"It's fine. Let them come."
Fully aware of his situation, Uchiha Shinsuke showed no fear. On the contrary, he looked exhilarated—confident, even. No hint of hesitation. In that moment, he displayed a spirit the Hyuga clan could only dream of.
What concerned him wasn't the possibility of others coveting his eyes. It was something far more compelling.
With anticipation glimmering in his gaze, Shinsuke turned to Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, you said my Setsurengan have already stabilized as a type of inherited pupil technique. Then… is it still possible for me to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
The thirst for power—greater and greater power—ran deep in Uchiha blood. Orochimaru wasn't surprised in the slightest. He gave a faint smile.
"That... is hard to say."
Shinsuke's eyes lit up. He hadn't been told "no." That alone was enough to fill him with hope. "Don't be vague."
Orochimaru gave a sidelong glance and smirked. "It depends on your potential—and your determination. Just like with any other Uchiha, you'll have to break your current balance to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Shinsuke nodded. He'd gone through the stages before—from single tomoe to three—and then the Setsurengan. Unlocking his eyes again? That didn't scare him.
"But even if you do awaken it," Orochimaru added, raising an eyebrow, "your Mangekyō might not last long."
Pointing at Shinsuke, he explained, "The Uchiha are quick to develop mental strength, but their bodies tend to lag behind. That's a serious flaw. Most of you are like ponies pulling carts—your mind races ahead, but your body can't keep up. That's why you burn out."
As he listened, realization began to dawn on Shinsuke.
So the path forward... lies in strengthening the body.
A flood of ideas filled his mind—training routines, techniques, goals. He was already planning.
Orochimaru's lips curled slightly. The message had been delivered. Whether or not the boy could walk the path was entirely on him.
"By the way," Orochimaru added, "I need a favor."
Shinsuke looked up. "Of course, Lord Orochimaru. Whatever you need."
"I'll be busy for the next few days, restoring the Mangekyō Sharingan's pupil power from Shisui's eye."
He gestured toward a figure beside him.
"I'm leaving this one to you—Yakushi Kabuto. Help him train. Ninjutsu, taijutsu... everything. Toughen him up."
Kabuto's face remained unreadable, but behind his glasses, his eyes flickered with surprise. He had never seen himself as a combatant. What exactly was Orochimaru planning?
Training?
Shinsuke gave Orochimaru a look, then glanced at the composed Kabuto. He remembered how, during surgery and a few interactions after, Kabuto had never missed a chance to tease or provoke him.
And now, he could barely keep a straight face.
Ninjutsu is just that—ninjutsu. Everyone knows taijutsu involves close-quarters combat. That makes it far too easy for someone to slip in a few retaliatory blows under the guise of training.
And when it comes to the Uchiha—their whole clan fights like wild beasts, and with the cheating tool that is the Sharingan, they can read and counter your every move at will.
It's infuriating. You want to fight back, but they never leave you with a justifiable excuse.
So when Orochimaru made the request, Uchiha Shinsuke was more than eager. He cracked his knuckles and readily agreed.
Under Orochimaru's watchful gaze, Yakushi Kabuto had no objections, and the two quickly set a time for daily training.
Once Shinsuke left, Kabuto turned to Orochimaru with a puzzled look.
"Lord Orochimaru... what's the point of this? I don't understand. I'm not cut out for combat—I don't have the aptitude. I can't help you in battle."
He wasn't being modest or shirking responsibility. He simply understood his own limits. Aside from medical ninjutsu, his abilities were average at best.
"Don't sell yourself short," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "You have the potential to learn senjutsu."
"S-Senjutsu? Me?" Kabuto was stunned. He had never imagined hearing that from Orochimaru.
'Senjutsu'—Sage Techniques—was a mysterious term in the ninja world. Outside of Konoha, hardly anyone had even heard of it, much less practiced it. None of the other Great Nations had active sage users.
And now Orochimaru was telling him he had the potential?
As Kabuto looked at him in disbelief, Orochimaru hesitated, then turned to a nearby figure.
"Djinn, are you certain Kabuto is suited to the White Snake Sage Arts?"
Sage training wasn't something to be taken lightly. One mistake could cost Orochimaru his most reliable assistant. He had to be sure.
The Djinn answered without hesitation. "Absolutely. In fact, his potential in senjutsu might even surpass yours."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. He'd learned to trust the Djinn's insight—it had never failed him before, even if its knowledge came from strange or cryptic places.
Satisfied with the answer, Kabuto no longer resisted the idea. "Then... when do I start?"
He didn't seek power for himself. If senjutsu could make him more useful to Orochimaru, then it was worth it.
"Not yet," Orochimaru said.
He unsealed a scroll and drew out a syringe filled with a pale fluid—the Yamato Fusion Solution—and injected it into Kabuto's arm.
"AAAGH—!!"
Kabuto clutched his arm and collapsed, howling in pain.
Orochimaru stood by, expression unmoved. He monitored Kabuto's vitals—nothing life-threatening. Just a standard rejection response.
The Djinn's reasoning for selecting Kabuto remained unclear, but Orochimaru wouldn't push him into sage training unprepared. Like the Uchiha's Sharingan, senjutsu imposed a heavy burden—especially on the body.
Natural energy enhances physical strength immensely. But if the mind can't keep pace, it leads to breakdowns—rage, madness, loss of self.
Some, like Manda or the "Tyrannosaurus" the Djinn had once mentioned, gain overwhelming power—at the cost of reason. Their brains can't process the energy overload and regress into beasts of instinct.
There's no fixed rule, but the White Snake Sage noted that those with massive chakra reserves tend to handle senjutsu better.
So why choose Kabuto?
Simple. Orochimaru needed someone who could master senjutsu and pave the way for him to perfect the integration of First Hokage cells—down to the cellular level.
And Kabuto was the ideal candidate.
After nearly fifteen minutes of agony, Kabuto slowly rose from the floor, drenched in sweat and pale as a sheet.
"This was a diluted version of the First Generation Cell Fusion Formula," Orochimaru explained. "Even so, it'll dramatically raise your physical limits."
He narrowed his eyes. "Once you've adjusted to it, we'll begin your senjutsu training."
Kabuto nodded weakly, his breathing heavy—but his resolve unwavering.
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