Looking at the Uchiha's DNA had done nothing but confuse me.
It was beyond annoying.
It was mostly normal human DNA with bits of foreign DNA.
It seemed less complicated than the Hyuga DNA at first glance, but a lot was going on with the DNA responsible for the optical nerve, brain, eyes, personality, and chakra density.
I didn't know where to start, as I only had one Uchiha and couldn't get any variety amongst the genes.
The DNA corresponding to the brain and nerves was the easiest to make guesses about.
It was likely why the Uchiha were able to consistently produce geniuses and skilled combatants.
But that was just a guess...
"Sigh..." Tossing the body to Orochimaru was tempting.
He had been a great help with the Kaguya body...
It was something to think about...
I'd need more Uchiha to figure out what exactly each bit of DNA did...
And wasting my time on the Uchiha wouldn't do me much good...
I haven't gotten into the Hyuga DNA yet...
Nor have I solved my problem with using chakra at a distance...
"..." I stared at the ceiling and pondered about throwing clones at my problems...
My biggest worry about the constant use of clones was running out of projects.
I didn't want to run out of things to do and become depressed...
And clones were unpredictable as well...
"Sigh..." I made a hand-seal and a clone phased into existence.
The clone sent me a dirty look and summoned four more clones.
I raised an eyebrow at it.
"Existence is horror, and I need others to suffer with me!" The clone behind him snorted ruining the tension that was building.
I scratched my head while looking at the clones who in turn looked at me.
"We need to get stuff done, Hyuga DNA and Uchiha DNA indexing are the least important." The first clone made a show of slumping and quietly sobbing.
I ignored it.
"Personal Fuinjutsu Script." I pointed to the second clone who nodded.
"Gene mutation." I pointed to the third clone who gave me a thumbs up.
"Finish up the blood transfusions, and figure out how to permanently change someone's blood if you have time..." I pointed to the fourth clone who remained stone-faced.
"Visit Kenji, and Isami if she hasn't left yet" I pointed at the fifth clone who nodded.
"Death." I pointed to the first clone who was bouncing with excitement and pierced him with a thin Bone Spike.
A job well done...
I nodded to myself.
"I'll be training..." I gave the clones another close look hoping to weed out the unstable ones.
Seeing none I made my way towards the stairs leading to the lab.
Training was boring and I didn't even have my favorite squishy humans to make the time pass a little faster...
Sucks...
...
"How about another attempt to push Kumo out of Frost?" I threw the question out after a few moments of silence.
Orochimaru didn't even glance my way.
"No." I slumped slightly at his refusal.
Orochimaru wasn't interested in another attack on Kumo's camps. Which sucked, I wanted to fight and cut loose while I didn't have to worry about anyone I liked dying.
"Alright." Kumo wasn't attacking us currently as they were more focused on Iwa.
Which was probably a good thing...
Perhaps the status-quo was ideal for experimentation...?
"We're running out of prisoners, any plans to get more?" I was disappointed there wouldn't be any battles and was hoping for a quick mission to quell my boredom.
Orochimaru shook his head and immediately dispelled my hopes for a mission.
"Kumo's entire attention is on Iwa." Orochimaru sent me an exasperated look. "The Hokage wants us to keep Kumo from getting supply's across Frost, and to let Iwa and Kumo exhaust each other."
I couldn't tell if his exasperation was because of me or the Hokage, so I stayed silent.
"I've been ordered not to provoke Kumo, so that means there will be a temporary shortage of test subjects." Orochimaru's face scrunched up as he spoke.
So perhaps I wasn't the cause of his exasperation...?
"Can you order me off to Grass for a month then?" Grass was close enough that I could send some Bone Clones over without many problems...
With Bone Clones managing my lab's things would be smooth sailing.
"You are currently needed here." Orochimaru shook his head and denied me the adventure I sought.
"Sigh..." Orochimaru rolled his eyes at me.
"Can you tell me about Senjutsu then?" If I was going to run out of prisoners I might as well find something to occupy my time.
Orochimaru turned away from me which dashed my hopes.
"Perhaps your former Sensei Namikaze would be better suited to teach you, I haven't achieved Sage Mode myself." I let that roll around in my head for a bit.
Minato knew Sage Mode...?
"I don't think I'll have much luck..." I held in a sigh and decided it was time to go.
Orochimaru wasn't interested in conversation at the moment.
"Do you need anything before I go?" Orochimaru shook his head before I had even finished.
I gave Orochimaru a bow and started making my way out.
Back to training, I guess...
...
"Chakra by itself isn't elemental but every ninja has an element that their chakra molds into more easily." I paused and scratched my chin. "That's my understanding of an affinity."
"While ninja with enough control could use any jutsu they desire there's always some element that's easier for them." I turned and saw Aomi was following along. "I'm playing around with Chakra right now."
I nodded towards the test-subject strapped to the table.
"I'm trying to mix two chakras of the same affinity." It was mainly to see what happened, but If I miraculously made something interesting, I'd eat my Byakugan.
"Two different chakras aren't able to be 'mixed' as far as I could tell." I looked at the clock. "You would have to be from the same family or clan to even have the possibility of doing so."
"So, this is probably pointless..." I gestured to my test-subject.
I turned to Aomi and saw she didn't look even remotely interested.
