"Detected raw materials for the Hōzuki clan bloodline gene serum. Host can activate it using 2,000 units of life energy. Production cycle: 15 days. Each reduction of 1 day costs an additional 50 life energy."
"So little?"
The only other instance Kimimaro had encountered such a low activation cost was with the Taketori clan. But that had made sense—they had abandoned the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku in favor of a simplified, diluted variant.
However, Kimimaro quickly realized the low cost here was due to the unique nature of the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique. The ability wasn't purely a kekkei genkai—it required mastery of a secret technique passed down through the clan.
[Inventory update: -7,000 life energy]
Next up were the Byakugan and the Ryūgan. He opted for the Byakugan first. After seeing her older brother and Karin-neechan's growing intimacy, Hanabi had clearly begun to question her own worth.
"Ninja always worry about trivial things like this…" Kimimaro sighed.
To soothe Hanabi's shaken heart, he unexpectedly found himself drawing a tube of her blood.
The same applied to Ranmaru—suddenly being accepted by others, he longed to repay them in kind.
[System Notification]
"Raw materials for the Hyūga clan's Byakugan gene serum detected. Activation requires 20,000 life energy. Production cycle: 150 days. Reducing production time by 1 day costs 200 life energy."
That's surprisingly low, Kimimaro thought.
[Kimimaro's thought:]
"Is the Byakugan that much weaker than the Sharingan? I remember the Sharingan gene serum requires 40,000 life energy when sourced from blood, and has a longer cycle with higher reduction costs."
[System Response:]
"The Byakugan is comparable in base value to a standard Sharingan. However, the Sharingan possesses evolutionary potential—into the Mangekyō Sharingan and ultimately the Rinnegan. That makes it more valuable overall."
[Kimimaro:]
"But the Byakugan can evolve into the Tenseigan, can't it?"
[System:]
"Yes, but the Hyūga's Byakugan cannot evolve on its own. It must be fused with the Ōtsutsuki clan's Byakugan from the Moon. The Tenseigan is equal in value to the Rinnegan. If you possessed such a Byakugan, your current life energy would be insufficient to activate it."
[Kimimaro:]
"So even if I obtain the Byakugan, evolving it into the Tenseigan will be nearly impossible?"
He didn't even know if he'd ever encounter anything—or anyone—from the Moon!
[System:]
"No, Host possesses a unique system. If you wish to obtain the Tenseigan, there is another path: collect the four base dōjutsu kekkei genkai—Byakugan, Sharingan, Ryūgan, and Ketsuryūgan. When the Sharingan evolves into the Rinnegan, the Byakugan will be able to evolve into the Tenseigan via systemic fusion."
Kimimaro almost shouted, "System, you're amazing!"—his voice cracking from excitement.
He would obtain the Sharingan serum in about nine months. Hashirama's genetic data was also within reach, which would enable the Rinnegan. That meant only two requirements remained: the Ketsuryūgan and awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Since he couldn't yet afford to activate the Byakugan serum, he temporarily set it aside and moved on to Ranmaru's blood.
[System Notification]
"Raw materials for the Ryūgan bloodline gene serum detected. Activation requires 10,000 life energy. Production cycle: 150 days. Reducing production time by 1 day costs 200 life energy."
[Kimimaro:]
"Why does the Ryūgan serum require less energy than the Byakugan? Didn't Ranmaru say it counters the Byakugan?"
Ranmaru's dōjutsu could interfere with the Byakugan's sensory field, which did make it a formidable counter.
[System:]
"That's a shallow comparison. While the Ryūgan can interfere with Byakugan, it has no known evolutionary path. The Byakugan, due to its potential to evolve into the Tenseigan, is still more valuable overall."
Kimimaro shrugged. That made sense.
He quickly calculated his remaining energy—around 43,000 total, of which only 23,000 was currently usable. Even if all became usable in two days, activating both the Byakugan and Ryūgan would leave him with only 13,000.
That ruled out the Crystal Release and Uzumaki bloodline serums—he didn't have enough.
That left only one option: Jūgo's blood.
"I wonder how much his bloodline will cost…"
Since he'd come this far, Kimimaro generated another test tube, spending 5,000 more life energy.
[System Notification]
"Raw materials for Jūgo's bloodline gene serum detected. Analyzing…"
Several moments passed.
[System Update:]
"Analysis complete. The ability in Jūgo's bloodline is most likely a remnant of the Hagoromo clan. The gene serum has been renamed: Hagoromo bloodline gene serum."
[Kimimaro:]
"Hagoromo clan?"
[System:]
"Yes. A naturally occurring Sage Body cannot originate from an unknown source. This system analyzes bloodlines based on accumulated knowledge from both of the host's souls. The most likely origin of Jūgo's unique ability is the Hagoromo lineage."
That actually made a lot of sense. It might even explain why Jūgo had been drawn to Sasuke after Kimimaro's death—there could be a latent ancestral resonance. After all, the Uchiha were direct descendants of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.
[Kimimaro:]
"This one's going to be expensive, isn't it?"
[System:]
"Correct. The ability is akin to the Sage Body possessed by Hashirama Senju. The host has two options:
Option 1:
Activate with 30,000 life energy. Production cycle: 250 days. Reduction cost: 400 life energy per day."
"Second option: use 8,000 units of life energy to activate it. The production cycle is 100 days. Upon completion, you will acquire a physique similar to Jūgo's, capable of naturally absorbing senjutsu chakra. If the host already possesses the ability to enter a Cursed Seal state, both the production cycle and the daily additional cost to shorten it—normally 200 life energy per day—can be halved."
"[Can the second option, like Wood Release, eventually evolve into the first?]"
"Yes. After using the serum, cultivating in any of the three great Sage Regions—Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, or Shikkotsu Forest—will provide the opportunity to perfect a true Sage Body."
This time, Kimimaro decided to choose the first option.
Now that he had awakened Wood Release, he possessed solid survival capabilities. The world was still in a relatively stable period—there weren't many active Kage-level threats—so there was no urgent need to skyrocket his strength immediately.
That said, Sage Mode was undeniably powerful. In terms of life energy cost, it ranked third among all enhancements Kimimaro had encountered so far—behind only the Senju + Wood Release combination from Hashirama, and the Uchiha clan's advanced bloodline potential.
Kimimaro didn't have much life energy to spare. For now, he planned to spend 10,000 units to activate the Ryūgan serum. But on second thought, he adjusted his priority—he'd activate the Byakugan serum in two days instead, once the conversion of life energy was complete.
The Ryūgan could wait.
The Byakugan's perceptive ability was essential for resolving the hidden drawbacks of his Shikotsumyaku. Additionally, the Ryūgan and Byakugan had overlapping sensory and chakra-vision traits, so it made sense to temporarily put one on hold.
It was unfortunate that he had just activated the Hōzuki clan's bloodline serum—otherwise, Kimimaro could have begun integrating the Byakugan right now.
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