Uchiha Ao

Konoha.

A hidden corner.

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

A dim yellow lamp glowed inside the sealed laboratory.

Silence reigned all around.

Snakes coiled in the shadows, closely watching what was happening outside.

An extremely important experiment was underway here.

Orochimaru conducted the experiment before him without expression. A young voice sounded in his ear, offering a reminder, and astonishment showed in his eyes.

"The First Hokage Cells implantation experiment failed because of cell rejection? The cells of different people are different... and they all cause rejection."

Orochimaru murmured to himself, quietly turning over the boy's words in his mind and committing them to memory.

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

At last, the experiment came to an end.

Orochimaru quickly recorded the experimental data, then took all the results and made a rapid comparison.

"How do you know all this? As far as I know, the Uchiha don't have any books on this subject..."

Orochimaru turned around. A flush appeared on his cold face, and his eyes betrayed his excitement.

Following the boy's explanation, he had carried out a complete set of experiments and successfully identified a key human-body indicator—blood type!

By producing different serum antibodies, he had tested everyone's blood.

According to the boy, the First had type B blood.

The experiment just now had confirmed it.

His golden, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on the boy who had just spoken, as if he were a prey. His gaze was filled with scrutiny—and admiration.

"Of course it's from—practice! It's what I've learned from dissecting thousands upon thousands of rats."

"Senior Orochimaru, because of differences in their genes, cells from different organisms can cause a powerful rejection response. The defenses formed by the human body's immune cells will identify unfamiliar cells as foreign pathogens."

"That's the core principle—find out what causes rejection."

"As long as we solve that problem, we can easily make foreign cells fuse with the host."

"And achieve the experimental results we need."

"There are many reasons why cell transplants fail. The main factors are personnel, equipment, materials, methods, and environmental conditions. Not a single one can be ignored!"

"Based on the difficulties you encountered during the experiment..."

"We can rule them out one by one..."

"Your technique is definitely not the problem. We can rule out personnel. The transplant procedure isn't complicated, and it doesn't require precision equipment. The material is the top-tier Wood Release Kekkei Genkai cells. That's one difficulty..."

A twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy stood by the laboratory entrance in a dark blue Uchiha Clan shirt, explaining a set of entirely new ideas about experimental research in a methodical manner.

As he spoke, he also described in detail more than thirty mistakes Orochimaru had made during the experiment.

That was him going easy on Orochimaru.

As a lab grunt in the field of biotechnology, he judged experiments by the highest biological research standards. Just the conditions in Orochimaru's lab were enough to invalidate the entire experiment.

His name was Uchiha Ao. He was a transmigrator. In his previous life, he had been called Li Qing, a research dog in a biology lab.

He had been working overtime as part of a team trying to develop a vaccine for a severe, global infectious disease caused by microorganisms.

He had spent ten days and ten nights in the lab. Just as they were about to overcome the final obstacle...

His vision suddenly went black. When he opened his eyes again, he was in this world, a member of the Uchiha Clan who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.

The Nine-Tails Incident had just taken place, and his predecessor had died in a small-scale conflict.

He had arrived at the darkest point of the Uchiha Clan's persecution.

Once he realized his situation...

The first thing he did was jump ship, abandon the sinking Uchiha Clan, and throw in his lot with Orochimaru, the Uchiha's greatest future benefactor!

This legendary shinobi nanny posed no threat to the Uchiha Clan and would even leave people a large inheritance.

Orochimaru's luck and opportunities were unreliable.

But his word was good.

He was more trustworthy than that bunch of lunatics in the Uchiha Clan.

"What are you after?"

"I remember the Uchiha Clan has always looked down on us civilian shinobi. You're the first Uchiha to seek me out."

Orochimaru stopped what he was doing and walked over with a faint sneer, making room at the laboratory table.

He was very interested in the ideas this Uchiha brat had described.

But someone who had come to offer his services so readily—and was telling him about the key problems in the very experiment he was researching—couldn't help but make him deeply wary.

Who had leaked the details of his experiment?

Danzo's face surfaced in his mind.

He was the only one who knew the most about his experiments.

Was this kid... an informant sent by Danzo?

Orochimaru sized up Uchiha Ao. An invisible pressure spread from him, making the air ripple.

It was the aura produced by an eruption of Chakra.

The killing intent of a top Kage Level shinobi settled on the boy.

Even an Elite Jonin would have been terrified by Orochimaru's presence.

The force of his tangible aura seemed ready to crush anyone outright.

Uchiha Ao faced that pressure without a trace of fear. He walked right up to Orochimaru and said with a determined look, "Senior Orochimaru, I've loved doing experiments ever since I was little. I've always heard that your research into ninjutsu is exceptional, so I want to learn from you..."

"Those foolish Uchiha aren't worth a second glance."

An Uchiha test subject had come to him of his own accord.

And he had plenty of novel ideas rattling around in his head.

Orochimaru was sorely tempted.

"Learn from me? Then do you know... that none of the students I've taught ever had a good ending?"

Though tempted, Orochimaru still said something discouraging, pretending he didn't want the boy.

It was a habit he had cultivated over many years.

He never formed attachments easily; he only had use for tools.

Ever since Nawaki, the First's grandson, had died at his hands...

Orochimaru had never properly taught another student.

He had only taken a few children from the orphanage to serve as laborers and test subjects. He had never accepted another student.

The only student he officially had was a talented girl he'd been forced to take on under his teacher's pressure.

Officially, he was raising her as his personal disciple.

In reality, he'd done it to put his teacher's mind at ease and avoid drawing suspicion.

Though his intentions had been impure at first...

Over the years, he had grown accustomed to teaching her.

He had no desire to take on another student.

Especially not one who was an Uchiha, right at the center of the village's political struggles.

"Senior Orochimaru... they had no value to you. I'm different... I can help you achieve the experimental results you're after."

"Besides, I'm an Uchiha. I can provide you with rare Sharingan samples."

Uchiha Ao laid out all his advantages.

"Uchiha samples? You..."

Orochimaru gave a quiet laugh, took off his gloves, and tossed them into the trash can.

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

He had looked into Uchiha Ao's background.

The boy hadn't even awakened his Sharingan, yet he had confidently promised to provide Sharingan samples. Orochimaru found it ridiculous.

Where had a worthless Uchiha, unwanted even by his own clan, gotten the nerve to make such a promise?

"I can give you a chance..."

Orochimaru's voice came from outside the door.

"There's an important experiment coming up... If you can succeed, I'll take you on as an assistant."