c32 Primary Cells
According to Danzo's arrangement, Naruto returned home first to gather some daily necessities, then hurried toward the Anbu location under Danzo's control. Originally, Naruto thought Danzo would lead him to some hidden corner of the Anbu barracks, but the situation was different from his expectations. Danzo merely ordered Naruto to meet him at the Anbu checkpoint. The moment Naruto arrived, Danzo turned without a word, his bandaged face expressionless as ever, and walked ahead. Naruto, remembering the rumors about Danzo's temperament during the earlier manga chapters, stayed silent and followed closely. Unexpectedly, instead of heading deeper underground, Danzo led Naruto straight through the streets of Konoha, passing familiar figures like Iruka and some Chunin he recognized from previous missions. Fortunately, hidden beneath his Anbu-style mask, Naruto remained unnoticed. Soon they reached the village gates. As the leader of Root, Danzo could exit Konoha freely without providing any explanation.
Danzo brought Naruto into a secluded forest not far from the village boundaries, a place few villagers ever approached. After running quietly through the thick trees, Danzo halted beside an inconspicuous stone slab. Forming a sequence of hand seals movements reminiscent of the sealing techniques Root frequently used he activated the mechanism. The stone shifted aside, revealing a dark passageway. Danzo descended immediately, and Naruto followed. Though the entrance appeared dim from outside, the interior quickly brightened, lit by rows of installed lamps similar to those Root used during its early experiments on Yamato. Entering this hidden base, Naruto couldn't help but be amazed at the sheer scale. It felt like another version of the Anbu headquarters cold, efficient, and intimidating. Before him stretched a vast chamber divided into three levels, with multiple corridors extending outward. Each corridor held many specialized rooms, and each room served a different purpose. More than two hundred Root members and researchers moved about, carrying out silent procedures and studies.
Naruto had never seen a facility like this in the manga-era Konoha. Witnessing it firsthand made him look at Danzo in a new light. "I didn't expect Danzo-senpai to manage such a large base. It's really surprising," Naruto said quietly.
Danzo replied, "When Orochimaru was still cooperating with Root, this place was far busier, and the research was far more advanced. But the Third Hokage's soft-hearted ideals forced Orochimaru to abandon the village. Since then, these researchers have avoided most human-based experiments, so naturally the progress slowed."
Naruto observed carefully and realized that the structure indeed supported a far larger research force, but after Orochimaru's betrayal during the earlier manga chapters, Danzo must have restricted the more dangerous projects. Therefore, most of the experiments involving living test subjects had been discontinued.
Naruto asked, "When will you transplant the First Hokage's cells into me?"
Danzo replied, "Do not rush. Considerable preparation is essential beforehand. Only then can we maximize your survival and the probability of compatibility."
Naruto knew that grafting Hashirama's cells just as the experiments involving Yamato had shown was an extremely delicate procedure. Since there would be a waiting period, Naruto decided he might as well explore Root's underground base more often. As he continued observing, an unusual idea suddenly formed in his mind: perhaps he should establish his own base someday, something comparable to Danzo's. Its purpose could be determined later, but he sensed that having such a place would be invaluable. Of course, constructing such a facility would require time and slow, careful planning.
While Naruto pondered these thoughts, a female Root operative approached Danzo and said, "Lord Danzo, the surgical preparations are complete. We may begin whenever you wish."
Naruto turned toward her and noticed from the chakra control in her hands that she was clearly a skilled medical-ninja. Though far from Tsunade's legendary ability, her precision suggested she had undergone the strict training Root imposed on its medics. It seemed Danzo's resources extended farther than Naruto had assumed.
Under the guidance of this medical-ninja, Naruto entered a surgical chamber filled with complex apparatuses reminiscent of the tools used on experimental subjects like Kinoe in the manga. Several medical-ninja stood waiting inside, each prepared to assist with the dangerous procedure that was soon to be performed on him.
