Another Upgrade! The Secret of the First Hokage Cells

Orochimaru left.

He left in such a hurry that he seemed to have forgotten the original task he had assigned to Uchiha Ao: to complete research related to Kekkei Genkai.

At the time, he had only spoken about the general direction.

He had told Ao to start preparing.

He had not actually pointed out any specific goals.

Since Orochimaru had not left behind any concrete arrangements, Aoba was happy to enjoy the leisure.

He began to make preparations for his own future schemes.

The first thing he needed to clarify was the connection between the Senju bloodline and the Uchiha bloodline.

If he could thoroughly understand the so-called power of Asura and the power of Indra, that would be even better.

This involved the most fundamental power of Kekkei Genkai.

Perhaps it could be traced directly back to the Otsutsuki bloodline or the power of the God Tree.

These two things were the foundation that constituted the Naruto World.

The entire power system of the Naruto World revolved around them.

The foundation Aoba currently possessed was the First Hokage Cells and the Uchiha bloodline.

The blood cells containing the power of Wood Release had already sprouted and were growing vigorously within his body.

Only the Uchiha bloodline remained in a latent state.

After carefully recording the data over the past few days, Aoba had to admit that the Kekkei Genkai left behind by the First Hokage, the reincarnation of Asura, was a unique bloodline inheritance in this world.

The conversion of the serum alone had not only increased his Chakra by at least three times, but his physique had also undergone earth-shaking changes.

Even without deliberately supplementing his nutrition, his body had grown five centimeters taller during this period.

His height had reached 170 centimeters, meeting the basic passing line and making up for the physical deficit caused by malnutrition during his predecessor's childhood.

He had compressed the amount of Chakra that others needed years to refine into just half a month.

It was no wonder that ordinary ninjas found it hard to get ahead in this ninja world.

With bloodline monsters like these everywhere, how could the talent of ordinary people even compare?

Not to mention that every now and then, an atavistic freak would appear among these clans with bloodline inheritances.

Aoba spent three days thoroughly figuring out the state of his body.

Body (Physique) 40, Spirit (Mental) 38, Nin (Ninjutsu) 32, Strength 30, Cha (Chakra) 38, resulting in an overall rating of just 35.6.

He barely reached the level of an elite Chunin.

On this basis, Aoba added several other basic data points he knew from his past life.

These were the five surface attributes of the human body—Nin, Tai, Gen, Ken, and Strength—plus three hidden attributes: Speed, Seal (Hand Seals), and Cha (Chakra).

The "Spirit" in the data Aoba listed was "Ken," representing intelligence and mental power! He had modified the "Spirit" from his past life to "Cha," representing the amount of Chakra.

Combining some of these standards, Aoba formed these eight data points, each still on a 100-point scale.

According to this scoring system, the data for a future full-power Kakashi would be: Nin 100 | Tai 90 | Gen 80 | Ken 100 | Strength 70 | Speed 90 | Cha 60 | Seal 100.

His overall rating could reach 86.25 points!

He had already reached the threshold of Kage Level, though his shortcoming in Chakra was so obvious that he only barely met the requirements for a Jonin.

Compared to the future Hatake who was jokingly called "the one who goes 50/50 with anyone," his current strength was still far behind; he didn't even have the qualifications to step onto the stage.

Aoba understood this in his heart.

The power he gained through the First Hokage serum had given him a taste of success.

He used it as a breakthrough point to launch a new round of research.

By continuously increasing the proportion of the serum in his blood, he experimented further.

Through three days of exploration, Aoba's body reached a limit.

His body could withstand the injection of at most seven vials of the First Hokage serum.

Any more, and the Uchiha cells in his body would riot.

His Chakra had also increased to the Jonin level.

His rating broke through 60.

It looked easy.

But it was done at the risk of his body collapsing and dying.

The talent of this body had reached its limit here.

Jonin is the limit.

There is no possibility of further improvement.

For an ordinary person, exhausting one's entire life only leads to this level.

Should I give up?

Ao clutched his chest, his heart beating incessantly.

His stubborn gaze revealed a sense of unwillingness.

Bloodline is truly the greatest root cause limiting one's power.

No, I can still become stronger.

A shout erupted from within Ao's heart.

He was unwilling to settle for only the strength of a Jonin, becoming mere cannon fodder in this world.

Even if he had to risk his life, he was determined to break through the current limitations of his body.

Right now, the only one he could rely on was the one outside.

