Tobirama agreed with Arima's decision. In his eyes, if his chosen successor could wield both the Wood Release techniques of the Senju clan and the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, then Arima's future achievements might even surpass those of his elder brother.
Over the years, Arima had consistently proven himself, which gave Tobirama peace of mind. He was willing to take a chance, perhaps Arima could walk a path different from his brother's.
In fact, Tobirama's laboratory already housed several pairs of fully matured, three-tomoe Sharingan eyes, with impressively pure Uchiha bloodlines.
That very night, Tobirama took Arima into his secret underground laboratory.
It was Arima's first time entering this place.
Previously, Tobirama had believed the lab's atmosphere to be far too gory.
He feared the scene would cause severe psychological trauma to the young Arima, and had forbidden him from setting foot inside until he was older.
Though Arima had always been curious, he remained obedient and well-behaved in front of his teacher.
It wasn't until he became a Jonin and began studying medical ninjutsu that they allowed him to learn about human anatomy.
As Arima stepped through the entrance to the underground facility, the hallway before him felt eerily vacant.
Silence blanketed the area, he could hear nothing but the echo of their footsteps. The flickering candlelight on the walls cast long, distorted shadows that danced with each step he took.
Following Tobirama, Arima navigated several branching corridors like a maze, until they finally arrived at the innermost chamber of the lab.
The experimental instruments inside had been neatly cleaned and stored.
The room didn't reek of blood, but the cold, metallic tables glinted under the candlelight, and the jars lining the shelves, filled with human organs and even infant corpses, gave the place a macabre, chilling presence in the dim light.
Though Arima was a Jonin and had taken many lives on missions, he had always been swift and clean in his work. He had never tortured an enemy or harmed a child.
So when he first laid eyes on the scene before him, a subtle discomfort and resistance stirred in his heart. For a child barely ten years old, this environment was undeniably hard to accept.
Tobirama noticed the slight pallor in Arima's face as he stepped into the lab. It was clear that the room had disturbed him.
Many adult shinobi, when first brought into such a setting, couldn't help but get goosebumps on their scalp. Let alone a ten year old child facing all this.
That was why he had refrained from exposing Arima to this place too early. But seeing him now, Tobirama thought he was doing well. At least he hadn't vomited on the spot.
He patted Arima on the shoulder, gesturing for him to take a seat while he prepared the instruments needed for the eye transplant.
Once Tobirama left, Arima sat alone in the lab, the scent of antiseptic thick in the air. He tried to convince himself this was just a hospital operating room.
He knew full well that the development of forbidden jutsu often required live human testing, sometimes with the subjects kept fully conscious.
The pain and pleading of these victims, their suffering, were unimaginable. Most people couldn't remain composed witnessing such cruelty.
Compared to medical ninjutsu, which also required dissecting live bodies at times, the intention behind the act was vastly different. One was to save lives.... the other, to take them.
Maybe Arima could try to tell himself that these experiments were for the greater good, that the research might save more lives in the future.
But he couldn't quite believe that. No one really knew if the ones conducting these experiments were truly noble, or if they were just indulging in the thrill of killing.
Just as he was lost in thought, the sound of approaching footsteps broke his concentration. He realized he was overthinking and shook his head, pushing aside his wandering thoughts.
Seeing Arima quietly sitting in the corner, calm once more, Tobirama relaxed.
He had deliberately left Arima alone for a bit, after all, some obstacles had to be overcome by Arima himself.
Then he said, "We're about to start the eye transplant. It should only take a few hours, but the recovery afterward will depend on your body. I'll come up with a mission excuse to tell the clan."
Arima nodded silently. He was secretly relieved that he had left a Wood Clone with Tsunade at home.
Otherwise, if the girl woke up to find him gone, she would definitely complain.
He replied, "Granduncle, I left a Wood Clone at home. You don't need to worry about making up a story."
Tobirama nodded, thinking to himself. 'Wood Clones are definitely more reliable than Shadow Clones.'
Arima changed into a sterilized lab gown and lay down on the cold table. The icy surface snapped his mind fully awake.
Tobirama slowly injected the anesthetic into Arima's body. Staring up at the bright light overhead, Arima began to feel dizzy. His consciousness gradually faded into a blur.
