Laboratory Core

The air deep within the cave was thick with the stench of chemicals and blood.

Hyuga Xiao slipped into the laboratory's core area like a silent shadow, skimming along the rock wall. His Byakugan glimmered with a faint blue light in the darkness, his vision piercing through layer after layer of obstacles—thirty meters ahead, Kakashi's team stood before an open experimental platform.

At the center of the platform stood a massive operating table piled with scrolls and experimental records. Dozens of cylindrical cultivation tanks were embedded in the surrounding walls, their pale green nutrient fluid casting an eerie sheen beneath the dim blue lights. A human body floated inside each tank. Some were intact, some mutilated, and some no longer even looked human.

Xiao made his breathing almost imperceptible.

Earlier, he had used a Shadow Clone on the front lines to fake a grievous injury and collapse, while his real body infiltrated amid the chaos. Ko Hyuga, an elder of the Main House, believed all three Branch House members had become sacrifices used as bait. He had no idea that one fish had already swum into deeper waters.

"Move quickly."

Kakashi's voice echoed through the empty experimental area, carrying a coldness Xiao had never heard before. The usually lazy-looking Elite Ninja now had eyes as sharp as blades.

"Destroy all experimental data. Deal with the test subjects in the cultivation tanks as well."

"Yes!"

The three ANBU members quickly dispersed. One began splashing a specially prepared corrosive solution across the operating table, and the scrolls and papers turned into black smoke with a sizzling hiss. The other two headed for the cultivation tanks, forming hand seals as they prepared to use Fire Release.

Xiao hid in the shadows of a corner, his Byakugan sweeping over every cultivation tank.

Most of the test subjects had already lost all signs of life. Their skin was pale and bloated, and tubes had been inserted all over their bodies. Curse Mark patterns were branded onto some of their foreheads or chests, while others had undergone grotesque physical mutations—extra arms, twisted bones, and scales covering their skin.

This was Orochimaru's research.

Using living humans as material to explore the limits of merging Curse Marks with the human body, even... attempting to recreate the power of the God Tree.

Xiao pressed a hand against his chest. The Active Curse Mark Seed in his clothes was faintly hot, as if it resonated with something deeper inside the laboratory. He forcefully suppressed his urge to investigate at once and continued watching.

Kakashi walked to the edge of the platform and pressed one hand to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

White smoke burst forth, and eight ninja hounds appeared beside him. Pakkun wrinkled his nose. "Kakashi, this place reeks. Blood, medicine, and... the smell of death."

"Search the entire area. Make sure there are no surviving subjects or important items left behind."

"Got it."

The ninja hounds scattered. Kakashi headed toward the innermost row of cultivation tanks. The tanks there were taller than those elsewhere, and their nutrient fluid was darker, nearly ink-green.

Xiao's gaze followed him.

Then his pupils abruptly contracted.

A black-haired young man floated inside the third cultivation tank from the innermost side. His skin was pale, his eyes tightly closed, and a breathing mask covered his face. But that face—

Shisui Uchiha.

The Uchiha genius who had supposedly jumped into the Naka River to commit suicide, whose body had never been found.

Xiao's breathing faltered for an instant.

He immediately suppressed the fluctuation in his chakra, but Kakashi seemed to sense something and sharply turned toward the corner where Xiao hid.

"Who's there?"

There was no answer.

Kakashi's hand moved to his ninja tool pouch. The three ANBU members also stopped what they were doing and swiftly formed a triangular formation, scanning their surroundings warily.

Xiao held his breath.

His chakra had only recovered to seventy percent. Facing Kakashi's team head-on, he had almost no chance of winning. More importantly, he could not reveal that he was still alive—the Main House believed he was dead, while Leaf Village's upper ranks believed all the Branch House bait had been wiped out. It was the perfect cover.

But...

Shisui's chest inside the cultivation tank was still rising and falling faintly.

He was alive.

"Was it just my imagination?" Kakashi muttered, but his Sharingan had already activated, its Three-Tomoe slowly revolving in the darkness.

Xiao's mind raced.

Kakashi intended to destroy all the test subjects, including Shisui. That meant Leaf Village's upper ranks knew Shisui was here, yet had chosen to silence him. Why? What secret did Shisui know? Or was his very existence evidence that needed to be erased?

