Senju Tojian's Metamorphosis

"Traitor?"

Shock and fury flickered in Senju Tojian's eyes.

In the Warring States period, where clans served as the primary units of combat, traitors were incredibly rare—and considered the most unforgivable of sins.

He composed his expression and nodded at Senju Nawaki, his face softening into an even deeper, affectionate gaze.

It was no wonder Senju Nawaki had undergone such a transformation, even acting with such caution and wariness around him; the boy had clearly endured a harrowing ordeal.

Konoha could not be trusted, and even their own Senju clan was no longer reliable.

"Rest assured, I will always support you. I am your shield, and I will purge the rot from within this family." Senju Tojian felt a profound sense of relief in his heart.

He did not want to let down the trust Senju Nawaki had placed in him.

Judging by his recent behavior, Senju Nawaki's trust in him even surpassed that which he held for Tsunade.

A murderous aura crossed his face; though he was old, he could still wield his blade with lethal intent.

"No, we only need to identify him. I will handle it personally. The most important thing is to gather the strength of the clan. Konoha is no longer a place to stay."

Senju Nawaki's mind raced as he considered how to deal with the traitor.

Konoha would not let him leave easily, and he had no intention of slinking away in disgrace.

Keeping the traitor alive could serve a purpose—as a convenient scapegoat.

Without revealing his mastery of Wood Release, it would be impossible for Senju Tojian to truly rally enough of the Senju clan to abandon Konoha and head for the Land of Fire.

The strength he claimed he could muster would be significantly diminished.

After all, even when Uchiha Madara left Konoha, not a single person had followed him.

The old man was always absolutely confident in himself, and Senju Nawaki did not want to crush that spirit directly.

Finally, his gaze settled on the woody scar on Senju Tojian's face—a lingering side effect of his failed attempts to cultivate Wood Release.

The fact that he was still alive proved he had come agonizingly close.

A plan formed in his mind.

If Senju Tojian could master Wood Release, he would certainly be capable of achieving what he claimed. The main issue was that Senju Nawaki's previous behavior had left them too disappointed.

"Sixth Grandfather, I remember you once practiced Wood Release. 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-attribute chakra was too weak. Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai formed by Earth, Water, and Yang attributes, combined with a special constitution.

"Unfortunately, I was just a hair's breadth away. I could only master a flawed, pseudo-Wood Release. The camouflage technique I used earlier was simply turning myself into dead wood, which is why even the Root members didn't detect me."

Senju Tojian answered without hesitation, resolving Senju Nawaki's confusion.

He still felt a deep sense of regret; if he had mastered Wood Release, the Senju clan's current situation would not be so dire.

There was a hidden, minor episode behind his discord with Senju Tobirama.

Tobirama's constitution was overflowing with water-attribute chakra—the very thing he had needed most.

According to Senju Hashirama, his younger brother had the qualifications and the ability to master Wood Release, but Tobirama had already chosen his own path and felt no need to study it.

Many of the Wood Release techniques had actually been developed with Tobirama's assistance.

What he hated even more about Tobirama was the disciples that fool had raised; they were just as callous and ungrateful as he was, showing no reverence for the Senju clan.

"Water attribute?"

A sharp light flashed in Senju Nawaki's eyes. He still had a corpse in his mental space—a Jonin from the Yamanaka clan who was also skilled in Water Release. He should be able to extract a portion of water-attribute bloodline from him. If he could supplement Senju Tojian's bloodline, the chances of awakening Wood Release would be high.

According to his understanding, the Kekkei Genkai of the ninja world fell into two categories.

Some were direct physical Kekkei Genkai, such as the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, or the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku. These involved mutations of bodily organs, most of which were inherited physical traits from Kaguya Otsutsuki. The Sage Bodies of the Uzumaki and Senju clans were also special types of Kekkei Genkai.

The other type was a special bloodline formed by the fusion of different chakra natures.

This started with the simplest fusion of two natures, such as Haku's Wind + Water = Ice Release, Terumi Mei's Water + Fire = Boil Release, or the explosion artist Deidara's Earth + Lightning = Explosion Release.

Then there were the Kekkei Tota (also known as Kekkei Expansion), formed by the fusion of three chakra natures, such as the known Dust Release: Wind + Earth + Fire = Dust Release.

The most supreme Kekkei Genkai were known as Kekkei Mora, which required the collection and perfect fusion of all seven chakra nature transformations.

As it stood, Wood Release appeared to be formed by at least three chakra natures.

With the help of the Bloodline Completion System, he had the opportunity to glimpse the ultimate Kekkei Mora.

Senju Nawaki took a deep breath, casting aside his distractions and stopping his overthinking.

"Sixth Grandfather, give me a drop of your blood."

He stared directly into Senju Tojian's eyes as he spoke.

"Blood?"

Senju Tojian pulled a kunai from his waist and, without a moment's hesitation, sliced his finger.

For a ninja, blood was always a matter of great significance.

In the ninja world, there are some peculiar ninjutsu that require the use of blood to be performed.

To him, Senju Nawaki was someone worthy of trust, which was why he acted this way.

The blood on his fingertip was dark and dull.

Senju Nawaki cupped his hands to catch the drops in his palms.

It was quickly transferred into the soul space, making it look as though Senju Nawaki had absorbed his blood.

A flash of curiosity crossed Senju Tojian's face, but he did not ask any questions, watching quietly as Senju Nawaki closed his eyes; he trusted that Senju Nawaki would not harm him.

Combining this with previous questions, he had another guess in his heart—Senju Nawaki wanted to help him awaken Wood Release.

Inside Senju Nawaki's soul space.

Since it can absorb the bloodlines of others, it can certainly complete the bloodlines of others as well.

The apparatus formed by three microwave ovens and the soul light screen gave him the answer.

Senju Nawaki's research talent was pushed to its maximum.

The Bloodline Completion System gifted by Mother Earth was like an AI assistant with infinite computing power, helping him calculate and process data; he only needed to provide the chakra energy.

Finally, the conclusion was reached: it was possible to complete Senju Tojian's bloodline and help him awaken Wood Release.

Activate!

The body of the Yamanaka clan jonin entered the apparatus.

[Chakra: 890 (continuously consuming)]

Senju Nawaki's attention was focused on the chakra consumption on the panel.

Fortunately, awakening the Sage Body earlier had more than doubled his chakra reserves.

[Chakra: 136 (below normal levels)]

The humming sound within the soul space vanished.

Senju Nawaki obtained a mass of water-attribute bloodline energy that emitted a pale blue light and radiated a chilling sensation.

In the hospital room in reality, Senju Nawaki suddenly opened his eyes.

He gripped Senju Tojian's freshly healed finger, and the water-attribute bloodline energy found its home, merging into Senju Tojian's body.

"Calm your mind and absorb this energy."

Senju Nawaki's voice echoed in Senju Tojian's mind.

Hoo... hah...

Senju Tojian obeyed, closing his eyes to feel the transformation of his body.

His skin, which had been sagging and wrinkled due to old age, began to change as the water-attribute bloodline energy integrated into him.

His bodily functions recovered; his hair, which had been withered and white, turned a mix of black and white and regained its luster.

The wrinkles on his skin, especially those on his face, smoothed out and were covered by a healthy flush of blood.

His body was no longer hunched, and he once again stood tall within his Warring States-era armor.

It took only a dozen minutes.

From an old man in his sixties, he had transformed into the appearance of someone in his forties.

Senju Tojian's once-aged body had regained its vitality.