— — — — — — —
"Maybe!"
Kaito scratched the back of his head with a grin and said, "But I still haven't mastered the Kekkei Mōra or the Truth-Seeking Orbs, and I've never actually fought the Sage of Six Paths. So, whether I can defeat him or not... I honestly have no idea!"
"You can only know for sure after fighting him."
"But we can't take that risk, right?"
If they won, great. But if they lost, they would have no choice but to abandon everything they had built in the ninja world and retreat to the Pirate world to develop their strength for a few more years before coming back for revenge.
"That's true!"
Uchiha Naori nodded in agreement. "It's better to play it safe! Once you've mastered Kekkei Mōra and formed your own Truth-Seeking Orbs, then you can reveal yourself to the Sage of Six Paths."
"Yeah, we'll see then if he's truly a man or a ghost, a friend or a foe."
Although, from their perspective, the probability of the Sage of Six Paths being their enemy was quite high.
After all, from various signs, it was clear that the Sage had been orchestrating things in the ninja world for centuries. He had a strong desire to control everything, wanting to bring the entire world under his grasp, treating it as his own resource for growth.
This directly clashed with Kaito's future plans. Their interests were fundamentally opposed, and the conflict was unavoidable—unless the Sage was willing to back down and abandon his ambitions for the ninja world and even the Pure Land.
But was that even possible?
The Sage of Six Paths had been planning for over a thousand years. How could he suddenly submit to someone who awakened later than him?
As for the idea that they might not come into conflict—some believed that since the Sage once stopped his mother, he must have had the noble goal of saving the ninja world in his heart.
Kaito found that ridiculous.
He admitted that, perhaps in the past, the Sage of Six Paths truly had such ideals and acted accordingly.
But a thousand years was enough to change too much.
From the moment he defeated and sealed his mother, their roles had begun to reverse.
Everything had changed.
"Haha! That's exactly what I think!"
"The longer we delay revealing ourselves, the more advantageous it is for us. The ones who should be worried aren't us!"
"The more time that passes, the better it is for us!"
Kaito smiled knowingly.
"Oh, right!"
At that moment, Kushina couldn't help but interject, "Kaito, I heard that the research department has successfully developed the Uchiha Bloodline Potion. Is that true?"
The others also turned to Kaito, eager to hear the answer.
"It's true!"
Kaito nodded with certainty. "And not just the Uchiha Bloodline Potion—potions for Senju, Uzumaki, Hozuki, Magnet Release, and many other Kekkei Genkai have also been successfully developed!"
"Recently, Orochimaru, the Second Hokage, and Vegapunk have been researching ways to mass-produce them. They're setting up production lines as we speak!"
"Very soon, the village will be filled with ninjas possessing various Kekkei Genkai!"
After six months of research, the department had finally produced results.
Of course, this progress was largely thanks to Vegapunk's involvement.
Without him, it would have taken at least another year or two.
"So many? Even the Uzumaki and Senju bloodline potions? If I inject the Senju one, does that mean I'll be able to use Wood Release?"
Kushina asked in shock.
"Wait, Wood Release is possible too?"
Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise.
"Uh... you're overthinking it."
Kaito sighed and explained, "I've said this before—Wood Release isn't just a Kekkei Genkai, it's a Kekkei Tōta."
"The First Hokage's Wood Release is actually the result of an extreme fusion of Water, Earth, and Yang chakra natures."
"The true Kekkei Genkai version of Wood Release should be the one Yamato uses in the original future timeline."
"The two are completely different!"
"Since there isn't a natural Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, only the Kekkei Tōta version, I can't provide a ready-made bloodline potion for it!"
"But both Orochimaru and the Second Hokage are extremely interested in it and are determined to recreate it through science!"
It was inevitable—every Konoha shinobi held a deep admiration and attachment to the First Hokage's Wood Release.
And this obsession was particularly strong in the Second Hokage.
Kaito had joked more than once that Tobirama's obsession with Wood Release must have stemmed from his failed attempts to develop his own version in the past. The frustration of failing to obtain it only deepened his determination.
"Ah? That's a shame!"
Kushina and Tsunade both looked disappointed upon hearing this.
But they understood.
The First Hokage's Wood Release was just too powerful—it was nothing like an ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
"Well, the Uchiha Bloodline Potion is still an option. When can I get one? I want to awaken my own Sharingan!"
"Seeing you and Mikoto skyrocketing in strength thanks to the Sharingan makes me envious!"
Kushina looked at Kaito expectantly.
"Me too! I'm really interested in the Sharingan as well!"
Tsunade quickly raised her hand in agreement.
