Ancestral Bloodlines

"I was too careless." Mizuki berated himself. "My sense of superiority as a transmigrator blinded me. There's such a huge difference between bodies with chakra and those without. The Omnipotence Potion affects them in completely different ways. Just look at the bizarre creatures in the growth tanks—I should have noticed much sooner."

No matter the world, the path from primitive life to advanced life was generally much the same. The stages a creature passed through as an embryo largely revealed that process.

If it had been understandable that the cells cultured from Mizuki's original samples had shown reptilian traits, then their current appearance was downright unbelievable. Their limbs had clearly grown into something like claws, and their abstract heads had vicious, toothy maws. That was bizarre enough. But then there were the things grown from Zabuza's, Haku's, Sasuke's, and Naruto's blood. If you ignored their long tails, they could almost pass for humanoids, with heads, faces, and four limbs. But two of them had obvious gill-like tissue, like that of aquatic fish or amphibians. And what was going on with the one that had grown fine scales? Then there were several more over here. The horns on their heads were one thing, but the cracks across their faces and foreheads looked distinctly like the precursors to a third eye. Maybe those traits would gradually recede and become hidden with time, but their current appearance was already enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

These samples all came from blood or hair cells that had long since lost most of their vitality. They had no spiritual energy of their own and could only produce extremely weak chakra—or none at all. That was why the Omnipotence Potion's effects were so pronounced. If the horns and third eyes in Naruto and Sasuke's genes could be explained as inherited traits from the Otsutsuki Clan, then the problem with Zabuza and Haku was much more serious. Was it caused by the gradual changes brought on by using a ninja's chakra, or by some kind of later modification? Or was there some major secret buried in the genetic history of the humans who represented the intelligent life of this world? It was hard to say.

Just look at the monster grown from his own hair. If he didn't intervene, there was a very good chance it would become a humanoid beast before long. In the original story, when Mizuki's Cursed Seal activated and he underwent his second transformation, he took on the form of a tiger. That was probably due to more than just the Cursed Seal and the potion.

Think of the Sound Four and Kimimaro after their Cursed Seals reached their second stage: horns, tails, claws, even spider forms. If a body didn't have enough potential for the Cursed Seal to draw upon, it was no wonder the death rate was so high. Hardly anyone could withstand it. Even an inferior version of Sage Mode was more than an ordinary ninja could handle. Without a powerful ancestral bloodline to pass down genes with enormous potential, this kind of advanced power was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"If that's the case, then the Omnipotence Potion has a completely different use. Treating it as nothing but a healing potion is a waste of its potential." Mizuki couldn't help thinking, "I shouldn't just let these things grow unchecked. If I guide them with the right amount of chakra, I might get some unexpected surprises."

These chunks of flesh had no souls or spiritual energy, and could hardly produce chakra on their own. Although they were still alive, they were almost certainly incapable of developing anything like a Kekkei Genkai. It couldn't be that easy. If it were, Danzo would have cloned an army of Sharingan by now. Why would Mizuki get the chance? Even if they had the potential, without enough chakra to activate it, that potential would be as unreachable as clouds on the horizon.

"I'll need to run more experiments to gather data. It'll take time to develop a practical method." Mizuki set aside some of the samples, added a little chakra and growth medium, then put everything away.

"It's late. I should get some sleep. Looks like I need to set up a lab as soon as possible." After tidying up, Mizuki, still in poor health, climbed into bed. Before long, he was fast asleep.

Early the next morning, Tsubaki brought him breakfast. After they ate together, she pushed his wheelchair and took him out for a walk. The late-spring morning was pleasantly mild. On a clear day, getting out to enjoy the sunshine was a wonderful change for someone like Mizuki, who had spent so long bedridden.

"Tsubaki, let's go for a walk near the Ninja Academy."

"Sure. Want to visit Iruka?"

"We might as well."

Mizuki and Tsubaki ambled along, taking their time as they strolled. After a long while, they finally reached the Ninja Academy.

"It's been a while since I came here. How long has it been for you, Tsubaki?"

"I don't remember. Look, isn't that Iruka over there?"

Iruka was leading his students through an outdoor training lesson.

"Only he could patiently keep doing something like this," Mizuki said with a smile to Tsubaki.

"Iruka's seen you and is waving. Want to go over?"

"Yeah." Mizuki pushed down on the wheelchair and slowly stood up.

"Mizuki, you're not well yet. Let me help you over."

