Genbu

There might have been risks involved, but that was generally how it worked.

However, Yayoi's plan had a substantial margin for error.

An increase in one bloodline wouldn't instantly overwhelm another.

That was what Yayoi's research into his own blood had taught him, and it was also a vivid memory from his first night in the world of Naruto.

That gave him enough time to manipulate the bloodlines and fuse them.

However, extracting the gene sequence didn't seem to be simple.

Yayoi couldn't extract the complete gene sequence perfectly. That was where he was getting stuck.

It left him feeling restless.

Even if he couldn't perfectly extract the gene sequence, Yayoi did have other options.

For example, he could extract the Uchiha's entire gene sequence.

He could even transplant flesh and blood directly to obtain the Uchiha bloodline.

But Yayoi was worried that such an imperfect transplant might be destroyed by the Dragon Blood, which would sense it as a threat.

The two consciousnesses had instincts of their own. Though suppressed, they would still react instinctively when they sensed a serious threat.

That was precisely why Yayoi wanted to create the most perfect Gene Fluid possible.

An imperfect transplant required time—a long time. Even under pressure from the Dragon Blood, fusion wouldn't happen instantly.

And during that period, the Dragon Blood might take the opportunity to cause a conflict, suppress, or even destroy the Divine Tree Bloodline and the Ten-Tails consciousness.

But now, he was stumped by a single obstacle.

The feeling was hard to describe. It was as if ants were crawling all over Yayoi.

A violent impulse rose inexplicably from the depths of his heart, as though he wanted to tear something apart.

"Phew."

Noticing his own emotional fluctuations, Yayoi steadied himself and patted his stiff face.

He packed away all the experimental equipment, put the important data and documents into a scroll, and took them with him.

After setting up a trap, Yayoi left.

It wasn't that he was being overly cautious. It was just that he seemed to have been watched lately.

Judging by how well those people concealed themselves, they were probably ANBU—but ANBU weren't that idle. They were likely Danzo's lackeys.

Yayoi had spent the past few days on constant alert. He didn't dare let his guard down.

Luckily, he was in the Uchiha Clan Territory. If he'd still been at his old house,

his laboratory would probably have been turned upside down by now.

"Damn you, Danzo. You're a dead man."

After cursing the Pot King viciously, Yayoi went to Yan's house.

Had you ever seen Konoha in the early hours of the morning?

If you asked Yayoi, the answer was yes.

He'd seen Konoha at all hours, including now.

The sun had just risen, and the crescent moon hadn't even disappeared yet.

Though he didn't want to stay up all night, Yayoi had ended up doing just that.

Then, when the time seemed right, he came to do something he hadn't done in ten years.

"Yan, wake up."

"Mmm..."

After a short wait, the front door opened. Yan's sleepy eyes were still unfocused, as if a thin veil of mist lay before them. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she was clearly still drowsy.

"Why are you up so early today?"

Yan grabbed Yayoi's hand, dispelling the hazy feeling that had made everything seem like a dream.

"I couldn't sleep. I saw the sky getting light, so I came to find you."

The two of them headed down the streets of Konoha. Buying a serving of dango every day had nearly become a habit.

Ninja had unusually hardy bodies, so they didn't need to worry about eating sweets. Members of the great clans and noble families had even less reason to worry.

They picked up two servings of dango and ate as they walked.

"How's your research on Uchiha cells going?"

As they walked through the wooded hills behind the school, Yan asked casually.

Yan knew about the experiments involving the Uchiha and Senju.

Yayoi hadn't hidden them from her to begin with, and some of the experiments had even required her help.

Over the past month, she'd surely noticed how unusual he'd been acting.

"There's been a major breakthrough. I found a special sequence in the Uchiha genes.

"It lies somewhere between chakra and information. It's a dormant, inert gene."

Yayoi briefly explained his discovery to Yan.

He also explained the differences between Yan and the other Uchiha.

"I had no idea. So have you figured out how to obtain that part of the Uchiha genes?"

Yan looked at Yayoi curiously.

If Yayoi-kun is going to inject himself with Uchiha genes, he'll probably use mine.

After all, he just said my genes were better.

Would that mean Yayoi-kun would have my blood in him? Would he become my younger brother or older brother—or something even more complicated?

Wouldn't there be any unpleasant side effects?

As she thought about it, Yan's face gradually turned red.

"I found a way, but not quite."

Yayoi looked at Yan, puzzled by her sudden blush.

This is a serious issue. What are you blushing for?

"I could incorporate the entire Uchiha gene sequence, then let my own bloodline fuse with it and eliminate the useless genes.

"But that would take time, and there's something unusual about my constitution. I can't allow the bloodlines to fuse for too long—or, rather, I can't allow them to fuse for any length of time."

"Then keep at it, Yayoi-kun. I'm sure you'll succeed."

Yan raised a little fist in front of her chest and cheered him on.

"Of course. I appreciate the support, Yan."

Yayoi smiled too.

Though he'd hit a snag, he'd still made a breakthrough. If he took things one step at a time, he'd eventually succeed.

"Ring, ring, ring."

The school bell rang as a warning.

The Ninja Academy had two bells. The first reminded students to get to their classrooms; the second signaled the start of class.

"Let's go."

"Huh, Yayoi-kun, are you going to class today?"

Yan covered her mouth with one hand, looking surprised.

"Don't tease me."

Yayoi's face darkened. He could tell that Yan was deliberately teasing him.

"Yayoi's here."

Sakurai Utsugi seemed a little surprised to see Yan leading Yayoi in by the hand.

Not because they were holding hands, but because Yayoi had come at all.

After all, her student had made something of himself and gotten an honorary post at the hospital.

"Ahem. We won a battle today, so the hospital's empty."

Yayoi made an excuse.

"All right, come in."

Teacher Utsugi shook her head with an amused smile.

Yayoi didn't stand on ceremony with Teacher Utsugi. He immediately went back to his seat.

It was a familiar seat, and it felt good to sit beside his deskmate again.

He looked to his left at Rin, then to his right at Yan.

Yayoi felt that life in Konoha was truly comfortable.

That is, as long as those so-called Genbu troublemakers didn't interfere.

If he hadn't been in the Uchiha Clan Territory, his experiment would probably already have been turned upside down and presented to Danzo.

"You're all getting older. Today, we'll have a practical lesson with another class.

"It's better to discover your weaknesses now, while you still can, than to correct them on the battlefield after graduation."

Teacher Sakurai Utsugi explained the day's learning objective from the front of the room.

It was a practical lesson.