Ten hours later.

Drip, drip, drip...

Blood dripped down from the operating table. Su Xiao removed the disposable rubber gloves from his hands and casually tossed them to Shinfuru.

Shinfuru, standing behind Su Xiao, swallowed nervously. She often doubted if this was really treatment. Even for a dissection, wasn’t this a bit much?

"Basically, there’s nothing major."

Su Xiao walked out of the operating room; he needed rest. He had already been through several intense battles before helping with Sasuke’s surgery.

On the operating table, Sasuke was wrapped head to toe in bandages, his consciousness barely hanging on due to the anesthesia. For now, he couldn’t feel anything, but soon he would.

When Su Xiao stepped out of the operating room, "the patient’s family member," Obito, was waiting at the door.

"Is it all good?"

"As long as he doesn’t lose his mind, it’s mostly good."

"Mostly..."

Obito immediately felt something was off.

"Do you think Sasuke can fully recover? Being eroded by the original Hashirama cells isn’t easy to resolve. Even if the surgery can save his life, he will need medication to suppress it afterward."

Su Xiao wasn’t a professional doctor. He was able to treat Sasuke mainly because of his understanding of the original Hashirama cells. Keeping Sasuke alive was already an accomplishment.

"Can you guarantee the supply of medication?"

"Mostly."

Su Xiao’s response only made Obito more dissatisfied.

"If Bai Jue can find that person, I’ll provide you with the formula directly."

Su Xiao was proficient in Alchemical Potion Study and understood the original Hashirama cells, so creating a drug to suppress these cells wasn’t difficult.

This time, Su Xiao’s luck was exceptionally good. If it were any other type of drug, he might not have been able to concoct it, but when it came to recovery or Hashirama cells, he excelled.

"Until Bai Jue finds that person, this is all we have."

Su Xiao tossed a glass bottle filled with red pills to Obito, containing about a few dozen pills.

"One pill per day, three before battle. No obvious side effects."

Obito assessed the number of pills. With a total of thirty, Sasuke could last a month at least if he didn’t fight, which was the deadline in their deal to find that person.

Thinking one could be unaffected after being severely eroded by the original Hashirama cells? No way. If Sasuke had stopped fighting within the first two hours, the side effects would have been at most some vision loss. But now, he could only rely on drugs to suppress the Hashirama cells in his body. That was the bloody price of recklessness.

Sasuke had been reckless many times before. When fighting the Eight Tails Jinchuriki, he became like a porcupine and it was Shinfuru who saved him. Then he got his organs punched out and Jugo saved him. Both times he almost died, yet Sasuke didn’t pay much of a price.

This time, however, Shinfuru was no longer his subordinate, and Jugo’s whereabouts were unknown. Sasuke had to pay for his previous recklessness. His brother, Itachi, was dead—killed by his hands. There’s no one to clean up after him anymore.

"This time, Sasuke shouldn’t act recklessly again."

Obito pocketed the bottle, using it to control Sasuke. However, Obito underestimated Sasuke. Is he even Sasuke if he’s not reckless? The future Uchiha Sasuke, several years from now, would indeed be a powerful, stable ninja. Then, Naruto would be the light of Konoha, while Sasuke would be its shadow, both guarding the Country of Fire.

However, now Sasuke was still too green. He might have forgotten where he was, surrounded by cunning old foxes, evil men, and ruthless desperadoes. He survived because he was an Uchiha, and his Sharingan was essential.

Itachi could handle himself in the Akatsuki Organization, even protecting Konoha through special means. It was only after Itachi’s death that Nagato attacked Konoha, showing how capable Itachi was in laying out plans.

As for Sasuke joining the Akatsuki Organization, he remained in a state of being used. However, if Sasuke managed to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he wouldn’t be far from soaring to the heavens. He was destined to be one of the most powerful individuals in the Ninja World. While reckless, he wouldn’t bite the dust so easily.

Su Xiao found a random room, and A Mu stood guard at the door. Su Xiao and Bubu Wang slept soundly. As an alchemical creature, A Mu required very little rest.

Su Xiao drowsily opened his eyes after who knew how long. He moved a dog leg off his chest.

