071 Uchiha Jinsuke Remains True to His Original Aspirations

After pondering for a while, Orochimaru decided he did not wish to use this method again in future transplant surgeries—at least, not before he had gained a thorough understanding of the next Uchiha subject. While most Uchihas were indeed proud, their sensitivities were not always the same. Ignoring the differences between individuals and expecting a single trick to work on everyone was, in itself, an act of arrogance. Who knew, perhaps the next Uchiha would actually enjoy this style, perhaps even be a pervert. Lacking sufficient intelligence, Orochimaru preferred not to draw rash conclusions.

As Orochimaru considered the transplant plan for the next subject, the aberrant changes in Uchiha Jin's body gradually drew to a close. From the perspective of the Lamp God, the green chakra slowly melded with the red, and under Jin’s dominance, the fusion was completed. Jin regained control over his body; his expression was no longer vacant, his bright red eyes shone with vitality, his lips pressed together, and the drool had ceased, leaving only a dried trail on his jaw.

The greatest change was at his lower abdomen. The granulation receded into the body, the previous twisted thicket vanished, and his body returned completely to normal. It was worth noting that the transplanted area, compared to the surrounding tissue, was only slightly pale, showing no sign of facial tattoos or other markings.

"Body temperature and heart rate have returned to normal. Cellular activity has increased by 1.9 times compared to before," Kabuto reported at the appropriate moment.

Orochimaru nodded slightly. Following the transplantation of the First Hokage's cells, enhanced physical constitution and increased cellular activity were expected outcomes. And this was not the final level—further training would yield even greater improvements.

A splash echoed as Jin fully regained awareness. Disgust twisted his face as he gazed at the pale green liquid rising to his neck; he struggled to stand. Having previously lost control of his body, he was unsure if what Kabuto had said was true or simply a provocation. Now that the surgery was over, Jin did not wish to remain here another second.

Orochimaru halted his movement with a gentle voice, "The procedure isn't quite finished yet." The previously injected First Hokage cell inhibitor had not yet run its course; if left unchecked, large areas of cell necrosis could occur in Jin's lower abdomen. Once the First’s cells had been tamed, they no longer grew out of instinct, but neither could they resist the effects of the inhibitor. Gains and losses went hand in hand.

Upon hearing this, Jin glanced at the pale green solution on his body and, with a look of bitter resignation, lay back down. Orochimaru smiled, refraining from further teasing. He took out four vials of antidote and injected them into four points around Jin’s flank.

Jin watched him intently. When Orochimaru completed the final steps and announced the end of the surgery, Jin leapt up, grabbed his discarded clothes, and dashed toward the washroom.

Orochimaru pressed the drain switch for the tank, leaving Kabuto to handle the cleaning and disinfection. He then picked up the previous monitoring data, reviewing and organizing it to prepare for the next operation.

The Lamp God, standing nearby, raised his eyebrows. Although most of the data was incomprehensible, that didn’t stop him from offering an opinion.

"I think you should prepare an instrument specifically designed to observe ocular power—both quantity and strength."

Orochimaru agreed. In this transplantation, it was clear the Sharingan played a pivotal role. The chakra extracted from bloodline-unique organs was indeed of much higher quality than that from other parts of the body. Truly, the Sage’s Eyes lived up to their name!

What surprised Orochimaru, however, was that Jin, being an elite jonin, must have developed his Sharingan to a high level. Yet even so, just a small area of transplantation nearly cost him his life. The development potential of the First Hokage’s cells—representing the Sage’s Body—was higher than he had imagined.

Orochimaru mused, "It seems even Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan may not be sufficient to support a perfect cell transplant." If the original could not manage it, then using someone else's Mangekyo, which meant diminished power, would be even less likely to succeed. The most straightforward path had become a dead end.

As Orochimaru pondered, Jin emerged from the washroom swiftly, much faster than the last time. He approached Orochimaru, bowed slightly, and with gratitude in his voice said, "Lord Orochimaru, thank you for your surgery."

There was no need for tests; Jin could clearly sense the improvement in his strength.

"No need for thanks. What you need now is to fully recover," Orochimaru replied, raising an eyebrow. "You will experience a further rise in power in the coming period. Remember to report here regularly; there is additional data we need to collect."

Jin clenched his fists and responded loudly, "You can count on me."

Of course, he would not forget that another reason for undergoing the body enhancement surgery was to help Shisui recover from blindness. Finding a spot, Jin swallowed a few military ration pills and began to meditate, restoring the stamina and chakra he had expended during the operation.

The process did not take long. Afterward, under Kabuto’s supervision, he completed a series of physical measurements.

With a cold grunt, Jin glared at the bespectacled youth as he stepped away from the measuring device but refrained from making a scene. No matter what, this boy had indirectly helped him, if only a little; Jin was not one to repay kindness with vengeance. He would let it go this time. Should the boy run his mouth again, he would make sure to teach him a lesson when the opportunity arose.

Kabuto, having noticed Jin’s glare, walked over to Orochimaru and began his report in an unhurried tone. "Compared to before, heart rate and body temperature have both increased. Most notably, chakra has risen by thirty percent. There is a high probability he has inherited part of the First Hokage’s regenerative constitution. As for this point..." Kabuto pushed his glasses up and added coolly, "We could cut him open and observe his recovery."

“That can be set aside for now,” Orochimaru said, shaking his head slightly. He turned to Jin and asked, “Can you use Wood Release now?”

Jin closed his eyes, sensing within himself, then answered with difficulty, “It would likely require hand seals for assistance. If I tried to use it purely on instinct, I’m not sure what would happen.”

“That’s a simple matter,” Orochimaru replied.

…

On the first floor of the infirmary, Fugaku, who had been anxiously waiting, saw the three emerge from the basement and broke into a delighted smile.

“Lord Orochimaru, is it—?”

Before Orochimaru could speak, Jin stepped forward.

“Clan Head, the surgery was a success. Next, I’ll be testing whether I can use Wood Release.”