Konoha First Arsenal, Special Underground Medical Zone.
The harsh white light of the shadowless lamps fell upon the operating table. The air was saturated with the pungent mixture of high-concentration disinfectant and chakra preservative.
Tsunade wore sterile surgical attire, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. With the Chakra Scalpel in her hand, she precisely severed the final optic nerve, removed the pair of dull Mangekyō Sharingan from Sasuke's eye sockets, and placed them into the prepared green nutrient solution.
"Next comes the transplant."
Tsunade's voice was somewhat hoarse as she glanced at the blond boy standing beyond the observation window.
Naruto stood with his arms crossed, watching everything expressionlessly. Separated by thick bulletproof glass, his gaze looked as though he were inspecting a precision assembly line that had just been completed, rather than a companion undergoing high-risk surgery.
"Don't look at me like that, old lady." Naruto's voice sounded through the intercom in the operating room, carrying a lazy, punchable edge. "Keep your hands steady. That's the Uchiha clan's last legacy. If you ruin it, selling Tonton ten thousand times still wouldn't cover the debt."
"Shut up, brat!" A vein throbbed at Tsunade's temple. If she had not been in the middle of such a delicate operation, she would have stormed out and punched the kid. "If you don't trust my skills, do it yourself!"
"Everyone has their specialty." Naruto shrugged.
"In this world, bloodlines are both the greatest science and the greatest curse," Naruto suddenly remarked.
Inside the operating room, Tsunade took a deep breath and removed Itachi Uchiha's eyes from another specially made cryogenic storage case.
Even separated from their original owner, those eyes still radiated a chilling, unsettling ocular power.
Sasuke lay on the operating table. The anesthetic had left him half-conscious, yet his brows