Chapter 103: Drawbacks
As material for the Chimera Technique, the First Hokage's cells possessed many advantages.
First of all, they were powerful enough.
Among the many kekkei genkai that existed in the shinobi world, Wood Release was undoubtedly one of the highest tier types.
Even the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could not surpass Wood Release. At most, they stood on the same level.
Beyond being powerful enough, the First Hokage's mastery over Wood Release had also reached an astonishing level.
If the Chimera Technique was to devour a kekkei genkai, it naturally could not be done using just any random target.
After all, even within the same kekkei genkai, the degree of awakening could vary greatly.
Just as within the Uchiha Clan, some people might never awaken the Sharingan in their entire lives, while others could go so far as to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
There was a major drawback to devouring kekkei genkai through the Chimera Technique.
Because a kekkei genkai devoured through the Chimera Technique was not truly one's own, it was far harder to improve than an innate one.
Therefore, if one wanted to maximize the effect of a kekkei genkai, the best option was to devour one that had already been developed to an extremely high degree.
In that regard, the First Hokage's Wood Release held an overwhelming advantage.
After all, in Hashirama's body, Wood Release had already been pushed to its absolute peak. It was naturally the most suitable kekkei genkai to devour.
Best of all, despite all these advantages, the First Hokage's cells also had the traits of being low cost and easy to replicate.
This was essentially the most suitable material for the Chimera Technique.
That night, Hiruko did not sleep at all. He remained in a state of excitement the entire time.
It was not until the next morning that he got up and headed straight for the laboratory, ready to wait for the next stage.
Passing through the facility, he went through one procedure after another. Only after confirming that his body showed no problems did he formally begin the process.
Finally, he entered the specially prepared environment inside the laboratory and lay down directly within it.
"All data is normal."
"Hashirama sama's cells have also been temporarily suppressed."
Inside the laboratory, personnel moved back and forth, all of their attention fixed on the data.
Kei stood before the operating table, looking at Hiruko as he spoke softly.
"How do you feel right now?"
"Not bad."
Hiruko replied, "I'm already getting impatient."
He looked like a child waiting for a brand new toy, his entire face filled with excitement and anticipation.
Perhaps to him, this was a rare chance to change his fate.
Kei understood his feelings, so he could not be bothered to offer any more advice.
After all, advice would be useless. There was no point wasting the effort.
"Get ready, and remember to keep your consciousness clear."
He still repeated the precautions with patient thoroughness, reminding Hiruko not to lose consciousness.
When performing the Chimera Technique, one's consciousness had to remain clear. Otherwise, accidents could easily occur.
More importantly, Hiruko himself needed to describe his sensations in real time, so that everyone present could understand what was happening and take corresponding measures.
Soon, the experiment began.
Concentrated First Hokage cells were injected into Hiruko's body.
Only a moment later, Hiruko let out a miserable scream.
"Hashirama sama's cells are invading his body!"
A shinobi from the Hyuga Clan assisting nearby spoke loudly.
"The speed has exceeded the standard rate!"
"Activate the backup plan."
Kei did not hesitate in the slightest and made the decision immediately.
The greatest difficulty in devouring the First Hokage's cells lay in their terrifying invasiveness.
If left unchecked, that horrifying devouring and infective nature was enough to turn a human body into a piece of wood in an instant.
Fortunately, Kei and the others had long prepared for this.
The experiment lasted a full half day before the situation finally stabilized.
Hiruko's body gradually calmed down, and a faint pale color began to appear on the surface of his skin.
The chakra contained within Hashirama's cells slowly started to merge with his own chakra, gradually becoming one.
"As expected, it still cannot be inherited completely."
Sensing the condition inside Hiruko's body, Kei could not help but feel a trace of disappointment.
Just as he had expected, even using the Chimera Technique to devour the First Hokage's cells and obtain Wood Release in this way still produced an incomplete result.
Judging from the current situation, Hiruko would likely only reach the level of Yamato in the future, far from the terrifying might of the First Hokage himself.
"But... even just Yamato's level is already pretty good."
Kei pondered silently.
Yamato's later performance might not have seemed especially remarkable, but that was only because he was being compared to Senju Hashirama.
In truth, Yamato's strength was not inferior to Kakashi before he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. At the very least, he stood at the level of a Kage class threshold.
With Hiruko's original physique, undergoing this transformation ritual meant he would immediately be reborn.
Moreover, this was only the first devouring. A second one could still be performed in the future.
Kei felt that if Wood Release could later be paired with a set of Sharingan, then the combination of Yin Release and Yang Release would certainly have a very promising future.
"Aaaah!"
A string of miserable screams rang out ahead.
The data on the instruments in front of him fluctuated wildly, then quickly settled back into stability.
That signified Hiruko's final success.
"It actually worked!"
To the side, many of those present stared ahead with feverish expressions, as if they had just witnessed a miracle.
In the past, kekkei genkai had always been innate. If an ordinary shinobi did not have one, then they simply did not.
But from this day onward, everything had changed.
Through the Chimera Technique, it was now entirely possible to plunder another shinobi's kekkei genkai, creating the effect of mass producing kekkei genkai wielding shinobi.
"Kei, this technique must never be allowed to spread recklessly."
Uchiha Kagami had watched the entire process, and his expression was grave.
"Otherwise, Konoha will likely descend into chaos."
He was a wise man, and the moment he saw the result, he immediately foresaw the consequences of the Chimera Technique becoming widespread.
Once this technique spread, it would inevitably lead to everyone in Konoha trying to imitate it.
If that happened, the harmony Konoha currently enjoyed would vanish completely.
Shinobi with kekkei genkai would become prey to be fought over, and trust between shinobi would disappear, replaced by mutual suspicion and hostility.
Especially the clans that possessed powerful kekkei genkai would likely become the targets of everyone's greed.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan were the clearest examples. Those were bloodlines coveted by nearly everyone.
If this technique spread, then every shinobi in Konoha would likely begin watching the Uchiha and Hyuga with greedy eyes.
"I understand."
Kei nodded.
"This technique will be classified as a Forbidden Jutsu. In the future, no one will be permitted to use it without the Hokage's approval."
"Good."
Kagami finally relaxed a little after hearing that.
.....
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