Arrangements at Otogakure

Ultimately, Itachi only sampled his blood, skin, and bone marrow.

"Natsuki-senpai said Itachi's body is already showing signs of problems. If untreated, it will quickly worsen."

"Oh?" Orochimaru took Itachi's cellular samples for testing and picked up the documents Natsuki had prepared for him.

Orochimaru flipped through the pages filled with detailed notes.

His casual demeanor shifted to intense concentration, his expression gradually turning fervent.

"Incredible, incredible. These are things I had never considered. How does Natsuki know all this?"

[On the Negative Effects of Soul Splitting on Mental Health]

[Basic Analysis of Yin and Yang Release Chakra]

[Evolution and Speculation of the Sharingan]

[On the Sage's Eyes, Sage Body, Sage Blood, and Bloodline Limits]

[Speculation on Sage Techniques and the Curse Seal]

The pages were filled with Natsuki's extensive knowledge and some of his reasonable speculations.

When Natsuki handed these notes to Shisui, he had instructed him that if Kotoamatsukami succeeded, he could tell Orochimaru that he could foresee future events.

When Orochimaru heard that the Mangekyō Sharingan could predict the future, he was stunned.

He became even more attentive to the information at hand.

"Beep... Beep..."

At this moment, the testing machine finished analyzing Itachi's cellular samples.

Orochimaru picked it up, frowning as he looked at the results.

"What's this?"

He found that Itachi's cells were unusually active, with some cells beginning to show signs of pathological transformation, a cellular-level mutation.

If Natsuki were present, he would recognize Itachi's condition as a form of leukemia.

Orochimaru might not know the name of the disease, but his superior medical skills allowed him to quickly diagnose that Itachi's condition was caused by the erosion of the Yin Release chakra each time he used the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Orochimaru could suppress the abnormal cells by ceasing the use of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Once Itachi grew older or physically stronger, he could resist the erosion from the Mangekyō Sharingan's Yin Release chakra, and his illness would naturally heal.

"That's great, Itachi!" Shisui sighed in relief.

When Natsuki told him that Itachi would only live to twenty without treatment, he was worried day and night.

Fortunately, Natsuki-senpai's plan didn't go wrong. Shisui touched his eyes, knowing that both would need many years before he could use Kotoamatsukami again.

Fortunately, the first two uses had worked.

"Don't be too happy yet," Orochimaru's voice brought Shisui back to the present.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan of your Uchiha clan is inherently unstable."

"Reckless overuse not only leads to blindness but can also cause unpredictable mutations in your bodies."

Orochimaru compared the notes on [Evolution and Speculation of the Sharingan] with [On the Sage's Eyes, Sage Body, Sage Blood, and Bloodline Limits].

In the second notebook, he found an introduction to the Ōtsutsuki clan and how the Ōtsutsuki bloodline influenced many bloodline limits in the ninja world.

"Bloodline limits are both a blessing and a curse," Orochimaru sighed.

"The upcoming experiments will require your full cooperation."

Natsuki had proposed methods for stabilizing the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even if Itachi could transplant a blood relative's Mangekyō Sharingan, Shisui, now alone without blood relatives, would need the second option: injecting Hashirama's chakra.

However, Orochimaru had his ideas. He wanted to try injecting Yang Release chakra directly to see its effects on the Mangekyō Sharingan.

However, since chakra injection experiments had never been done before, Orochimaru needed to plan carefully with the two living test subjects at his disposal.

He quickly became busy, leaving Otogakure's affairs to Kabuto.

Kabuto, often required for Orochimaru's experiments, could not focus on other tasks.

Scientific research was delicate work, and the Shadow Clone Technique couldn't be used. The massive medical data upon the clone's dispersal would overwhelm the user, requiring recovery days.

The Uchiha members who accompanied Itachi and Shisui quickly filled Otogakure's workforce shortage.

Elder Takuya soon took over Kabuto's administrative duties in Otogakure, allowing Kabuto to assist Orochimaru fully.

Elder Uchiha Takuya finally realized his long-held desire for power.

Though Otogakure was small, it gave him a taste of authority.

Kabuto had no interest in power. He was in Otogakure to assist Orochimaru.

For him, Orochimaru was his superior, his brother, and his family.

He was happy to do anything to help Orochimaru.

Itachi and Shisui cooperated with Orochimaru daily, considering themselves live specimens. Without Kotoamatsukami's confidence, they would have worried about being dissected alive.

New Uchiha Territory

"Sir, there's news from the ninja cats."

Kiyoshi brought in the message.

Kiyoshi's brother, Yoichi, also had a summoning contract with the ninja cats.

Using the Summoning Technique, Yoichi, following Itachi, could quickly communicate with Kiyoshi.

Natsuki opened the scroll and saw that Orochimaru had begun researching Itachi's condition.

Itachi's condition seemed stable.

Now, it was time to develop further.

"Lord Natsuki!"

Another Uchiha entered.

"There's news from the Third Hokage."

News from the Third Hokage?

Natsuki opened the scroll curiously and then let out a chuckle.

Danzo was still up to no good. Previously, because of his attempt to steal Shisui's eye, he had become a pariah in Konoha.

He had been hiding in his clan or Root, avoiding even the Hokage building.

But his greed remained, now targeting the Uchiha again.

The Third Hokage wasn't a saint either. His friendly gesture towards the Uchiha was a ploy.

Danzo's power had grown, making him difficult to control.

With the Uchiha now separate from the village and two Mangekyō Sharingan users, the Third Hokage couldn't oppose them.

If Danzo clashed with the Uchiha, any losses on either side would benefit the Third Hokage.

Konoha's reactions were becoming less relevant to the Uchiha. As long as their development in the Land of Rice Fields progressed, the Uchiha wouldn't need to rely on Konoha.

"Spread the word: all Uchiha police squads will conduct joint patrols with two standard teams."

"All members with activated Sharingan are not allowed to leave the clan grounds alone. Temporarily suspend missions in Konoha and return to the clan for rest."

Fugaku had delegated these powers to Natsuki, treating him as the successor.

Natsuki stood up and patted Kiyoshi's shoulder, "Danzo still has his eyes on our Sharingan. If you need more people, go to Fugaku. Prioritize the barrier team."

"Yes, Captain!"

Kiyoshi's eyes were full of determination.

We must protect the clan!