Chapter 82: Spores, Shadows, and Failed Clones
As Nagato finished speaking, he turned and tossed a small, pale, clay-like lump to Konan.
Konan caught it, examining the strange substance. "What is this?"
"A spore clone from White Zetsu," Nagato explained. "It can mimic another's chakra signature. Carrying it will mask our own chakra from the perception of the Spiritual Transformation Technique."
"White Zetsu has such an ability?" Konan's surprise was evident as she carefully stored the spore.
"White Zetsu's utility is vast. Its capabilities are… greater than we imagined," Nagato said, a trace of a smile appearing. Madara's true inheritance had revealed the full scope of the artificial being's uses. "It is, after all, a creation of the God Tree."
At that moment, a White Zetsu slowly rose from the damp floor nearby. "Nagato," it said in its flat voice, "we have identified a suitable candidate for recruitment into Akatsuki."
"Oh? Who?"
"A bounty hunter named Kakuzu. He possesses a kinjutsu called Earth Grudge Fear. It allows him to steal the hearts of others, extending his own life and granting him the chakra nature of each stolen heart."
"He sounds capable," Nagato acknowledged. Akatsuki, in its current state, had only him as a true high-tier combatant. He needed lieutenants.
"He is," White Zetsu confirmed. "He was an elite from Takigakure. He once accepted a mission to assassinate the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama himself. The fact that he survived the encounter and escaped speaks to his strength."
"Indeed. His location?"
"The underground bounty exchange in the Land of Hot Springs. He has been active there recently."
Nagato nodded, turning to Konan. "Konan, I leave the Rain in your care. I will return swiftly."
Konan gave a silent, understanding nod.
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a plume of smoke, the weight of recent weeks etched deeply into his face. The Fire Country's borders were simmering cauldrons. Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri had all intensified their infiltration, sending teams to raid border towns. The Fire Daimyo was furious, threatening budget cuts if the situation wasn't contained.
It was no longer skirmishes; it was a low-grade, multi-front war.
Hiruzen had deployed everyone he could—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, even Danzo—each holding a sector. Gaps were plugged by squads from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. Yet he kept Uchiha Fugaku and Akira in the village. The interior was hollowed out; someone powerful had to guard the jinchuriki, especially with Nagato's vendetta against Konoha. There was also a more political calculation: he could not allow the Uchiha to amass too much battlefield glory, strengthening their claim to the Hokage's seat.
The hat must never pass to the Uchiha, he thought, staring out his window at the village below. Please… let the conflict not escalate further.
His prayer went unanswered. While the front with Iwa remained contained, tensions with Kumogakure boiled over. In late December, Konoha Year 51, war was declared.
Kumo forces, led by Dodai—a trusted lieutenant of the Third Raikage and a wielder of Lava Release—invaded from the Land of Hot Water. They clashed violently with Jiraiya's border defense. Caught off-guard, Konoha forces suffered heavy losses. Only Jiraiya's timely summoning of Mount Myōboku's toads and his entry into Sage Mode turned the tide, preventing a rout.
Both sides, however, seemed to hold back, keeping the war's intensity curiously restrained, a bloody but controlled stalemate along the Fire Country's edge.
Time flowed into March of Konoha Year 52. The war with Kumo dragged on, a grinding conflict that drained Konoha's treasury. The Daimyo, despite earlier threats, was forced to increase military funding once more.
For Uchiha Akira, the distant war was background noise. His current concern was far more immediate and personal. His expression was grim as he stood in a sterile lab at Shentian Biologics.
Mizutani Hiroshi had just delivered the news: the cloning experiment had failed.
The clone of Uchiha Obito's somatic cells… was imperfect. It had not replicated the donor's key traits. Not only did it lack the Mangekyō Sharingan, it lacked the Sharingan entirely. It was, biologically, little different from any random Uchiha clansman. Without the potent Yin release foundation of a Mangekyō wielder, it was useless as a test subject for Hashirama cell integration.
So the cloning tech isn't flawless, Akira mused, frustration simmering. He knew it was possible—Orochimaru's work in the future proved Mangekyō could be cloned. The failure meant their current methodology was still immature.
His confusion deepened as he looked at another specimen—a near-perfect clone of Senju Hashirama. Its cells thrummed with the same overwhelming, vibrant vitality as the original samples. If its suppressed consciousness were ever unleashed, its growth would be monstrous.
What's the difference? The question gnawed at him. Why does Hashirama's essence replicate so faithfully, while Obito's—specifically his ocular power—does not?
He pondered for a long time but found no answer. The intricacies of genetic expression, chakra imprinting, and bloodline limits were a specialized field, a maze of knowledge where he was not the guide. As they say, he thought with a sigh of resignation, every profession has its barriers. It would be strange if I could solve this myself.
(End of Chapter)
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