His gaze quietly passed through the gap in the bedroom window, catching sight of the White Snake Sage coiled upon her high throne outside.

The White Snake Sage, would she help?

Ao's heart stirred.

I'll gamble on it!

I'll bet that the White Snake Sage won't sit idly by and watch him die inside the temple.

After all, he was also a successor who had just signed a contract with Ryūchi Cave.

The White Snake Sage wants to interfere with the causality of the future outside world.

She must rely on him and Orochimaru.

Judging by the sparse list of names on the contract scroll, one could see that the White Snake Sage is a cautious immortal; since she intends to use him, she cannot possibly let him die so easily.

I still have value to be utilized!

What's more, before Master Orochimaru left, he specifically requested that the White Snake Sage look after him.

It is highly probable that the immortal will not stand by and watch.

After thinking it over, Ao gritted his teeth and made his decision.

He continued to inject the eighth vial of First Hokage Cells serum into his vein.

I'll take the risk!

At worst, if I die and my spirit dissipates, I will use the Spirit Transformation Technique to rush out in spirit form and beg the immortal to transform me into a snake spirit so I can possess a snake's body.

The serum flowed with his blood throughout his entire body.

The dynamic balance maintained between the Uchiha bloodline and the First Hokage Cells within his body was completely shattered.

The concentration of First Hokage Cells increased, and a quantitative change triggered a qualitative one.

The terrifying and tenacious vitality revealed that the blood-separated serum, from which the vast majority of cells had originally been removed, was now actually reverting and evolving into brand-new First Hokage Cells, and they were the most terrifying kind—stem cells...

Damn it!

Noticing this, Ao's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously cursed out loud.

According to the biological terminology of his past life, the process the First Hokage Cells were undergoing was called—Cell Recombination!

Under normal circumstances, it is common knowledge that normal cells cannot possibly revert into stem cells.

However, there is one type of cell that is an exception.

In his past life, it was known as—Cancer Cell! It can defy the normal laws of genetic inheritance to undergo malignant proliferation!

It completely destroys the original functions of body tissues, infects other cells, causes the collapse and failure of all organs in the body, and ultimately leads to death as life signs are lost.

Ao finally understood why there were so many accidents during Orochimaru's experiments with transplanting First Hokage Cells, and why, out of so many test subjects, only Kinoe had survived.

So that's how it is!

Clearly, with Orochimaru's talent, even research into the soul—which is not scientific at all and cannot be explained by science—was something he could master with ease.

He could even develop forbidden techniques like reincarnation and possession.

How could a simple cell transplant possibly stump a genius scientist like Orochimaru?

It turns out it wasn't a problem with Orochimaru's research talent.

It was that the First Hokage Cells simply did not follow common sense.

The First Hokage Cells could actually induce themselves to undergo genetic recombination; once the number of cells reached a certain threshold, they would trigger genetic recombination to recreate stem cells...

In theory, this possesses the possibility of immortality.

After all, the source of all life is the differentiation of stem cells.

As long as the stem cells do not wither, the body will never age.

Damn it!

Uchiha Ao couldn't help but curse again.

Given that the First Hokage possessed this kind of constitution, how on earth did he actually die!?

Could it have been a bloodline disease?

Or some other reason!

His mind began to race frantically, and he thoroughly enjoyed the process of thinking at this moment.

This feeling of probing into a hidden truth made his very soul tremble with pleasure.

It felt absolutely exhilarating!

He even cast aside the life-or-death crisis his body was currently facing.

At this moment, the First Hokage stem cells were utilizing the nutrients within Uchiha Ao's body, beginning to evolve wildly within his bloodstream into brand-new First Hokage Cells, gradually starting to replace parts of Uchiha Ao's bodily tissues.

His flesh and blood were being devoured by the First Hokage Cells, converted into a new form of energy, and continuously differentiating into even more new First Hokage Cells.

This was the most terrifying side effect of the First Hokage Cells.

The body of an ordinary person simply could not withstand the consumption of these cells.

Ao felt a tearing sensation radiating from every part of his body.

His head grew dizzy.

His expression remained unchanged as his mind carefully observed the movements of the First Hokage Cells, while his body suddenly erupted with all of his Chakra, whipping up a Chakra storm.

That was the serum within his blood vessels breaking through the protection of the vessel walls, spreading to every cell in his body, triggering massive internal hemorrhaging that caused his skin to turn a bruised, dark blue.

His body was collapsing.