Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-27082825-20150116155842/@comment-26023629-20150123004003

The idea of direct genetic tampering is not out of the question, true, though I feel that Orochimaru and Kabuto are a special case in that regard. That brings up a different set of questions about the level of technology and genetics research at that time, though I feel like Orochimaru's gene manipulations weren't all that advanced, really. Honestly, all he did to give Yamato wood release was literally change his DNA to be exactly like Hashirama's. Though, thinking about it, it's strangely easy to reproduce Hashirama's cells, isn't it? Everybody and his brother has his DNA by the end. I suppose a lot of the things Orochimaru did to himself were more intricate, though, so maybe they did have an idea about genetics, but it seems to me that the sort of tampering Orochimaru did would have been seen a lot more if that sort of genetic knowledge were available at the time. Plus, if they know so much about genetics, why can't they reproduce kekkei genkai manually? Still, chalk it up as a possibility. Not the strangest thing Kishimoto's done.

Actually, I have to take that back. Iwagakure is far too ruthless to have just abandoned a genetics project that could create dust release users. There's too much certainty involved in direct genetics research for Mu and Onoki's abilities to be so hard to reproduce. I mean, If they knew enough about genetics to just create a dust release gene, then they could've easily created an army of Onoki clones Star Wars style and ruled the world.

Barring the idea of genetic tampering, I still don't think that dust release could occur as a result of some mutation within the Land of Earth's kekkei genkai population. There's not enough genetic diversity. A diversity of genetic variations promotes mutations, not focusing on an already small population. And again, the problem is that there is no "first step" towards something like dust release. It's a completely distinct ability to lava release or any other advanced nature. The thing about chakra natures is that it is either one or the other. There's no "lava release with dust release- like qualities", there's just lava release and dust release. There's not really any middle ground with advanced natures.