"Everyone! Listen up! We've got work to do!" Diarmuid shouted as he stomped into the cavern, Rin trailing behind him.
He called out a few more times, but the interior remained silent. Diarmuid's expression soured. "I swear, these two bastards have zero respect for their leader!" he grumbled irritably.
Beside him, Rin gave a strained, awkward smile, unsure of how to respond. I'm just the hired help here...
Diarmuid led Rin to the laboratory doors and shoved them open. Sure enough, Orochimaru and Sasori were hunched over a workbench, deep in the throes of research. On the table, a Sharingan had been sliced into multiple thin sections like a piece of sashimi, laid out for examination.
Diarmuid's cheek twitched. These two profligate lunatics... Is that just an eye to them? That's a life! After all, every Sharingan represented a single use of Izanagi.
But then he reconsidered, it wasn't like he could use it himself. No matter what, Diarmuid wasn't about to turn himself into some multi-eyed freak. He thought of Danzo's future look and shuddered. No thanks.
"How's it going?" Diarmuid asked, walking up to them.
Orochimaru looked quite pleased, a thin smile on his lips. "Quite well. Just as you suggested, there truly is a connection between the Sharingan and Wood Release cells. It seems the Senju and Uchiha clans might actually be of the same lineage..."
"It's not a 'might,' they definitely are," Diarmuid corrected before asking, "So, have you successfully harmonized Wood Release with the Sharingan?"
"No. Our research into the Sharingan has only just begun. I'd say we've simply made a promising start," Orochimaru replied.
Sasori set down his tools and added, "Indeed. If all goes well, we might be able to 'cultivate' them."
"Cultivate?" Diarmuid's eyes widened in surprise.
"Correct. Much like the cells of the First Hokage," Orochimaru explained.
Diarmuid blinked, a memory resurfacing. Right, if he recalled correctly, Orochimaru did eventually master the technology to "cultivate" or "clone" the Sharingan. He even created a villain later on... what was his name? Uchiha Shin? Yeah, that sounded right.
While Diarmuid was lost in thought, Sasori spoke up again. "But that is the limit. Theoretically, there will always be a significant gap between cultivated eyes and those that manifest naturally..."
"Indeed. Just like Wood Release cells from the First Hokage; they lack the full potency of the original," Orochimaru noted.
Diarmuid had little interest in those specifics for now. Instead, he asked, "Can someone who isn't an Uchiha awaken the Sharingan?"
Orochimaru and Sasori both looked at Diarmuid as if he were an idiot. Orochimaru shook his head. "Impossible."
Diarmuid sighed. "So, if I want a Sharingan, I'm stuck with an eye transplant in the end?"
"Inevitably," Sasori stated flatly.
Orochimaru opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated.
"What? You have a different take?" Diarmuid asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... while natural awakening is impossible, perhaps a degree of 'fusion' could occur. There might be a chance to manifest the Sharingan's power within one's own eyes," Orochimaru said after a moment's thought.
"Explain," Diarmuid urged, feeling a flicker of anticipation.
He knew the difference between fusion and transplantation. Transplantation was what Kakashi had, popping out an original eye and sticking in a Sharingan. But at the end of the day, it wasn't your own eye; it felt off, and psychologically, it was hard to swallow. But fusion? Like the First Hokage's cells he'd already integrated? Diarmuid could get behind that.
"I've discovered a fascinating phenomenon: Sharingan eyes show signs of being able to fuse with one another. The closer the blood relation, the more pronounced this becomes..." Orochimaru explained.
Sasori fell silent, seemingly contemplating the data. Diarmuid's eyes lit up. Exactly! The Sharingan did have that trait.
At this stage, likely only Madara and Obito knew the truth. In history, only Madara and later Sasuke actually performed it. They fused their siblings' eyes to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, which granted immunity to the blindness caused by overusing the ocular powers.
This proved the eyes could merge. Orochimaru had caught onto the "closer bloodline, better compatibility" rule. Madara and Sasuke used their brothers' eyes, but in theory, it didn't have to be a sibling to reach the peak of the Uchiha bloodline. Parents or other close kin should work, depending on the genetic proximity.
This only reinforced what Tobirama used to say: when it comes to the pursuit of power, the Uchiha truly are "inherently evil" and a "cursed" clan.
