Goal Achieved

Under the cold, gloomy lights of the laboratory, time lost all meaning. Only the steady hum of instruments and the faint rustle of unfurling scrolls marked the progress of research. After becoming Orochimaru's disciple, the depth and breadth of knowledge Uchiha Kyohaku encountered abruptly rose to an entirely new level. Like a plant whose roots had sunk deep into forbidden soil, he greedily absorbed every nutrient he could find.

Yet he remained exceptionally clear-headed. He knew his fundamental disadvantages well—the body he had been born with, lacking from the start, the atrophied chakra pathways in his right foot, and the Sharingan that still remained at the one-tomoe stage. Within the genius-filled Uchiha Clan, he could not even be called mediocre. He was practically defective. The so-called talent of the Uchiha was, to him, more like a mocking label.

What he truly relied on was the immense spiritual energy born from the fusion of two lifetimes' souls; the composure and meticulousness that exceeded his age; the logical analysis and systematic thinking forged through his previous life's career as a forensic doctor; and... chakra control that could only be called supreme. Those were the foundations that gave him the confidence to strike a deal with Orochimaru and even become his disciple.

Everything he did pointed toward one ultimate goal: changing his frail foundation, embarking upon the true path to strength, and completing the Completion Plan buried deep within his heart. His initial objective—becoming Orochimaru's disciple and gaining a ticket to the core knowledge and resources—had already been achieved. Now, he needed to make more precise use of it all.

One day, the laboratory's work came to a temporary halt. Orochimaru was sorting through a batch of ancient scrolls that had just arrived through secret channels outside the village, records of many obscure sealing techniques. Kyohaku assisted with the sorting, his gaze lingering over runes with intricate structures and unusual energy patterns. His eyes revealed just the right amount of curiosity and concentration.

"Sensei," he suddenly said, his voice calm but carrying a trace of inquiry, "these sealing techniques seem very different from the mainstream systems we use now. They appear more... ancient, more focused on restraining and guiding the essence of energy rather than simply isolating or suppressing it."

Orochimaru raised his eyes, his golden snake pupils flicking toward him. "Oh? You are interested in sealing techniques?" He did not dislike his disciple taking the initiative to show interest in a particular field, especially one so profound and practical.

"Yes." Kyohaku admitted it readily. He picked up a damaged scroll and pointed at a complex rune formed of concentric circles. "Especially in precisely restraining and guiding specific energies. For example, how to safely bind an extremely unstable, highly repulsive foreign energy source"—he subtly indicated a restless Hashirama Cells sample in a culture dish nearby—"within a confined space, then slowly guide it into merging with the host's energy rather than crudely consuming or destroying it."

He paused before continuing. "I think this may be a better solution than merely increasing the host's strength to resist it. And that requires an extremely profound foundation in sealing techniques." His reasoning perfectly aligned with the current difficulties of the experiment, making it sound entirely intended to advance their research.

Orochimaru looked at him with interest. "A very keen observation. Sealing techniques are indeed a profound discipline that touches upon the essence of energy. The Second Hokage possessed exceptionally deep attainments in this field. Unfortunately, the mediocrities in the village only regard it as a tool for locking away tailed beasts or storing objects." His tone held disdain for such mundane views.

"Your chakra control is extraordinarily precise, and your spiritual energy is immense and stable. Those are indeed excellent qualifications for learning advanced sealing techniques." Orochimaru assessed him. "More importantly, you can see its deeper potential rather than limiting yourself to stale dogma. Very good."

He asked no further questions, seemingly attributing Kyohaku's interest to a desire to pursue truth and aid their experiments. To Orochimaru, that was the most natural reason in the world.

From then on, Orochimaru consciously began giving Kyohaku access to more scrolls concerning sealing techniques. From the fundamental principles of the Five Elements Seal and Four Symbols Seal to the more profound Contract Seal, soul confinement, and even fragments of seals involving space-time. The knowledge was incredibly obscure, demanding immense spatial imagination and fine chakra control—precisely matching Kyohaku's strengths.

Kyohaku immersed himself in them. Drawing upon memories of medicine from his previous life, he compared the human meridian system and energy nodes to the rune structures and energy pathways of sealing techniques; he cross-referenced the bioenergy knowledge he had learned in Orochimaru's laboratory with chakra theory; and he consulted every text he could access in Konoha Hospital's archives concerning chakra pathways and energy circulation.

He integrated every resource available to him—those from his previous life, his current life, Orochimaru, and Konoha Hospital—and focused them all on the single point of "sealing techniques." He knew this was one of the most crucial keys to realizing the Completion Plan. Whether binding violent tailed beast chakra, guiding the fusion of foreign bloodlines, or constructing the envisioned "genetic lock" or "energy conversion core," every path would require sealing mastery at the highest level.

Such scenes often appeared in the laboratory: Orochimaru conducted dangerous forbidden technique experiments while Kyohaku sat in a corner, absorbed in ancient sealing scrolls. From time to time, faint chakra gathered at his fingertips as he traced complex rune structures through the air, carrying out simulated deductions. His progress was astonishingly fast, and he often raised insights from fresh perspectives that even made Orochimaru look twice.

Orochimaru was pleased to see it. A disciple with such exceptional talent in sealing techniques would undoubtedly be of immense help to his various research projects, especially forbidden techniques like Impure World Reincarnation, which involved soul confinement and summoning.

Uchiha Kyohaku continued onward in silence. His goal of becoming a disciple had already been achieved, but his true journey had only just begun. Like the most precise engineer, he used himself as the blueprint, gathering the necessary tools and materials—knowledge—piece by piece, preparing to carry out an unprecedented, mad, and magnificent transformation upon that body born lacking.

His goal had never been clearer. The road was stretching out beneath his feet.