"Captain, should we search?" an ANBU member asked.

Kakashi fell silent for two seconds.

"Continue the mission. Pakkun, take two dogs over there and check."

"Understood."

The ninja hounds headed toward Xiao.

Xiao's fingertips grew slightly cold. He had two choices now: first, retreat immediately and preserve both his life and the Curse Mark Seed in his clothes; second, take a risk and do something.

He looked at Shisui's cultivation tank.

The system gave no prompt. That meant intercepting Shisui's fate would not bring direct rewards—Shisui was male and did not meet the system's standard for a "high-luck female."

But...

A thought flashed through Xiao's mind.

Shisui Uchiha possessed Kotoamatsukami, the strongest genjutsu, capable of silently altering another person's will. If used properly, such an ability might become the key to resisting the Caged Bird Seal. More importantly, Shisui was Itachi Uchiha's most trusted friend, and Itachi... would become an important member of the Akatsuki Organization in the future.

Benefits.

Risks.

The calculation was completed in an instant.

Xiao moved.

He did not charge toward Shisui. Instead, he lunged in the opposite direction—toward the control console at the deepest part of the laboratory. A red emergency button sat there, labeled in Hidden Sound script: "Cultivation Fluid Drainage System."

"Enemy attack!"

The ANBU reacted quickly. Three shuriken sliced through the air.

Xiao twisted in midair, and the palm force of his Gentle Fist knocked the shuriken off course. He tapped the rock wall with his toes, spinning like a top as his right hand struck the red button with precision.

Buzz—

A piercing alarm rang throughout the laboratory.

The valves at the bottom of every cultivation tank opened at once. Ink-green nutrient fluid poured out like waterfalls, pooling into viscous streams across the floor. The test subjects slid down with the liquid and crashed onto the metal floor with dull thuds.

"Stop him!" Kakashi shouted.

But it was already too late.

Xiao changed direction the instant he pressed the button. He ignored Shisui and rushed toward the operating table—several experimental records there had not yet been completely corroded. With a sweep of his left hand, he pulled the scrolls into his clothes. With his right, he grabbed a handful of smoke bombs from his ninja tool pouch and smashed them viciously against the ground.

Thick white smoke exploded outward, filling the entire experimental area.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Kakashi formed hand seals, and a violent gust dispersed the smoke. But Xiao had already vanished—no, more precisely, he had appeared beside Shisui.

Shisui had fallen to the floor, his breathing mask knocked loose, his pale face covered in sticky nutrient fluid. His eyes opened slightly, revealing unfocused dark-red pupils.

Xiao grabbed Shisui by the collar with one hand and formed seals with the other.

"Earth Release: Rock Concealment Jutsu!"

Their bodies rapidly sank into the ground. This was a B-rank Earth Release ninjutsu Xiao had obtained from the system, allowing short-distance travel through rock and soil. He had originally intended to use it to escape, but now it had become a means of saving someone.

"Chase them!"

For the first time, Kakashi's voice carried anger.

But Xiao had already brought Shisui deep into the rock layer. His Byakugan saw through the earth, allowing him to see Kakashi's team rapidly forming seals above, attempting to counter him with Earth Release. He bit through his tongue and forcefully drove his chakra, rushing deeper into the laboratory—toward the direction that resonated with the Curse Mark Seed.

Ten meters.

Twenty meters.

Fifty meters.

Shisui suddenly began coughing in Xiao's arms, nutrient fluid spilling from his mouth and nose. His eyes opened fully. The legendary Mangekyō Sharingan within them was dim and lifeless, but a trace of awareness remained deep in his pupils.

"Who... are you?" Shisui's voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows.

"The person saving you," Xiao answered briefly. "Don't talk. Save your strength."

"Why...?"

"Because you're useful."

Xiao's answer was cold and direct. He had neither the time nor the need to weave lies. Shisui was a smart man, and smart men understood how to weigh gains and losses—being silenced by Leaf Village or being rescued by a stranger, which choice offered a better chance of survival was obvious.

Light appeared ahead.

Xiao burst out of the rock layer and landed in a narrow passage. They were already far from the laboratory's core area. Glowing moss crept across the walls, and the air was damp and cold. He set Shisui down, then swiftly turned and formed seals.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A heavy rock wall rose from the ground, sealing off the path behind them. It would not stop Kakashi for long, but it could buy them some time.

