A New Vessel

Deep in the underground karst cavern, the space was vast as another world. The air was thick with the rank smell of earth, the rot of some ancient plant, and a faint, almost imperceptible pulse of life that made the heart tremble. At the center of the cavern, an enormous thing shaped like a dead tree towered in place, countless twisted pipes and vine-like objects extending from it, connecting to the cavern ceiling and the ground—this was the empty shell of the Ten-Tails, the Gedo Statue.

Beneath the statue, an aged, withered figure sat slumped on a specially made stone throne like a corpse drained of all life. His face was covered in wrinkles, his skin shriveled, and only those slowly opening eyes still radiated a sharp light that looked down on the world, yet carried endless fatigue and decay: Madara Uchiha. He clung to life by relying on the vitality supplied by the Gedo Statue, but the erosion of time and the burden of the Rinnegan had brought this body to its end. He could feel it clearly: life was slipping away irretrievably like fine sand through an hourglass.

"Lord Madara, the new 'vessel' has been brought." Black Zetsu's hoarse, cold voice rang through the empty cavern. It seeped up from the ground like a shadow, with several white figures beside it—White Zetsu. They carefully carried an unconscious boy, none other than Uchiha Narong, who had "died in battle" at Kannabi Bridge.

Narong's condition at this moment was extremely terrible. His whole body was covered in hideous wounds. Though they had been simply staunched and treated, the bone-deep injuries, severe internal bleeding, and backlash after chakra exhaustion had left his vital signs like a candle in the wind, so faint they could scarcely be sensed. Only beneath his tightly shut eyelids, those newly born Mangekyo Sharingan with their strange patterns would occasionally shed a thread of bloody tears out of his control, proving the terrifying power hidden deep within this body.

Madara lifted his cloudy eyes, his gaze falling on the unconscious Narong as he carefully "examined" him. His gaze seemed able to pierce flesh and stare straight into the essence of the soul.

"Mangekyo... and newly awakened in the depths of ultimate despair... full of unwillingness, anger, and an extreme hunger for power..." Madara's voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows, yet carried a trace of admiration he could not hide. "Compared with that naive brat Obito... he is indeed more suitable. Black Zetsu, this time, you did well."

"It is my honor to serve Lord Madara." Black Zetsu lowered its head humbly, but a gleam of fulfilled scheming flashed in its eyes.

"But... too slow." Madara's gaze moved back to his own withered hands, a hint of impatience in his tone. "The speed at which his body recovers cannot keep up with the passage of my time. I cannot wait that long." He needed a new, healthy vessel that could carry his will and power in order to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan. Clearly, the gravely wounded and dying Narong could not meet that requirement for the moment.

"Lord Madara, perhaps... we can try that method," Black Zetsu suggested at just the right time. "Hashirama Senju's cells. Since the combination of Uchiha and Senju can produce the Rinnegan, then the powerful vitality and Yang Release power of Hashirama cells may be able to accelerate or even completely repair the damage to this vessel, and make him even stronger."

Madara was silent for a moment, a trace of reminiscence and complexity flashing in his eyes. Back then, during his battle with Hashirama at the Valley of the End, he had bitten off Hashirama's flesh and transplanted it onto his own wound. After narrowly surviving countless dangers, he had barely managed to fuse with it, gaining Hashirama's power and awakening the Rinnegan. He still remembered vividly just how perilous that process had been.

"Hashirama's cells... are not so easy to control," Madara said slowly. "Even an Uchiha may be devoured by their vast vitality and turn into a tree. The risk... is enormous."

"But this is the only method we have right now to speed up the process," Black Zetsu said in a low voice. "Besides, Lord Madara, do you not think this may also be the best touchstone for testing the quality of this 'chess piece'? If he cannot even endure Hashirama cells, how could he be qualified to inherit your great undertaking?"

A sharp light flashed in Madara's eyes. Black Zetsu was right. This was both a great gamble and an ultimate screening.

"Prepare the surgery," Madara finally decided, his voice brooking no doubt.

The surgery was carried out in a relatively flat area to one side of the cavern. Several White Zetsu transformed into the most skilled surgeons. They had no complex emotions, and their movements were precise and steady. Madara stayed to the side, relying on the insight of his Sharingan to command them from a distance, and remaining ready at any moment to deal with unexpected changes.

The surgery began. White Zetsu carefully cut open a relatively intact patch of skin near one of the wounds on Narong's abdomen, then implanted a small piece of cultivated Hashirama cell tissue with extremely high activity. Throughout the entire process, the unconscious Narong's body twitched faintly, his brows locked tight, as if he were enduring tremendous pain.

Madara observed the reaction after the cell implantation with complete focus. According to his experience, Hashirama cells would immediately display extremely aggressive behavior, wildly assimilating and devouring the host cells, triggering an intense rejection response. The host's body would undergo uncontrollable woodification, or even explode and die.

However, the fierce conflict he had expected did not occur immediately. Inside Narong's body, although the Hashirama cells remained active, their assimilation speed seemed... strangely "gentle"? They appeared to be carefully contacting Narong's cells, probing them, without displaying that overwhelmingly domineering devouring nature. The rejection reaction did indeed exist—Narong's body temperature rose, his chakra fell into disorder, and slight signs of woodification appeared at the wound—but the degree was far lower than what Madara had experienced back then, even better than the most ideal situation he had imagined!

"Mm?" Madara let out a doubtful sound. This did not make sense. The bloodlines of Uchiha and Senju were yin and yang to each other; when they met, they should have been like water and fire. How could they be so "peaceful"?