Once Arima lost consciousness, Tobirama summoned a scroll containing Sharingan eyes.
From his extensive collection, he chose the pair with the greatest potential and prepared to implant them.
He poured all his focus into the procedure. There was a time when he wanted to transplant Sharingan eyes into his elder brother.
But Hashirama had refused, saying that doing so would deepen the rift between himself and Madara.
Tobirama had never gotten along with Madara. He always thought Madara was too ambitious, too brooding, and scheming behind everyone's backs.
Sure enough, Madara had eventually left, only to return with the Nine-Tails, attacking both his brother and the village.
Though Madara was ultimately slain by Hashirama, his brother had been gravely wounded in the process.
The resulting chaos disrupted what had been a promising start for Konoha, and in a few years, the village would likely be drawn into another war.
Thinking of this only deepened Tobirama's resentment. He even had the urge to dig up Madara's body and thrash it again.
But those thoughts were fleeting. Refocusing, he began the operation, filled with anticipation for what Arima would become.
In the depths of his fading consciousness, Arima found himself in a realm of chaos.
Before him appeared the silhouette of a vast and boundless world.
People in that world could fly, vanish into the earth, move mountains and part seas with a gesture. He couldn't help but yearn for it.
'Is this the world of the Sages?' he thought.
His vision began to exceed the limits of the shinobi world. 'If one day, I reach the peak of the shinobi world... could I go there too?'
Suddenly, a voice echoed from deep within his mind.
[Sharingan bloodline detected. Sharingan is now fusing with the host body. Estimated fusion time: three months. You may use virtue points to reduce this duration.]
As soon as he heard the voice, Arima understood, he had successfully received the Sharingan. But three months was far too long. Not even a Wood Clone could last that long.
To shorten the process to one month required 100 virtue points. One week would cost 500. Less than three days would take 1000.
Without hesitation, Arima spent 1000 virtue points to bring the fusion time down to just three days.
He had originally saved up 5860 virtue points. After a school trip where he helped instill good values in students and rescued an elderly person, he'd earned another 100.
After subtracting the 1000 for this fusion and setting aside 1000 more for later to unlock the Uchiha bloodline, he was left with 3960 points.
Less than 4000 points wasn't enough to master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He also wanted to exchange for a hand seal speed of six signs per second, which cost 3000 points. The road ahead was still long....
As the 1000 points were deducted, Arima immediately felt a cool sensation around his eyes. He could wake up at any time.
Still, he chose to remain quietly in this dreamspace and rest during the three days he needed to recover.
Tobirama finished the transplant successfully. The monitors showed stable vital signs, and the new eyes were fusing remarkably well. At this rate, Arima could open his eyes within a week.
But what puzzled Tobirama was that Arima still hadn't woken up. The anesthetic should've worn off long ago.
Then again, he needed to keep an eye on the possibility of rejection. It would be better if Arima remained unconscious while the eyes fused, less trouble for post-op checks.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Arima's Wood Clone continued teaching at the academy and kept Tsunade company, behaving exactly like the original.
Except... Tsunade noticed something strange. Her brother didn't smell as nice these past few days.
That afternoon, Tobirama returned to the lab for a scheduled checkup on Arima's recovery.
Looking at the peaceful, childish face sleeping on the bed, he was reminded, this boy was still just ten years old. A wave of emotion welled up in his heart.
His grandnephew had matured too early, mentally at least four or five years ahead of his peers.
Tobirama recalled how his elder brother had once said this child would lead others to resolve the conflicts of the shinobi world, and he had firmly believed it.
Though Tobirama didn't believe much in prophecy, he had high hopes for Arima too. Perhaps this child really could accomplish something unprecedented in the history of shinobi.
Shaking off his thoughts, Tobirama swiftly completed the examination. Based on the current data, Arima's body was stable, and his chakra reserves were steadily increasing.
He glanced at the boy's small frame, sighed quietly, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
The lab fell silent again, with only the sound of Arima's steady breathing.
Suddenly, Arima's eyes opened.
In an instant, his irises turned red. Around his pupils, three tomoe spun evenly.
Arima had awakened the Sharingan.
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
🤞patreon.com/plotplanner🤞
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.