Kakashi stepped back from another dummy and stared at the glowing results on the screen.
"All simulated injuries… healed. Even the fake chakra coils are functioning…"
He smiled. These tests had gone better than he expected.
But then he heard slow, dragging footsteps behind him.
He turned his head.
"Orochimaru?"
Naturally, it wasn't the real Orochimaru, but the one Kakashi had made with a sealed soul fragment from Orochimaru's old curse seal.
The clone's long black hair was messy, and there were dark bags under his eyes. His white robe looked wrinkled and he was carrying three scrolls tucked under one arm.
"Good morning, Kakashi-sama," the clone said in a tired voice.
"You look like you haven't slept in a week," Kakashi said, amused.
"I was up all night organizing the equipment and materials from my inferior clones' labs." The clone blinked slowly.
"All of it?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," the clone said. "The scrolls, notes, chakra tanks, bloodline samples, the genetic tanks… even the scrap metal."
"That's dedication. Thank you for your hard work." Kakashi chuckled.
"This is nothing. I find comfort in order." The clone waved a hand lazily.
Kakashi smiled, then walked back to the center of the room where the Genesis Seal still hummed quietly on his palm.
"So, any surprises in the stolen goods?"
The clone blinked. "Hmm… my inferior clone had made slight progress on merging two different elemental natures artificially. Mostly unstable. But one had a prototype of a crystal release made from a hybrid bloodline. It shattered on use."
"Huh." Kakashi nodded. "Worth studying."
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then Kakashi raised his hand and made the seal for the shadow clone.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Four copies of Kakashi appeared with a puff of smoke. The clone versions looked at him with the same tired expression.
"Use Mayfly. Find some death row prisoners and bring them back here."
The clones nodded without a word.
"Don't alert anyone," Kakashi added.
The four of them vanished into the floor using Mayfly, slipping through the ground like shadows.
The Orochimaru clone watched them disappear.
"More experiments?" he asked.
Kakashi nodded. "This one's different. I want to test a function I've never tried with the Genesis Seal."
"Which function?" The clone tilted his head.
"Bloodline synthesis."
The clone's tired eyes blinked in surprise.
"You mean… like the Chimera Technique?"
"Yeah," Kakashi said. "That was the base. But the Genesis Seal is cleaner. It doesn't just absorb. It refines, balances, and integrates safely. I think… if I do it right, I can merge two kekkei genkai without harming myself."
The clone stared at him in silence.
"I've told you before," Kakashi added, "but the Genesis Seal is a mix of sealing, medical chakra, and genetic understanding. The real breakthrough was when I used Katsuyu's enzyme. Since then… the seal's been evolving."
The clone slowly smiled. A tired but genuine smile.
"To think… Kakashi-sama, once called the Copy Ninja… is now capable of creating bloodlines. You never cease to amaze."
"Well, let's see if it works first before celebrating," Kakashi said as he scratched the back of his head.
Orochimaru's clone straightened his back slightly, his exhaustion hidden behind curiosity now.
"I have samples," the clone said. "From the stolen labs. Hair, blood, marrow, even preserved tissue. Ice release, lava release, explosion release, magnet, boil… even storm release."
"Perfect. Prepare a few. I'll test myself first." Kakashi nodded.
"You're sure?" The clone paused.
"Yeah," Kakashi said. "The Genesis Seal won't let it overwhelm me. I've tested enough."
Orochimaru's clone walked to one of the cold storage drawers and began pulling out sealed vials.
"This one," he said, placing it on the table. "Ice Release. From a survivor of the Yuki Clan. Fully preserved."
Kakashi walked over and picked up the vial. The blood inside shimmered faintly with chakra.
"Good. Let's start with this."
"You'll need to fuse it while your chakra's calm. And your seal opens." The clone said as he handed him gloves and a cleansing tag.
"I'll circulate healing chakra to guide the merge." Kakashi nodded, pulling on the gloves.
"If this works… will you try combining two kekkei genkai next?" The clone tilted his head again.
Kakashi smiled. "That's the goal."
….
Meanwhile, in the Shadows
Far away, one of the Kakashi clones had already found a small prison cart being transported from one village to another. Hidden underground with Mayfly, the clone waited for the right moment.
There were three prisoners, missing nin, all with death sentences.
The clone rose through the floor, grabbed them silently, and vanished before the guards could blink.
….
Back at the Lab
Orochimaru's clone was arranging tools and prepping purification seals while Kakashi stood shirtless, focused, in the center circle of the lab.
He held the vial of Yuki Clan blood in one hand. The Genesis Seal on his other palm was spinning slowly.
"Ready," Kakashi said.
The clone stepped back.
Kakashi crushed the vial gently and let a drop fall onto the center of the Genesis Seal.
The red diamond instantly glowed brighter. It spun faster, and a dark vortex pulled the blood into the center like it was drinking it.
Kakashi winced.
"Cold…"
The blood's nature, Ice Release, was cold, sharp, and ancient. His chakra instinctively tried to reject it.
But the Genesis Seal spun faster, creating a warm layer that soothed the conflict. Healing chakra flowed from Kakashi's own reserves, balancing the invasion.
He dropped to one knee, sweat forming on his brow.
But he didn't stop.
"Come on…" he muttered. "Fuse."
Then it happened.
The blood shimmered. The seal glowed white-hot.
And suddenly, the cold vanished.
Replaced by a calm, deep stillness inside him.
Kakashi opened his eyes.
"I can feel it… Ice nature. It's there."
"Did it… merge?" The clone stepped forward, wide-eyed.
Kakashi looked at his hand. He formed a small amount of chakra.
A thin mist formed around his palm. It was freezing cold but controlled.
He waved his hand, and the mist formed a shard of ice hovering in the air.
Kakashi smiled.
"It worked."
Orochimaru's clone grinned.
"You've just done something no one else has, Kakashi-sama. You've created a hybrid bloodline without the body rejecting it."
Kakashi looked at the ice shard again. "The Genesis Seal really is the best evolution of the Chimera Technique…"