After the meal, Ryoma struck while the iron was hot and continued to guide Kushina's Sage training.
Kushina sat cross-legged, eyes gently closed, adjusting her breathing exactly as Ryoma had taught her.
Because he had already helped her enter Sage Mode once before, the foundation for molding Senjutsu Chakra had been firmly laid. This time, even cultivating on her own, Kushina only needed two hours before she finally stepped into Sage Mode again.
During the entire process, Ryoma watched from the side, making sure nothing unexpected occurred.
"Husband! You said I wasn't powerful — yet I mastered Sage Arts in only two hours!"
Kushina puffed out her chest proudly as she showed off to Ryoma.
Of course, she knew well that her heaven-defying cultivation speed was largely because Ryoma had established the groundwork. Still — as a wife, she had every right to boast to her husband.
"You're incredible. Even the Sage of Six Paths would shed tears if he saw that talent."
Following her expectations and giving her the "proper flattery," Ryoma headed to the empty room next door to deal with his own matters.
His current "Immortal Mode: Extreme" — a synthesis of the strengths of all Sage arts — was still only in its initial stage. Over the coming period, he intended to push this Sage Art to an entirely new realm.
He took out a black sealing scroll from within his robes. Before returning home, he had emptied the ninjutsu archives and libraries of several shinobi villages — including Konohagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure — of their most valuable scrolls and books.
"Boom!"
With a sharp tug, a plume of white smoke burst forth — and mountains of scrolls and tomes filled the room to the point of overflowing.
"All of this knowledge… will become part of my strength."
Ryoma picked up a scroll explaining the meridian pathways for chakra circulation. He read through it carefully, absorbing information like a sponge.
For him, fully memorizing and thoroughly understanding this knowledge required no effort.
As his power continued to grow, Ryoma had long since surpassed human limitations — evolving into an existence closer to an immortal. Strictly speaking, he no longer needed to eat or sleep. His memory functions were like a perfect recording device.
After only tens of seconds, he returned the scroll to the sealing space and immediately picked up another.
From the most basic chakra theory to the most esoteric secrets of the shinobi world — Ryoma plunged himself into every corner of it.
Occasionally, Kushina would come in to bring him tea and snacks, but he was so absorbed that nothing had been touched.
The entire night passed quietly.
By nine o'clock the next morning, the floor around Ryoma was cleared — every last piece of information had been completely digested by him.
Snap.
With a flick of his finger, a crimson flame blossomed at his fingertip.
Ryoma pointed toward the wall — and in that instant, the flame transformed into a condensed Wind Release bullet. Boom! A hole about the size of a bottle cap was cleanly punched through the wall.
Throughout the entire process, Ryoma perceived every detail with perfect clarity.
The fusion of physical energy and spiritual power extracted from the body transforms into chakra, which flows through the meridians and tenketsu.
By integrating natural energy through his will, it evolves into Senjutsu Chakra. Ryoma gathered that energy at his fingertips—altering its nature, shaping its properties—before releasing it in a refined form.
After delving deeper into the mechanics of chakra and ninjutsu, Ryoma felt his comprehension of Sage Arts advance to yet another level.
Although reading these scrolls hadn't granted him an immediate explosion in raw strength, the improvement in his control and the refinement of his Immortal Mode were undeniably significant. His lips curved in satisfaction.
"…Speaking of which, I wonder how Orochimaru is progressing. It's time I went to check on him."
With that thought, Ryoma formed a single-handed seal. His figure flickered—and vanished without a trace.
――――――――――――
Konohagakure — Thirteenth Sub-Level, Scientific Research Bureau.
Orochimaru was personally guiding Ryoma through the newly-established underground complex. Despite being only one year old, the Scientific Research Bureau had already become the technological heart of the entire Shadow Empire.
Under Ryoma's support, its research capabilities and defensive infrastructure far surpassed anything Orochimaru had managed before.
The two walked down a long metal corridor. Every laboratory they passed required chakra authentication, fingerprints, and various security scans in order to open.
Through a wide pane of reinforced glass, Ryoma observed nearly a hundred specialists at work.
They were top-class talents that Orochimaru had quietly gathered from across the shinobi world, now serving in the development of a virtual network system.
Unbeknownst to them, each had been marked by a binding ninjutsu—designed to trigger excruciating punishment if they ever harbored betrayal. In extreme cases, the seal could instantly kill them.
Orochimaru, smiling with serpentine confidence, began reporting current progress.
Ryoma remained silent for the moment, his gaze falling on another area behind the glass.
"…And those?"
Orochimaru followed his line of sight and replied calmly:
"Those are samples based on the genetic material you provided me. For now, I can only produce stable clones with weaker kekkei genkai. The more advanced bloodlines still require further optimization."
...
TN:
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