"Traitor?"
Shock and anger flashed in Senju Tojian's eyes.
In the Warring States Era, when battles were fought by entire clans, traitors were exceedingly rare—and their betrayal was the most unforgivable crime of all.
He composed himself and nodded at Senju Nawaki. The affection in his expression deepened.
No wonder Senju Nawaki had changed so much. He'd even seemed cautious around Tojian. Now it was clear he'd been through such a terrible ordeal.
Konoha couldn't be trusted. Neither could their own Senju Clan.
"Don't worry. I'll always support you. You can count on me. I'll root out the parasites in the clan." Senju Tojian felt deeply comforted.
He didn't want to betray Senju Nawaki's trust.
From what he'd seen so far, Senju Nawaki trusted him even more than Tsunade.
A murderous look crossed Tojian's face. Though old, he could still swing the sword in his hand.
"No. We only need to uncover his identity. I'll deal with him myself. More importantly, we need to gather the clan's strength. Konoha isn't a place we can stay for long."
Senju Nawaki thought through how to deal with the traitor.
Konoha wouldn't let him leave easily, and he didn't want to slink away in disgrace.
If they kept the traitor around, he could still serve as a scapegoat.
Without revealing that he had mastered Wood Release, Senju Tojian couldn't actually gather that many members of the Senju Clan and lead them out of Konoha to the Land of Fire.
The forces he claimed he could rally would be far weaker than he suggested.
After all, when even Uchiha Madara left Konoha, not a single person went with him.
The old man was always so confident in himself. Senju Nawaki didn't want to discourage him outright.
At last, his gaze settled on the wooden scar on Senju Tojian's face. It was a side effect of his failed attempt to master Wood Release.
The fact that he was still alive meant he'd come very close.
A plan took shape in his mind.
If Senju Tojian mastered Wood Release, he could surely do what he'd claimed. The problem was that Senju Nawaki's behavior up to this point had disappointed them too much.
"Grandpa Tojian, I remember you trained in Wood Release too. Why didn't you succeed?"
A strange glint flashed in Nawaki's eyes as he changed the subject.
"Wood Release? According to Hashirama, my Water Release chakra was too weak. Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai formed from Earth Release, Water Release, Yang Release, and a special body.
"Unfortunately, I fell just short. I could only master an imperfect, pseudo-Wood Release. That disguise technique I used earlier turned me into dead wood, so even they couldn't detect me when they first spoke."
Senju Tojian answered without hesitation, clearing up Senju Nawaki's confusion.
He still regretted it deeply. If he'd mastered Wood Release, the Senju Clan wouldn't be in such a dire position now.
There was another hidden reason he and Senju Tobirama didn't get along.
Senju Tobirama's body overflowed with Water Release chakra—the very thing Tojian needed most.
According to Senju Hashirama, his younger brother had the talent and ability to master Wood Release. But he'd already forged his own path and had no need to learn it.
Many of the Wood Release techniques had been developed with Senju Tobirama's help.
What Tojian disliked even more about Senju Tobirama was that the fool had trained several disciples who, like him, were harsh and ungrateful, with no reverence for the Senju Clan.
"Water Release?"
A glimmer flashed in Senju Nawaki's eyes. There was a corpse in his Soul Space. He remembered that the Jonin from the Yamanaka Clan had also been skilled in Water Release. Nawaki should be able to extract some Water Release bloodline energy from him. If he used it to complete Senju Tojian's bloodline, there was a good chance Tojian would awaken Wood Release.
As he understood it, Kekkei Genkai in the Ninja World came in different forms.
Some were directly inherited through the body. The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, and the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya Clan were examples. Their organs had mutated, and most of these traits were inherited from Kaguya Otsutsuki's physical characteristics. The Sage Bodies of the Uzumaki and Senju Clans were also special Kekkei Genkai.
Another kind of Kekkei Genkai came from combining chakra natures to form a special bloodline.
The simplest involved combining two chakra natures. For example, Haku's Wind Release and Water Release formed Ice Release; Mei Terumi's Water Release and Fire Release formed Boil Release; and the explosive artist Deidara combined Earth Release and Lightning Release to create Explosion Release.
Then there was the Kekkei Tōta, also known as an expanded Kekkei Genkai, formed by combining three chakra natures. The only known example was Dust Release: Wind Release, Earth Release, and Fire Release combined to form Dust Release.
The highest level was the Kekkei Mōra, formed by gathering all seven chakra natures and fusing them perfectly.
Wood Release, it seemed, was formed by combining at least three chakra natures.
With the help of the Bloodline Completion System, he had a chance to glimpse the ultimate Kekkei Mōra.
Senju Nawaki took a deep breath, clearing his mind and setting aside his thoughts.
"Grandpa Tojian, give me a drop of your blood."
He stared into Senju Tojian's eyes as he spoke.
"Blood?"
Senju Tojian pulled a kunai from his waist and, without hesitation, cut his finger.
Blood was just as important to a shinobi.
There were strange jutsu in the Ninja World that required blood to perform.
Tojian did this because he trusted Senju Nawaki.
The blood on his fingertip was dark.
Senju Nawaki caught it in his palm.
It was quickly transferred to his Soul Space, making it look as though Senju Nawaki had absorbed his blood.
Curiosity flickered across Senju Tojian's face, but he didn't ask any questions. He quietly watched Senju Nawaki close his eyes, trusting that the boy wouldn't harm him.
Thinking back to their earlier conversation, he had another suspicion: Senju Nawaki wanted to help him awaken Wood Release.
Inside Senju Nawaki's Soul Space:
"If I can absorb someone else's bloodline, then of course I can complete someone else's bloodline too."
The three microwave-like devices and the soul interface gave him the answer.
Senju Nawaki's talent for research was working at full capacity.
The Bloodline Completion System gifted by Mother Earth was like an AI assistant with unlimited computing power. It could run calculations and process information for him. All he had to do was provide chakra energy.
In the end, it concluded that it could complete Senju Tojian's bloodline and help him awaken Wood Release.
Initiate!
The Yamanaka Clan Jonin's body entered the device.
[Chakra: 890 (depleting)]
Senju Nawaki focused on the chakra draining from the panel.
Thankfully, awakening his Sage Body earlier had more than doubled his chakra reserves.
[Chakra: 136 (below normal)]
The humming in the Soul Space ceased.
Senju Nawaki obtained a mass of Water Release bloodline energy that glowed pale blue and radiated a cool sensation.
In the hospital room in the real world, Senju Nawaki suddenly opened his eyes.
He grabbed Senju Tojian's finger, which had just healed. The Water Release bloodline energy found its home and merged into Senju Tojian's body.
"Clear your mind and absorb this energy."
Senju Nawaki's voice echoed in Senju Tojian's mind.
In and out.
Senju Tojian obeyed, closing his eyes and feeling his body transform.
Age had left his skin loose and wrinkled.
As the Water Release bloodline energy merged with him, his body began to change.
His body regained its vitality. His once-faded white hair turned black and white, and took on a healthy sheen.
The wrinkles on his skin, especially those on his face, smoothed out as blood returned to his complexion.
His bent frame straightened, and he stood tall once more in his Warring States armor.
It took only a little over ten minutes.
The man who'd looked to be in his sixties now looked to be in his forties.
Senju Tojian's aged body had regained its vigor.
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