Divine Tree Bloodline, First Level Blood Rage

"Yan mentioned before that you were very interested in books on Medical Ninjutsu."

"The Uchiha have quite a few books of that kind, containing the clan's accumulated experience and materials. Since you like them, I'll lend them to you."

"How could I possibly accept that?"

Yayoi politely refused, yet he could not resist the temptation.

In the end, under the old man's repeated smiling persuasion, he accepted the gifts.

It was like receiving holiday red envelopes from an elder. Yayoi kept saying he felt embarrassed, but his face practically screamed that he wanted them.

"Little Yayoi, you're from the Senju Clan, aren't you?"

"Yes, my mother was from the Senju Clan."

Yayoi answered instinctively, without even thinking.

Only after the words left his mouth did he realize what had happened.

A scarlet gleam had flashed in the old man's eyes. Though it had lasted only an instant, Yayoi did not believe he had imagined it.

Had the old man taken advantage of their momentary lapse in attention to cast Genjutsu on him?

If his bloodline had not begun to stabilize and strengthened his resistance to Genjutsu, he might not even have noticed.

But noticing it was one thing. Now, he actually felt unable to control himself.

"I heard that you becoming friends with Yan was an accident."

"Yes, it really was an accident."

Upon receiving Yayoi's answer, the old man visibly relaxed.

Just as he was about to dispel the Genjutsu, the youth before him suddenly sharpened his gaze and forcibly broke through it.

Divine Tree Bloodline, First Level Blood Rage

The sudden increase in Genjutsu resistance made Yayoi immune to this Genjutsu.

The Senju within the Divine Tree Bloodline possessed an innate resistance to Uchiha Genjutsu. After being enhanced by Blood Rage, it had forcibly shattered the old man's Genjutsu.

The old man's gaze turned sharp, but he soon withdrew it and sighed.

Everyone had secrets. The little fellow had secrets, and that was none of his business. As long as he was not a spy deliberately sent by the village to deceive Yan, secrets or no secrets had nothing to do with him.

The instant he broke through the old man's Genjutsu, Yayoi looked at him warily.

That old bastard from the Warring States era really was difficult to deal with.

He had cast Genjutsu on him in just an instant.

Terrifying.

The two exchanged a glance. Yayoi hurriedly looked away, while the old man merely smiled, his eyes showing no trace of anything unusual.

"I've been chatting with this old man for so long that I didn't even notice it had gotten dark."

The lights were on in the house, and the two had been so absorbed in conversation that neither noticed time passing.

"Remember to rest. Come chat with this old man again when you have time."

The old man had clearly noticed the change in the sky and let out a sigh.

"If Little Yayoi has any difficulties, you can come find this old man too."

"Yan, see Little Yayoi out."

Yan skipped along happily, his smooth hair swaying with his movements, the joy in his heart nearly overflowing.

Yayoi, meanwhile, was somewhat dazed.

He dispelled Blood Rage.

The First Level Blood Rage of the Divine Tree Bloodline merely strengthened his Chakra and slightly enhanced his physical abilities.

Unlike Dragon Blood, which directly granted Yayoi strength, the Blood Rage of the Divine Tree Bloodline was more like increasing Yayoi's potential and room for growth.

It would not actively increase his strength by much.

However, his Five Senses and resistance to Genjutsu would rise accordingly, and his Chakra would increase as well.

This visit to the Uchiha Clan Territory had been far too exciting.

He needed to calm down properly after returning. Fortunately, that old bastard had only asked about Yan.

With Yan around, that old thing probably would not continue making a move against him.

Still, he could not let down his guard. Who knew whether that old bastard had ever had a brother killed?

What if a Senju had killed him? Wouldn't Yayoi end up taking the blame?

Fortunately, there was Yan.

"Unless I complete the Divine Tree Bloodline and evolve into a Third Generation, I'm never coming to the Uchiha Clan Territory again."

Yayoi walked along in a daze, while Yan happily held his hand as they made their way down the road.

Only when they reached home and Yayoi said goodbye to Yan did he finally fully recover.

"That was ruthless, old man. Looks like I need to get started on researching Uchiha genes as soon as possible."

The old man had vividly taught him a lesson, and Yayoi felt more motivated than ever.

After seeing Yan off, he went straight into the laboratory and began the day's experiments.

Whether it was the Uchiha genes or the Hyuga Clan genes, both were undoubtedly top-tier bloodlines passed down through the ages.

The secrets hidden within their bloodlines could not be uncovered overnight.

They required extensive experimentation and exploration, as well as enough luck.

Unfortunately, Yayoi's research had hit a standstill.

Bottlenecks in research were undoubtedly the most vexing thing. With bad luck, a single bottleneck could trap a researcher for ten years.

However, he had found a new direction: the Senju's original bloodline.

The Senju bloodline, the monster among the Senju—Hashirama Senju's cells—and his miraculous Sage Art.

All of these could strengthen Yayoi's existing Divine Tree Bloodline.

Perhaps it was the difference between his blood and Senju blood that had caused nearly all the Uchiha gene sequences to die.

Yayoi's ultimate goal was to develop perfect Uchiha Gene Fluid, but that goal seemed as distant as a dream.

Even if it was not truly unattainable, there was no way he could succeed within five years.

Before that, he needed to stabilize and balance his own bloodline.

So perhaps Senju genes could help him. If possible, he wanted to obtain the so-called First Generation Cells.

He had heard that First Generation Cells were like cancer cells, capable of reproducing endlessly and generating a foreign type of Chakra. That was what would be most useful to him.

Whether for experiments or the Deadpool Plan, they would be perfect experimental material.

However, Konoha seemed to be the only place that had them. He was not sure, but he could probe Teacher Tsunade when she returned.

"The best sample for the Senju's original bloodline would be Teacher Tsunade's blood.

"After all, she's the First's granddaughter. Her bloodline is definitely among the finest of the Senju."

"But Teacher Tsunade isn't in the village right now, and who knows when the war will end."

The Uchiha and Hyuga issues could be set aside for now. What I need to study is the Senju bloodline, or accidents will always happen on the battlefield.

If I am forced to use high-level Blood Rage then, the resulting bloodline imbalance will be enough to make me suffer. I have to prepare in advance.

"Perhaps I can start with Sage Art. The unique nature of Natural Energy makes it worth doing."

"There's also Dragon Script and Word Spirit. The properties of the elements are somewhat similar to Natural Energy. Perhaps there is some connection between them, and Dragon Script may be able to play a role as well."

Yayoi considered many things before finally deciding to temporarily slow down his genetic research.

He would shift the focus of his experiments to Sage Art and Dragon Script.

Dreams might be far away and require relentless effort, but reality—and staying alive—had to be dealt with now.

"The plan to relocate the basement needs to be carried out as soon as possible."

Yayoi thought of the power of his Word Spirit, then of the uncertainty of Dragon Script.

After hesitating again and again, he still decided to repair the basement and upgrade the equipment as soon as possible.

"That old man set me up today. Tomorrow, I'll go borrow some money—and borrow some Sage Art materials while I'm at it."

Thinking of how Yan's grandfather had set him up today, Yayoi no longer felt the slightest guilt about borrowing that old man's money.

Yayoi destroyed the cells he had been observing as they were assimilated and eroded by Yayoi cells.

"Anyway, if it succeeds, Yan will benefit too. Consider it an advance investment."