"Did that explain anything or did I just ramble at you?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
Aomi made a 'so-so' gesture.
"Sigh..." I didn't have a good excuse for it, so I had to make something up.
I was trying to combine chakra so I could eventually access the Tenseigan when I got to the moon.
I was thinking that the Hyuga inherited the eyes of Hamura while the moon Ōtsutsuki inherited the body of Hamura.
Similar to Indra and Asura.
Or at least that was my current theory...
My theories about the Tenseigan changed pretty often...
So, I probably needed the physical energy from the Ōtsutsuki.
Or so the theory went...
I had no Ōtsutsuki to test stuff on...
Which meant this was currently pointless...
"Keep this one fed and watered, I'll be back to check it's chakra in a day or two..." I blew a heavy breath out of my nose.
This one was unusually annoying...
"Keep him sedated if he's too annoying..." After two escape attempts, I wasn't too concerned about his survival.
...
Orochimaru's method of indexing genes in humans was rather effective...
He removed or added the gene he wanted to index and watched the subject for any changes.
But if he was impatient mutation seemed to be another option...
He also liked to take a gene and Splice it into a different species to see what would happen...
I'd probably have to do something similar to make fast progress on the Hyuga genes.
I'd need a Hyuga or I'd need to splice Hyuga genes into people to see what they did...
Which would be extremely wasteful...
I couldn't let anyone get suspicious when too many clan members died.
According to Orochimaru's notes Splicing Bloodlines of any kind was extremely difficult...
The body had to already have part of the heritage, be sufficiently adaptable, or young enough to accept a new bloodline.
And even if the subject was adaptable and young it wasn't likely to succeed.
And when it did the bloodline was weakened and couldn't be used with the same effectiveness that a natural bloodline user could command it.
"Sigh..." I know Orochimaru eventually figured out how to do it...
But currently, he wasn't close.
In a few years, he would be though...
...
"Those who were given blood didn't gain a lightning affinity but they did gain the ability to make Lightning Chakra with their normal chakra." I'd call it a jumpstart to making lightning chakra.
The chakra helped them speed past what should have been years of training for the untalented.
The amount of blood received determinates the time it will take the body to strengthen..."
Though the benefits depended on the strength of the recipient, the stronger one was the fewer benefits they gained.
"Subjects who had all their blood replaced gained benefits within the week." I paused and turned to Aomi "Those who had less then half of their blood replaced took an additional week to see benefits."
Seeing that she was following I continued.
"Those that were given A's blood saw a notable increase in strength, stamina, and durability."
"Those who were given my blood saw most of the same gains as those with A's blood, as well as an increase in bone and muscle density." Other general increases came with having extremely potent chakra, but it would take to long to explain.
I wanted to get into it a bit more but Aomi knew enough to do what I wanted to be done.
"So, your new job is to find people with Type-A or Type-Ab blood who want to be strengthened." Which shouldn't be a problem...
Aomi nodded.
"I'll make a vat of A's blood, you'll be injecting people with A's blood and collecting their own both before and after they've had the injection."
Aomi held up her notebook.
'How many? Any preferences?'
I shrugged as I didn't care.
"Doesn't matter just let them know they're going to undergo a strengthening procedure, replace all their blood, and keep them unconscious for a week." I tapped my chin. "I'll take over a section of the hospital for that."
Aomi nodded.
"Just keep it quiet, I don't want anyone to know how we're doing what we're doing." Aomi nodded again.
"Hmmm..." I hummed trying to remember if there was anything else.
"You'll be responsible for note-taking and monitoring the patients."
I felt like this was a mistake, I didn't want to make super soldiers.
"I'll send a group of clones to Seal up the hospital..."
But I needed this opportunity so I could have another go at mixing chakra...
"Alrighty..." I made a hand-seal and four clones appeared behind me.
I waved them off and turned back to Aomi.
"Make sure most of those you find are Genin, I don't want them to be unskilled, I want skilled people that are limited by their genes or upbringing." Meaning civilians.
Civilians who could disappear should they bring me trouble.
"The end goal is to bring the Genin up to Chunin-level." I waved Aomi away and leaned back in my chair.
A's chakra will strengthen the body, the strengthened body will produce more Physical energy, more Physical energy means increased chakra reserves, and a small increase in density.
That was the theory at least.
...
My foray into Mutating the Hyuga's Chakra Density gene seemed to have stalled.
Some clones had absorbed the blood and figured out that a good portion of the genes gained density but lost whatever enabled the chakra to block tenketsu.
The clones figuring out that they could use the blood was good, them also figuring out that some genes were defective was also good.
Had I jumped to the gun again and Overwritten myself, I would have lost the ability to block tenketsu...
Which was the whole reason for this experiment...
"Phew..." I wiped the non-existent sweat from my forehead.
It would have been devastating if I spent a lot of time on mutating the gene and lost the ability to use the Gentle Fist.
So, this was a lucky break...
I'd ensure I was more careful in the future...
...
Mutations according to Orochimaru are mostly neutral, doing nothing and having no notable impact.
Some did have positive or negative impacts but those were rare.
However, there was a correlation between strength and positive mutations.
Strong parents often produced strong children and a strong shinobi's genes mutated slightly under the influence of their chakra.
Meaning the more chakra you had, the more likely it was that you or your children would experience positive mutations.
So, the strength of your chakra helped push you towards the right evolutionary path so to speak.
Orochimaru cautioned me, that he hadn't looked deeply into mutation and wasn't focused on the topic.
Meaning I should take what he said with a grain of salt.
My findings confirmed Orochimaru's. Hadn't emergency rations strengthened after I expanded his chakra network?
Isami had been strengthened as well...
But most of the strengthening had been the awakening of dormant DNA...
So, it was part of dormant DNA and part Mutations...?
"Hmmm..." I shrugged...
Maybe, or maybe not.
I'll check Isami's blood samples and see if she experienced any mutations after she got A's blood...
I probably should have done that sooner...
I got too excited about the increase in strength the blood provided...
"Sigh..." I got too excited...
...
Kiri had lost three of their Swordsmen and was pretty much out of the war.
Although there was no official response, they didn't have the manpower to battle outside of Kiri and thus holed themselves up in The Land Of Water.
Kiri Turtled.
Snort*
Kiri had no Jinjuriki and half their usual number of swordsmen, and it was all thanks to the wonderful Raikage.
Who should kick the bucket soon...?
I didn't know.
Hopefully, that was the case, but it didn't seem like it would happen any time soon.
...
...
Interlude.
"The goal of this little experiment is to 'evolve' the genes above the current human limit." Shiro explained while he paced around the room.
.Mutations occur over hundreds of years, I'm simply speeding the process up and manipulating it slightly." He motioned for me to place my hands on the indexing seal and I did so.
"What you're looking at is your dominate gene for hair color, brown..." He trailed off when he saw my annoyed look.
"With a little mutation, this gene can become slightly darker or slightly lighter." He smiled. "Eventually after careful selective mutations, you can move your hair towards your desired color little by little with each mutation."
I rolled my eyes at his blatant attempt to annoy me.
"I'm doing the same thing currently with a gene for chakra density." He smirked. "I'm slowly mutating the gene over and over and increasing the density of chakra little by little."
"After a lot of selective mutating, I'll eventually have chakra density rivaling a Tailed-Beast." He frowned for a moment before replacing it with a smile. "But it won't be until years later that I reap any substantial benefits."
"Questions?" He asked with a smile.
I nodded and tried to formulate the question in my head.
'Would your time be better spent improving the genes governing your bodily strength?' Shiro was a Taijutsu specialist, it didn't make sense to spend so much time on improving his chakra when he rarely used more an eighth of his reserves.
Shiro smiled at me like I was a child.
"Having more chakra strengthens the body naturally, I'm letting my body strengthen in response to my chakra rather than mash a whole bunch of genes together and hope it works." He waved airly. "The more chakra I have the stronger my body gets."
I nodded in understanding.
He'd rather let his body adjust to his chakra then try and build a strong body.
"I think that's enough for now, we'll chat more if you are still interested." I nodded as I was extremely interested.
I didn't have the required chakra control to do any of the stuff Shiro did, but I would eventually, and learning ahead of time was never a bad thing.
"Thank you." I was happy to have been given this opportunity.
I was given the chance to be more then what I was.
"No problem, see you tomorrow." Shiro made his way out, send me a lazy wave as he left.
I stared at the ceiling feeling giddy as I thought about the future.
I could be as strong as the Hokage if I continued on this path.
It felt weird. Years ago I wouldn't have imagined I could ever have a shot at becoming a pillar of strength for the village.
But now that and more was possible.
I just had to continue down the path I was taking.
Dar-win-ism as Shiro called it was a brilliant idea.
Advancement through artificial evolution.
I couldn't wait until I could do it myself...
Mid-April hit me like an inpatient fat kid on a slide.
In two weeks, my squishy friends were going to arrive back in the camp and cause me anxiety with their squishiness...
So, on top of feeling like I wasn't doing enough, my main sources of anxiety were going to come back and get into danger and cause me to worry.
So, it was lots of fun all-around.
The Hokage had admonished me for using my fellow Shinobi as 'test-subjects' and wasn't satisfied when I explained to him that my 'comrades' weren't test-subjects but were instead strengthened by 'Kinjutsu' that I developed.
Now the Hokage was causing me grief.
But it was understandable grief, I probably shouldn't have touched any of Konoha's ninja during the war.
But that was in hindsight, it was too late to undo what I had done.
"Sigh..."
With Kiri retreating from Lightning Country, Kumo was now free to bother us.
Our stock of test-subjects was refilling but a good bit of my time was spent capturing said subjects instead of experimenting on them like I wanted to.
Which sucked, but was also a welcome trade-off.
I had been getting antsy...
And something new was welcome...
...
I laid in my bed, trying and failing to summon the will to live.
Kiri was out for the count, and Fugaku was being sent to our camp.
Minato and Jiraiya were in Grass, and needed help last I heard.
Minato hasn't killed half a regiment of Iwa-nin yet but still had his Yellow Flash moniker...
Tsunade was forcibly stationed in Wind Country and was healing up a storm while Konoha's cannon fodder died by the hundreds from poison.
It looked like I was going to be stationed somewhere else and it was a real piss-off...
They should have sent Fugaku...
I'm twelve...
Have some pity on me...
I just want to experiment in my comfy lab...
"Ahhhh...!" I groaned while mentally cursing Kiri and the Raikage.
If Kiri had been stronger...
Or if the Raikage had been weaker...
Bastards...
...
I felt the ground tremble slightly and raised an eyebrow.
I heard the knob on the door jiggle and turned to look at the door.
I stared dully at Orochimaru as he burst into my quarters, he was looking pretty happy...
"The Raikage is headed this way!" Orochimaru's smiled widened as he spoke.
Why was that good news?
"Hopefully Iwa isn't following him..." My voice was filled with nervousness and a bit of excitement...
I got out of bed and stared at Orochimaru who still didn't lose his smile.
"I've given the order to abandon the camp, all that we have to do now is successfully seal the Raikage!"
So Orochimaru got rid of all my meat-shields...? And what's this nonsense about a seal?
I thought he gave up on the seal?
"..." I stayed silent and stared at Orochimaru with unconcealed annoyance.
I needed the cannon fodder...
"What about Iwa?"
Orochimaru snickered.
"Kekeke... What about them..."
He wasn't worried about Iwa...
"Alright... What's the plan?" I rubbed my face with one hand.
Orochimaru rubbed his palms together and leaned forward.
"The Raikage came here for you, so you'll be the decoy while I catch him unaware!" Orochimaru looked gleeful.
Sadly, I didn't share any of his enthusiasm.
"What did I do?"
Orochimaru shrugged.
"He's probably mad about you killing his army."
That was forever ago and Orochimaru killed most of them.
"It's war what does he expect to happen...?" I said instead.
"Sigh..." I placed my arm over my eyes and sighed loudly.
"And how do we even know he's coming here?"
Orochimaru shrugged with a smile.
"I'm fighting him now, of course." The ground trembled as he spoke.
How would he catch the Raikage unaware when he was fighting him?
"Sigh..." My dermal armor formed and my mask covered my face the moment my Byakugan activated.
I was nervous.
It was something I hadn't felt in a long time.
I slowed my perception as much as I could and followed the clone out the door.
...
Orochimaru's cheerful clone and I arrived where the fight was taking place while ignoring our fleeing allies.
The Raikage was tall and dark-skinned like his son, but the features that stuck out the most were his main of hair and the weird red rope around his waist.
Orochimaru was holding his own but the fight hadn't truly started yet.
The Raikage hadn't even donned his Lightning Cloak yet.
Goddammit.
I swallowed heavily and prepared myself for possible death.
If I make a good enough showing maybe someone will resurrect me...?
I can only hope so...
...
I Shunshined beside Orochimaru and the fight paused for a moment.
I saw the Raikage's mouth open and stopped enhancing my perception so I could hear what he was saying.
"Hyuga Shiro, you've caused me some headaches." His voice was calm.
I hadn't, I'd killed some of his ninja, which was what everyone else did...
"I think your making excuses." Maybe to make himself feel better about killing a child?
The Raikage smiled? Showing me his teeth.
"Perhaps, but a child should not question their elders."
I eyed the scar on his left side, and the scene of Naruto using his own attack against him played in my head.
The last resort...
I turned my head towards Orochimaru hoping he would pipe up.
Sadly, he did not, and we descended into a tense silence.
"Well, I hope you're better at fighting then you are at talking." And with that, the Raikage became covered in Lightning Chakra.
I again slowed my perception to its maximum and readied myself for an attack.
Orochimaru launched a Wind Blade, which did little more than tickle the Raikage.
I Shunshined behind the Raikage and punched him in the spine with a Chakra Enhanced Punch.
Boom*
The ground under me shattered and the Raikage bent in a way that certainly didn't feel good and flew past Orochimaru.
He skipped across the ground a few times before flipping and landing his feet where he continued to slide.
The Raikage stopped sliding and Orochimaru sent me a surprised look.
"It would do you well if you did that again." Orochimaru turned towards the Raikage and sent a wall of Wind Blades at him.
I nodded and took a deep breath.
"Alrighty..." I Shunshined towards the Raikage who now looked serious.
Which probably wasn't good for me.
I arrived behind the Raikage and was promptly kicked away as the Raikage decided that the Wind Blades didn't matter and kicking me was much more important.
I was able to block and my dermal armor held up so I had high hopes for my survival.
The Raikage Shunshined to me and stabbed at me with his fingers.
And my hopes were dashed when his four fingers nearly sheared through the arm I used to block.
I jumped away and the Raikage stood watching me.
He had pierced through my armor but had been stopped by the layer on the other side of my arm.
"Ouch." If my face was uncovered, I would have cried crocodile tears.
The Raikage shook his head and dashed towards me.
I dashed towards him as well.
I launched a Bone spear at the Raikage but it just bounced off his cloak.
Welp...
A tendril of chakra made it's way to my forehead and unlocked my seal.
I Shunshined behind him but was met with a knife-hand, so I smashed his fingers with a Chakra Enhanced Punch.
Boom*
It worked as well as I expected it to and my fist was split down the middle.
I jumped away and the Raikage and I were once again staring at each other.
An Orochimaru clone was spectating our fight and the real Orochimaru was underground, likely preparing for some shenanigans.
"Sigh..."
I coated my now healed hand in lightning chakra and started spinning it.
I hadn't used it in a long time...
I Shunshined in front of the Raikage and drove the Lightning Drill into his stomach while he drove his fingers into my chest.
My drill did little more than touch his skin and his fingers were knuckle-deep in my ribs.
I again jumped away, while the Raikage confidently watched me.
"Well done, you touched me." I resisted the urge to groan and instead just nodded.
When I touched him, I tried to block his tenketsu but had no success from what I could see.
"Thanks for letting me heal." I send him a second nod.
The Raikage nodded back and sped towards me with three fingers extended.
I sped towards him as well.
I Shunshined behind him mid-way and Shunshined behind him once more when I saw him turning to face me.
I struck him in the spine with a Chakra Enhanced Punch that was more powerful than the first and he flew away tumbling as he went.
Boom*
The Raikage regained his footing, he looked mildly annoyed but unconcerned about the state of things.
My attack had done no damage...
I felt a breeze through the holes in my shirt, which annoyed me.
The Raikage was playing with me.
I was given time to heal and plan, while he stood and waited.
Fuck.
I sped towards him creating a Shadow Clone as I went.
The Raikage didn't move to meet me, he dramatically lowered a finger and Shunshined in front of me.
I Shunshined to the side and my Clone Shunshined behind him, my clone and I simultaneously threw a punch.
The Raikage jumped into the air avoiding our punches and causing me to blink.
I mentally thanked the Naruto-verse deities and crouched.
Boom*
My feet cratered the ground and I sprung towards the airborne Kage, fist cocked back, ready to send him to space.
He kicked towards me and I punched him with the strongest Chakra Enhanced Punch I've ever used.
Boom*
The combination of my punch and his kick sent him skyward and me groundward.
Boom*
I landed kicking up dust and creating a crater, while the Raikage continued off into the sky.
"Well done." Orochimaru's clone appeared beside me and dispelled the dust with a wave.
My clone, who was supposed to suicide on the Raikage gave me a thumbs up.
"How did your fight with him go last time?" I gave the clone a thumbs up as well.
Orochimaru's clone frowned.
"Iwa and Kiri attacked Kumogakure and the Raikage left." I nodded in understanding.
A battle with the Raikage only ended when the Raikage decided it ended.
"Should we make a run for it, or are we still going to seal him?" I turned my attention to the still flying Raikage.
The Raikage had started to arc, so he would be coming down shortly.
"My preparations have been made, you just have to lead him to me."
I nodded and looked to my clone.
"Bomb the Raikage." The clone nodded and summoned three more of itself.
Orochimaru's clone gave the group of us a nod and dispersed.
I looked towards the Raikage.
He was still making his way down...
"Sigh..." One of the clones sighed and the others gave it a dirty look.
I rolled my eyes and Shunshined to Orochimaru's Seal.
Meanwhile, the clones sped towards the falling Raikage.
...
Boom*
Boom*
I was hit with a rush of memories and a quarter of my total chakra returned, only two clones got the job done...
"Feed the circle your chakra when the Raikage is within it." I nodded distractedly.
The Raikage was barreling towards me with one finger extended at double the speed he previously used.
I wasn't fast enough to do anything should he attack me...
The Raikage approached and I felt sweat trickle down my face.
My mask was getting gross.
The Raikage slowed his approach and stopped just outside of the circle.
"Not running brat?" I shrugged.
Even with my cloak, I didn't have much hope.
"No point, I'm not fast enough." Which was sadly true.
I spent a lot of time improving my body and this monster in human form was still faster.
And it was the body he was born with...
"Well, it's time I pay you back for butchering my men!" He started walking towards me.
I crouched and put my hands up.
"Be gentle with me, it's my first time." The Raikage paused with a look of disgust on his face.
And I slammed my hands down activating the seal.
The Raikage was surrounded by a sickly purple barrier and Orochimaru rose from the earth looking smug.
"Kekeke... you've fallen for my trap!" Orochimaru's smile split his face.
The Raikage still looked unperturbed and slammed a single finger into the barrier.
"One Finger Assault!"
The finger and barrier clashed, and my chakra started draining at a slower rate.
I raised an eyebrow at Orochimaru who's smugness had increased.
"Kekeke..." Orochimaru smirked but didn't speak.
"One Finger Assault!" The Raikage struck the barrier again.
And the drain on my chakra diminished more.
I blew out a relieved breath.
It's a good thing I didn't jump away when he struck the barrier in front of me.
Sometimes a little faith goes a long way.
The Raikage struck the barrier again, this time with his fist.
"Lightning Straight!" The drain on my reserves trickled down to nothing, and I finally clued in on what the barrier did.
It drained chakra and used it to power the barrier...
"I can't hold it for much longer!" I felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner...
The Raikage smirked and Orochimaru made an excellent show of jumping to reinforce the barrier.
The Raikage rapidly punched the barrier, Orochimaru and I both fed more chakra into the barrier while the Raikage unknowingly helped.
"Hold on a little longer Shiro!" Orochimaru was smirking as the Raikage back was to him.
The Raikage continued pounding at the barrier, sealing his fate.
"I'm trying sensei!" I put as much desperation in my voice as I could.
The barrier slowly turned a deep purple.
The Raikage suddenly stopped punching.
Orochimaru stood with a smile on his face, and I joined him.
"Kekeke..." Orochimaru cackled and started walking around the barrier.
I took a few steps back and started scanning the area for any nuisances.
Seeing none I stepped towards the barrier and knelt to continue feeding it chakra.
I wanted this thing kept inside.
"So, what now?"
Orochimaru who was still smirking smugly shrugged.
"We call everyone back and have them take turns feeding the barrier." I nodded.
That was a good plan.
"My village will come to me." The Raikage decided that threats were the way to go.
Orochimaru looked unaffected.
"Let them." He lost his smile and started towards the camp.
I continued feeding the barrier, I'd rather keep the Raikage snow globe.
I didn't need him escaping any time soon...
...
The Raikage was sat cross-legged and completely still.
He decided not to waste energy, and was now meditating
I let him be and left.
I didn't want to antagonize him further.
I instead decided to bother Orochimaru.
"So, why didn't the Raikage bring soldiers with him?" Orochimaru shrugged and ignored me.
Alrighty...
"Well, see ya." It's shower time.
A post-battle shower was the best.
...
...
Interlude.
"You're not happy about capturing the Raikage?" Shiro spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen between him and Orochimaru.
"No, I am not." Orochimaru spoke in a slow monotone. "I have no interest in participating in this war. My capture of the Raikage may force me to become more involved then I would have liked."
"Hmm..." Shiro hummed. "It shouldn't be a problem, or at least not as much of a problem as you think it will be." Shiro gestured in the Raikage's direction. "The Hokage will probably use that thing to barter for peace."
Shiro ran a hand through his hair.
"It's far more likely that we'll be moved away from the fighting." Shiro smiled, and the air in the room felt heavy. "Can't let our notoriety grow too much after all."
"Kekeke..." Orochimaru threw his head back and cackled. "Indeed, they can't allow those that don't play by the rules to become too powerful."
Shiro nodded.
"Be it politically, personally, or in terms of influence." Shiro's smile faded. "It's a shame Konoha has been allowed to fester to such an extent."
Orochimaru nodded and turned towards me.
"This talk could be considered treasonous." The air turned heavier. "Are you sure this one can be trusted?"
Shiro turned and stared into my eyes causing my breath to hitch.
"I like her." I swallowed nervously.
He liked me, but he didn't trust me.
"Have it your way." Orochimaru stalked past my frozen form. The breeze he kicked up causing goosebumps to form on my arms.
Orochimaru left and it became easier to breathe.
I don't have Shiro's trust.
That needed to change.
I couldn't do anything he might deem untrustworthy.
"Well let's go." Shiro started towards the door. "I need to write a report."
I nodded and trailed after him.
I needed to be careful. I was an ant compared to Shiro and Orochimaru. If I annoyed them I might get stepped on.
I needed to be useful and trustworthy.
At least until they could no longer step on me.
It hadn't even been a day since the battle and I had changed my mind about A's DNA.
It wasn't the Raikage's DNA, but it was close enough.
After seeing him shrug off both of our blows like they were a light breeze I couldn't help myself.
I wanted that.
At first, I didn't want to look anything like them, but after seeing the Raikage in action I had changed my mind.
I'd still try my best to keep my build as it was, but if I couldn't it would be acceptable.
I wanted to be as unstoppable as the Raikage.
And I regretted dismissing it when I did.
I could have been more powerful...
A's blood was a lucky find that I had taken for granted.
But I wouldn't anymore...
I'd make good use of it.
Dismissing the usefulness of the blood was foolish, but it wasn't too late to put it to use.
...
The camp was nearly back to normal, everyone was on guard and we were receiving reinforcements.
So, things looked alright so far.
The Raikage snow globe was under heavy guard even though it could be seen from the camp, people took the opportunity to curse the Raikage for the death of their friends and family.
The Raikage didn't react to the curses and insults, he instead focused on meditating and saved his strength.
There were rumor's that the Hokage was negotiating with Kumo but Orochimaru told me not to worry about it.
The Raikage was extremely proud and would rather die than be sold back to Kumo.
Or so Orochimaru claimed.
"Aomi, go ask around and see if anyone wants to do the strengthening procedure." Aka giving them blood.
The blood only worked if the person it came from had Kage-level reserves, I'd use it all the time if that wasn't the case.
"Let them know that this procedure has no risks, and tell them to nearly exhaust their chakra before they come."
Last time some people almost died because their chakra was attacking the foreign blood. It turns out that chakra will sometimes defend the body when your unconscious.
"I want twenty people, between the ages of twelve and twenty." There were a few old Genin that produced few results and then tattled on me for not delivering on the strengthening.
"They should have a lightning affinity for the best results, but I'll accept anyone if we can't get enough people with a lightning affinity." I pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
Oh yeah...
Snap*
"Is Isami still around?" I snapped my fingers.
Aomi shook her head.
"Alright, put in a recommendation for a field promotion and put it on my desk." Aomi frowned.
I wasn't quite breaking the rules, but I was ignoring the spirit of them.
I wasn't allowed to recommend and then promote someone.
But I could promote someone who had been recommended...
"Sneaky..." I raised an eyebrow when she spoke but nodded.
The spirit of the rules mattered little when you were too powerful to get in trouble.
"I'm not breaking any rules." Aomi shrugged and set off towards the exit.
No one would be willing to cause a fuss over such a small matter.
...
Another two days rolled by.
