Assimilation or Fusion?

Twelve hours had passed since Riu's consciousness awakened from its feigned death, yet this short half-day had felt as long as half a century!

At first, his limbs kept twisting, and he could not even sit steadily. So he had Orochimaru bring thick iron chains to bind all four of his limbs!

Even so, his body would not stop trembling, and the chains rattled with sharp clacks. Riu was in pain, yet exhilarated. "I can feel it. Hashirama's Power is like a plague... devouring my body from within. This power makes every cell in my body tremble and cry out... It's so powerful!"

"Yu, shall I inject you with a painkiller? It cannot stop it, but it can ease the pain somewhat," Orochimaru suggested.

Riu shook his head, his expression fervent. "No. This pain lets me personally experience the power of Hashirama's Power. Once I completely master it, just how strong will I become? Just thinking about it makes my blood race!"

The restless blood of the Uchiha runs thickly through Yu... Orochimaru thought.

Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, cracks appeared on Riu's right arm and right cheek!

"Hm?" Orochimaru's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and as time passed, his expression grew increasingly grave.

"What is it?" Riu noticed Orochimaru's abnormality.

Yu hasn't noticed it himself? So it really is as I thought... Orochimaru thought.

So, he brought over a mirror.

When Riu saw himself in the mirror, his pupils contracted as well.

Nearly the entire right half of his body had turned into wood. Branches and leaves even kept sprouting from it, making for a terrifying sight!

"What's going on?" Riu asked Orochimaru.

After organizing his thoughts, Orochimaru said gravely, "The right side of your body was once almost completely destroyed by severe injuries. The White Zetsu used to replace it was a product of deteriorated Hashirama Cells. It has nearly lost the characteristics of flesh and blood and leans more toward 'plant-like' traits. That is also the fundamental reason you do not require 'metabolism.'"

"Hashirama himself, however, was a human with extraordinarily powerful vitality and Body Energy, one made of flesh and blood. The White Zetsu on the right side of your body has been catalyzed by the vitality of Hashirama Cells and has begun reverting to its natural state as a plant... This was my oversight. After calculating everything, I somehow missed this point!" Orochimaru said, frustrated and self-reproachful.

Even the wisest person could make a mistake, and even the brilliant Orochimaru was no exception.

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

"What will happen if this continues?" Riu asked.

"I'm afraid you will turn into a towering tree and tear your body apart!"

Riu clenched his fist.

"I will prepare for surgery immediately and remove the White Zetsu on your right side before disastrous consequences occur!"

"No need to make it so complicated. This will be faster!"

Kamui!

Riu's left eye transformed into a Mangekyo Sharingan. Using the reflection in the mirror before him, he projected Kamui onto the right half of his body.

Crack! Crack! Every part of his right side that originated from White Zetsu was stripped away by the spacetime vortex, leaving behind bloody, mangled remnants of limbs!

"Urgh!!" For Riu, who had already been enduring immense pain, this was truly adding insult to injury!

He clenched his teeth and activated the healing power within him, regenerating the damaged limbs on his right side... The flesh that grew back was no longer that unnatural white, but the healthy color true flesh and blood should have.

There was another unexpected benefit: the "wrinkles" that had once existed on Riu's right cheek were smoothed away along with the regeneration.

This raised Riu's looks to an even higher level!

Orochimaru sincerely exclaimed, "Truly extraordinary..."

After that minor incident passed, the pain continued and worsened with time. Several times, Riu nearly lost consciousness, but he forced himself through every time!

Fainting would make the situation slip beyond his control, and it might also cause Orochimaru to entertain some new, improper thoughts...

To make someone like Orochimaru submit completely, one had to display overwhelming potential and strength!

The wait was not only long for Riu. It was equally long for Tobi and Yūhi Uzuki.

The two neither ate nor drank as they waited in the corridor for an entire day and night.

Amid their anxious wait, the twenty-four hours that would determine "life or death" passed.

"How do you feel, Yu?" Orochimaru asked.

"Though it feels like my insides are churning, I can no longer... feel any pain," Riu said.

Orochimaru nodded. "Mm, it seems your body has successfully produced 'antibodies' and developed tolerance for Hashirama Cells. You have passed through the Gate of the Underworld. Whether what comes next is assimilation or fusion will depend entirely on your own fortune, Yu. But regardless of which it is, you will be nothing like before."

"I am a perfectionist. Either I die, or I do it perfectly. I will not consider assimilation. I want only fusion!" Riu declared without leaving any room for compromise.

"Ah, your determination is admirable, but what if the result is assimilation? What will you do then?" Orochimaru could not help asking curiously.

"Then I'll cultivate another Perfect Hashirama Clone, extract perfect Original Cells, and start the entire process over again. However many times I fail, I'll try that many times, until... I get the result I want!" Riu said decisively.

"What admirable persistence," Orochimaru sighed. One attempt is enough to determine success or failure. If fusion is impossible, then no matter how many attempts he makes, the result will be the same. Knowledge and methods can only eliminate obstacles; what truly decides the outcome is one's capacity... Still, until the result is certain, I should not tell Yu that yet.

"How long will it take to know the final outcome?" Riu asked a crucial question.

"There has never been a precedent for implanting Perfect Hashirama Original Cells. The earlier process was a hypothesis I established and derived through my own experiments, so I cannot give an exact time for this final step either. But when there is a result, you should be able to feel it personally..." Orochimaru said.

"I understand. Tell Tobi and Xiyang that my life is no longer in danger. Have them rest first and stop waiting outside. And Orochimaru, you should rest as well..." Riu said.

"No, I will witness this to the end. Otherwise, I will not be able to eat or sleep in peace," Orochimaru said with a smile.

"As you wish..." Riu closed his eyes and waited quietly.

He did not know how much time passed, only that it was an exceedingly long wait.

Rumble, rumble, rumble... Suddenly, the entire underground area shook violently.

Riu opened his eyes. "I can feel it. Power... power is continuously surging out from every cell in my body. Has the moment finally come..."