Bloodline Connections

"How could Kabuto have such an idea?"

"I... I don't know..."

With his head down, Dou was filled with regret. How could he have blurted out his thoughts so suddenly!

Kato Osamu frowned slightly. He had never considered this possibility before. After a moment's thought, he roughly understood the source of Kabuto's thoughts—it was probably a child lacking paternal love, fantasizing about his own father...

"Kabuto, your Nonō's mother and I are just friends..."

Hearing Kato Osamu's words, Kabuto's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. He stared blankly at Kato Osamu, opened his mouth as if to speak but then stopped, seemingly unsure of what to say, before lowering his head again.

"However, if you'd like, perhaps you can call me Master..."

"Master?..."

"Master!"

The momentary blankness in his eyes seemed to be due to some kind of surprise that came too suddenly, but it quickly burst forth with boundless brilliance. The smile on his lips could not be contained, and his fingers kept clenching.

Kato Osamu chuckled softly and pinched Kabuto's cheek. "So, Kabuto, how far has the experiment progressed in the past three years?"

Dou seemed completely absorbed in some kind of fantasy, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.

When it comes to experiments, Dou seems to have a thousand words to say, yet doesn't know how to express them.

"Master... Over the past three years, I have conducted 532 comparative experiments, grouping the genetic material from Hashirama Cells, White Zetsu Cells, Sharingan Uzumaki Cells, and Hyuga Clan Cells..."

"At the same time, we also gathered some other materials through the village's Underground Bounty Office..."

Then I discovered...

Kabuto stared at Kato Osamu with disbelief and shock on his face, his throat bobbing before he slowly uttered, "There really is a blood connection between these families!"

"This is absolutely shocking!"

"That's not all!"

"Among them, the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan clans are the closest in bloodline, followed by the Senju and Uchiha Clan, while the Hyuga Clan, although connected to other bloodlines, is the furthest removed..."

"If we divide them according to lineage, then the Senju and Uzumaki share the same ancestor, and Senju Uzumaki's ancestor was a close relative of the Uchiha Clan's ancestor, while the Hyuga Clan's ancestor was a distant relative."

"And if we go even further back in time, it's highly likely that the ancestor of these several prominent families was the same person!"

Kato Osamu listened quietly to Kabuto's story. Although his face did not show much emotion, his heart was filled with turbulent waves. Combining the information he had obtained in Ryūchi Cave, if Kabuto's experiment was accurate, then he was about to uncover a certain truth about this world.

"Kabuto, let me see your experimental records..."

After a moment's hesitation, Kato Osamu slowly opened the experimental record, which wasn't very thick and was only about a meter high.

Kato Osamu didn't go anywhere for the entire afternoon. He read through the entire experimental record from beginning to end. Even though he was in good spirits, he felt somewhat tired.

But he felt an unprecedented excitement—the experiment had no obvious flaws, which meant that, unless there were some new possibilities that could overturn the entire material world, it was 99.99% certain that this was a fact!

"Is there a possibility that...?"

"Is the so-called Kekkei Genkai just a kind of atavism?"

After thoroughly reading Kabuto's experimental records, Kato Osamu vaguely sensed this possibility amidst the intricate data: the higher the Sharingan's awakening level, the more pronounced certain properties become, and the closer the bloodline connection to different families appears...

"If this assumption holds true, then the progenitor of this Shinobi World..."

"Perhaps he is a terrifying being who possesses the highest level of the Sharingan — the Rinnegan, the Byakugan, the Uzumaki Constitution, the Senju Constitution, and is proficient in Yin–Yang Release..."

Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Kato Osamu felt an urge to immediately meet the leader of Akatsuki —the current possessor of the Rinnegan, Nagato Uzumaki.

Nagato, possessing the Rinnegan and the Uzumaki Bloodline, is currently the most extreme example of 'reversion' in the Shinobi World...

"Kabuto, go to the outer hall and find a man named Hiruko. He'll be staying here from now on, and he'll be doing some more interesting research with you..."

"Yes, Master..."

Kabuto may not fully understand the value of this research right now, but he can sense that Kato Osamu's mood seems to have become a bit more serious.

However, the thought of having one more person in the lab made his eyes sparkle with curiosity. He slowly walked out of the research room, where the entire lab was quiet except for Kato Osamu, who was deep in thought.

"Can an existence capable of creating Shinigami, Tailed Beasts, and intelligent beings like Black Zetsu, who has unraveled the mysteries of Yin–Yang Release, truly die?"

As if struck by a thought, Kato Osamu frowned slightly. He hadn't forgotten the scene of his first encounter with the Shinigami; his Spirit Transformation Technique had been completely countered. Anyone capable of creating Shinigami must also possess this ability...

"Shinigami..."

"It's been so long since I've seen Orochimaru- sensei..."

Orochimaru, as a former Konoha High Command, must have more detailed information about the Dead Demon Consuming Seal Sealing Jutsu...

"Nonō, there's something you definitely want to know..."

Perhaps because she had spent so much time with the child, Lin had unconsciously become more playful. She hurriedly ran to Nonō's place, a smile in her eyes, as if trying to pique Nonō's curiosity.

"Lin, is Xu-jun back...?"

Nonō smiled, glanced at Rin a few times, and after observing her expression, she roughly understood what had happened. She smiled gently, her eyes seemingly unmoved.

"Nonō is always so smart..."

Slightly dejected, Lin sighed softly and then helped Nonō tidy up her clothes. They were all children's clothes, washed very clean, and Nonō folded them neatly one by one.

"Is it because Osamu-kun is back that Nonō is unhappy? I remember Nonō looking out the window several times without realizing it..."

"Of course I'm happy... This village, Zabuza -san's departure, ultimately needs someone strong enough to exist... Of course, I hope Osamu-kun returns soon..."

"Nonō always says that..." Rin pouted, seemingly used to Nonō's words. But when she looked into Nonō's eyes, she couldn't see any other emotion. At times like this, she always wondered if she was just being too nosy...

"So... what does Rin want to hear from me?" Nonō's eyes lingered on Rin. "Rin, you skipped school again today..."

"I..." Lin's voice faltered, and she recoiled, trying to flee...

"You need to study hard, that's what makes a good child..."

Seeing Rin flee in panic, Nonō couldn't help but smile.

The sky over Kusagakure was exceptionally blue today, with fluffy white clouds layered like mountains. Nonō's smile slowly faded, her gaze drifting to the distant horizon, her eyes holding a hint of unfathomable mystery. Perhaps no one knew what she was thinking...