Orochimaru's Laboratory

The deep-night laboratory was permeated with the eerie scent of a mixture of medicinal fluids and blood.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi lay on the cold operating table.

Not far away, Orochimaru was gazing at him with those snake-like eyes.

"Are you certain, Yatsuhashi-kun?"

Despite having worked under Orochimaru for several years, his raspy voice still made Uchiha Yatsuhashi's heart tremble.

"Even though the experiment has yielded preliminary results, Hashirama Cells have never been tested on the Uchiha clan before. Your body might collapse, eventually turning into a large tree just like those failed experimental subjects of the First Hokage's cells..."

"Lord Orochimaru, please do not doubt my resolve!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi's voice was firm, forming a sharp contrast with his accelerating heartbeat.

"An interesting determination."

Even so, Orochimaru still paused for several seconds.

Only then did he inject a vial of diluted Hashirama Cells into Uchiha Yatsuhashi's body.

Obsessed with human experimentation, he was naturally curious about what would happen if the life force of the Senju clan were combined with the ocular power of the Uchiha clan.

It was just that Orochimaru could not bear to lose a top-tier research talent like Uchiha Yatsuhashi.

Following the injection of the Hashirama Cells, Uchiha Yatsuhashi gritted his teeth. At first, there was only a slight burning sensation, as if he had swallowed a mouthful of strong liquor.

But a few seconds later, that surge of chakra heat turned into a raging flame, rampaging through his body.

"Ugh--!"

A painful groan was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi felt something wriggling beneath his skin, as if it were struggling to burst out of his body the very next second.

He looked down and discovered with horror that many tiny wooden textures had already sprouted on his arms.

"Yatsuhashi-kun, it is beginning."

Orochimaru's voice was chillingly terrifying.

Far from retreating, he observed and recorded every change in Uchiha Yatsuhashi's body with meticulous care.

Subsequently, more wooden protrusions emerged from various parts of Yatsuhashi's body.

They grew rapidly, extending and branching out.

They were about to become real tree branches, and in many places, tender green buds and leaves had already appeared.

Agonizing pain surged like a tide, and Uchiha Yatsuhashi's consciousness began to blur.

He felt as if he were losing the boundaries of his body, merging into one with some ancient and wild life force.

However, just as these branches were frantically draining Uchiha Yatsuhashi's life force, a silver light flashed.

Orochimaru's hand rose and fell; the branches parasitizing Yatsuhashi were precisely severed.

Abnormal red and green blood flowed continuously from the cuts.

Orochimaru's movements were so fast they left only afterimages; one hand was cutting, while the other had already unfurled a medical scroll.

Thick, green healing chakra wrapped tightly around Uchiha Yatsuhashi's collapsing body like a living thing.

"Hold on, Yatsuhashi-kun. You are of the Uchiha clan; your will should be stronger than this."

Before the words had even faded, Orochimaru's movements suddenly stalled for an instant.

Deep within Uchiha Yatsuhashi's pupils, a faint, complex pattern quietly emerged.

But the pattern lasted for less than half a second before dissipating, as if it were merely an illusion.

Then, after an unknown amount of time, with Orochimaru's help, the collapse of Uchiha Yatsuhashi's body finally began to slow down.

He lay sprawled on the operating table, gasping for air.

"It is fortunate that only Hashirama Cells diluted several times over were injected."

Orochimaru put away the medical scroll and carefully observed and recorded Uchiha Yatsuhashi's condition.

"If the concentration had been any higher, even I might not have been able to do anything."

His gaze finally landed on Yatsuhashi's eyes.

Although those black eyes were bloodshot from pain, the pupils remained ordinary black, showing not the slightest sign of change.

A hint of obvious disappointment flickered in Orochimaru's eyes—not toward Yatsuhashi, but toward the experimental result itself.

"It is a pity, Uchiha Yatsuhashi. The Hashirama Cells have triggered a rejection response in your body. Although I barely managed to save your life, such a reckless experiment..."

He paused, "At the very least, it has overdrawn several years of your lifespan."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi propped his body up with trembling arms and gave a bitter smile.

"Lord Orochimaru, if one cannot become a ninja, then even the longest lifespan is meaningless."

He had been in this world for over a decade now.

The identity of a transmigrator had brought him no benefits; instead, it only made him more acutely aware of the cruelty of reality.

Born into the Uchiha clan, yet because his parents were commoners, he possessed no inherited talent.

To this day, he remained nothing more than a low-level genin.

Even this genin status was only barely obtained thanks to Orochimaru.

When he realized his combat talent was far inferior to his peers, he proactively chose to defect to Orochimaru.

