Chapter 285: "Bad News"
"So, what you're saying is... if I changed my name to Senju Tonari, it wouldn't even be a lie?"
Tonari let out a self-deprecating chuckle. He had only ever thrown out that claim as a joke, just to mess with people. Now it seemed like he'd unknowingly stumbled onto the truth.
"In the ninja world, people carrying a recessive Senju genetic trait are exceedingly rare. After all, not every recessive gene manages to persist through countless generations of inheritance.
But rare or not, with enough effort, I could probably find at least a thousand people carrying traces of Senju blood. It would take time, but it's possible."
Orochimaru paused, his golden eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"But out of all those recessive genes, you are the only one whose body has begun converting them into a dominant trait—you're the only one showing signs of atavism."
His tone was filled with a mix of admiration and disbelief.
"Do you realize how many people have studied Senju Hashirama's DNA since his death, desperately trying to recreate his Wood Release?"
Orochimaru's voice turned almost mocking.
"The entire Senju Clan, Tobirama Senju, my teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and later myself—and now you.
And yet, none of them succeeded.
The Senju Clan itself disappeared trying to unlock the secret of their own bloodline.
And now, out of sheer dumb luck, you've done what they couldn't.
Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is?"
Tonari scratched his head awkwardly. That much was true.
He had always believed that to survive to the endgame of this world, he needed both Senju and Uchiha bloodline powers, combining them to achieve Six Paths-level strength.
He hadn't expected his own latent genes to start awakening.
Had he not asked Orochimaru for help with his experiments, he might never have realized this.
Even if he had reached the final battle, he might have assumed he was simply lucky or that his training had made the difference.
"You should tell me everything you've done to your body so far," Orochimaru pressed eagerly, eyes gleaming.
"This process of atavism—of your hidden genes activating—is obviously linked to certain triggers.
You're the only known case, so trying to replicate this in someone else would be a waste of time. But at the very least, I want to understand the conditions that led to it."
Tonari fell into deep thought.
Going through his past with this new perspective, many things suddenly made more sense.
His body had always been unnaturally resilient.
He had survived becoming a Jinchūriki under unstable conditions when he was too weak to handle it. He had injected Hashirama's cells into himself and survived when even Senju Clan members had failed.
Even his Sage Mode markings closely resembled Hashirama's—a sign of his genes responding to nature energy in a way unique to Senju blood.
"Now that you mention it... my entire transformation process was too smooth compared to everyone else's," he muttered.
"Too smooth?" Orochimaru scoffed. "That's an understatement.
If any surviving Senju members saw this, they'd claw their way out of the grave to murder you out of sheer jealousy.
Their whole clan died off trying to figure this out, and you did it by accident."
Tonari rubbed his temples, feeling a headache forming.
"So, what now? Do we just accept that I lucked out?"
Orochimaru tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"No. If your genes have already begun shifting from recessive to dominant, then there's a path to take it further.
We might not know exactly what triggered it, but one thing is certain—you're a perfect candidate for more Hashirama cell integration.
Everyone else who tried was consumed by the cells, but for you... you could fully integrate them into your own genetic structure.
And if this transformation continues, you'll eventually gain a natural connection to the power of Asura Otsutsuki.
At that point, you wouldn't be borrowing power from Hashirama anymore.
It would be your own."
Tonari's eyes narrowed.
"So you're saying… I'll become an actual Senju?"
Orochimaru smirked.
"Something even beyond a Senju.
Hashirama was an anomaly among his clan, a once-in-a-lifetime genetic miracle. If this process continues, you won't just be another Senju—you'll be the next Hashirama."
A chilling silence filled the lab.
The implications were staggering.
If he kept moving forward, he wouldn't need to rely on transplanted Hashirama cells.
He would become a true inheritor of that power.
A deep, satisfied grin spread across Tonari's face.
"I know what to do now. Thanks, Orochimaru-sensei."
Orochimaru waved him off casually.
"Now, if you're done being shocked, bring me more test subjects. Middle-ranked ninjas will do fine."
"That's easy," Tonari replied. "Just tell Root to pull a few death-row prisoners from Konoha's prisons. If you need more, we can always kidnap a few from enemy nations."
"Do as you please," Orochimaru said dismissively, already turning back to his research.
Tonari left the lab feeling more confident than ever.
His path forward was now clear—he had to push his genetic transformation further.
If he could achieve this, his Wood Release wouldn't be borrowed power—it would be his own.
His goal was now within reach.
Yet as soon as he exited the lab, an urgent message from his Shadow Clone disrupted his train of thought.
A moment later, he stopped in his tracks, completely stunned.
For a full ten minutes, he stood frozen in place.
Even Orochimaru noticed something was wrong.
When Tonari finally moved, his aura exploded violently, shattering every glass container in the lab.
His chakra raged out of control, filling the entire room with pressure.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"Hm... Based on this reaction, I'd diagnose this as acute romantic frustration syndrome."
He crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"A classic case of overexposure to public displays of affection.
Common symptoms include violent outbursts, depression, and the desire to destroy all happy couples.
It's an untreatable condition, I'm afraid."
Tonari didn't respond.
He just walked robotically toward Minato Namikaze's house.
There, he discovered a horrifying truth.
Minato and Kushina had secretly moved in together.
They were already living as a couple.
And worse—they were getting married.
Sitting across from them in their home, Tonari felt as though he had been cursed by fate itself.
It wasn't just that they were getting married.
It was what came after.
After marriage came children.
And if history repeated itself, then Kushina giving birth would be the moment she was at her weakest—and the perfect moment for an attack.
Someone would come for them.
And he knew exactly who.
As Minato and Kushina sat before him, laughing and smiling, Tonari clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked.
His chakra began leaking out uncontrollably again.
Finally, Minato noticed.
"Tonari… are you okay? You're sweating a lot. Maybe you're overworked? You wanna go spar and let off some steam?"
Tonari's eyes lit up.
But before he could answer, Kushina cut in immediately.
"Spar? No way! We have wedding plans to take care of!"
Tonari's expression twisted into something horrifying.
He could already tell—this wasn't just dog food anymore.
This was a life sentence.
To be continued…
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