Hearing Shin say that, Hoshiyomi froze for a moment and instinctively turned to look at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was staring intently at the instruments, and after confirming that all of Shin's vital signs were stable, he gave Hoshiyomi a firm nod.
Seeing this, Hoshiyomi increased the output of his Yin Release chakra.
A stream of Yin chakra, nearly one-third faster than before, continuously poured into Shin's eyes.
Shin's expression had already turned pained.
Clearly, having so much Yin chakra forcefully absorbed by the Sharingan all at once was beginning to overwhelm him.
Just as Hoshiyomi was considering whether to slow down the output, Shin suddenly spoke:
"Lord Hoshiyomi, please don't slow down.
I can feel it—just one last push.
I can feel the Three-Tomoe Sharingan changing."
It wasn't nonsense.
Kabuto, watching closely from the side, was already breathing faster.
He could clearly see Shin's three-tomoe Sharingan slowly beginning to rotate.
Seeing this, Hoshiyomi hesitated no more and continued the chakra infusion, while Shin gritted his teeth and endured the strain.
Just when everyone thought they were about to witness the birth of an artificial Mangekyō Sharingan, the situation suddenly changed.
Hoshiyomi's Sage Sensory ability abruptly detected that Shin's Sharingan had stopped absorbing Yin chakra.
This unexpected development left him confused.
Kabuto anxiously pointed toward Shin's eyes:
"Sensei, the rotation of the Sharingan is slowing down!"
The words startled both Orochimaru and Hoshiyomi.
Shin had clearly been on the verge of breaking through to the Mangekyō, yet now—for some unknown reason—the Sharingan had stopped absorbing Yin chakra entirely.
A breakthrough that had been only one step away now seemed at risk of failing.
Hoshiyomi had never heard of such a situation.
He couldn't help worrying—if the evolution failed, would the eyes be permanently stuck like in the cultivation novels of his previous life, where a failed breakthrough meant you'd never ascend again?
Orochimaru, now visibly tense, leaned closer and asked urgently:
"Shin, what are you feeling right now?"
Shin, gritting his teeth through the pain, forced out:
"Lord Orochimaru… it feels awful.
I think Lord Hoshiyomi's chakra isn't enough for these eyes anymore,
but they desperately want to evolve—they're urging me to provide more energy."
His trembling voice clearly masked immense pain.
Being pressured by the three-tomoe Sharingan itself was far from pleasant.
Hearing this, all three present were stunned.
What was that supposed to mean?
Not enough chakra for the eyes… yet they still want more energy?
As the three struggled to interpret Shin's words, a sudden thud echoed from the operating table.
At the same time, the monitoring instruments behind him began emitting urgent warning beeps.
They looked down and saw Shin smashing the back of his head violently against the operating table, his face twisted in agony.
Startled, the three quickly questioned him again.
Shin's voice had become a strained, hoarse roar.
The veins along his thin neck and arms bulged as he struggled uncontrollably against the restraints:
"Lord Orochimaru… it hurts so much…
my whole body feels like it's burning…
and I feel so irritated, so agitated!
Right now, I just want to… kill someone!"
"My mind is full of the scenes from when you took me to kill those bandits before!"
Orochimaru's expression darkened immediately upon hearing those words.
Could their experiment be on the verge of failure?
No—this couldn't continue.
Even if Shin's life wasn't in immediate danger, this level of mental agitation could leave deep psychological damage.
Just as Orochimaru was about to tell Hoshiyomi to stop the experiment, Hoshiyomi suddenly slapped his thigh:
"I've got it!"
Seeing Orochimaru's puzzled look, Hoshiyomi explained:
"According to the Second Hokage's notes, the key requirement for evolving the Mangekyō Sharingan is experiencing the intense emotional shock of gaining love and losing love.
Under an immense mental stimulus, the optic nerves secrete a special chakra that pushes the three-tomoe Sharingan into the Mangekyō stage.
We previously assumed that this 'special chakra' was simply Yin Release chakra.
Now it's clear we oversimplified things.
This special chakra is not the same as pure Yin chakra.
The crucial difference lies in the emotional trauma—the shock produced by experiencing love and loss.
That event becomes a catalyst—an inner metamorphosis that acts as a converter, transforming ordinary Yin chakra into special chakra, which then triggers the Mangekyō evolution.
Right now, Shin's Sharingan has been nourished by Yin chakra and reached the conditions needed to evolve,
but he's missing that emotional catalyst.
That's likely why we're seeing this situation."
There were several other thoughts Hoshiyomi did not speak aloud—because they were related to later events in Boruto.
Hoshiyomi suspected that Uchiha Shin's twisted personality in Boruto stemmed from this very issue.
In the original timeline, Shin's Mangekyō was most likely created exactly like what they were attempting now—forced through the accumulation of power from countless three-tomoe Sharingan, similar to the giant Tenseigan on the moon:
a system built through brute-force stacking rather than genuine evolution.
A weak body combined with rapidly expanding ocular power would naturally produce conflict, resulting in agitation and instability.
Since Shin had lived alone and never experienced true love or the pain of losing it, he had no way to undergo the emotional metamorphosis required.
Tormented by unending irritation, he projected himself into Sasuke's perspective, idolizing Uchiha Itachi while despising Sasuke's actions—eventually becoming that twisted, neither-human-nor-ghost figure.
Shin's Mangekyō abilities were far weaker than those of other Uchiha, likely because he lacked this inner transformation.
After hearing Hoshiyomi's analysis, Orochimaru nodded repeatedly:
"Yes, that must be the issue.
But then how do we resolve it?
We can't exactly go find someone for Shin to kill right now.
Even if he kills someone, he won't understand what it means to gain or lose love."
But Hoshiyomi showed a confident smile:
"True, a spiritual metamorphosis is important.
But in essence, that emotional experience only serves to activate the Sharingan's inner potential and convert Yin chakra into special chakra.
If we can directly infuse Shin with that special chakra from the start…
won't that solve the problem?"