either," he told him. "All we have to do is alter different parts on each rat and monitor them throughout the next few days. Run several test on them, memory, sense of smell, and hearing. The basic stuff. Those who react faster run the possibility of unlocking that 90% can have several advanced test run on them, like agility and advanced brain activity."

Xantrex couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "You're on a roll today, kid," he said as Kzuma suggested they alter the rats. That would be fine. And it wasn't that hard an issue to gather more if a couple of them died. There were always rats lurking around the villages. Xantrex stopped for a moment. It wouldn't be too much of a task to just gather a couple rogue ninja after this was all over to use for testing as well. "Alright," he started with a nod. "I'll get things set up. If you need more sleep, I suggest you get it. We set out tomorrow to go get your sisters."

Kazuma felt on top of the world right now. He really was on a roll. It was amazing what a little bit of sleep could do for a person. I use at least 20% of my brain, he thought conceitedly. His blue eyes shinned brightly as he got up, rat in hand. "We can start with a plain rat without the drug and then one with the drug. To see which one has the better result." Kazuma placed the rat back in the cage and then yawned. "See ya tomorrow." Kazuma put the papers back on the table. His brain had already photo copied most of it, so he'd more than likely run the papers through his head until he fell asleep. Tomorrow would be a day that he'd never forget, so he'd need all the sleep he could get. With that Kazuma left out the room.