Uchiha Qingguang

Konohagakure, Root Laboratory.

An Uchiha with bare arms lay on the cold operating table, his limbs and even his neck firmly secured by metal restraints.

Uchiha Qingguang was about to become an experimental subject. This uncomfortable sensation caused him to subconsciously activate his Sharingan.

It was this unusual change that caught Orochimaru's attention. "Qingguang-kun, I suggest you temporarily deactivate your Sharingan."

"The excessively strong Yin Release Chakra energy will make it difficult for me to control the dosage, and it's highly likely to cause the surgery to fail."

"If Qingguang-kun regrets it now, there's still time."

Facing Orochimaru's kind reminder, Qingguang shook his head slightly. When he opened his eyes again, the Sharingan had been replaced by black pupils.

"Senior Orochimaru, I will be careful."

"As for giving up, please don't say such things, Senior. If I back down now, it would undoubtedly tarnish the Will of Fire passed down by my father."

"And it would be a disservice to Lord Danzo's expectations and trust."

After speaking, Qingguang turned his head and looked through the glass window at the man outside the operating room—Danzo.

Sensing the intense fervor and loyalty in Qingguang's gaze, Danzo felt an even greater appreciation for this young man.

Kagami, Qingguang is truly your son. He's even more outstanding than you were, not deceived by Hiruzen's hypocritical facade.

He felt his own Sharingan, sealed beneath his bandages, grow hotter.

Qingguang was currently one of the top young geniuses in the Uchiha clan. If the Wood Release could be successfully experimented on him...

Then it would inevitably be replicable on himself!

Suppressing the craving in his heart, Danzo nodded at Qingguang, his eyes full of admiration. "Qingguang, the current ninja world situation is dire, and war could break out at any moment. Our Konoha's Jinchuriki have yet to mature."

"Wood Release is our last hope right now."

Danzo's words were filled with such worry for Konoha that it almost overflowed, as if Qingguang were the sole savior, Konoha's only hope.

He was the chosen one destined to become a pillar of Konoha's future.

Qingguang took a deep breath, adjusting his emotions.

This old bastard's acting skills are truly convincing.

If I weren't a transmigrator, I would probably be completely fooled and willingly become his and Orochimaru's lab rat for Wood Release, even serving them like a horse or a dog.

However, all of this is just to reset my stats.

He lost his father before he was born, his mother died in childbirth. He was intelligent from a young age, learned to read at two, began studying scrolls from his father Kagami's belongings at four, extracted chakra at five, learned the Three Body Technique and mastered the Great Fireball at six, and graduated early ahead of schedule at eight during peacetime.

He became a Jonin at fourteen. Now, just past seventeen, Qingguang's strength had already reached the ceiling for an ordinary Uchiha.

Over the years, relying on the system's ability to repeatedly reset and reallocate his stats, Qingguang had pushed the Great Fireball to its absolute limit.

Unfortunately, the system's stat reset had its limitations.

The conventional five elements could be converted into each other, and chakra nature, form manipulation, Yin Release, and Yang Release could also be converted.

However, to reset stats across different tiers, it required a 10:1 exchange ratio.

Not to mention the evolution of the Sharingan, which required special Yin Release chakra—a Yin Release with a specific nature transformation.

The exchange rate for this was a staggering 100:1!

Qingguang's Three Tomoe was awakened only after years of learning and practicing the Great Fireball countless times.

As for evolving to Mangekyo...

That required 10,000 points of special Yin Release, meaning he'd have to learn the Great Fireball 1 million times.

He spent ten years, only accumulating 1,000 points at age sixteen. Would it take him a hundred years of practicing the Great Fireball to awaken the Mangekyo!?

Thus, Qingguang decisively gave up and decided to find another way.

Wood Release, like the Sharingan, was a Kekkei Genkai—even one of the top-tier Kekkei Genkai. According to the system's logic, it should also be exchangeable.

Whether it would succeed or not, Qingguang didn't know, which was why he felt a bit nervous lying here.

"Senior Orochimaru, let's begin."

Qingguang's expression was calm, his eyes resolute, ready to face death.

Come on, let me verify if my guess is correct!

"I understand."

Orochimaru picked up a prepared syringe, slightly pushing the plunger. A trace of pale green liquid oozed from the sharp, slender needle.

"Oh, right, Qingguang-kun."

"Anesthesia cannot be administered during the surgery. It might hurt a little, please bear with it."

As he spoke these words, the needle pierced Qingguang's skin and entered a vein in his neck.

(O_o)??

You didn't say that earlier?!

With no time to react, Qingguang felt his body instantly become scorching hot, veins bulging all over as if countless ants were gnawing at his body from the inside.

He struggled on the operating table, thrashing about.

Orochimaru had stuffed a towel in his mouth, fearing he might bite off his tongue in a moment of extreme exertion.

This symptom had appeared in other test subjects before.

In his agony, Qingguang mentally summoned the transparent system panel before him.

His pupils began to change uncontrollably, the Sharingan reappearing.

Come out, brother, if you don't come out now, I'm really going to die!

Just as he was about to pass out from the pain, the laboratory door suddenly slammed open with a loud noise.

CRASH!

A thick, black staff with golden ends flew through the air, smashing the metal door and landing at Danzo's feet.

Danzo immediately gripped a kunai in his other hand, assuming a combat stance. "Who's there!"

He turned and saw his old classmate, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hiruzen, how did you find this place?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Danzo. His gaze passed through the glass window, and he immediately saw Qingguang struggling on the operating table. Flames ignited within him, and he roared at Danzo, "I ordered the Wood Release project banned six months ago! How dare you continue it, even using this child Qingguang as a test subject? He's Kagami's only son!"

"How could you do this, after Kagami gave his life to cover our retreat!?"

He immediately rushed to the glass enclosure, knocking Danzo aside with a blow from his staff, and shouted to his most beloved disciple, "Stop the experiment immediately! No matter what, you must keep Qingguang alive!"

Orochimaru spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face. However, internally, he felt a surge of excitement, even exhilaration.

The data that had been on the verge of collapse was actually gradually recovering and stabilizing!

But what needed to be done now was to quell Teacher Sarutobi's anger, or rather, to prevent him from taking it out on him.

Orochimaru glanced at Danzo, who had fallen to the ground, and then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Teacher Sarutobi, Qingguang volunteered for the surgery. I even asked him again if he wanted to give up before we started, but he insisted."

"Moreover, it's too late to stop now. All the injections have been administered. We can only rely on his own fate now."