28. Opening the book.

"That's the third clone sent to the Hidden Rock," he muttered in frustration. "Metal Release users… guarded like national treasures."

"That was expected. Metal Release is one of the rarest Kekkei Genkai, and the Hidden Rock is paranoid." Nova said in his mind.

"Next time, huh?" Hiroshi leaned back against the wall, "At this rate, I'll burn through clones faster than chakra."

In front of him stood three remaining clones, each holding small vials of blood carefully sealed in protective containers.

The first clone stepped forward, holding a vial glowing faintly blue in its hands. "Blood sample from an Ice Release user."

Hiroshi took the vial, examining it closely. "Ice Release… finally. Good job."

The second clone approached, "Blood sample from the Kaguya Clan.

Shikotsumyaku," it said, handing the sample over.

Hiroshi smirked as he held the vial up to the dim light.

"Bone Release... one of the most aggressive Kekkei Genkai. With this, I might be able to change..." he whispered

The third clone stepped forward, its expressionless face betraying no emotion, though Hiroshi could sense a faint ripple of satisfaction. It held a vial that glowed faintly green, pulsing with raw vitality.

"This one," the clone began, "was retrieved from the Uchiha Clan Head's residence. Blood of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

Hiroshi blinked, momentarily stunned. "The First Hokage? They must have changed location."

The clone explained, its words precise. "After the Uchiha discovered their shrine had been raided, they relocated all valuable artifacts to the clan head's residence."

"The First Hokage's blood… this is an unprecedented find. His Wood Release alone could revolutionize your capabilities, not to mention the vitality and chakra reserves tied to his genetics." Nova said.

Hiroshi twirled the vial between his fingers, his mind racing with possibilities. "If I can unlock this, I won't just be modifying my own body—I'll be tapping into the genetic blueprint of one of the most powerful shinobi to ever exist."

"A word of caution," Nova interjected.

"Combining Kekkei Genkai on this level isn't simple. Hashirama's DNA is volatile and has been known to overpower even skilled users. You'll need to approach this carefully."

"Yeah, I know." he took out a storage scroll and opened it—revealing an intricate 1-meter by 1-meter cube—his portable version of the sub-quantum, string-based computer.

"Nova," Hiroshi muttered, resting his hand on the cube. "Let's get to work."

…

DNA. The blueprint of life.

Every single cell in our body holds the potential to create a whole new version of us.

It's like a library—an archive where every book contains instructions for building our body. But most of the books are locked, their pages unreadable.

Take my eye cells, for example. They contain the instructions to produce stomach acid, yet they don't because those specific "pages" are closed. Just like that, within my Otsutsuki genes, there's a treasure trove of dormant information—locked doors waiting to be opened.

And that's where the real challenge lies. These genes aren't like normal ones. They carry countless Kekkei Genkai buried in their depths. I know they're there, waiting, but accessing them isn't simple.

That's where the 'Gene Resonance' of my new toy comes in.

By comparing the DNA of Kekkei Genkai users with my own, I can identify matches—resonances—and unlock the corresponding genetic information within my body.

Think of it like finding a specific book in a library by comparing it.

Today, I start with Ice Release.

I activated the computer. Its faint hum filled the room; I put vill of blood in it, and a progress bar appeared on the screen; as it reached 100%, Nova fed the DNA data we'd gathered to the system core.

Seconds later, the results appeared.

"Match found," Nova's voice chimed.

There it was. Clear as day. The Ice Release gene, dormant but present, waiting to be activated.

"Quick. Activate it"

The system core processed the request, displaying the cost: 10,000 EP.

'10,000 EP. A small price.'

With a thought, I confirmed the activation.

I felt a surge of energy course through me, sharp and cold, like a winter breeze cutting through the air. My body shivered—it was the worst cold I ever felt. I clenched my fist, enduring it.

It continued for fifteen minutes—until every cell of my body awakened ice release.

But this was just the beginning.

"Wood Release"

Next, I turned my attention to Wood Release—the legendary ability of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. I fed the blood into the computer.

Unlike with Ice Release, the search took longer this time. The computer worked tirelessly, analyzing billions of sequences. Finally, the results appeared:

[Match found: 85% similarity to Hashirama Senju's Wood Release gene.]

Eighty-five percent. That was... unexpected.

"So," I murmured to Nova, "it's not an exact match. But it's enough."

"Enough to activate," Nova confirmed.

The cost? 45,000 EP.

I didn't hesitate. The potential of Wood Release was far too valuable to ignore.

As I activated it, the room seemed to pulse with life.

I felt it deep in my core—a connection to the earth itself–natural energy!

My hands instinctively moved through hand seals, and with a burst of chakra, a small sapling sprouted from the floor.

I couldn't help but grin. The First Hokage himself would've been impressed.

But there was still one more to go.

"Bone Release."

Finally, I turned my attention to the last target: Bone Release. This one intrigued me the most. The Kaguya clan's ability to manipulate their skeletal structure was grotesque,

yes, but also fascinating how Osteocytes–cells that maintain bone structure, can change that much according to the will of the user.

I fed the DNA data into the system and waited. The process seemed slower this time as if the computer was struggling to find a match.

Minutes passed before the results appeared:

"Match found: 0.1% similarity to Kaguya clan's Bone Release gene."

Point one percent?

I leaned back, exhaling sharply. "That's... low."

"Very low," Nova agreed. "But not impossible to activate. The cost will be high, though."

"How high?"

The number appeared on the screen: '150,000 EP.'

I frowned. That was steep—steeper than I'd expected. But it made sense. Activating a gene with such a low similarity would require an immense amount of energy; we don't know from where that genetic sequence starts or ends.

Still, how low the percentage is It will be some of the rarest Kekkei Genkai. If I could master it, it wouldn't just be Bone Release—it would be something entirely new, unique to me.

"Activate it."