Naruto: Reborn as Sakura with Manyuu Chifusa Template

At the same time Sakura and Sasuke were facing off against the mysterious masked man in Akatsuki robes, on the death anniversary of the Uchiha clan, an entirely different sort of trouble was quietly brewing. Hundreds of kilometres away in Kusagakure, in a dimly lit underground room filled with rows of glowing glass vats, a certain meeting between two shadowy figures was taking place.

"My master has sent me to request an update on the project," said the first in a measured tone. "He has, after all, invested a considerable sum in your research."

Despite the gloom, it was clear the boy was a stripling of no more than eighteen. His body was lean, and his face was caked in white make-up, which caught the faint green glow of the large glass vats in his surroundings.

"Straight to business, eh?" said the second figure, a harsh, raspy laugh escaping his lips. "But first, a word of warning: touch anything without my permission, and mark my words, you'll end up just like your predecessor. We wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

A chill fell over the already icy room.

"Now, with all of that unpleasantness out of the way, shall we get to it?" he continued. "We wouldn't want to keep old Danzō waiting, would we?"

Wearing just as much white make-up as his interlocutor, the second figure towered over the first. His long black hair fell to his shoulders, and he wore flowing yellow garments, a thick purple shimenawa tied firmly around his waist.

"I understand perfectly, Lord Orochimaru," the boy gasped, as a wave of chakra imbued with killing intent washed over him. "I will keep my hands to myself."

Orochimaru didn't even bother to ask for the boy's name. Danzō's underlings took on new codenames every time they slipped out of their hidey-holes, so asking would have only meant another name cluttering up his valuable memory space.

But for the record, the boy's codename was currently Dai.

"I'm certain that old fox will be pleased to hear the Hashirama cell transplantation experiment has finally produced favourable results," Orochimaru said, turning to face the row of glass pods to his left. "But he will have to come here in person if he wants to obtain the power of the First Hokage for himself."

Dai followed his gaze.

Two naked bodies floated in separate transparent tanks filled with nutrient solution before him. The first was a boy of no more than fifteen. Most disturbingly, his right arm was a trypophobe's worst nightmare: it was dotted with pulsating, crimson eyes. The second was a young female of about the same age. Her limbs drifted at just the right angles to preserve her modesty, and her face looked oddly familiar…

"The female…" said Dai questioningly. "She's the donor?"

Unwilling to put all his eggs in one basket, Danzō had begun his own experiments with Hashirama's cells, rather than let Orochimaru drip-feed him the dregs of his research whenever it pleased him. After countless failures, what initially appeared to be a promising breakthrough led him to cultivate the modified cells in his own right arm… only for the experiment to backfire in a rather spectacular way.

Hashirama's cells were so saturated with life energy that, in nearly every transplantation case, they would grow out of control and kill their host— without sufficient yin to balance the overwhelming yang, the cells would multiply without restraint. Inevitably, the ones in Danzō's arm turned cancerous and began devouring the limb from within and without, forcing him to perform an emergency amputation!

Which is why he now needed a new arm.

But why settle for ordinary when he could have something extraordinary? Besides, he'd already paid a figurative arm and leg to Orochimaru— he might as well get an actual arm for his money's worth.

"No, the girl has a different purpose," said Orochimaru, licking his lips. "The boy is the donor."

Dai made a mental note of Orochimaru's off-handed comment without digging any deeper. Danzō had instructed him to keep an eye out for the reason Orochimaru wanted the Hokage's disciple's blood. If the Giant White Snake believed the girl's blood was valuable, then there was surely good reason for it…

"But the boy's arm is covered in eyeballs," said Dai coolly. "That is not what Lord Danzō asked for."

"Both children are medical marvels," explained Orochimaru. "No matter what transplant they receive, their bodies accept it without question and integrate it perfectly, without any need for drugs."

With the primitive technology of this era, it was still considered impossible to create clones. However, the DNA of the two specimens in front of him was so perfect that he had managed to create them without too many failures!

"Then…"

"Even so, there can be no Yin without Yang," Orochimaru continued, unperturbed. "The Uchiha clan's eyes are the only organs potent enough to keep the Senju clan's immense vitality in check."

Even though chakra violates many natural laws, it must still obey some. Chakra is best embodied by the Tai'in Taikyokuzu, the Ying-Yang Moon Diagram.

Female and Male, Cold and Hot, Moon and Sun, Spiritual and Physical, Yin and Yang.

Everything in balance. Balance in everything.

"Consider the eyes an added bonus," said Orochimaru, continuing to sell his pitch. "Danzō knows their true worth. He'll know what to do with them."

Orochimaru kept to himself the fact that the girl had accepted the transplant so easily he had at first wondered if he'd accidentally injected her with sugar water instead of Hashirama cells. She didn't even need additional eyes implanted! It was as if her cells had been genetically engineered to be incredibly resilient, while remaining extraordinarily malleable and mutable…

Furthermore, the cold yin within her was already so strong it perfectly balanced Hashirama's hot yang, despite her seemingly ordinary Sharingan. Orochimaru's leading theory was that it was the doing of the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai, but he would have to unearth a few tombs to be sure.

"In that case, I shall take my leave, Lord Orochimaru," said Dai, bowing slightly. "I'm certain Danzō-sama will wish to be informed of your progress at the earliest opportunity."

Orochimaru waved him off, and Dai Reverse-Summoned himself away, vanishing in a puff of white smoke. Turning back to the girl sleeping peacefully behind the glass, Orochimaru laid a palm on her pod, almost lovingly.

"Are you looking forward to it, Tsubaki-chan?" he whispered. "It won't be long before you meet your mother…"

Perhaps in reaction to hearing her name, the girl suspended in the nutrient solution stirred in her sleep.

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Author's note: Tsubaki means camellia, and Sakura means cherry blossom.

In Japan, both flowers are beloved as symbols of early spring. In the language of flowers, red and pink camellias represent true love, but cherry blossoms represent the fleeting nature of the transience of life…