The lab was silent.
Faint blue lights pulsed in a slow rhythm along the walls. The chakra monitors gave off a soft hum. And in the center, inside a reinforced stasis tank, floated the clone.
It had been one week since the process began.
The clone, born from Madara's DNA and stabilized with enhanced Hashirama cells, was fully grown now. His skin was pale and smooth.
His body looked strong and perfect. Black hair floated lightly in the fluid. His eyes were closed.
Kakashi stood in front of the tank, clipboard in hand. He checked the readings one by one.
Heartbeat: steady.
Muscle reflex: responsive.
Chakra output: extremely high, but stable.
The Orochimaru clone stood behind him, his arms crossed as he watched closely.
"Well?" the clone asked, grinning. "Is it time?"
"Yes. Begin mental trigger stimulation."Kakashi gave a slow nod.
The clone moved to the side panel, activating a set of chakra cables connected to the being's head and chest.
Circular seals lit up with green and red light.
From the scrolls Kakashi had created with his Formula Reconstruction Technique, he had created a memory stream, constructed emotions, designed to push the Sharingan to awaken.
It was a web of false pain, rage, fear, and betrayal. Genjutsu-laced chakra entered the clone's mind.
The Madara clone twitched slightly.
"Muscle reaction," Kakashi muttered. "Chakra shift."
The graphs began to spike.
The clone's fingers curled into a loose fist. His breath changed. Still unconscious, but reacting.
The Orochimaru clone leaned forward with interest.
"Keep going. Push deeper."
A second wave of chakra entered the tank, this one focused on pain.
In the illusion, the clone saw comrades fall beside him. A brother's hand slipping away. A village turning against him. It wasn't real, but it felt real.
His body jerked inside the tank. His teeth clenched.
"He's close."Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
Still… his eyes remained tightly shut.
Kakashi reached for a small injector before him and pushed it through the fluid port. Inside was a stimulant, a synthetic adrenaline burst.
He pressed the switch.
A jolt hit the clone's chest. His entire body stiffened, then relaxed.
His eyes snapped open.
Red. Two-tomoe Sharingan formed in his eyes.
He took his first breath, shallow and fast.
"Sharingan activated. No Mangekyō. Not yet." Kakashi wrote quickly on the clipboard.
"Let's give him something heavier," the Orochimaru clone on the side said.
Kakashi nodded once.
They sent in the next memory stream, darker than before. It showed a younger version of the clone, holding a dying friend. The friend's voice echoed in the illusion: "Live for me… brother…"
The chakra inside the tank flared.
The clone's face twisted. His Sharingan started spinning wildly.
Then, click.
It changed.
The tomoe vanished. In their place: the Mangekyō Sharingan, glowing with cold power.
"He did it," Kakashi said quietly. "Mangekyō activated."
"If my inferior clone knew it was this easy, he'd die of jealousy." The Orochimaru clone laughed softly.
With the first phase complete, Kakashi began draining the stasis tank.
The fluid hissed as it disappeared. The clone's feet touched the metal floor. He stood tall, still, and powerful.
His eyes glowed. His chakra surged.
He looked at Kakashi and spoke his first word:
"Purpose…"
"You've already served it," Kakashi answered calmly.
He touched a small seal on the wall. A sleep seal flashed. The clone collapsed, unconscious.
"That went smoother than expected." The Orochimaru clone let out a low whistle.
Kakashi turned back to the table and activated a glowing red seal on his palm.
"This is the Genesis Seal," Kakashi explained.
The spiky red diamond rotated slowly in his hand.
"The moment I absorb him, everything passes into me, chakra, DNA, bloodline power, Mangekyō, Wood Style… all of it." Although Kakashi had told the clone about the Genesis Seal, he hadn't gone into too much detail.
"And it won't overload you?" The clone tilted his head.
Kakashi shook his head. "The enzymes Tsunade got from Katsuyu, and her gene synthesis give me the vitality I need. The seal balances everything."
"You're becoming more than a shinobi," the clone whispered. "You'll become something new."
"I'll become what the world needs."
As he said that, Kakashi stopped and reflected on what he just said and he shivered at the cringe words coming from his mouth.
They moved slowly around the lab, making final adjustments.
The chakra dampeners were stable. The backup seal chambers were active. Chakra stabilizers were calibrated. The air smelled like old ink and steel. The tank lights dimmed.
Everything was ready.
Kakashi stood over the clone's sleeping form, silent.
The Orochimaru clone broke the moment.
"Do we name him first or just eat him?"
Kakashi didn't smile. But his voice was calm. "He's not a person. He's a path."
He placed his palm gently on the clone's chest. The Genesis Seal glowed brighter.
But before he activated it, he looked at the clone's peaceful face.
"I wonder," Kakashi murmured, "if he dreamed."
"Wouldn't that be ironic?" the clone replied. "A soul that never existed… feeling sorrow."
Kakashi said nothing.
He closed his eyes, breathed in, and pressed the seal.
Light exploded.
Fade out.