"No need. I can manage this much." Looking feeble in front of Iruka and his students would be too embarrassing.

Before they had even gotten close, they heard Iruka teasingly say, "Everyone see Mizuki-sensei over there, looking pale? He was seriously injured on his last mission. So you see, becoming a ninja isn't easy. Otherwise, you might end up like Mizuki-sensei."

"Iruka, you're using me as a cautionary tale without asking me first?" Mizuki said indignantly. "You're ruining my reputation. I ought to charge you for that."

"Sorry, Mizuki. It just slipped out. I'm so used to it."

Konohamaru, standing nearby, asked with great interest, "Mizuki-sensei, are missions dangerous? Tell us about one. Are they exciting?"

Konohamaru's question set off a chorus of excited chatter among the students.

"It's too early to talk about that. You need to practice hard first. Then you'll be strong enough to become ninjas and carry out all kinds of missions for the village. All right, you're free to practice now. Then take a short break."

"Yes!" The students scattered with disappointed cries.

"Mizuki, is there something you need at the Ninja Academy at this hour?"

"No, I just came by to look around. It's been a long time." Mizuki smiled casually. "You're still the same as ever. You haven't changed at all."

"It hasn't been that long. How could I have changed? We saw each other yesterday, didn't we?"

"I mean the way you teach your students."

"Is that so? Haha. I'm not even sure I'm doing a good job." Mizuki chuckled. "But ever since Naruto and the others graduated, I haven't seen them much. I wonder how they're doing, and whether their team leader is teaching them properly."

"Don't worry about that," Mizuki said with a sigh. "They're all excellent ninjas now. They might even be stronger than you, Iruka."

"How could that be? Haha." Iruka thought Mizuki was joking. "Have you seen them?"

"Yeah, I heard about them during a mission once." Mizuki didn't mention that he had seen them on his last mission. If Iruka found out that even Mizuki had nearly died on that high-level mission, and that a Genin like Naruto had been involved, he might not be able to take it.

"Really? I hope that troublemaker Naruto hasn't been causing anyone problems," Iruka said sheepishly.

"He may be a mischievous kid, but he's a capable ninja now. You should be able to see them again before long."

"That's wonderful."

"Iruka, I won't keep you from teaching. I have something to do, so I'll be going." Mizuki had seen enough and was ready to take his leave.

As he left the Ninja Academy, Mizuki glanced back at Iruka, who was having a grand time with his students. Then he got into his wheelchair, and Tsubaki wheeled him away.

"Looking at these kids, it's almost like seeing their futures." Like a sage, Mizuki could see the cruelty of this strictly stratified world. "Bloodline determines potential, talent determines the speed of growth, perseverance determines how far you can go, and resources determine order and class. Only wisdom can fundamentally change your fate." Sometimes, Mizuki wished he knew a little less and could just be an ordinary person who lived off others and waited to die. But as an anomaly in the workings of the world, he was already entangled in causes and effects he couldn't escape. Besides, he wasn't the type to be content with an ordinary life. If he hadn't known, that would have been one thing. But now that he did, he might as well do some of the things he wanted to do.

"Tsubaki, let's find somewhere to have lunch, then head home early. It's almost noon, and it's getting hot."

"If it's hot, let's go home early. I'll make lunch. Eating out is a bit expensive."

"Works for me. There are plenty of vegetables at home. We can just make something simple."

After returning home, Mizuki and Tsubaki finished lunch and were resting when Tsubaki suddenly said, a little sheepishly, "Um, Mizuki, what do you think about that flower shop we talked about last time?"

"Hm? What made you bring that up all of a sudden?"

"A while ago, I started a nursery at the little cabin in the back hills."

"I know. It's your place, after all. What about it?"

"I planted some flowers, and they're almost ready to bloom. I thought I'd open a shop first, so I could sell them to people when the time comes."

"That sounds great. What's the problem?"

"I was afraid you'd object." Tsubaki let out a long breath. "I've already picked out a few storefronts. Why don't we go take a look together?"

"Sure," Mizuki replied. "But you have your job, and I don't know much about this. Who'll run the flower shop?"

"I can look after it when I have time. If I'm busy, we can hire an employee."

"All right, then. Have you arranged to meet the owners? When are we going to look?"

"In three days."

"Then let's go together." Mizuki agreed. After all, ninja battles would become frequent soon, and injuries and deaths would be commonplace. A flower shop shouldn't have any trouble finding customers.