Uchiha Ao

Konoha.

A hidden corner.

The dark, damp air was filled with the stench of disinfectant.

A dim yellow light shone within the sealed laboratory.

Everything around was silent.

Snakes coiled in the shadows, closely monitoring movements from the outside.

An extremely important experiment was underway here.

Orochimaru conducted the experiment before him with a blank expression, his eyes revealing a hint of astonishment as a youthful voice reminded him of something.

"The failure of the First Hokage cell implantation experiment lies in cellular rejection? Cells from different human bodies are all unique... they will all produce rejection."

Orochimaru muttered to himself, silently savoring the words spoken by the youth and firmly imprinting them in his mind.

His hands never stopped moving, yet his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Finally, after the experiment concluded.

Orochimaru quickly recorded the experimental data and took all the data obtained to perform a rapid comparison.

"How do you know this knowledge? As far as I know, the Uchiha clan does not possess books on this subject..."

Orochimaru turned his head, a flush of red appearing on his cold, sinister face, his eyes revealing a sense of excitement.

He had completed an entire set of experiments based on the youth's description, successfully identifying a key human indicator—blood type!

By creating different serum antibodies, he verified the blood of every individual.

According to the youth's statement, the First Hokage's blood type was Type B.

This had been confirmed in the experiment just now.

His pair of golden slit pupils stared fixedly at the youth who had just spoken, as if locking onto prey, his gaze filled with scrutiny and—appreciation.

"Of course it was—practice! This is the experience I gained from dissecting thousands of mice."

"Senior Orochimaru, due to differences in genes, biological cells will produce significant rejection. The defense autonomously formed by human immune cells will treat these foreign cells as invading pathogens."

"This is the core concept—finding the cause of the rejection."

"As long as this problem is solved, it will be easy to make external cells fuse with the host."

"Achieving the experimental goal we desire."

"There are many factors for the failure of cell transplantation, mainly in four aspects... personnel, equipment, materials, methods, and environmental conditions. None of these can be ignored!"

"Based on the difficulties encountered in your experimental process."

"We can eliminate them one by one..."

"Your technique is certainly not the problem, personnel can be ruled out, the transplantation technique is not complex and does not require auxiliary precision equipment, the material is the top-tier Kekkei Genkai Wood Release cells, which is a difficulty..."

A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, wearing a dark blue Uchiha clan short-sleeved shirt, stood at the entrance of the laboratory, methodically explaining some brand-new experimental research concepts.

In the process of his description, he detailed more than thirty errors that had appeared in Orochimaru's experiment.

And that was him being lenient.

As a research drudge in the field of biotechnology.

Judging by the highest standards of biological experiments, the environment of Orochimaru's lab alone would be enough to invalidate the entire experiment.

His name was Uchiha Ao, a transmigrator. He was originally named Li Qing, a research dog in a biological laboratory.

He had been working overtime in a team tackling a vaccine for an extremely serious, global-scale microbial infectious disease.

After staying in the lab for ten days and ten nights, just as he was about to overcome the problem.

Suddenly, everything went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he had appeared in this world as an Uchiha clansman who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.

At this moment, he had just experienced the Nine-Tails Incident, and his predecessor had died in a small-scale riot.

When he transmigrated, it was the darkest hour for the Uchiha, who were facing suppression.

After discovering his situation.

He chose to jump ship immediately, abandoning the sinking ship of the Uchiha to defect to the Uchiha's greatest future "kind father"—Orochimaru!

This legendary ninja babysitter posed no threat to the Uchiha clan and could even leave behind a massive inheritance.

Orochimaru's luck and opportunities were unreliable.

But his credibility was beyond reproach.

Compared to the lunatics within the Uchiha clan, he was much more trustworthy.

"What is your purpose in finding me!?"

"I remember that your Uchiha clan has always looked down on us commoner ninjas. You are the first Uchiha clansman to take the initiative to find me."

Orochimaru stopped his movements, walked over with a sneer on his lips, and stepped aside from the laboratory bench.

He was very interested in the concepts described by this Uchiha brat.

However, a guy who showed up so easily to defect, while also speaking about key issues in his ongoing experiments, naturally made him feel a deep sense of vigilance.

This caused a strong sense of wariness to well up in his heart.

Who exactly had leaked his experimental intelligence?

The image of Danzo subconsciously surfaced in his mind.

Only he knew his experiments the best.

This kid—was he an eye sent by Danzo?

Orochimaru sized up Uchiha Ao, and an invisible pressure spread from his body, causing ripples to appear in the empty air.

It was an aura formed by the eruption of chakra.

The killing intent of a top-tier Kage-level powerhouse descended upon the boy.

Even an elite Jonin would have their courage shattered when facing Orochimaru's aura.

The power formed by this tangible aura seemed as if it would crush a person directly.

Facing this aura head-on, Uchiha Ao showed not a hint of timidity; he walked straight up to Orochimaru and said with a firm gaze, "Senior Orochimaru, I have loved doing experimental research since I was a child, and I have always heard that your attainments in ninjutsu research are extremely high, so I want to learn from you..."

"Those foolish guys in the Uchiha clan aren't even worth a second glance from me."

An Uchiha test subject who defected on his own initiative.

And one with many novel concepts in his head.

Orochimaru was fiercely tempted.

"Follow me? Then do you know... that the students I have taken in the past never met a good end!?"

Although tempted, Orochimaru still said words meant to drive people away, despite his true feelings.

This was a habit he had developed over many years.

He would not easily develop feelings for people; he only had a need for tools.

Ever since the First Hokage's grandson, Nawaki, died under his watch, Orochimaru had never properly mentored a student again.

He only had a few children brought back from the orphanage who followed him around to act as laborers and test subjects, never taking on any other students.

The only student he had on the record was a girl with decent talent whom he was forced to take in under pressure from his teacher.

He treated her as a direct disciple on the surface.

In reality, it was to eliminate some of his teacher's concerns and avoid suspicion.

Although the initial purpose was impure, the years of getting along had made him accustomed to training such a disciple.

He had no intention of taking on another student.

What's more, this student was an Uchiha clansman currently at the center of the village's political vortex.

"Senior Orochimaru... that is because they had no value to be utilized, but I am different... I can help you complete the experimental goals you require."

"Furthermore, I am an Uchiha clansman and can provide rare Uchiha Sharingan samples."

Uchiha Ao laid out all of his advantages.

"Uchiha samples? You..."

Orochimaru chuckled, took off his gloves, and tossed them into a trash can nearby.

Then, he took off his white lab coat, hung it on a wooden hook on the wall, opened the laboratory door, and walked out.

He had checked Uchiha Ao's background.

An Uchiha clansman who hadn't even awakened the Sharingan was actually swearing to provide Sharingan samples in front of him, which made him feel it was quite ridiculous.

Where did a piece of trash that even the Uchiha didn't want get the confidence to say such things!?

"I can give you a chance..."

Orochimaru's voice drifted in from outside the door.

"There is an important experiment coming up... if you can succeed, I can take you on as an assistant."