Pseudo God Tree

The messenger spoke to Uchiha Akira with some urgency: "Ming, Shentian Bio Research Institute sent word for you to come over. The person in charge there is looking for you; it seems there's some matter to attend to."

Uchiha Akira looked toward Uchiha Mikoto and said, "Sister Mikoto, I'll head over there first."

Uchiha Mikoto naturally knew what was happening at Shentian Bio Research Institute, so she replied, "Go ahead. I'll handle things with Kushina."

Upon arriving at Shentian Bio Research Institute, Uchiha Akira headed straight for the office of Yakushi Nonō.

Entering her office, Uchiha Akira's gaze was immediately drawn to a vibrant green potted plant about fifty or sixty centimeters tall sitting on her desk.

It was a small tree, lush with foliage and brimming with an incredibly dense aura of life.

Yakushi Nonō stood to the side, quietly observing the small tree.

"This tree... such a dense life force... and this chakra..."

Uchiha Akira instinctively activated his Sharingan, his eyes narrowing as a look of surprise crossed his face.

"Jonin Ming." Seeing Uchiha Akira enter, Yakushi Nonō greeted him.

"The branch I gave you has sprouted?" Uchiha Akira examined the small tree in the pot closely.

That Yakushi Nonō had managed to revitalize the tissue of the Demonic Statue and make it sprout was something he had not anticipated.

"You could say that." Yakushi Nonō nodded, looking at the potted plant on the desk with a strange expression. "Jonin Ming, what you gave me wasn't just some tree branch, was it? It must be the flesh and blood of some creature, right?"

Uchiha Akira glanced at her, nodded, and said, "That's right. You're correct; it isn't a tree branch, but rather something formed from the flesh and blood of a creature."

Having received his confirmation, Yakushi Nonō realized, "No wonder. Using methods for cultivating biological tissue is what allowed it to sprout and revive."

Then, Yakushi Nonō glanced toward the door before whispering, "It wouldn't be the flesh and blood of the First Hokage, would it?"

Uchiha Akira chuckled. "No, you can rest easy."

"That's a relief." Yakushi Nonō let out a sigh.

After days of research, the various characteristics the branch displayed made it impossible for her not to associate it with Hashirama Senju Cells.

The overwhelming vitality, the ability to absorb chakra, the rapid growth rate, the powerful healing capabilities, the extreme aggression, and the derived Wood Release traits—these qualities were identical to what she knew of the First Hokage's cells.

"Why would you think this was formed from the First Hokage's flesh? Are its characteristics really that similar to his?" Uchiha Akira asked curiously.

"It's no longer just a matter of similarity." Yakushi Nonō gave a bitter smile. "When I began the research, I even suspected this was something mutated from the First Hokage's own body tissue."

"In other words, the characteristics this thing displays are consistent with the First Hokage's flesh?" Uchiha Akira looked at her in surprise.

"I wouldn't say consistent." Yakushi Nonō pondered for a moment. "I participated in the First Hokage's cell transplant experiments back in Root; this thing feels more like an enhanced version of the First Hokage's cells."

"So, compared to the First Hokage's cells, the flesh I gave you is even stronger?" Uchiha Akira asked, as if confirming the fact.

"That is essentially how it can be understood." Yakushi Nonō nodded. "Of course, we haven't fully researched it yet, but based on the characteristics displayed so far, it can indeed be called a more powerful version of Hashirama Senju Cells."

Uchiha Akira said thoughtfully, "That means if one were to successfully transplant these cells, they could also obtain Wood Release?"

"Theoretically, yes." Yakushi Nonō nodded, then cautioned, "However, judging by the nature of these cells, the difficulty of transplantation is even higher than that of the First Hokage's cells."

"Furthermore, I have already conducted corresponding transplant experiments on animals, and without exception, they all failed," Yakushi Nonō added.

Yakushi Nonō said with a grave tone, "More importantly, these are just the findings from preliminary research. This thing is not limited to the characteristics it has shown; it possesses even more hidden aspects."

Uchiha Akira nodded slowly; he knew why Yakushi Nonō was saying all this.

Her goal was to dissuade Uchiha Akira from stepping into forbidden territory, much like Konoha had done in the past, conducting human experiments to obtain Wood Release.

As the premier clan of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan controlled the Police Force; if they were to conduct human experiments in secret, they could certainly keep it hidden for a long time.

At this moment, Uchiha Akira stared at the green tree on the desk with his scarlet Sharingan and said in a deep voice, "Isn't it growing a bit too fast?"

In the short time they had been talking, the small tree in the pot had shot up by more than ten centimeters—growing faster than bamboo.

Upon hearing his words, Yakushi Nonō quickly turned to look at the desk, then exclaimed in surprise, "It definitely wasn't growing this fast before! What is happening?"

"The chakra in the tree is increasing, gathering toward the top! Where is this chakra coming from?"

Uchiha Akira muttered to himself, and as if realizing something, he whispered, "Perhaps it is about to bloom and bear fruit."

"Bloom and bear fruit?" Yakushi Nonō looked at Uchiha Akira in confusion, not knowing how he had reached that conclusion.

Though puzzled, Yakushi Nonō did not stop her movements. Her hands glowed with green light as she pressed them against the trunk to sense it carefully.

Then, the moment her glowing hands touched the trunk, the green chakra light was pulled and devoured as if by an invisible vortex, vanishing instantly.

Yakushi Nonō let out a cry of alarm, jerked her hand back, and stared at the small tree in the pot with uncertainty, murmuring:

"Although it could absorb chakra before, it never reached this extent..."

"Let's just watch for now." Uchiha Akira spoke, stopping Yakushi Nonō from taking further action.

Hearing Uchiha Akira's words, Yakushi Nonō withdrew her hand. At Shentian Bio Research Institute, Uchiha Akira was the one in charge.

One minute, two minutes...

Ten minutes passed, and the small tree in the pot had grown to about a meter tall.

At the top of the lush main stem, a deep purple flower bud the size of a fist emerged.

As time passed, the purple bud bloomed bit by bit, finally revealing a dark red fruit the size of an infant's fist.

The fruit was entirely dark red, with black tomoe-like lines faintly visible on its surface.

Yakushi Nonō looked at the dark red fruit atop the tree in the basin, then turned to Uchiha Akira in astonishment: "It actually blossomed and bore fruit!"

Uchiha Akira was not all that surprised. He looked at Yakushi Nonō and said, "Study this fruit and see what it does. It might have some unusual properties."

He certainly did not believe this was a true God Tree fruit; that was clearly impossible.

This was merely a product cultivated from the shed bodily tissues of the Demonic Statue.

If one were to infuse this sapling with the chakra of the nine Tailed Beast, allowing it to bloom and fruit once more, perhaps its yield would possess certain characteristics of a chakra fruit.

As it stood, it was at most some kind of fruit with special effects.