"This is the trait I've identified for now," Orochimaru smiled. "While we currently only see this trend between Sharingan, the goal of science is to create the impossible. Once our research reaches a new stage, we may find a way to fuse a Sharingan with an ordinary person's eye..."
Diarmuid felt a rush of excitement. Science truly is the primary productive force! Good job, Orochimaru!
But before his excitement could settle, Sasori cut in. "Orochimaru's logic is sound, but a possibility is just a possibility. I personally believe the practical feasibility of such a feat is near zero..."
Orochimaru sighed and nodded. "Sasori isn't wrong. The Uchiha bloodline is far too unique..."
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit Orochimaru. He froze in place, eyes wide.
As Diarmuid was about to speak, Sasori reached out and pressed a hand onto his shoulder, whispering, "Don't say a word. Orochimaru has a new lead. Don't disturb him..."
Diarmuid nodded and kept quiet.
After a long silence, Orochimaru snapped out of it and looked at Diarmuid. "Actually, there might be a way to make it practical..."
"How so?" Sasori was the first to ask.
"The bottleneck is the bloodline, yes. But don't forget, the Sharingan and the Senju likely share the same origin. Both clans share a common ancestral bloodline. And Wood Release and the Sharingan truly possess a degree of Yin-Yang harmony... Perhaps the breakthrough lies with Wood Release," Orochimaru explained.
His explanation was still a bit muddled, but the general idea was clear. It was messy because he hadn't fully worked it out himself; he just had a lead.
Sasori pondered. "Still incredibly difficult. According to your theory, to fuse a Sharingan into a non-Uchiha, they would first need the traits of the Senju, ideally the First Hokage's Wood Release. But that's a paradox. No one can master Wood Release, let alone survive the First's cells..."
"There is one. Uchiha Obito," Orochimaru noted. Then he shook his head. "But he's irrelevant to us. The future of this research depends on... Diarmuid."
Sasori smirked. "You're pinning your hopes on Mud Release?"
"Hey!!" Diarmuid barked indignantly. Who the hell are you looking down on? Once I awaken Wood Release, you're the first one I'm dealing with!
Actually, Orochimaru's line of thinking was very promising. Wood Release and the Sharingan were a perfect match, it wasn't just Yin-Yang harmony. Sharingan paired with Wood Release wouldn't lose visual prowess even if they didn't advance to "Eternal" status, supposedly due to the immense life force involved. The two powers were highly compatible precisely because the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines came from the same source.
The group chatted a bit longer about the Sharingan before moving on. Researching it thoroughly would take a long time; there was no rushing it.
"Alright, enough of that for now. We have work. Where are Kakuzu and Juzo?" Diarmuid asked, changing the subject.
Orochimaru shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
"The last time they were back, they mentioned heading to the Land of Rainbows," Sasori said, rubbing the chin of his human puppet.
"The Land of Rainbows?" Diarmuid blinked.
"Yeah. They should be arriving soon," Sasori added.
"That's a long way... Looks like they're going to miss out on this one," Diarmuid said, somewhat helpless. The Land of Rainbows was an island nation even deeper in the sea, further out than the Land of Water. It would be a while before they returned.
"So, what's the mission?" Orochimaru asked.
"Our good friend of the Yorozuya, Konoha's loyal partner Danzo, has sent us some good news." Diarmuid handed the small scroll to Orochimaru with a grin.
Orochimaru scanned it and passed it to Sasori. "We're moving on the Land of Rain?"
"Exactly. Opportunity knocks... this base isn't ideal for our future growth. The Land of Rain, however, suits us much better," Diarmuid nodded.
"Then Kakuzu and Juzo truly will miss the boat," Sasori noted, placing the scroll on the table with a smirk.
"Whatever. If they can't make it, they can't make it. It's not like it's a difficult task. The three of us are more than enough," Diarmuid said dismissively.
Truthfully, he could probably handle it alone, but this was a job for the syndicate. It was better for the Yorozuya's "image" to act as a group.
Wait.
Why did I think of it as a 'syndicate'?
I meant 'collective action.'
Once the plan was set, Orochimaru murmured with a hint of nostalgia, "After all these years... three of us again?"
During the Second Shinobi World War, he, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had united against Hanzo of the Salamander, and lost. This time, he would join Diarmuid and Sasori against Hanzo...
Was this destiny?
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