Tempering the Bloodline

Senba had never considered absorbing Hashirama Senju's cells. Maybe he'd read too many martial arts novels in his previous life, but he had a deep aversion to things like the Absorption Technique.

It was an undeniable fact that Hashirama Cells carried his spiritual imprint. And given their aggressiveness, they were bound to taint the purity of anyone who received them.

The most direct result of this contamination was bodily collapse. The next was what had happened to the Hand Ghost before him: barely clinging to life while suffering tremendous side effects.

For the record, Shimura Danzō was in the same category. He simply had a powerful support team, so he didn't have to endure such agony.

Yamato had the best outcome. His luck was practically lottery-winning levels: he survived and inherited Wood Release, along with the Four-Room-and-One-Living-Room Technique.

For an ordinary shinobi, Yamato's result was the best possible. Without Hashirama Cells, his ceiling might have been that of a Chunin, though there was a very slim chance he could become an Elite Jonin.

But Senba couldn't afford that. His natural talent, the resources available to him, and the Senba of the Forest that had come into being within him by sheer chance all meant he couldn't let himself be contaminated by Hashirama Cells.

Not to mention Kaguya Otsutsuki's eventual arrival. Hashirama's strength simply wouldn't be enough.

So Senba made a reckless decision. He would pit the faint power of his own bloodline against Hashirama Cells, tempering it through battle.

The Hashirama Cells inside the Hand Ghost had definitely been diluted. Their quality was high, but the gap couldn't be astronomical, and they were running passively.

By contrast, the bloodline power inside Senba was lower in quality, but guided by the Senba of the Forest, it was like a blade traveling along Senba's Chakra and surging into the Hand Ghost's body.

To wield a blade, first dull its edge. The instant Senba's bloodline power appeared, the Hashirama Cells within the Hand Ghost began converging on their own, trying to devour it.

Senba's blade-like bloodline power cut and thrust through the Hashirama Cells, but it was wearing itself down in the process, even on the verge of falling apart.

Now it was up to the Senba of the Forest. He had to control the degree of tempering, giving the bloodline power a chance to recover at the right moments.

As these controlled collisions of bloodline power continued, the sharpness of Senba's own bloodline gradually emerged. And the clash between the two forces brought a change to the eyes of the Hand Ghost, who had become their battlefield.

In a daze, the Hand Ghost recalled many things. Back then, he hadn't been called the Hand Ghost. He had been an ordinary person with a miserable life.

His father had beaten him when he was young. His peers had bullied him as a teenager. Just when he'd finally found a good friend, the powerful had hunted them down. His life had been worth less than a stray dog's—until he met the monster wrapped in bandages.

Lying in green liquid and enduring hellish pain, he had thought he was finally going to become someone. Then he'd seen the disappointment in the other man's eyes.

"Still a defective specimen. Is there really no way for me to gain Wood Release?"

Wood Release? So that was what this power was called. It was so strong. Then a cold voice had sounded beside him. "From now on, your name is Hand Ghost."

Hand Ghost? I'm not called Hand Ghost! As if something had stirred in his memory, the Hand Ghost came to his senses. He looked at the white-haired boy across from him, who seemed exhausted, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

But his time was up. Under the Senba of the Forest's control, the Hashirama Cells inside the Hand Ghost collapsed completely, and his body began to stiffen.

His skin had already turned to wood, but in an instant, his entire body became a lifelike wooden statue. With a trace of relief and helplessness in his eyes, the Hand Ghost looked at Senba.

I hope I won't be reborn in this Naraka Path hell next time. If I can choose, let me be reborn in the Animal Path instead. Maybe I can be greedy and become someone's pet dog.

With that twisted wish, the Hand Ghost drew his final breath.

Compared to him, Senba had also collapsed onto the ground. The little Slug was perched on his forehead, transferring Chakra to him, and gently tapped his forehead with a worried air.

Senba was still in a brief coma. He went to see how the Senba of the Forest was doing.

"Host, I'll need to sleep for a few days. When I wake up, your Chakra reserves will have at least doubled." Sitting amid a bonfire of Chakra, the Senba of the Forest spoke with a weary voice.

"That's all? I thought I'd become something like a Tailless Tailed Beast, opening my mouth and spitting out an ocean." Though Senba was actually quite pleased with what he'd gained, he still couldn't resist running his mouth.

"If you want, I can absorb Hashirama Cells too," the Senba of the Forest retorted, not indulging his host. "Maybe I'll earn titles like 'Little Hashirama' or 'Little Tobirama' someday."

"Uh, no thanks. Senju Senba is a pretty good name." Senba wanted none of those titles. He wasn't anyone's shadow. "But this does prove our approach works. It's just a little slow."

"Don't be greedy, host. Being able to control your bloodline power as easily as your own arm puts you ahead of 99.9 percent of people. It means you can avoid the dangers of Hashirama Cells as much as possible."

"Just think of Danzō. His right arm is locked down by Sealing Jutsu and specialized Ninja Tools. If he knew about your situation, not even your Senju Clan heritage would stop him."

"Host, you should know this method isn't without a cost. Every time you temper your bloodline, it severely drains your vitality. If you don't want to become another Gekko Hayate—"

At that point, the Senba of the Forest couldn't hold on any longer. His eyes gently closed, and he seemed to fall asleep. The Chakra Flame surged, swallowing his figure.

Even without the Senba of the Forest saying so, Senba could clearly feel that something was wrong with his body. He could only use about half a unit of Chakra now, and his body was terribly weak.

With that thought, Senba's figure quickly faded. Things outside still weren't over.

Among the ruins, Tsuki helped Iruka set his broken bone, then secured it tightly with bandages. Feeling the extent of his injuries, Iruka knew he couldn't keep up with Senba and the others anymore.

Elsewhere, after getting the information he needed from the Poison Ghost, Genma Shiranui had dealt with him and focused on keeping watch over Tsuki and Iruka.

But now he was puzzled. The fighting on Senba's side had stopped, so why hadn't he come out? Had things gone wrong at the last moment? Worried, he got up and headed toward the warehouse.

When he opened the door, he found a lifelike wooden statue standing there. Senba was sitting on the floor, pulling a large amount of chocolate from the Sealing Scroll and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Teacher Genma, you'll probably need to hand this statue over to the village. Would you like me to seal it for you?"

At Senba's words, Genma looked him over carefully. Then, seeing the puzzled expression on Senba's face, he said, "All right. I'll bring Iruka over when I get back. He's injured."

With that, he turned and left, seemingly unconcerned by this Wood Release test subject of immense significance.

Seeing this, Senba smiled. Everything was done, but Teacher Genma's actions still moved him deeply.