"Ah~!!!"
A low, guttural groan echoed through Tom's room. The sound, heavy with pain and strain, broke the quiet of the space.
Tom had returned from the Root base after confirming the details of the Yamato cell transplantation experiment. Without hesitation, he locked himself in his room and began the procedure to transplant Yamato's cells into his own body.
He was not overly concerned with the potential risks outlined in the report. After all, Tom was confident in his own body's capabilities. In the original world, his body had shown miraculous regenerative abilities—even regenerating a lost limb. That kind of feat was far beyond ordinary, proof that he was no normal shinobi.
Yamato's cells, which originated from the legendary Hashirama Senju's DNA, had undergone several mutations and adaptions before being stabilized within Yamato himself. Though diluted compared to the original, these "second-generation" Mu Dun cells still carried immense potential.
Tom's unique healing ability gave him an edge. Theoretically, he could fuse Yamato's cells seamlessly and push their potential to 120%. But as the fusion began, something unexpected occurred.
Instead of a smooth integration, the two sets of cells—Tom's and Yamato's—began to battle each other. They reproduced and devoured one another in a chaotic cycle of destruction and healing, triggering a sensation within Tom that felt like his soul itself was being torn and rebuilt. It was excruciating, and eerily spiritual.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Tom, are you in there?"
Yamato's voice came from the other side of the door.
Tom bit his lip to stifle another cry, but a sharp groan still slipped out.
"What's going on?!"
Crash!
Yamato kicked the door open and rushed in.
What he saw shocked him to the core. Tom's body was caught in a violent transformation. His skin was cracking and repairing at rapid speed. Branches were sprouting from various parts of his limbs, only to retract into his body moments later. His entire form seemed caught in a loop of expansion and compression, as if nature itself were trying to rewrite his existence.
But the most alarming sight was the aura swirling around Tom. Multiple chakra natures were visibly erupting from his body—lightning blue, fiery red, earthy brown, watery blue, and a milky white glow of unknown origin. These chakra types formed a chaotic storm around him, their colors constantly shifting and blending—sometimes cyan, sometimes blue, sometimes a glowing pearl-white.
"This… is this the fusion of bloodline limits?" Yamato whispered, stunned.
None of them noticed the broken mask lying beside Tom, pulsing with strange energy. Hidden to the naked eye, that remnant of chakra was being drawn into the storm around Tom, its power gradually fading.
Eventually, the mask's power was completely drained. The storm of energy, now shimmering like a pulsating neon glow, began to converge into a single brilliant, colorless light. This light formed a cocoon around Tom, much like the one used during the Infinite Tsukuyomi technique. But this cocoon exuded an entirely different kind of pressure—one that reached into the soul itself.
(That invisible spiritual pressure came from the remnant of the Chiyan Golden Beast gene, a legacy Tom carried from his past life.)
For the next hour, the cocoon hovered silently, then began to dissolve. It melted away slowly, its light absorbed directly into Tom's body.
Inside, Tom's spiritual world was undergoing its own battle.
His mindscape had turned into a turbulent ocean made of incompatible chakra elements. At the center floated his spiritual body, sealed inside a glass-like container. Surrounding him were endless chakra storms, constantly bombarding the container.
Every time the glass was hit, it cracked like a spider's web—only to repair itself a moment later.
But something had changed. The container began to grow. What once barely held Tom in a curled-up position was now expanding, its space filling with a thick, glue-like transparent liquid that seemed to be purifying the violent chakra outside.
"This… is it absorbing the chaos outside, purifying it into something stable?"
Tom observed this strange transformation from within. As the purified liquid filled more space, the chakra storms began to retreat. The once fragile container now behaved like a predator, actively pursuing and absorbing stray energies, shaping them into something new.
Eventually, the container fully integrated with Tom's spiritual world.
He felt it—a surge, a shift.
His spiritual world felt… bigger.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but something fundamental had changed. As if he'd broken free from some invisible shackle. It was like a player character leveling up in a game, like a new pathway opening in his soul.
And just as he tried to grasp that elusive sensation again—it vanished.
The overwhelming heaviness in his body returned, and Tom fell into unconsciousness.
---
"Tom? Tom, wake up!"
A familiar voice echoed in the haze of his mind.
Tom slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the sunlight filtering through his window.
He was back in his bed.
Beside him, Uzuki Yugao was using medical ninjutsu to examine him. Moonlight Hayate and Yamato stood nearby, all looking at him with concern. The voice that had roused him was Yamato's.
"Don't worry, there's no problem with his body," said Yugao after completing her scan. "In fact, his condition is… exceptionally good."
It turned out Tom had been unconscious for three days. Today was supposed to be a team dinner—the Sixth Team was planning to eat hotpot together.
Tom had carefully chosen this timing as a safety measure. He had told no one of the transplant. But he knew if something went wrong, and if he didn't show up, Yamato or someone from the team would come check on him. If he were still alive, he might survive thanks to their medical aid.
Hotpot was one of Tom's favorites. Since joining the ANBU, the non-stop missions made him crave the comfort of good food even more. He had even entered into a business partnership with the Akimichi clan to open a hotpot chain in the Land of Fire—he would handle the culinary design and some of the funding, while they supplied manpower and logistics. It was also part of his long-term financial strategy.
Yamato, having not found Tom at the dinner gathering, had come to check—and discovered the scene of transformation.
"What happened to you?" Yamato asked, still shaken.
Tom quickly made up a believable story.
"I was home alone… then suddenly I felt a strange surge of energy in my blood. I thought someone had tried to tamper with my body. I tried to control it, but I passed out."
Yamato narrowed his eyes. "And how do you feel now?"
Tom hesitated for a second, then gave a slight smile.
"Captain Yamato… I think I awakened the Mu Dun."
"What?!"
Everyone in the room reacted in shock.
Mu Dun was a legendary kekkei genkai. Until now, Yamato was the only known user. And now Tom, too?
"It seems like it," Tom replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
To demonstrate, he reached for a potted plant on his nightstand. Placing his hand over it, he sent chakra into the soil. Within seconds, the plant began to grow at an astonishing rate. It bloomed into full blossom, a vivid, fragrant flower that wasn't even in season.
Everyone stared in awe.
"There's no doubt… you've really awakened Mu Dun," Yamato said solemnly. "We must report this to Lord Hokage immediately. Yugao, Hayate—stay here and protect Tom."
Yamato's voice was firm, but his eyes held a strange, unreadable glint as he looked at Tom.