He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and observed the fusion process at the cellular level in even greater depth. Gradually, he discovered a clue. Deep inside Narong's body, especially at several key nodes in the chakra meridian system, he actually sensed some extremely faint traces of life energy that shared the same origin as Hashirama cells! These traces were very old and seemed to have coexisted with Narong's body for quite a long time, forming a subtle balance. As a result, the newly implanted Hashirama cells seemed to have "recognized" their own kind, and their aggressiveness decreased greatly!

"This is... traces of Hashirama cells? And... signs of an initial successful fusion?!" Waves surged in Madara's heart. How was this possible? Aside from himself, who else could successfully fuse Hashirama cells into an Uchiha's body? Danzo? That sneaking, skulking fellow was indeed doing it, but the success rate was pitifully low, and the fused bodies were extremely unstable. Orochimaru? Yes, Orochimaru! Narong was his disciple!

In an instant, Madara understood the key. Given Orochimaru's obsession with forbidden techniques and kekkei genkai, it would be entirely normal for him to conduct Hashirama cell experiments in secret. He must have carried out some kind of preliminary, gentle adaptability experiment on Narong, and achieved partial success! This explained why Narong's acceptance of Hashirama cells was so high!

After thinking this through, a trace of displeasure first flashed through Madara, but he soon felt relieved. The displeasure came from the fact that his "exclusive recipe" seemed to have been pried into and advanced by someone else. The relief came because this had instead saved him a great deal of trouble and risk. Orochimaru had inadvertently screened and "preprocessed" a perfect vessel for him!

"Orochimaru... heh, it seems you have done quite a few interesting things in the dark as well," Madara muttered, the corner of his mouth curving in an almost imperceptible arc. "However, in the end, I am the one who benefits. I will be taking this disciple of yours."

The White Zetsu nearby did not think that much. They merely carried out their orders mechanically.

"Wow, Lord Madara, this guy's physical foundation is really good! The Hashirama cells seem to like him a lot!" one White Zetsu cried noisily.

"Shut up, idiot! Focus on the surgery!" another White Zetsu cursed.

"What does it matter? Looks like this surgery will go very smoothly! Maybe he'll be up and bouncing around soon!"

Black Zetsu smiled darkly, well aware of Madara's reaction. The plan was going smoothly far beyond expectations.

While this forbidden fusion was taking place underground, the flames of war in the ninja world had not ceased.

The Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village. Under the Third Mizukage's increasingly strange and oppressive rule, the policies of the "Village of the Bloody Mist" were brewing. Perhaps to divert internal conflicts, or perhaps to test the true strength of the Land of Wind, the Third Mizukage unexpectedly sent out an elite force to launch a surprise attack on the southeastern coastal border of the Land of Wind.

At this time, the main force of the Hidden Sand Village was still confronting the Hidden Stone in the west, leaving the eastern coast's defenses relatively empty. However, the one stationed here was the elite jonin who possessed the Scorch Release kekkei genkai—Pakura.

Hidden Mist ninja excelled at Water Release and assassination, giving them a natural advantage in coastal warfare. They appeared from the thick fog like ghosts and launched a fierce attack on the Hidden Sand outpost.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

"Silent Killing Technique!"

The Hidden Sand defenders were caught off guard and retreated step by step. At the critical moment, Pakura stepped forward.

"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"

She condensed dazzling, blazing-white Scorch Release orbs in both hands, dispersing the thick fog like suns. Wherever the orbs passed, the moisture in the air was instantly evaporated. The Hidden Mist ninja charging at the very front did not even have time to scream before the water in their bodies was drained dry, turning them into terrifying mummified corpses!

Pakura's figure shuttled across the battlefield, Scorch Release orbs erupting one after another and forming a forbidden zone of death. Her fighting style was sharp and efficient, and it held an extremely strong advantage over Water Release. The Hidden Mist offensive was forcibly stopped.

"It's Lady Pakura!"

"A hero! Lady Pakura is our hero!"

The morale of the Hidden Sand defenders soared, and under Pakura's lead, they launched a counterattack. A defensive battle that might originally have collapsed was turned into a beautiful battle of annihilation. The Hidden Mist forces suffered heavy losses and retreated in miserable disorder.

The title of "Pakura, Hero of the Hidden Sand" quickly spread throughout the ninja world along with this victory. Amid the gloom of the Hidden Sand Village losing Kazekage one after another and suffering invasion, a ray of light finally appeared. Pakura became an important pillar supporting the morale of the Hidden Sand.

However, this brief victory was only a tiny wave in the rolling torrent of the ninja world war. The chess game deep underground was the key that would truly determine the direction of the future.

In the cavern, the fusion surgery with Hashirama cells was nearing its end. Although Narong's body remained unconscious, his vital signs had already stabilized, and he was even much stronger than before. His wounds were healing at a visible speed, and a trace of color had returned to his pale face. Beneath his eyelids, those Mangekyo Sharingan turned restlessly, as if brewing an even greater power.

Madara Uchiha watched it all, a satisfied expression appearing on his decayed face. The plan was moving step by step onto the right track. A powerful new chess piece, full of potential and initially compatible with Hashirama cells, had already fallen onto the board. The Eye of the Moon Plan had welcomed a new dawn. And Orochimaru, far away in Konoha, might never know that his inadvertent "early investment" had actually paved the way for his teacher, Madara Uchiha. There was no greater irony of fate.