The female ninja said to Danzo, "Lord Danzo, for safety, we should begin with a limited graft. If the subject shows instability, we can suppress it immediately and prevent him from being overwhelmed by the First Hokage's cells." Danzo replied, "Proceed. Your judgment aligns with the protocols Root used during the early Hashirama-cell trials."
After a series of antiseptic seals and chakra barriers were arranged, the operation began with the aid of several Root medical instruments Naruto had never encountered, some of which resembled the devices Orochimaru once used when experimenting with Wood Release candidates. First, a small portion of Naruto's fingertip tissue was removed, then a small cluster of Hashirama's cells taken from the preserved samples Root acquired long ago was inserted. The medical-ninja formed several precise seals, channeling chakra into the graft area to initiate cellular synchronization. Normally, even controlled fusions triggered strong rejection. Danzo himself, whose right arm in the manga was embedded with Hashirama cells to sustain multiple Sharingan, constantly needed his chakra to suppress the rampant vitality. Even Yamato, the only surviving full-body fusion subject from Orochimaru's experiments, required enormous regulation. For Naruto, however, the alignment reached a surprisingly stable level.
Although only a tiny sample had been transplanted, Naruto felt almost no discomfort. The grafted Hashirama tissue blended smoothly with his own. The medical-ninja conducting the operation exchanged startled looks; hardly anyone in Root's recorded attempts ever fused the First Hokage's cells with such minimal resistance. It drastically lowered the difficulty of the overall procedure. The initial trial concluded successfully, and the next phase would involve full integration.
The female medical-ninja then asked Naruto which type of fusion he preferred. From their explanation, two methods existed: the first was partial augmentation integrating Hashirama's cells into a limb, similar to Danzo's concealed arm; the second was the comprehensive method Orochimaru had pursued with subjects like Yamato, a method far more dangerous but capable of producing genuine Wood Release potential.
Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have selected the safer option, but the unprecedented compatibility between his chakra and Hashirama's cells encouraged him to attempt the riskier full-body integration.
Thus, Naruto was lowered into a large cylindrical container filled with nutrient-rich fluid, similar to the cultivation tanks shown during Orochimaru's earlier experiments on Yamato. Several chakra-monitoring tubes connected to his body, each designed to measure cellular resonance and prevent runaway reactions. Naruto had no idea what compounds filled the liquid, but according to Danzo, Root's refinements over the years made the process far more stable than the crude methods Orochimaru had used on Yamato during his childhood trials.
Even without understanding the underlying science, Naruto could distinctly sense the First Hokage's overwhelming vitality coursing into him. Yet instead of resisting, his chakra responded harmoniously. As the process deepened, Naruto felt the ancient life force of Hashirama Senju intensifying within him immense, primal, and warm. Strangely, the pain was minimal, almost nonexistent.
Gradually, as time passed, the fusion neared completion. Danzo watched silently, astonished. Never before had he witnessed someone accept Hashirama's cells with such ease. Unlike his own arm, which required constant suppression, Naruto showed no signs of cellular rampage. Though the final results were still uncertain, the integration appeared far more successful than the one Orochimaru achieved with Yamato. Even Danzo, who rarely expressed emotion, felt a flicker of surprise.
Not only Danzo but Naruto himself sensed the anomaly. Across all documented experiments involving Hashirama Senju's cells whether Orochimaru's subjects or Root's prototypes very few ever survived full integration, and those who did typically achieved only partial capabilities. Yamato's Wood Release was functional but limited, nowhere near Hashirama's overwhelming mastery. Why then was Naruto's fusion so unusually smooth?
Suddenly Naruto recalled that both he and Hashirama were reincarnations of Asura Ōtsutsuki. Hashirama's overwhelming life force was originally born from Asura's chakra, and the Uzumaki clan's bloodline, closely linked to the Senju, further strengthened that resonance. In many ways, Naruto and Hashirama shared the same spiritual origin and similar chakra qualities. No wonder the cells of the First Hokage merged with him as if returning to a familiar home.
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