Turning God Tree

Several months after the Technology Development Department was established.

"I found that I still underestimated you, Kagetsu." Orochimaru stood inside the newly renovated Technology Development Department, studying the strange plant with intense interest in his eyes.

"Orochimaru Sensei's research data saved me a lot of trouble." Kagetsu looked at the plant born under his hands, feeling the satisfaction of seeing a burst of inspiration brought to life.

The plant before them stood over three meters tall, its roots deeply embedded in the ground. The lines of its trunk and branches were twisted yet powerfully resilient.

Fine patterns resembling Cursed Seals covered its pale trunk, while a faint human face seemed to emerge from within the tree.

"I never expected you to use grafting and fruiting to weaken the assimilative power of the First Hokage Cells. Compared to those so-called Hashirama Test Subjects, your creation can truly be called a masterpiece."

That was what Orochimaru said, and what he genuinely thought. Kagetsu's research had indeed opened a new door for him, expanding his horizons beyond the realm of human experimentation.

"It hasn't succeeded yet." Kagetsu shook his head.

"Only the final step remains, doesn't it?" Orochimaru smiled. "I've already sent word for Fugaku to bring several Uchiha Jonin."

The two watched the special tree cultivated primarily from Hashirama Cells in silence.

But that silence was soon interrupted by the arrivals.

Several swift figures flashed through the doorway. Leading them was Uchiha Fugaku, accompanied by several powerful Uchiha clansmen. Shisui followed at Fugaku's side.

"Orochimaru-sama." Uchiha Fugaku greeted Orochimaru first, but he and the clan's Jonin were immediately drawn to the tree at the center of the laboratory.

"This is..." Fugaku sensed a surging vitality from the tree.

"This is what I promised the Uchiha Clan," Orochimaru said.

Fugaku's eyes lit up. He instinctively looked at Orochimaru, his face filled with excitement. He wanted to ask something, yet seemed to have some concern and held back.

"What do we need to do?" Fugaku suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked Orochimaru.

"We need the ocular power of the Sharingan. In other words, the ultimate Yin Release Power represented by the Sharingan."

At Orochimaru's signal, Kagetsu stepped forward and instructed the Uchiha Jonin Fugaku had brought on what to do.

After hearing the procedure, the Uchiha Jonin all turned to their Clan Head. Once Fugaku nodded in agreement, they followed Kagetsu's instructions, activated their Sharingan, and pressed their palms tightly against the tree.

"My Chakra is being devoured by this tree!"

The expressions of the Uchiha Jonin changed almost instantly. Yet their palms seemed stuck to the trunk. They felt sharp spikes pierce the skin of their hands, devouring their Chakra along with their flesh and blood.

They could not stop that powerful devouring force at all. At that moment, they could even sense that the tree was alive—a strange life-form somewhere between plant and animal.

"Don't worry. This is normal. It's taking samples from you. The process will stop once your bodies reach their limits. It won't devour you completely." Kagetsu reassured Fugaku, who looked tense and seemed ready to act, as well as the Jonin.

Within a few minutes, the three Uchiha Jonin who had arrived full of vigor had turned pale, broken out in cold sweat, and felt as though they were severely dehydrated.

Just as the three Jonin could no longer bear the massive loss of their Chakra, the terrifying devouring force in their palms suddenly weakened significantly.

The three Jonin could even vaguely sense through their Chakra that the tree before them had let out a small burp.

When the suction from their palms finally began to fade, the three Jonin immediately tore their hands free from the trunk. Their bodies swayed as they staggered several steps back.

"Is this really an experiment that can help us evolve our Sharingan?" One of the Jonin, Uchiha Minghuo, glared at Kagetsu with a mix of anger and frustration.

As Jonin, they had the right to participate in and be informed of clan affairs. Even though Fugaku was the Clan Head, he could not ignore the clan's Jonin in many matters.

Therefore, all the Uchiha Jonin knew about the collaboration with Orochimaru. Even if some had objections, Fugaku and his supporters had forcefully suppressed them with the argument that Wood Release had succeeded and the Uchiha had to consider the future.

Over the past few months, the Uchiha had poured a great deal of money into the Technology Development Department, to the point that it had even affected the training of their clansmen.

This caused Fugaku, as Clan Head, and the Jonin who had supported him from the beginning to feel subtle pressure from all sides within the clan.

When he received Orochimaru's notice, Fugaku had practically breathed a huge sigh of relief. He could firmly choose to stand with Orochimaru at the time, but if months of investment at any cost still produced nothing, he would undoubtedly face fierce questioning from within the clan—especially from the Hawk Faction led by Uchiha Setsuna.

He did not know whether this would succeed, but he was certainly the one on the scene who wanted it to succeed the most.

"Be patient."

Kagetsu and Orochimaru stood on opposite sides and began forming hand seals. Vast amounts of Chakra flowed from beneath their feet into the tree's roots.

Gulping sounds echoed through the laboratory, making everyone present shudder.

Under Fugaku and the others' astonished gazes, flowers rapidly bloomed from the tree's branches, followed by fruit. Three green, cherry-sized fruits hung from three separate branches, swaying gently before them.

"Based on where you're standing, each of you should pick the fruit that belongs to you," Kagetsu instructed the three somewhat bewildered Uchiha Jonin.

Prompted by Kagetsu, the three immediately followed his directions and carefully plucked the three cherry-sized green fruits. The instant they picked them, a certain familiar sensation from the fruits left them dazed.

Touching the fruit felt like touching a part of their own bodies.

"And then? Should we eat them?" Uchiha Minghuo held the fruit that belonged to him, eager to try it. He felt a special pull from the fruit in his hand, as though eating it would increase his strength.

"My advice is that you'd better not. It represents the other side of your emotions. Based on your thoughts and personality, it will create an incredibly realistic illusionary dream with a time limit.

If you can break through it, your ocular power will grow. If you cannot, then you will either become completely immersed in the dream, your mind extinguished; or suffer severe mental trauma, greatly reducing the possibility of your ocular power advancing in the future."