"It worked…"
Ren quietly sensed the condition of his body—especially that power which had fused into a single whole, completely inseparable.
His heart brimmed with pride.
So what if he didn't have a natural bloodline? In the face of a cheat, even that didn't matter.
"Y-you… what are you…?"
Only after everything finally settled did Yakushi Kabuto dare approach again. He stared at the towering tree, then at Ren standing beside it, his mind momentarily blank.
Before he could stop himself, the words slipped out.
"Are you from the Senju clan?"
"I don't know."
Ren really wanted to reply, Of course not!
But saying that outright would be stupid. If he wanted access to information later, a little bluffing and misdirection wouldn't hurt.
"You don't know?"
Kabuto stared incredulously at the giant tree, then glanced at Ren—who was still absorbing the remaining Dragon Vein chakra—and subconsciously pushed up his glasses.
"Wood Release is right there, and you're telling me you don't know?"
I fused it myself.
Ren shot Kabuto a sidelong glance. While continuing to absorb the remaining Dragon Vein chakra, he also carefully felt out his newly awakened Wood Release.
His Wood Release was special.
It wasn't like Yamato's so-called "furniture-style Wood Release." Ren's fusion followed the "formula" he had obtained from Obito's experience.
A massive amount of Yang Release acted as the foundation.
The results were naturally extraordinary.
That said, it still didn't reach Senju Hashirama's absurd level—where Wood Release could directly clash with Uchiha Madara's Susanoo, and after entering Sage Mode, beat both Susanoo and the Nine-Tails into submission at the same time.
But that was normal.
Hashirama wasn't human.
And more importantly—Ren's Wood Release still had room to grow.
[New Power Acquired: Wood Release]
[Formed by the fusion of Earth Release, Water Release, and Yang Release]
[Because it contains three chakra attributes, upgrading Wood Release will simultaneously strengthen all three attributes]
[Current Wood Release Level: LV6]
Ren paused briefly, then nodded.
This made perfect sense.
He had balanced all three attributes at LV6, which allowed Wood Release to manifest. Advancing Wood Release naturally meant advancing all three at once.
"Convenient… but the cost is higher too."
Three attributes stacked together—there was no way it wouldn't be expensive.
Just then, another notification appeared.
[Due to the fusion of Wood Release, your bloodline has undergone slight mutation. Please observe carefully.]
Bloodline mutation?
Ren was momentarily startled, but soon accepted it.
If he remembered correctly, kekkei genkai were passed down genetically.
Mist Village alone had plenty of them.
But there were exceptions—bloodlines not born from chakra fusion.
Konoha had two: the Hyūga and the Uchiha.
Kirigakure had one: the Kaguya clan, now extinct except for Kimimaro.
These bloodlines were body-based mutations.
But for bloodlines created through chakra fusion—how were those passed on?
Now Ren had his answer.
Chakra fusion itself alters the bloodline.
"The final destination of chakra fusion… is Kekkei Mōra."
Ren sighed softly, feeling the changes within his body, then rubbed his chin.
"Still, just like the Uchiha or Kaguya, not everyone will be able to awaken it."
Kimimaro had the most complete Shikotsumyaku. Whether others in his clan could awaken it was unknown—because they were all dead.
As for the Uchiha, Ren knew that situation well. Many of them never awakened the Sharingan at all. Every pair was precious.
The same applied to ordinary kekkei genkai.
Take Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi—only a select few ever inherited Dust Release.
And then there were exceptions—people who awakened two bloodlines.
Mei Terumi was likely one of them.
She possessed two kekkei genkai, and canon never stated she fused them herself. Bloodline inheritance was the most probable explanation.
And Ōnoki…
That old man was probably so terrifying in his later years because of bloodline mutation.
Maybe fighting style played a role—but compared to the similarly aged Hiruzen Sarutobi, Ōnoki was on an entirely different level.
The Fourth Shinobi World War made that painfully clear.
[Shihara Ren]
[Physical Attributes: LV9]
[Chakra: LV9]
[Abilities: Wood Release LV6 (Water LV6, Earth LV6, Yang LV6), Flying Thunder God LV6]
[Free Points: 0]
Ren opened his status panel—and froze.
His physical attributes and chakra had both skyrocketed.
This was the equivalent of thirty free points, all triggered by Wood Release's initial awakening alone.
Ren couldn't stop grinning.
The sheer return on investment was insane.
"One fusion, and the payoff is this big…"
That wasn't something he had expected at all.
"Looks like this path is worth sticking to."
He made a quiet decision.
Future fusions might not give such explosive growth—but as long as they gave any growth, it was worth it.
Especially since—
The Dragon Vein still wasn't fully used up.
"Then I won't hold back. I'll seal all of it into myself."
Ren had no intention of leaving the Dragon Vein behind for the Land of Wind.
Nature's gift was best accepted in full.
Before, he might have hesitated—but with his current physique, he could handle it.
"After being sealed and drained for so long—and after I absorbed so much already—sealing the rest won't be difficult."
Without hesitation, Ren completely shattered the remaining seal.
ROAR—
Chakra surged out once more—but this time it was weak, drained, lacking its former ferocity.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
After absorbing all the remaining Dragon Vein chakra, Ren immediately replicated Minato's seal—this time, placing it on himself.
Silence finally returned to the tower.
"…Is it over?"
Kabuto looked around, then up at the massive tree, before asking hesitantly.
"So… should I start calling you Senju Ren now?"
"If you want a refresher on our Root training days," Ren shot him a glare,
"then by all means—keep talking nonsense."
At that moment, noise began rising outside the tower.
They couldn't stay.
"Let's go. What needed to be done is done. Time for the next step."
Ren was in an excellent mood.
Wood Release, massive stat growth, and momentum on his side—his future looked bright.
Kabuto nodded, staring at Ren with a strange tremor in his chest.
"Wood Release…"
Seeing that power with his own eyes—
For the first time in a long while, Kabuto felt something dangerously close to hope.
Note:
1) Ren's Wood Release is an artificially stabilized form, not Senju Hashirama's innate bloodline.
2) Only exhausted overflow chakra was taken from the Dragon Vein; the main source remains sealed underground.
3) Stat growth comes from a one-time structural awakening, not repeated or unlimited inflation.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL