Drip... drop...
Drip... drop...
The faint sound of dripping water echoed persistently as Tatsuya walked through the dimly lit passageway. Flickering torches cast dancing shadows, making the path ahead appear and disappear, transforming the long, narrow corridor into something resembling the maw of a man-eating beast – daunting and forbidding.
After navigating more than a dozen turns, Tatsuya finally arrived in a spacious, open area. This was the secret laboratory he had established on the outskirts of the Forest of Death.
At the center of the lab, within a large cultivation chamber, a clone body had finished growing. It appeared to be that of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, with facial features bearing a striking resemblance to an adult Sasuke Uchiha.
Gazing at the clone body in the chamber, a fervent gleam ignited in Tatsuya's eyes. This was a sample created after obtaining Hashirama cells from Orochimaru. Utilizing the cellular fusion capabilities of one of his specialized clone templates, he had merged his own cells with the Hashirama cells.
Over the past month, Tatsuya had continuously supplied the developing clone with vast amounts of life energy and had injected the original Hashirama cells. His goal was to maximize the fusion and awaken the potential of the First Hokage's cells within the clone body.
In his previous life, a saying often circulated among Naruto fans: The First Hokage's Wood Style conquered the world; Yamato's Wood Style does landscaping. The vast difference in power primarily stemmed from the First Hokage possessing the legendary Sage Body. His immense life force and chakra reserves were the keys to amplifying the power of Wood Style.
Tatsuya's ambition was to use the Hashirama cells to recreate a weaker version of Hashirama Senju himself. Judging by its current state, this clone body indeed possessed the best physical condition among all his clones.
With these thoughts, Tatsuya began the process of removing the clone body from the cultivation chamber, placing it onto an experimental table to apply his Shadow Clone Seal.
An hour later, the clone body activation was complete.
"How does it feel?" Tatsuya asked, looking at the clone body on the table, whose eyes had now opened.
"Very powerful!" The clone body sat up, tentatively clenching and unclenching its fists before murmuring the words aloud.
Infused with Hashirama cells, this clone's physical capabilities were noticeably superior to his other clones, already approaching nearly half the level of Tatsuya's main body. This was significant, considering Tatsuya's own body had reached its current level only through the long-term enhancements of techniques like the Fujinhoin seal and the Body Activation Secret Technique. For this clone to reach such a state in just over two months was a testament to the astonishing effects of Hashirama cells.
No wonder these cells were considered one of the ultimate power-ups in the ninja world. Successfully integrating them offered a terrifying boost to a shinobi's strength. It also offered a glimpse into just how incredibly powerful Hashirama Senju must have been in his prime!
"Let's go. We'll test it outside," Tatsuya said after a moment of contemplation, leading the new clone body out of the laboratory.
Half an hour later, at the Valley of the End.
Swish~ Swish~
Tatsuya and the clone body landed together on the right shoulder of the colossal Hashirama statue. They stood facing each other for several seconds before both figures simultaneously launched into action.
Thud! Thud!
Fists and feet met, generating a series of dull, heavy impacts.
After several minutes of intense taijutsu exchange, they separated. The clone body formed a single hand seal, then extended its right hand.
Wood Style!
A square wooden arm instantly shot out, extending rapidly towards Tatsuya.
Seeing the clone successfully use Wood Style, Tatsuya's face broke into a wide grin. He deliberately dropped his defenses, allowing the wooden appendage to wrap around him, binding him tightly. He wanted to test the restraining force of this clone's Wood Style.
Bound by the wooden arm, Tatsuya struggled briefly but couldn't break free. Simultaneously, he felt a distinct suction force emanating from the wood; his chakra was being drained. The absorption rate wasn't slow; an ordinary Jonin would likely have their chakra completely depleted within minutes.
Soon, the wooden arm released Tatsuya and retracted back into the clone body.
"Excellent! It's finally a success!" Tatsuya exclaimed, looking at the clone opposite him, unable to hide his delight.
Currently, this clone wasn't yet in its permanent Earth Grudge Fear state. Its internal chakra reserves were limited, preventing it from unleashing the full potential of Wood Style. Once Tatsuya converted it into his fourth permanent clone body, its Wood Style capabilities would undergo another exponential leap in power. Techniques like Deep Forest Emergence and even Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands might become possible. Tatsuya had already logged the data for these legendary jutsu into his bio-chip's database.
Fired up by these thoughts, Tatsuya immediately took the clone body back to the laboratory to begin the cultivation process for his fourth Earth Grudge Fear clone.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Swamps, at Demon Sealing Mountain.
The Ancor Vantian fortress had already landed. On the central training ground within the fortress, Jizo was instructing Amaru in her training.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Amaru relentlessly attacked with punches and kicks, while Jizo effortlessly parried and blocked each blow, constantly correcting her form. Since deciding to personally oversee Amaru's development, Jizo had taken on this task. Suijin had departed several days after Ancor Vantian arrived at Demon Sealing Mountain, needing to return to the Land of Fields to manage Yakugakure. Tatsuya was still concerned about leaving Kagutsuchi alone to oversee the village.
On the training ground, beads of sweat covered Amaru's small face.
"Alright, Amaru, that's enough training for today," Jizo finally called a halt after another ten minutes.
"Yes, Teacher!" Amaru, supporting her exhausted body, bowed respectfully to Jizo before turning and heading towards a private room nearby – her own quarters within the fortress.
After Amaru left, Jizo also departed Ancor Vantian, returning to the underground laboratory. Once inside, his hands flew through a rapid series of hand seals.
Poof!
A plume of white smoke erupted in the lab, and Tatsuya's main body appeared. Jizo had used the Reverse Summoning Technique to bring him here.
Tatsuya glanced around the underground lab. "Is everything prepared?" he asked Jizo calmly.
"Yes, preparations are complete," Jizo nodded.
"Good. Let's begin the experiment as soon as possible," Tatsuya said, walking directly towards the operating table.
Jizo immediately lay down upon it. Tatsuya was preparing to perform Hashirama cell transplant surgery on Jizo. This clone body had suffered significant deterioration from the overuse of Uchiha Teru's Mangekyo Sharingan. Without cell transplantation, it likely wouldn't last another two years. Transplanting Hashirama cells was the best option. Regardless of whether the transplant succeeded or failed, it wouldn't drastically affect this particular clone body in the long run.
However, before proceeding with the Hashirama cell transplant, Tatsuya needed to re-transplant Uchiha Teru's Mangekyo Sharingan back into Jizo. If the Hashirama cells successfully integrated, there was a chance the eyes could regain their light.