Orochimaru's Gift...

After encountering the Little White Snake, Uchiha Shunichi had spent more than a week idling around.

During that time, a few interesting things happened.

Second Pillar and Naruto Uzumaki began training every day. Although Second Pillar was teaching Naruto Uzumaki most of the time, it still made many people at the academy curious.

Sasuke was not exactly known as someone kind-hearted who enjoyed teaching others.

Watching this scene, Uchiha Shunichi waited for Root or the Anbu to show up.

What surprised him somewhat was that neither Root nor the Anbu paid any attention to it, as if Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others truly did not mind the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki becoming friends with the Uchiha Clan.

Of course, this was actually the reasonable outcome.

After all, only two children remained in the Uchiha Clan, and friendship between children was a rather strange thing.

Aside from those unexpected developments, Uchiha Shunichi had also made some gains with the Naruto cells he was cultivating in the laboratory.

The gains were not great, but the mice implanted with Naruto's cells and Sasuke's cells had actually survived.

When the experimental mice made it through the second day, Uchiha Shunichi replaced their cage with an exceptionally sturdy one and injected them with triple the usual dose of anesthetic.

Since a successful test subject had finally appeared, Uchiha Shunichi could not bear to kill it just yet.

Even a very small-scale experiment could potentially cause mutations...

Thus, Uchiha Shunichi had been frequently heading to the laboratory lately.

"Shunichi, are you going to the laboratory again tonight?" After dinner, Second Pillar watched Uchiha Shunichi hurry away with some curiosity.

"Yeah. If my guess is correct, I should be able to develop a drug that will initially strengthen my body," Uchiha Shunichi said with a nod.

Although his current research focused on the two sets of cells, he had no intention of suppressing either of them at this stage.

His real goal was the byproducts of the experiment: a substance that could stimulate the human body's potential, and another that could replenish the body's nutrients.

More precisely, Uchiha Shunichi was using the aggression between Naruto's cells and Sasuke's cells to stimulate the mice's cells, then using the mice to test all sorts of potentially effective drugs.

So Uchiha Shunichi had been very busy lately.

However, just as he stepped out the door, he keenly sensed someone else's presence. There was no killing intent in it, but there was a trace of malice.

Uchiha Shunichi did not hide his talent and called out directly, "Who is it?!"

A teenage figure emerged from the shadows in the distance. He wore round glasses and displayed a gentle-looking smile.

"What sharp instincts. Don't worry... I merely happened to pass by. I mean no harm," Yakushi Kabuto said, raising a hand to adjust his glasses.

"What a coincidence, passing through such a desolate place," Uchiha Shunichi mocked.

"So I was discovered... Hehe, just kidding. Actually, an important person asked me to bring you something. He said he is very interested in you." Yakushi Kabuto's expression changed slightly.

Uchiha Shunichi had some guesses, but he still could not figure out whether Yakushi Kabuto currently worked for Danzo or Orochimaru.

"What is it?" Uchiha Shunichi asked warily.

Yakushi Kabuto did not waste any more words. He took out a scroll and tossed it to Uchiha Shunichi.

"That person gave this to you. He said not to disappoint him. As for what you promised, he will come to collect it himself."

After handing the scroll to Uchiha Shunichi, Yakushi Kabuto turned and left, seemingly in quite a hurry.

Watching Yakushi Kabuto's retreating back, Uchiha Shunichi suddenly said, "If you ever meet a blond woman in the future, don't kill her, even if she is an enemy. Otherwise, you will regret it."

With that, Uchiha Shunichi headed directly for his laboratory.

Even now, he still had not figured out who had sent Yakushi Kabuto. There was a high chance it was Orochimaru, though it could also have been Danzo.

Yakushi Kabuto watched Uchiha Shunichi's departing figure with some confusion. A faint smile curled at his lips as he committed those words to memory.

Yakushi Kabuto, who operated between Root and Orochimaru, knew many secrets. He would not care about advice whose truth he could not verify, but neither would he forget it.

Inside the laboratory, the same equipment stood in place. It looked as though no one had ever entered, but Uchiha Shunichi knew that Anbu agents came to inspect it from time to time.

Uchiha Shunichi did not care about that.

Living in Konoha, there were many things he could not hide. So long as he did not conduct human experiments, Sarutobi Hiruzen would probably be quite pleased with what he was doing now.

After all, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, he was a reclusive genius. Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's personality, he was confident he could keep him under control.

That man's abilities as Hokage were terrible, but when it came to controlling people's hearts, he was exceptionally skilled.

He was clearly the worst Hokage in history, with no outstanding achievements during his tenure.

Yet through his connections alone, he had forcibly erased the legacies of the First and Second Hokage and eliminated all kinds of threats without shedding blood.

Present-day Konoha could be said to be entirely in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands.

He was not a good Hokage, and he was an indecisive-looking fool. But he truly was an outstanding politician. Honestly, being the head of a village was somewhat beneath his talents.

Shaking his head, Uchiha Shunichi cast aside those messy thoughts. He took out the storage scroll Yakushi Kabuto had given him and removed a number of books and research materials.

The moment he saw those books and experimental materials, Uchiha Shunichi immediately understood that they all came from Orochimaru.

It was somewhat regrettable that he had not met Orochimaru in person, but these precious materials and experimental resources still delighted Uchiha Shunichi.

What he lacked most right now was precisely this sort of foundational knowledge. With the materials from Orochimaru, Uchiha Shunichi believed he would soon make progress.

Suppressing his excitement, Uchiha Shunichi immediately began studying.

Orochimaru truly deserved his reputation as a renowned scientist in the world of Hokage. Even these simple introductory materials solved many problems that had long troubled Uchiha Shunichi.

He also came to understand that the ideas in his mind had more convenient ways of being realized...