Xiao panted as he leaned back against the wall.

The Curse Mark Seed in his clothes was scorching hot. He pulled it out and found fine patterns emerging on the surface of the dark-red seed, strongly resonating with something deeper in the passage.

What caught his attention even more was—

The system panel suddenly appeared.

[Special Fate Node intervention detected]

[Target: Shisui Uchiha (Original fate: commits suicide after Shimura Danzō steals his eye)]

[Current fate status: rescued by host from Leaf Village's silencing operation]

[Fate interference rate: 47%]

[Warning: Target is male and does not meet the system's standard reward criteria]

[Hidden mechanism triggered: Fate chain reaction]

[Analyzing...]

[Analysis complete]

[Because the host intervened in Shisui Uchiha's fate line, the future fate trajectories of the following high-luck females have been indirectly affected: Izumi Uchiha (Shisui's cousin, original fate: dies during the Nine-Tails incident), Kurenai Yuhi (original fate: husband Asuma Sarutobi dies in battle), Tsunade (original fate: both younger brother and lover die in battle)...]

[Calculating chain effects...]

[Estimated cumulative "Destiny Points" increase: 300%]

[Notice: Saving key male characters may trigger larger-scale ripples of fate. Host, carefully assess the risks and rewards.]

Xiao stared at the panel, and the corner of his mouth slowly curved upward.

So that was it.

The system's so-called "intercepting high-luck females" was fundamentally about changing fate lines. Some male characters were intersections where multiple female fate lines converged. Saving them was like dropping a boulder into the web of fate, creating ripples that would spread to far more people.

Shisui was such a key node.

He was Itachi Uchiha's closest friend, Izumi Uchiha's cousin, and a victim of Leaf Village's upper-rank conspiracy. His life and death affected at least three important female fate lines.

"Interesting..." Xiao murmured.

At that moment, Shisui coughed again. He struggled into a seated position and leaned against the wall, his dim Mangekyō Sharingan looking at Xiao.

"You're... from the Hyuga Clan." Shisui's voice was still hoarse, but much clearer now. "The Byakugan... the Caged Bird Seal of the Branch House."

"Not bad powers of observation." Xiao did not deny it.

"Why save me? You should know that taking me with you will make you a rogue ninja of Leaf Village."

"Leaf Village?" Xiao laughed, his smile filled with undisguised mockery. "A village that uses its own geniuses for human experiments, then silences them once they're no longer useful—does that deserve to be called 'Leaf Village'?"

Shisui fell silent.

His fingers trembled slightly, not out of fear, but rage—rage at his own naïve trust in the upper ranks, rage at the fate awaiting the Uchiha Clan, rage at this twisted Shinobi World system.

"What do you want from me?" Shisui asked. "Kotoamatsukami? The secrets of the Sharingan? Or Uchiha intelligence?"

"All of it." Xiao rose to his feet and walked before Shisui, looking down at him. "But most importantly, I need an ally. An ally like me—betrayed by this village, oppressed by this system, and determined to tear it all apart."

"What makes you think I'll help you?"

"Because you have no choice."

Xiao crouched down until he was level with Shisui's eyes.

"The Uchiha Clan is about to be exterminated. Danzo and the Third Hokage have already decided on that plan. Your closest friend, Itachi Uchiha, will be forced to carry it out. And you were supposed to have 'committed suicide' months ago, yet your body ended up in one of Orochimaru's experimental tanks—what that means should be very clear to you."

Shisui's breathing quickened.

"The upper ranks never intended to let the Uchiha live from the very beginning. You tried to use Kotoamatsukami to change your clansmen's minds and avoid civil war, but Danzo took one of your eyes. You jumped into the Naka River to fake your death, only to be pulled out by Orochimaru's men and turned into experimental material. Now that Leaf Village has discovered you're alive, its first reaction is to silence you."

Xiao spoke one word at a time, each one cutting into Shisui's heart like a knife.

"Shisui, the village has already abandoned you twice. The first time was when it stole your eye. The second was when it tried to silence you. Do you still want it to abandon you a third time?"

A long silence followed.