After a moment, Su Xiao felt more refreshed.

"Bubu."

"Mm~"

Bubu Wang hummed groggily in response, its front paw twitching.

"Stop sleeping, we’re going to save Deidara later."

"Mm~"

Bubu Wang’s furry front paw twitched again as a sign of acknowledgment, but its eyes remained tightly shut, and just three seconds later, it began snoring.

"A Mu."

Su Xiao gestured for A Mu to wake up Bubu Wang. A Mu was hesitant, but it couldn’t disobey Su Xiao’s orders.

After a moment’s hesitation, A Mu gently picked up Bubu Wang by the hind legs. Despite being lifted like this, Bubu Wang remained in deep sleep.

Seeing this, Su Xiao forcibly controlled A Mu.

A Mu’s body froze, and its hands suddenly started shaking up and down, causing Bubu Wang’s large ears to flap along, and its tongue to flop out of its slightly open mouth.

Bubu Wang awoke in shock and, in panic, bit down on its tongue. The expression on its dog face could only be summed up in two words: ’Holy crap.’

"Get ready to set off to rescue Deidara."

Su Xiao yawned and walked out of the room, releasing his control over A Mu. A Mu’s hands let go reflexively, but Bubu Wang quickly signaled for it not to. Alas, it was too late.

With a thud, Bubu Wang’s head knocked against the bed frame, and it collapsed softly onto the bed.

Yawning again, Bubu Wang sat up and looked at A Mu with an unmistakable gaze that said, "You, wait for me."

A Mu felt wronged; it wanted to say it was just as desperate.

When Su Xiao found Obito inside the base, Obito was still sitting at the operating room door, drawn by the sounds of screaming from inside.

"This... Really okay? It’s been three hours of screaming."

"It’s fine. Compared to Nagato’s surgery, the risks of this one aren’t that high. The Hashirama cells in Sasuke’s body aren’t just eroding him; they’re also granting him strong life energy."

"Is that so."

Obito pondered whether Sasuke could evolve into the Rinnegan after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. After all, Sasuke’s situation was too similar to Madara’s back then.

If Su Xiao knew Obito’s thoughts, he’d tell him: you’re overthinking it. Eternal Mangekyo plus Hashirama cells does not equal Rinnegan. To awaken the Rinnegan, other factors are also needed.

One of the most important factors is bloodline; to evolve into the Rinnegan, one must be the reincarnation of Indora.

Reincarnation in the Naruto World is a mysterious thing. It’s not the inheritance of will or energy, but something akin to fate.

Uchiha Madara was Indora’s reincarnation. After obtaining the original Hashirama cells, he spent decades and finally awakened the Rinnegan on the brink of death.

Sasuke was also a reincarnation of Indora and gained the original Hashirama cells, but he was not comparable to Madara. Their strength, knowledge, and experience were not on the same level.

What Uchiha Madara pursued his whole life could not be easily achieved by Sasuke. It was simply impossible.

"We’ve figured out Deidara’s location. He’s in a secret underground prison for important captives near Iwagakure Village, only a few kilometers away and heavily guarded by ninja."

Obito stood up. The team for the rescue mission was already chosen: Su Xiao, Obito, Bubu Wang, Shinfuru, and A Mu.

Five people in total; it seemed like a small team, but they weren’t assaulting Iwagakure Village; five people made it easier to move.

As Su Xiao and the others gathered to leave the Akatsuki Headquarters, the base doors opened, and blinding sunlight shone in.

A figure walked down from above, carrying something on his shoulder.

"Did I miss something?"

The newcomer stood at the base entrance, the glaring sunlight obscuring his appearance, but his voice was immediately recognizable as Kisame returning, successfully capturing the Eight Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, who was now slung over his shoulder.

"Senior, is this our base? It’s quite impressive."

A woman’s voice came from behind Kisame.

"Kisame, bringing outsiders to the base isn’t like you, even if it’s just a temporary base."

Obito’s tone wasn’t reprimanding, after all, Kisame had just succeeded in capturing the Eight Tails Jinchuriki.

"She’s the newcomer I wanted to introduce, and I couldn’t have caught the Eight Tails without her help. Besides, we’re old acquaintances."