Chapter 282

[RUSH TIME TILL THE END OF THIS FANFIC!!!]

[100 PS = 1 CHAPTER!]

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"Congratulations, Madara, on defeating another formidable enemy."

In the grand hall of the palace, Kyomu personally received Madara and the others, showing them considerable respect.

However, Madara remained rather aloof, merely nodding without saying much. His attitude was partly due to his arrogant nature, but mostly because he was dissatisfied with his performance.

During his battle with Jigen, although he won, it wasn't solely his own achievement. When he faced the briefly revived and peak-form Isshiki, Madara experienced the thrill of a fierce battle, but he was still the one being suppressed.

If it hadn't been for Itachi, Kimimaro, and even Shisui's assistance, Madara wouldn't have lasted three minutes against the peak-form Isshiki in a one-on-one battle.

Madara felt unworthy of Kyomu's praise.

"Your Majesty, I will go and rest first." Madara bowed slightly and turned to leave, making the atmosphere tense.

"Your Majesty, Madara, he…"

"No need to explain, I understand." Kyomu raised his hand to interrupt Shisui. "I've been with you Uchiha long enough to understand your personalities. If I didn't, that would be my failure.

And don't forget, I wrote the little booklet on how to get along with your clan."

Shisui breathed a sigh of relief and bowed slightly to Kyomu with a smile. "Your Majesty is wise."

"Alright, no need to flatter me." Kyomu waved his hand and sat back on his throne, his expression becoming serious. "Let's talk about what we gained from this mission and how we should handle the Kara organization going forward."

"Your Majesty," Shisui was the first to speak. "During this battle, the leader of the Kara organization, Jigen, and the remnants of the four nations like Mabui, performed impressively.

If this had happened ten years ago, to be honest, even Your Majesty might not have been certain of victory."

Shisui's words were honest. Excluding the passive skills that refreshed every month, Kyomu's strength from ten years ago would have had uncertain outcomes, even against the marked members of Kara, let alone the leader Jigen.

This indirectly proved that the Karma Seal's enhancement of combat power was truly exceptional, even surpassing the abilities of Jinchuriki.

"Continue."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Shisui continued, "While we successfully completed the mission and eliminated the core members of Kara, we still need to pay attention to the Karma Seal.

After the mission, I brought back the bodies of Mabui and Ebizo. I suggest they be handed over to the Anbu research base for study to see if we can uncover the true essence of the Karma Seal.

As for the outer members of Kara, I recommend assigning our new generation of ninjas to handle them. What they lack most now is real combat experience, and these members can fill that gap perfectly."

Kyomu nodded approvingly. "Good suggestion." He turned to Itachi, who was standing next to Shisui. "What about you, Itachi? Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Your Majesty, I have obtained the exact coordinates of Kara's base hidden in a different dimension." Itachi's statement was shocking. "You are aware of my Rinnegan abilities, Your Majesty. When I fought Isshiki, I briefly pulled him into the time-space I had woven.

Although Isshiki's power surpassed mine and he soon broke free, I managed to imprint the Flying Thunder God mark on him before he escaped."

"Well done!"

Kyomu's eyes were filled with surprise. He truly hadn't expected Itachi to achieve something like this.

Perhaps this was true talent, the extraordinary battle prowess unique to Itachi.

"By the way, have you also studied the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Kyomu asked out of curiosity.

"Your Majesty, the Flying Thunder God Technique is no longer a secret. Anyone with a high enough rank can borrow the scrolls from the library to study. I looked into it in my spare time."

Kyomu's interest grew. "You just looked into it in your spare time?"

Itachi's cheeks flushed slightly. "Your Majesty, it wasn't just a casual study. I did put in some effort to be able to use the Flying Thunder God Technique even in a basic way."

"Haha, no need to be so modest. I know well enough about your talent," Kyomu laughed heartily. "Alright, since you've used the Flying Thunder God mark to locate Kara's base, you and Obito will handle the rest."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Itachi nodded, readily accepting the task.

Kyomu's intention was clear: the matter of Kara's base would be handled by Itachi and Obito.

"Hmm, Obito didn't come back?" Kyomu looked around and noticed Obito wasn't with Madara and the others.

"Your Majesty, after bringing us back, Obito left. According to his words, he's probably gone to Thundercloud City to catch up with Kakashi."

"I bet he's trying to marry off his daughter and strengthen his ties with Kakashi." Kyomu shook his head, speculating. He didn't want to bother with Obito's personal matters. "Let him be. Let him relax for now; there will be plenty for him to do later."

With that, Kyomu turned his gaze to Kimimaro. "Kimimaro, any insights or opinions?"

"Your Majesty, I have none." Kimimaro shook his head, his words devoid of much emotion.

He had always maintained this cold demeanor, something Kyomu was used to.

It wasn't that Kimimaro didn't respect Kyomu. Instead, he viewed himself as a human weapon.

In his view, weapons didn't need personal thoughts; they only needed to complete tasks efficiently, with quality and quantity assured, and ignore everything else.

This mindset of Kimimaro was hard to change. Even with his current exceptional strength, trying to correct it wasn't easy.

This was related to Kimimaro's experiences during childhood. Kyomu had asked Tsunade to intervene, but the results weren't ideal. In the end, they could only let things be.

"In that case, I won't keep you all any longer." Kyomu stood up, and Shisui and the others immediately bowed and stepped back. "Go rest early. Tomorrow, each of you will submit a plan to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As Shisui and the others retreated, the hall quickly grew quiet.

Kyomu didn't linger. His body flickered and disappeared, reappearing instantly in the Anbu base.

"Your Majesty."

Kabuto noticed Kyomu's sudden appearance but remained calm as he bowed.

At fifteen, Kabuto now had a scholarly aura, still wearing the same round glasses as described in the original works.

Having avoided many past experiences and been well-educated by Tsunade and Nonou, Kabuto no longer had the gloominess or resentment in his eyes; he appeared gentle and refined, much like a true scholar.

"Where is Tsunade?"

"She's on leave," Kabuto said, leading Kyomu to a seat and pouring him a cup of tea. "I wanted to report this to you yesterday, but some things came up. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Let's skip the formalities. You're tired of saying them, and I'm tired of hearing them."

Kabuto offered the tea and glanced at Kyomu, choosing to remain silent, not daring to take his words lightly.

He appreciated the sentiment and felt grateful, but he didn't have the courage to act on it.

In the current shinobi world, those who could joke around with Kyomu in private were few, mainly his original group of friends.

"She really left yesterday?" Sipping his tea, Kyomu confirmed again.

"Yes, Your Majesty. She left yesterday."

"Did she say anything else?"

"No, just mentioned that her leave would be indefinite, should you inquire or if I reported to you."

Kyomu nodded, not pressing further. Tsunade's departure was understandable yet unexpected. Things between Kyomu and Tsunade were complicated and only became more so over time.

Neither Kyomu nor Tsunade dared to confront it directly, and given how often they encountered each other, Tsunade's departure was almost inevitable.

"So be it. You're capable enough to handle things on your own now. You can take over the responsibilities Tsunade managed before."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Kabuto bowed, effectively being promoted due to Tsunade's absence, making him the youngest member in the inner circle of the Land of Dragons.

Three years ago, Kyomu had streamlined and reorganized the upper ranks of the Land of Dragons, taking over the position of Minister of Economy himself.

With such a large nation, the treasury and military power had to be firmly in his hands. No matter how much he trusted someone, Kyomu wouldn't delegate these responsibilities.

After the reorganization, Tsunade remained the head of the Medical Department, and Orochimaru had risen to become the head of the Scientific Research Institute of the Land of Dragons.

"Let's go. Take me to see Orochimaru."

Kyomu stood up, following Kabuto through the winding corridors to the entrance of an elevator leading deep underground.

"Your Majesty, we've arrived."

Taking the elevator, they descended for three minutes before reaching the entrance of the underground research institute led by Orochimaru.

Kyomu nodded as he stepped out of the elevator. Orochimaru, having been informed of his arrival, was already waiting at the exit and bowed deeply upon seeing him.

"You're well-informed," Kyomu remarked casually.

"You jest, Your Majesty. If I didn't know of your arrival, my efforts would have been in vain."

"Have you made any progress?"

"Your Majesty, we've long had results. We've been waiting for you to come personally and offer guidance on which areas to enhance."

Kyomu glanced at Orochimaru before proceeding forward.

Tsunade's indefinite leave, Orochimaru's newfound flattery, and the scattered presence of his old friends—many things had changed since Kyomu ascended to the throne.

With great power came great solitude. The highest position gave Kyomu unrivaled authority but also a sense of isolation.

Still, the positives far outweighed the negatives. Kyomu didn't feel empty or lonely; he wasn't that sentimental.

"Where did you set up the lab for soul and Pure Land research?"

The underground institute was vast. To save time, Kyomu let Orochimaru lead the way.

"Please follow me, Your Majesty." Orochimaru led Kyomu to a lab, proudly introducing it. "This is it."

He pulled over a disheveled young man, slightly older than Kabuto. "Your Majesty, you must recognize him. He's the main person in charge of this lab."

"Amado," Kyomu called out his name.

Amado's eyes lit up, and he appeared somewhat flustered. "Your Majesty, you… you actually… know me?"

"Of course I know you. I saw you when you were only this tall," Kyomu gestured to Amado's height as a child. "Back then, I was the just became Ryukage, and you were…"

"Five years old!" Amado added. "I was five years old then!"

Kyomu didn't mind Amado interrupting. Looking at the bright-eyed young man, he knew how Amado felt about him.

Amado was undeniably devoted to Kyomu, not only because Kyomu had given him a new life but also because everything he had now was thanks to Kyomu.

Amado didn't need to do anything but fully immerse himself in his beloved research.

The underground lab might seem dreary, but to someone like Amado, it was paradise.

"Your Majesty, please look at the results of my research." Amado pointed to a large device in the lab. "This device can send a soul, retaining most of the body's strength, into the Pure Land while keeping the body alive. The soul can also be recalled at any time."

Knowing Kyomu's aversion to human experimentation, Amado added, "In the early stages of research, I only used various animals for experiments. I applied to use death row inmates for the final clinical trials, and successful cases led to sentence reductions."

Though Kyomu disliked human experimentation, necessary clinical trials involving humans were unavoidable to verify the results.

Hence, Kyomu had established a law exclusively for death row inmates. If they agreed to participate in clinical trials and survived, they could have their sentences reduced and avoid execution.

"Not bad. Any other research results?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Amado responded eagerly. His excitement was palpable as he introduced his work. "This is the Type One cyborg, developed jointly with Lord Orochimaru."

"This is a clone I cultivated independently. Its soul was not born naturally, nor taken from others or myself, but captured from the Pure Land."

"However, I discovered a problem. When a soul from the Pure Land is captured and reborn using a new body, past memories are retained.

Based on this critical issue, I'm currently diving deeper into soul research to see if a pure soul can combine with a new body to create an entirely new life form."

Listening to Amado's report, Kyomu's gaze grew more intrigued.

This was no ordinary research talent—this was the Ninja World's very own Spirit Guide!

(End of Chapter)