Relying on the basic biological knowledge from his previous life, he helped Orochimaru overcome many experimental difficulties.

This also made him one of Orochimaru's more important experimental assistants.

In exchange, Orochimaru provided Uchiha Yatsuhashi with significant protection.

It spared him from being sent to the brutal battlefield prematurely.

"That is not right, Uchiha Yatsuhashi."

Orochimaru shook his head gently and placed the newly recorded data onto the laboratory bench.

"Life is incredibly precious; every minute and every second is worthy of awe and cherishing."

There was a rare sincerity in Orochimaru's hoarse tone.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi knew that after witnessing the deaths of his friends and family one after another, Orochimaru had developed a certain fanatical obsession with "immortality."

This member of the Sannin was straying from his original research intentions, sinking deeper and deeper into the pursuit of eternal life.

This was also why, the moment the Hashirama Cells showed results, Uchiha Yatsuhashi had been so impatient to attempt the experiment on himself.

Because there was not much time left for him; according to the memories of his past life, Orochimaru would soon defect from Konoha.

Before that happened, he had to possess power—at the very least, power sufficient for self-preservation.

"Lord Orochimaru, I apologize..." Uchiha Yatsuhashi changed the subject.

He said apologetically, "Uchiha Fugaku has consistently refused to see me; I couldn't even step through the gates of the Uchiha ancestral grounds..."

This was also the reason Orochimaru had helped him with this experiment.

He had traded the chance to help Orochimaru gain support from the Uchiha clan for this experimental opportunity.

A low, slightly mocking laugh from Orochimaru echoed through the laboratory.

"He refuses to see me, so naturally, he would refuse to see you. It is a pity; I had originally thought the Uchiha clan head would have a broader vision."

This was also Uchiha Yatsuhashi's first attempt since arriving in this world.

He wanted to persuade Uchiha Fugaku, to persuade the entire Uchiha clan to support Orochimaru in his bid for Fourth Hokage.

If he succeeded, perhaps he could change the outcome of Orochimaru's defection and save the Uchiha from their fate of annihilation.

But the result was obvious.

This was the Uchiha—forever living within their own pride.

"In today's jonin confidence vote, the Uchiha clan cast all their votes for their own clan head. Even though Uchiha Fugaku wasn't even a candidate—what adorable unity, isn't it?"

"What?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Yatsuhashi jerked his head up, the violent movement causing him to break into a fit of coughing.

They... actually wasted their precious votes on someone who couldn't possibly be elected?

Uchiha Fugaku knew full well he couldn't be elected, yet he was unwilling to use those votes to trade for future resources and political capital for his clansmen.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi clenched his fists.

It was not because of the pain, but because of the rage.

He was simply unworthy of being the clan head of their kin...

"The result of the vote is Minato Namikaze," Orochimaru continued, his voice devoid of emotion.

"The Yellow Flash, a hero of the commoners. Hah, at least that is easier for me to accept than someone pushed forward by those great clans."

He then picked up a scroll, "Sealed within this is a culture of the First Hokage's cells."

Orochimaru cast a nostalgic glance around the laboratory.

"I am leaving this place. Future experiments will have to rely on you alone, Yatsuhashi-kun."

"Lord Orochimaru—"

"Hear me out." Orochimaru cut him off, his voice suddenly turning solemn.

"Yatsuhashi-kun, over these past few years, you have helped me improve the formula for the cell culture medium and solved many problems that plagued me."

"Your value is far beyond that of a mere test subject, or even a mere ninja."

He looked straight into Yatsuhashi's eyes, those snake-like pupils reflecting the young man's pale face.

"Excellent people are not necessarily all ninjas. In this world that chases power, people often forget that wisdom itself is a form of power."

Orochimaru walked to the laboratory door, "Stop these reckless experiments, Yatsuhashi-kun. I hope that when we meet again, you are still alive and well."

The door opened, then closed.

Orochimaru's figure vanished into the darkness of the corridor, his footsteps fading away until they finally fell into silence.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi watched quietly as Orochimaru departed.

After Orochimaru disappeared, the temperature in the laboratory seemed to rise by a few degrees.

Looking at the scroll in his hands, Uchiha Yatsuhashi let out a deep sigh.

Compared to his parents, who were commoners, Uchiha Yatsuhashi possessed a faint amount of chakra.

Yet, no matter how he trained, he could not awaken the Sharingan.

This was the very reason he had dared to defect to Orochimaru.

Now, this scroll was his only hope.

Because with Orochimaru's defection, the night of the Uchiha clan's annihilation was drawing ever closer.

If he could not awaken his eyes and gain power before then, he at least had to start laying plans in advance to get his parents and himself out of Konoha, this dangerous place.