Over the past few years, they had watched countless Uchiha shinobi, after being contracted by Kaito, combine their powerful jutsu with the Sharingan and experience rapid growth in strength.
Especially Eternal Mangekyō users—just by unlocking their eyes, they could essentially step into the super Kage-level tier, gaining incredibly powerful ocular abilities.
Who wouldn't want that?
"For you guys, I'll have Orochimaru and the others produce a few more doses in the coming days," Kaito said casually. "But keep in mind, these bloodline limit potions require extracting your blood first for genetic matching and adjustments."
"At the moment, we still can't create an adaptable version of the bloodline potions."
"That's not a problem," Tsunade nodded in understanding. "But if the potion needs to be customized, how do you plan to mass-produce them?"
Kaito shrugged. "We've been working on this issue for months now, and we've split the bloodline potions into two components:
"One part is an adaptable version, while the other must be adjusted according to the user's genetic makeup.
"Once both parts are combined, the final customized bloodline potion is complete.
"The first component is complicated to produce, but once we perfect the production line, we can manufacture it in bulk to save time and costs.
"The second part is relatively simple. The main challenge is conducting genetic tests and making adjustments to the formula."
This was the only way to truly mass-produce these bloodline potions. Otherwise, they would have to be custom-made one by one, which would be far too slow.
"I see!"
Tsunade and Kushina finally understood. "That's really clever! Looks like you've thought of everything."
"So, when do we need to give our blood samples?"
"In a few days. I'll let you know when it's time," Kaito replied.
"Got it!"
Neither Tsunade nor Kushina had any objections.
Kushina was especially excited. She grabbed Mikoto's hands and beamed, "Mikoto, I'm going to have the Sharingan soon! Hehe!"
"Congratulations! When the time comes, I'll teach you how to activate it, train your eyes, and master its abilities," Mikoto said with a warm smile.
"Yay! I'll be counting on you then!" Kushina nodded enthusiastically.
At that moment, Uchiha Naori spoke up, "Kaito, do you plan to make these bloodline potions available to everyone in the village?"
"Of course not!" Kaito immediately shook his head. "For now, they'll only be available to my contracted members."
"It's not the right time to let non-contract holders know about the bloodline potions. If word spreads too soon, it could cause unnecessary trouble."
"Right now, we don't want to alert or provoke other ninja villages."
"Konoha's reconstruction has just begun, and our expansion is only about ten percent complete. Our economic infiltration plan has barely started, so we're not ready to go public yet."
He wasn't stupid—making a reckless move now would only invite trouble.
You have to take things one step at a time.
"That's a relief," Naori sighed in satisfaction. "I was worried you'd rush things. But as always, you've thought everything through."
"Starting with the contract holders is a smart move."
Kaito grinned. "Honestly, even just meeting the demand among contract holders will take a while!"
"The number of contract holders keeps increasing, and they already make up about 40% of Konoha's ninja force! That's several thousand people—not a small number."
Among them, the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans accounted for about a third.
And even they needed additional bloodline abilities beyond their own.
The Uchiha all wanted the Rinnegan, of course.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha themselves needed Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines to enhance their own, accelerating the evolution of the Sharingan.
"That makes sense."
"Then, did you consider the problem that the Sharingan and the Uchiha bloodline might become too common?" Naori voiced her concerns.
"Mom, I anticipated that from the beginning. The Bloodline Potion only grants the basic abilities; it doesn't enhance them like a natural bloodline. If someone wants stronger abilities, they have to use higher-grade potions."
"Also, the effects aren't inheritable, meaning that if someone outside the clan uses it and starts a family, their descendants won't inherit the abilities."
"So, the clans won't lose their natural advantages. The Uchiha Clan can use the Senju Bloodline Potion to boost their powers, and other clans can do the same. Besides, I have complete control over who gets to use the potion and who doesn't."
"That's good, Kaito. Everything is fine now."
Naori nodded. "Speaking of which, hasn't Tobirama met the contract requirements yet? You mentioned he was close a few months ago."
"If this keeps up, Uchiha Madara and even Izuna might qualify for a contract before he does."
It had already been half a year.
Naori felt that the sooner Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna were contracted, the better. Only then could she truly relax.
Those three were not easy to deal with.
"He's met the requirements already," Kaito chuckled. "A while back, Tobirama got so obsessed with research that he barely talked to me, which slowed down his favorability growth."
"But ever since the Uchiha and Senju bloodline potions were successfully developed, his favorability toward me skyrocketed, jumping past 80 points!"
"If I hadn't been in seclusion a few days ago, I probably would have contracted him already."
As he spoke, Kaito checked the favorability status of several key individuals.
.
.
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