"Ahem, anyway, I feel great!"
As for biological research, the base's other major undertaking, Cheng hadn't dared make any big moves yet.
He did keep the Hashirama Cells samples alive, regularly observing and recording them with the increasingly capable Chakra-Imaging Microscope. The data had filled several thick notebooks.
But he had held back from anything more involved, such as cloning, tissue culture, or live experiments... After all, he only had so much time and energy.
His total chakra reserves and taijutsu were also improving steadily, thanks to the system's quiet, gradual accumulation of "manifestations."
His chakra reserves had firmly reached six Kakashis' worth. Though he couldn't compare to those monsters with chakra by the ton, he was only eight, after all.
Besides, even the later Third Shinobi World War hadn't featured any particularly monstrous ninja. For Uchiha Makoto, this rate of chakra growth was enough.
His taijutsu and reflexes were already fully on par with a jonin's, even without activating his Sharingan.
But of all these improvements, the one he had worked hardest on-and cared about most-was still the foundation of the Uchiha's survival.
The Sharingan. Or, more precisely, its Dōjutsu Power.
Over the past six months, he had continually fed those few "high-quality sources of trust" lies about his "Dōjutsu Power," changing his approach and coming at it from different angles.
To Kakashi, he would say, "My Sharingan's perception seems to have improved again. Its ability to track motion has gotten a lot stronger."
With Obito, the bluffing was even more direct. "Obito, I feel like my Sharingan's about to reach a whole new level! My Dōjutsu Power is surging!"
Obito always looked at him with admiration. "That's our Cheng!"
When Shisui occasionally returned to the village to rest, Cheng would take an advice-seeking tone. "Shisui, I've been training