There hadn't been an attack but some scouts had been captured.
They had killed themselves when they were caught so we got nothing from them, but there was going to be an attack.
Or so I thought.
The Raikage had been without food and water for three days.
So, they'd need to get to him before he died of dehydration.
Kumo only had Iwa to worry about, so they could field a good amount of their strength.
Though the number of men in the camp had doubled with the addition of reinforcements, so I wasn't overly worried.
"How many want to be 'strengthened'?" I ignored the clone who pushed past me and focused on Aomi who was scribbling away.
'All twenty beds were filled. Each has a lightning affinity.'
I nodded.
"Anyone over twenty?" I rolled my eyes as I heard glass shatter in the background.
'No, everyone was under eighteen.'
"Nice."
I watched a clone bumble around with my favorite brush set and had the urge to strangle him.
"Alright, keep everyone in the beds sedated, I'll be around but it's your job to keep them alive for now." I nodded and she nodded back.
Alrighty...
...
"So, what's happening with our guest?" I pointed in the direction of the Raikage snow globe.
Orochimaru shrugged.
"We're in negotiations currently." Distaste was visible on his face.
I nodded.
"Should we water him? He might not survive for much longer." I eyed the papers on Orochimaru's desk.
Orders from the Hokage.
"He's been procuring his own water with Ninjutsu." I nodded barely paying attention.
The Hokage was currently negotiating for the return of Konoha-nin held prisoner and an end to hostilities.
"Hopefully Kumo doesn't want their prisoners back..." Most of them were long dead.
And those that weren't had undergone extensive genetic manipulation.
So, they probably couldn't be given back.
Orochimaru remained silent so it took that as my cue to leave.
I gave him a bow and made my way out.
...
A new day and a new annoyance.
But thanks to the power of delegation, my clones were now doing paperwork while I spent a little bit looking over the DNA from people who got blood transfusions.
The last batch who was kept unconscious didn't use the chakra from A's cells and received lesser benefits.
The overall increase in strength was less then what it had been with Isami and they didn't learn to use lightning chakra as Isami did.
It was still a good increase bringing those in Genin-level to low-Chunin, but it didn't suddenly make them more talented or more skilled.
They were still the same crappy Genin but with the speed and power of a low-Chunin.
There were some neat mutations in their DNA but it was only interesting and not helpful.
For example, the DNA for their hair color mutating was interesting but was a waste of time to pursue.
There were mutations in their chakra density genes as well, but the mutations often did nothing or next to nothing.
So, it wasn't worth the time to pursue it.
Most of the DNA from those who had undergone the 'strengthening' wasn't too interesting.
Isami had the most interesting mutations, the gene responsible for bone density and the gene responsible for estrogen production being the ones that stuck out.
But even those weren't interesting enough to look into.
Overall, I didn't find anything interesting.
But at least I confirmed that chakra caused mutations.
...
Fugaku arrived annoyingly late.
He should have arrived at the beginning of May, but instead arrived three weeks into May, and was too late to participate in our battle with the Raikage.
I wanted to give him shit, but a twelve-year-old scolding the Uchiha clan head probably wouldn't go over well.
"What are you working on?" Fugaku's expression was stoic and his voice was dull.
Why he felt the need to hover over me was a mystery.
"I'm going over some DNA I got from the Raikage's son and trying to find what makes them so strong."
There was a lot that made them strong, it wasn't simply one thing, so I had to shift through their DNA and find the genes responsible for their strength and durability while avoiding the genes that would change my appearance.
"Like muscle composition for the smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and skeletal muscles." Fugaku still looked vaguely interested so I continued. "Currently I'm focused on his skin cells the keratinocytes, melanocytes, Merkel cells, and Langerhans cells."
"Hmmm..." Fugaku hummed.
I wasn't sure if it was a hum of understanding or if he was just making noise so I'll stop looking at him.
"Basically, I want to see if I can use the DNA to make more people like the Raikage." Mainly myself.
I'd probably pretend it didn't work and scrap everything to do with the DNA when I was done.
I didn't want people like the Raikage running around...
"It doesn't look like it's going to work though." Not until my reserves increased some more.
It took a lot to sustain a body like that, both in terms of nutrition and chakra.
"So, what brings you here?" Uchiha repellent activate!
Making conversation seemed to make the Uchiha flee.
"Mikoto was asking about you, I wanted to see how you were doing so I could give her an update." Fugaku turned and started towards the door.
My Uchiha repellent was a success.
"Thanks for stopping by, I'll see you around."
Fugaku nodded. "Hn." and grunted at me before strutting out the door.
I went over our conversation in my head.
I'd hoped he'd want me to enhance some Uchiha with the Raikage's DNA, but when I didn't get a response, I'd claimed it a failure.
It was a mediocre attempt at manipulation.
But it was still an attempt.
Maybe I'd get better in the future...
...
Negotiations continued and it was decided that the Raikage would be handed over in exchange for an end to hostilities and the release of prisoners from Kumo.
There were additional reparations and such but that didn't matter to me.
I was more focused on keeping my lab.
There was a good chance I'd get reassigned, in Suna or Grass.
We were in the process of moving the Shinobi in Noodles to Frost and with the apparent end to hostilities, we'd have to lessen our presence in Frost or risk continuing the war with Kumo.
