The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, glanced coldly at his Intelligence Minister.
"I don't want excuses. That boy is only thirteen, yet he already possesses strength on par with an elite jōnin. He's not even one of Iwagakure's shinobi. We cannot afford to let him grow unchecked."
A deep boom shook the office as Ōnoki's chakra flared, splintering the desk and frightening the minister into silence.
---
A Remote Valley in the Land of Bears
A silver-white waterfall thundered down into a secluded pool, drowning the valley in mist. This was the place where Chen Xing had once trained for years. The small hut that used to stand here had long been replaced by a clean, sturdy house—three bedrooms, a small hall, and a barrier of faint blue light surrounding it like a dome.
Inside, Chen Xing sat cross-legged on the floor, holding two syringes—one filled with a bright green solution, the other with blood-red fluid. Both radiated a strange, oppressive chakra.
"Luckily, I managed to bring back some of Uchiha Shisui's cells… otherwise the entire plan would fall apart."
After half a month of study, Chen Xing was certain: transplanting Shisui's eye without stabilizing his body would eventually destroy him. Even Hatake Kakashi—a chakra powerhouse—struggled with an ordinary Sharingan draining him daily. The Mangekyō would consume him even faster.
There was only one way:
combine Shisui's cells with Hashirama Senju's cells—a forbidden procedure known to be both miraculous and deadly.
Orochimaru and Danzō had nearly destroyed their bodies trying similar experiments. Chen Xing knew the risk well: foreign cells could overtake the host body and kill the user.
But the reward…
Hashirama's vitality alone was worth more than any bloodline. And with Shisui's kaleidoscope, the potential was terrifying.
Chen Xing exhaled slowly. His eyes hardened.
"Success… or death."
He stabbed both syringes into his arms.
The empty needles clattered to the floor as he formed a rapid series of hand seals. A web of purple sealing formulae ignited across his skin—similar to the Cursed Seals used by rogue shinobi, but far denser and far more precise.
Moments later, agony erupted through him.
"AAAHHH!"
His body convulsed. Hashirama's cells surged like wildfire, devouring tissue, while Shisui's Uchiha cells aggressively invaded his arm. Every heartbeat felt like his soul was being sliced apart. Sweat poured from him, his vision blurred with bloodshot red.
But the sealing jutsu slowly forced the hostile cells to merge rather than consume him. Second by second, his body fought a silent war.
The pain dragged on until Chen Xing finally lost consciousness.
---
Three Days Later
Chen Xing awoke weak, trembling, and drenched in cold sweat. The purple seals had faded completely.
A sharp, deep ache ran through his muscles as he sat up.
Then he felt it.
A warm surge of vitality, thick and vibrant, knitting his damaged tissues effortlessly. His chakra reserves—vastly depleted—were already recovering at a speed far beyond normal.
Hunger crashed into him. He devoured the food stored in his scroll almost desperately. Only after restoring his chakra did he inspect the changes.
"Chakra recovery is incredible… and I've gained both earth and water affinity. If it's truly Hashirama's cells, Wood Release might be possible—but I'll need to test it."
After bathing under the waterfall to wash away the dried blood and grime, he returned to the house.
Now that his body had fully integrated Hashirama and Shisui's cells, it was time for the next step.
"The right eye will receive Shisui's Mangekyō… the left eye will take an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan. I had the Intelligence Division prepare one. It should arrive soon."
From a storage scroll, Chen Xing retrieved Shisui's preserved eye and a jar containing an ordinary Sharingan. Sterile tools were arranged beside them—he had prepared for this operation long in advance.
He steadied himself, grit his teeth—
—and began to remove his own left eye.
--