theoretical Breakthrough
"In theory, it should work."
While her shadow clone explained, Hikari absorbed the transmitted memories. The novel microstructure of water-earth fused chakra particles, linked by a core of yang energy, unfolded in her mind as if she'd studied Wood Release for decades.
"Water to earth to yang ratio—3:6:2. Pyramid-shaped, with yang as the central node branching into three water-linked pathways, each splitting further to connect six earth particles… Huh. Simpler than I expected."
A frown creased her brow.
"If Wood Release's composition is this straightforward, why didn't Hashirama teach it to the Senju? Even partial knowledge would've boosted awakening rates."
The yang clone shook her head.
"Hashirama's Wood Release was innate. He likely never deciphered the exact ratios. Besides—" She tapped the air, conjuring a hologram of chakra waveforms. "This is just an approximation. Precision beyond two decimal points is impossible. Every shinobi's chakra quality differs, requiring minute adjustments. Bloodline limits aren't one-size-fits-all."
"And without microscopic vision…" Hikari mused, "...you'd need endless trial-and-error to stumble upon the right combination."
No wonder natural kekkei genkai awakenings were so rare. Without the Byakugan's atomic-level perception, fusing water and earth would just yield mud. Even adding yang or yin blindly was a shot in the dark.
Bloodlines weren't inherited—they were rediscovered by descendants whose chakra resonance matched their ancestors'. The closer the match, the easier it was to unlock pre-programmed ratios encoded in their DNA.
Hashirama's strength? His chakra mirrored Asura's.
Naruto's potential? Same reason—though without water-earth affinities, Wood Release remained out of reach.
"So we brute-force our own ratio?" Hikari asked.
"Wrong." The yang clone grinned, gripping Hikari's shoulders. "We already did."
---
### The Fusion
The basement trembled as Hikari shed her restraints.
A crimson barrier shattered.
Purple chakra—thick as a storm surge—erupted from her pores. The air itself seemed to recoil. Shadow clones staggered back; Samehada whimpered, its spines scraping the floor. Even the Hashirama cells in their glass prison twitched.
This was the monster they'd created.
No single power explained her. Not the Byakugan's mutations, not the Shikotsumyaku's bones, not even the mangled Senju DNA. She was an amalgamation—a forced evolution.
And now, a fifth bloodline would join the mix.
"Ready?" The yang clone's hands glowed—water in her left, earth in her right.
Hikari's veins pulsed like live wires. "Do it."
The clone slammed her palms together.
A spark of green—yang—bloomed between them. Threads of light laced downward, stitching water and earth into a pyramid. Then—
Crack.
A seed split.
Black roots speared through the structure, drinking the water, clawing into the earth. The pyramid collapsed—reborn as a sapling that unfurled leaves, then flowers, their perfume thick as syrup.
Creation itself.
Hikari's breath hitched. This wasn't just combat prowess—it was genesis. Hashirama's forests, said to have birthed Konoha's borders, were no myth.
The clone didn't hesitate. She drove the chakra into Hikari's chest.
THUD.
Hikari's heart detonated.
The world whited out.
---
### Awakening
Her chakra seed—a violet star—quaked as emerald light pierced its core.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
Each beat hammered the basement walls. The fusion wasn't just integrating; it was rewriting her on a cellular level. Same as when she'd absorbed tailed beasts.
Muscles itched. Bones sang.
Then—
Snap.
A vine burst from her wrist.
Then another. And another.
Hikari watched, transfixed, as wood grew from her flesh—not as a technique, but as naturally as hair.
"It's… adapting me," she realized.
Not just chakra. Her body was becoming compatible.
The yang clone's grin turned feral. "Welcome to the Senju's apex, partner."
---