The mist clung to the cliffs like cold breath. A silent breeze whispered through the rocks as Kakashi landed with a soft flash of chakra.
He stood on a narrow ledge, almost invisible from the outside. The entrance to the lab was hidden behind layers of stone, moss, and chakra seals.
With a few practiced hand seals, Kakashi touched the wall. Fūinjutsu lines shimmered, glowing faint blue, then dissolved. A narrow tunnel opened, and he stepped inside.
The air inside was colder. The walls were stone, smooth and carved with old Uchiha and Senju symbols. Strange glowing scrolls floated in the corners, casting soft green and blue light.
Glass jars filled with samples sat beside tools and half-finished notes. The scent of ink, dust, and chemicals floated faintly in the air.
Kakashi closed the entrance behind him. His eyes scanned the long lab tables, the control stations, and finally the central chamber.
"You're late!" a loud voice shouted.
Kakashi turned toward the sound.
From behind a high pile of scrolls, the Orochimaru clone popped out. He wore a long white coat, stained at the sleeves. A cracked chakra magnifier sat on his forehead like a headband, pushed halfway up his messy hair.
"Kakashi-sama~!" the clone cried with mock drama. "Do you know how boring it is down here? I'm stuck with a thousand-year-old blob that checks in like a nosy landlord!"
He pointed to a dark orb in the far wall. Inside it, the faint flicker of an eye glowed. A sealed observation tool, Black Zetsu's one-way spy.
"I've had to act normal. Like I'm not five times smarter than that tar-stain! I even faked a breakdown last month. Black Zetsu thinks I'm falling apart under stress. So exhausting."
He walked around the table, throwing scrolls aside.
"Also, no coffee. No snacks. You left me here with preserved worms and no tea. I should charge you rent for mental damage."
Kakashi chuckled softly.
"Glad to see you're alive," he said. "Now talk. Update me."
The clone's posture shifted. He grew serious and walked over to the large tank at the back of the lab.
"Come here. It's better if you see it."
Kakashi followed him to the tank. It was tall, reinforced with chakra steel and layered seals. Inside floated Madara Uchiha's body. His skin was pale. His hair floated around him like dark seaweed. His eyes were closed, and his chest moved slowly, like he was asleep.
"We finished regenerating all the tissue," the clone explained. "Hashirama cells helped a lot, but I had to balance the chakra levels. Too much Senju power and the Uchiha DNA starts to degrade."
Kakashi looked closer. He could see black lines of chakra nodes across Madara's arms and chest.
"I added reinforced chakra coils," the clone said. "Ten times stronger than normal. His chakra pathways are more efficient than any Kage's. If he wakes up, he could tear a mountain apart."
Kakashi didn't respond.
"We also added a control seal network. If he activates, we can suppress or guide his movements, at least for a while. I also altered his muscle structure for faster recovery and better chakra flow."
The clone grabbed a scroll and opened it to a diagram showing chakra circuits drawn into the body.
"It's like adding wires inside the chakra system. It gives us points of control."
Kakashi stared at the tank. Madara looked… calm. But dangerous.
In the background, the clone kept talking. Kakashi's thoughts drifted.
He could be a weapon. A tool. A way to make chakra weapons or summoned beasts. A sealed power source. But he's still Madara. Still dangerous. Even asleep, his presence made the air feel heavier.
"We'll keep him asleep," Kakashi said.
The clone turned.
"I want his chakra. His DNA. Not his ego."
The clone gave a proud nod.
"Smart. Last thing we need is a lecture on 'true power' from a half-naked ghost."
Kakashi looked at the tank one last time, then turned away.
The clone lowered his voice and waved him over.
"There's a problem," he whispered.
He opened a scroll and placed it on the table. It showed a chakra seal reading and communication records from the orb.
"Black Zetsu is getting suspicious. He's wondering why there's no 'breakthrough.' I've been delaying everything, but he's losing patience."
Kakashi frowned.
"He keeps asking why Madara's chakra isn't stabilizing. I told him the circuits were rejecting the body. Last week, he tried to break the seal and look inside."
"That's bad," Kakashi muttered.
"Very," the clone said. "I can stall him. But not much longer."
Kakashi pulled a small scroll from his coat. He handed it over.
"Use this."
The clone unrolled it and laughed.
"A decoy breakthrough seal?"
"It flares like a real result, but does nothing," Kakashi said. "Tell Zetsu the body responded, but needs one more week of stabilization. He'll back off. For now."
"Ooooh, deception," the clone grinned. "My favorite kind of science."
Kakashi turned and walked back to the tank. He stared at Madara's face. Pale. Calm. But wrong. Too perfect.
"You were something once, Madara," Kakashi said quietly. "But this time… you stay in the jar."
He pulled a small tag from his pocket. It was just a symbol, his own mark. He placed it on the tank's surface.
A message. A warning. A sign of control.
The clone watched from behind, already humming to himself and preparing the decoy seal.
"Don't take too long to visit again!" the clone called. "And bring tea next time! I'm out of decent leaves!"
Kakashi gave a rare smile.
"I'll bring the tea," he said. "You keep the corpse from waking up."
He vanished in a soft shimmer of silver chakra.
The lab grew silent once more.
Only the quiet humming of the tank remained. Madara floated in stillness. And the clone, now alone again, muttered to himself as he adjusted seals and made his notes.
"Stay asleep, you ancient relic. The world belongs to new players now."