"Hashirama's cells, huh?"
Gin stroked his chin as he looked at the hidden Hashirama cells among the various specimens.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, if one activates the Mangekyō, these cells become a crucial asset.
They can replenish the Mangekyō's ocular power.
After all, prolonged use of the Mangekyō leads to blindness, requiring the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is even harder to obtain—not to mention, it may require the eyes of one's own sibling.
Throughout history, only the reincarnations of Indra have been able to achieve it.
Even if others have their siblings' eyes, they may still fail to awaken it.
And Gin didn't have any siblings, to begin with.
Moreover, he couldn't even awaken the Mangekyō in the first place.
It was frustrating.
Back to Hashirama's cells.
Even after researching with Orochimaru for a considerable amount of time, the progress on these cells was exceedingly slow, impossible to unravel.
The main issue was the extreme rejection of Hashirama's cells; any method of transplanting them would quickly turn the subject into wood.
Not a single specimen had survived the erosion of Hashirama's cells.
As a result, the experiments had come to a halt.
Moreover, the number of sacrificed ninja had grown too large.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had called for an immediate stop.
The village couldn't spare any more personnel at this point.
If the Cloud Ninja were to join the war, the village would be left with no one to defend it. Hiruzen must be deeply troubled by now.
If more ninja were sacrificed to research Hashirama's cells, Konoha might as well surrender.
Hiruzen had ordered the research to be halted and the resources reclaimed.
However, this lab was hidden, and Hiruzen was unaware of its existence, so the Hashirama cells remained intact.
Currently, in the ninja world, the one with the deepest understanding of Hashirama's cells was likely Madara.
And now, Gin had inherited Madara's knowledge.
"Let's deduce it: three-tomoe Sharingan combined with Hashirama's cells, alongside the Tenma Technique."
Quickly, detailed information on how to fuse Hashirama's cells appeared before him.
All it required was the three-tomoe Sharingan and the Tenma Technique to safely fuse Hashirama's cells into his body.
Suddenly.
Gin's gaze shifted from his golden finger to the shadows in the lab.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
"Gin."
A deep voice echoed.
Gin looked at the man wrapped in bandages.
"Isn't this Danzō-sama?"
Gin's tone was filled with mockery.
It was his first time meeting the legendary "Scapegoat."
Danzō wasn't surprised that Gin recognized him.
"Looks like Orochimaru told you about me."
After all, not just any ninja knew about Konoha's Root.
"Is there something you need, Danzō-sama?"
Although Gin addressed him with "sama," his tone was far from respectful.
At this point, Danzō wasn't yet the complete scourge of Konoha. During the war, Root's secret reports from other villages were invaluable.
However, once the peace came, he would turn into an outright pest.
And yet, Hiruzen continued to keep him around.
Was the Third Hokage foolish, or was he just nostalgic?
Danzō stared at Gin without reacting to the disrespect, then extended his hand.
"Join Root, and perhaps we can find a way for the Uchiha to coexist with the village."
Danzō had been eyeing Gin for a long time.
That level of talent in developing ninjutsu—despite being an Uchiha—was something Danzō could forgive.
"Pfft."
Gin chuckled. "Are you joking?"
The scarlet Sharingan appeared in Gin's eyes.
He covered his face with one hand, leaving only his eyes visible.
"I'm afraid you might take these eyes from me."
After all, this was the future expert in eye-snatching. The guy probably already had a few Sharingan in his possession.
The Uchiha's Sharingan had always been coveted by others, but the ones who truly took them were from Konoha itself.
The irony was hard to ignore.
Gin's face was now full of disdain.
Danzō's expression darkened.
Clearly, Gin wasn't so easily fooled.
"If that's the case..."
"Then you'll stay here forever."
Several figures emerged from behind Danzō, quickly surrounding Gin.
"My, how scary, Danzō-sama."
Gin's expression was filled with contempt. The reason for his growing arrogance was simple: his strength had increased.
Right now, there were plenty in Konoha who could defeat him.
But if he wanted to leave...
No one in the village could stop him.
Darkness surged behind Gin.
"Danzō-sama, let's meet again some other time."
The darkness swiftly engulfed everything.
When the shadows receded, Gin was gone.
The Root members looked at each other in confusion.
The sensory-type ninjas quickly searched the entire lab.
Yet, they found no trace of Gin.
After receiving the report of Gin's disappearance, Danzō's expression grew even grimmer.
"Gin is becoming more and more dangerous."
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this one day."
An uncontrollable Uchiha would eventually become a dire threat to the village.
Danzō couldn't move openly against Gin yet. Today had been his only chance, but unfortunately, he let him slip away.
Next time, there wouldn't be such a good opportunity.
Danzō cursed inwardly.
"Danzō-sama."
A Root member knelt in front of him.
"We couldn't find Hashirama's cells."
This news only further enraged Danzō.
His purpose for coming here had been to retrieve Hashirama's cells, but they were nowhere to be found.
Whether Orochimaru had hidden them or Gin had taken them, Danzō couldn't pursue it further.
All of this had been done without Sarutobi Hiruzen's knowledge.
Fortunately, Danzō had already reclaimed most of the cells.
"Let's go!"
With a cold grunt, Danzō left with his Root members.
In the underground lab beneath Gin's house...
As smoke appeared, a small white snake slithered out, opening its mouth to reveal Gin emerging from within.
This was the Hidden Snake technique.
Gin grabbed a towel he had prepared in the lab, wiping off the strange liquid with a look of disgust.
"Never using this technique again. It's disgusting."
He had a bit of a cleanliness obsession.
After cleaning off the liquid, Gin took out a scroll.
He opened it, bit his finger, and pressed his hand down.
"Poof!" A container with Hashirama's cells appeared.
"If I fuse with Hashirama's cells, my strength should increase."
Gin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He could enhance his Sharingan while also gaining access to Wood Release.
With the Tenma Technique and Hashirama's cells...
"It feels like even without the Mangekyō, my ocular power wouldn't be far off."
And truthfully, Gin had no real desire for the Mangekyō.
After all, he knew that he didn't have the emotional depth to awaken it.
His true path lay in Chakra-based inner techniques.
After surveying the lab, which he had built long ago but never used, Gin prepared for his first experiment.
The first test subject: himself.
It felt terrible.
Forming a hand seal...
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"Poof!"
Three shadow clones appeared.
Gin was ready to begin the Hashirama cell transplant.
(End of Chapter)