Only their suppressed breathing filled the passage, along with the faint sounds of Earth Release explosions in the distance—Kakashi's team was breaking through the Earth-Style Wall.

At last, Shisui raised his head.

Though his Mangekyō Sharingan remained dim, something had reignited in its depths. It was not hope, but something colder and more resolute.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"First, overthrow the Hyuga Main House and take control of the clan. Then purge Leaf Village's upper ranks and reshape the village. Finally..." Xiao looked into the depths of the passage, where the Curse Mark Seed's resonance was growing ever stronger, "conquer this Shinobi World and shatter all predetermined fates."

"Arrogant."

"But it's the only path." Xiao extended his hand. "Either die in silence or be reborn through resistance. Shisui, which will you choose?"

Shisui looked at that hand.

It was still smeared with sticky nutrient fluid, and its knuckles were reddened from the fight. Yet the hand was steady, as steady as stone.

He thought of the Uchiha Clan's pride, of the pain in Itachi's eyes, of Danzo's cold, emotionless face as he took his eye.

Then he grasped that hand.

"I'll help you," Shisui said. "But on one condition—You can't kill Itachi Uchiha. He was forced into it."

"Fine." Xiao pulled him to his feet. "But only if he doesn't stand in my way."

"Deal."

Their hands remained clasped, one cold, the other burning hot.

Just then, a rumble suddenly came from deep within the passage.

It was not the sound of Kakashi breaking through the Earth-Style Wall, but something farther within—the rock layers were collapsing, and something enormous was awakening. The Curse Mark Seed in Xiao's clothes shook violently, its surface patterns glowing blood-red.

Xiao looked deeper with his Byakugan.

His vision penetrated layer after layer of rock wall, and he saw it—

A gigantic nest formed from intertwined flesh and tree roots. At its center, a dark-red fruit pulsed slowly, each throb releasing a terrifying wave of chakra.

That was...

"A prototype... of the God Tree Fruit?" Xiao murmured.

The system panel refreshed frantically.

[An ultra-spec energy source has been detected]

[Energy Attribute: Diluted God Tree Origin]

[Associated with: Orochimaru's Cursed Seal experiment's ultimate product]

[Warning: This energy source is unstable. Contact may lead to unpredictable mutations]

[Recommendation: Evacuate immediately]

Xiao did not move.

He looked at the pulsating fruit, then at the Curse Mark seed in his hand, and finally at the weakened Shisui beside him.

Risk.

Reward.

Then, he made his decision.

"Shisui, can you still fight?"

"My Sharingan can still be used once... twice at most." Shisui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "What are you planning to do?"

"Before that fruit ripens, I'm going to devour it."

Xiao's voice was as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

"If Orochimaru dared to research it and Leaf Village dared to destroy it, then its value must far exceed anything we can imagine. Rather than let it fall into someone else's hands, I'll take it."

He strode deeper into the passage.

"Follow me. Or stay here and wait to die."

Shisui looked at his retreating figure and suddenly laughed.

Madman.

But perhaps only madmen could break the cage in this world.

Dragging his weakened body along, he followed.

Behind them, the Earth-Style Wall was finally blasted apart. Kakashi led the ANBU into the passage, his Sharingan sweeping over the surroundings, but all he saw were bare rock walls and the unnerving roar echoing from deep within the tunnel.

"Captain, should we pursue?" an ANBU asked.

Kakashi stared into the depths of the darkness, the three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly turning.

After a long while, he shook his head.

"The mission has changed. The laboratory's core data has been destroyed. The test subjects... including Shisui Uchiha, are confirmed dead. Withdraw."

"But—"

"Execute the order."

Kakashi turned and headed back the way they had come.

His fingers trembled slightly.

For that instant, his Sharingan had caught the chakra fluctuations deep in the passage—that was not chakra a human should possess. Violent, chaotic, brimming with a desire for destruction, like... the Tailed Beasts.

No, older and more primordial than the Tailed Beasts.

"Hyuga Xiao..." Kakashi murmured the name.

That Branch House youth, who should have died on the frontal battlefield, had not only survived but taken Shisui Uchiha away. Now, he was heading toward the deepest and most dangerous thing in Orochimaru's Laboratory.

What kind of monster had Leaf Village unleashed?

Kakashi did not know the answer.

But he had a premonition—

The Shinobi World was about to change.