It sucked.
Kumo still had most of its strength and was still a threat so we might maintain a presence in frost.
But I felt that was only a small possibility.
The Hokage was more likely to order us to withdraw...
We could have pushed into Water Country...
And we could have pushed into Lightning Country...
But instead, we were probably going to back off and let them recover.
And Kiri hadn't even surrendered...
They were still in the war even with their diminished strength.
Fuck.
We were not taking advantage of their weaknesses.
So, fucking annoying.
The more I thought about it the madder I got.
What a shitshow.
...
I stood beside Orochimaru and Minato while watching over the release of the Raikage.
Our presence was meaningless if the Raikage decided that he wanted everyone dead.
But it comforted the cannon fodder, so here we stood.
The Raikage looked a little leaner and angrier than I remembered but that was to be expected.
Being starved and humiliated for two-weeks does that to people.
"He's still fucking huge." I spoke with an amused smile.
Weeks of starvation hadn't done much to him, he was still a big bearded mass of muscles.
"Think he's going to start a fight?" I turned to Minato.
He shook his head.
"He's too prideful to go back on his word."
I hummed.
"Hmmm, I didn't know that conversation was even had." I probably should have been paying attention.
But I was Overwriting prisoners and seeing what happened when normal people got Hyuga genes.
"..." The barrier fell and the Raikage stepped out.
I watched Kumo's delegation of cannon fodder receive the Raikage and depart immediately.
The Raikage sent Orochimaru a menacing look and Shunshined away in a flash of lightning.
"Thankfully it's not me who he's mad at." Hopefully, he forgot about me.
Orochimaru snorted and covered his face with the sleeve of his kimono.
Snort*
"Lucky me..." Orochimaru said dryly.
Minato didn't look amused but I ignored him as he was usually no fun anyways.
"How's my cute little Kohai? Has she punched anyone into a bloody mist yet?"
Minato nodded looking even less amused than he previously did.
"She slapped a Missing-Nin and covered Obito in blood and brain juice, he said he couldn't remove the smell for a week." Super Rin?
I nodded, feeling quite proud of myself.
"Good, glad to hear she's doing well." Rin was my favorite. "Tell her to always aim for the body, it's less messy."
I wondered how Kakashi was doing but put it out of my mind, as it wasn't worth thinking about.
"When are we supposed to withdraw from Frost?" The Hokage had sadly agreed to remove our presence from Frost entirely.
Orochimaru was pissed and I was feeling bitter about it.
"Two weeks from now is when we start moving the troops away." Orochimaru lip curled.
My lips were pursed and I joined him in making faces.
"Hopefully the Hokage won't regret that." The ninja of Kumo and Iwa were both known for being backstabbers.
So, making any sort of agreement with the savages was usually meaningless.
I shook my head and decided to get back to work.
I had people to fill with blood, DNA to collect, and DNA to splice.
With the power of clones and human experimentation, I'd hopefully be able to Overwrite myself using A's DNA within the week.
...
More then a few prisoners died due to accelerated aging.
I didn't have time to wait for traits to express themselves, and needed results.
Everything seemed to be going well on that end, and with liberal use of clones I sped up my experiments on mutation as well.
The Chakra Density Gene was pretty good already, I thought I could take it further but that could be done later.
With the loss of my lab in Frost, I'd have to finish anything I had on the go and start sealing anything I wanted to keep.
The whole camp was to be blown up to deny Frost and Kumo any easy infrastructure.
Clones were a godsend when I was rushed, but a burden when I was trying to keep boredom at bay.
...
The dreaded news came in the form of a scroll.
It was decided that I and my team would be moved to Suna, Fugaku would go to grass, and Orochimaru would be stationed on our north-eastern border.
Orochimaru wasn't happy but also wasn't angry, probably because he had free reign on any bandits or Missing-nin.
I wasn't so lucky.
I was going to get burnt by the sun and poisoned a lot.
Lots of sand was going to get in my shoes and eyes.
And I'd have no lab for the foreseeable future.
It sounded fun...
...
With the power of clones and human experimentation, I sped through the indexing of A's DNA, the mutations of the Chakra Density gene, the Splicing of my DNA, regenerating the telomeres, and the making of an Overwrite Seal.
Somewhere along the way, a clone had nearly killed Kenji with a Gravity Seal.
Luckily it was only nearly.
Kenji was now bedridden due to extensive internal bleeding and semi-crushed organs.
A valuable lesson was learned.
If someone's annoying you, slap a Gravity Seal on them and crush their organs with the power of gravity.
...
I gave the Overwrite Seal a once over while pondering the necessity of future Overwrites.
I was thinking this was to be the last Overwrite to my DNA for the next few years.
There were no-need to push my luck before I got into the good stuff like the Ōtsutsuki's DNA or DNA from the quarter space god reincarnations.
What I'd done to myself was already enough and I felt that any more was asking for something to go wrong.
It was probably best to let my body grow and to improve on my existing techniques.
It sounded boring.
And it was probably going to be boring.
But boring was safe, and I wanted to be safe for a little while.
"Sigh..." I gave the seal another quick once over and unlocked the seal on my forehead.
A hand-sign later, the room had gained another occupant and half my chakra was gone.
I closed the seal and sent as much chakra as I could into the Overwrite seal before blacking out.