"…It failed." Uchiha Shizuka sighed regretfully. If only it could've worked on the first try.
"No," Shien shook his head and corrected her,
"it worked! We just need a few more experiments, and Mei will be able to see again!"
The effects of the Regeneration Serum had already been confirmed. What remained was refining the dosage through repeated testing. He had also verified several key details—meaning progress from here on would only accelerate.
"That's wonderful!" Uchiha Shizuka's face lit up with genuine joy.
She had watched Uchiha Mei grow up since childhood, treating her like her own daughter. To see even a sliver of hope now filled her with emotion.
"Still, we'll have to think carefully about how to explain this," Shien said calmly, bringing her back to reality.
Curing Mei wasn't the issue—explaining her recovery was. After all, the Regeneration Serum and a normal medical potion were two entirely different concepts. A medical potion could, at best, be considered a low-tier replacement for Medical Ninjutsu.
But "regrowing lost tissue"—that was unprecedented. Even Tsunade, the founder of Medical Ninjutsu, couldn't do that. Exposure would bring disastrous consequences. Even if the Uchiha Clan tried to protect him, that protection might not be enough.
"Don't worry," Shizuka said confidently.
"I've already altered the memories of those medical-nin using genjutsu. As long as Mei later announces that she was healed by another medical-nin, it'll be fine!"
The medical-nin she had hired earlier weren't from Konoha, so no one would suspect anything after their memories were modified. That also prevented any leaks about the Sharingan. Within the clan, only a few knew how severe Mei's condition had been.
As long as they claimed a skilled medical-nin had healed her out of gratitude for her grandfather's kindness, that would suffice. No one would dare pry too deeply—after all, Mei wasn't just anyone.
She was the former "princess" of the Uchiha Clan. If she didn't wish to share details, she had every right not to. And even if someone insisted on digging, that would be crossing a line all shinobi respected.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Aunt Shizuka." Shien smiled, satisfied. As long as suspicion didn't point toward him, everything would be fine.
Half a month later!
When Shien returned to the courtyard after completing his fifth experiment, what he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
"This is the summoning scroll you wanted!" Uchiha Mei tossed a thick scroll, nearly as wide as her arm, toward him.
Though her eyes were still covered with white cloth, her expression was no longer lifeless. The despair that once haunted her face was gone.
Pa! Shien caught the scroll with trembling excitement.
Having someone else retrieve it carried risks—but if he waited until he could act personally, it might take forever. So, he'd used the "Power of Money" and hired Kakuzu to get it for him.
And , as long as the payment was right, Kakuzu could get anything done.
"Come on! Let's go to the training field!" Shien's eyes gleamed—this was going to be his trump card.
Even though Taiyi's potential was higher, it would still take a long time for him to reach the level of the great lizard Shōzaki.
Mei silently followed behind. For a shinobi, being blind didn't mean being helpless—detection jutsu filled the gap easily.
The Uchiha Clan had plenty of such techniques, and Mei had already mastered one that let her move freely. Recently, she had even spread rumors that her eyes were "slowly healing" thanks to a masterful medical-nin's treatment. That, of course, was just to cover for the Regeneration Serum.
The two soon arrived at a training ground reserved for the Uchiha Main Branch—a vast, well-equipped area protected by privacy barriers. Even the Byakugan couldn't see through them. After all, ninja information was too important; such precautions were expected.
Standing in the center of the enormous, forest-surrounded arena, Shien slowly unrolled the summoning scroll.
Would it contain the name he dreaded seeing?
Masashi Kishimoto! …No, thankfully not.
Instead, only a few names were inscribed—the first being Shōzaki Gōsa.
"Good…" Shien exhaled in relief. That could've been awkward.
Biting his thumb, he pressed his blood onto the scroll and signed his own name. Immediately, he felt a faint connection form.
Boar – Dog – Bird…! His hands moved through the seals.
Time to focus. Signing a summoning contract didn't guarantee loyalty. You had to earn the summoned beast's recognition before it would fight for you. Each beast had its own temperament—just like how Naruto's first encounter with Gamabunta went.
Shōzaki's Great Lizard was reputedly loyal, but Shien still didn't dare risk summoning it in a confined space. Hence, the training field.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
He poured every bit of chakra he had into the jutsu. Different summons consumed different amounts of chakra—small creatures could be summoned by a genin, but a giant summon? Forget it. Unless your last name was Uzumaki and you were a jinchūriki.
Shien's chakra, not even a full "card," burned away like oil in a fire—equal to that of a Special Jonin, utterly drained.
Boom! A massive cloud of white smoke exploded across the training ground.
Uchiha Mei immediately drew her kunai and gripped a signal flare. From her perception, an overwhelming chakra presence had erupted before her—stronger than any clan summon she'd ever sensed.
What kind of summon is this?
Just from its chakra, she could tell it was leagues above any summoning beast the Uchiha currently possessed.
When the mist cleared— A towering, snow-white lizard with crimson eyes appeared, its height over ten meters, its length stretching dozens more.
Its sheer scale was awe-inspiring. To take in its full form, one had to back away first.
In the world of summons, size did matter—larger meant stronger, simply because a greater body could contain far more chakra, and thus unleash greater power.
"So, the bloodline of Lord Gōsa has ended… You are the new contractor?" The white lizard lowered its head, its red eyes studying Shien.
Looks like it's reasonable enough… Shien relaxed slightly. Since it hadn't attacked outright, he bowed respectfully.
"I am Uchiha Shien. Please take care of me."
Fortunately, it accepted him as the new summoner. If it had refused, there was nothing he could've done about it.
"I am Chuubeimaru. From now on, I shall aid you in battle. But my chakra is depleted for now, so I will return."
And with that, the great lizard vanished. Yes—Shien's chakra wasn't even enough to keep it materialized for thirty seconds.
Still, even half a minute of that kind of power was more than enough. Its destructive potential rivaled a Kage's—perhaps even greater.
As his bond with Chuubeimaru deepened, chakra consumption would decrease. Normally, the summoner bore all the cost, but with trust, the summon could share or even shoulder most of it—like Taiyi and his partner.
For now, but Chuubeimaru had forced Shien to carry the entire load.
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