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The laboratory was silent.
In front of Code, several cylindrical capsules were aligned, each filled with a thick liquid that kept the children floating in suspension.
Some trembled.
Others cried beneath the fluid.
Others only stared into nothingness, resigned.
And down the hallway walked Jigen, slow steps, inspecting each child one by one.
Code knew what was coming.
He had seen it in the anime.
But witnessing it in person… was far worse.
The Vessel Selection
Jigen raised his hand, placing it over the first capsule… and the Karma responded.
A flash.
A pulse of energy.
A dull sound.
The child convulsed inside… and stopped moving.
"Next," Jigen said, without the slightest emotion.
Another capsule.
Another hand pressed down.
Another body that could not withstand it.
One by one, they all fell.
Code did not look away.
As cruel as it was, those deaths reminded him of one thing:
The power of an Ōtsutsuki was not meant for human bodies.
And yet… he planned to inject a Kekkei Genkai into himself to increase his physical strength.
A thought that would make any superior being laugh—the kind of beings who worship raw power.
But Code was not a simple human.
Not in this life.
Kawaki
The last capsule lit up.
Kawaki was inside, motionless, eyes closed.
When Jigen placed his hand on the glass… the liquid began to boil, but the boy did not die.
His body arched…
his hands trembled…
and then stabilized.
Jigen pulled his hand back.
"This one survived," he announced. "Use him."
Amado, observing from the side, adjusted his glasses with unsettling calm.
"As you wish."
The other corpses dimmed inside their capsules, as if they had never existed.
Kawaki… had been chosen.
Code clenched his fists.
Not out of jealousy.
Not envy.
But because this meant his window to act freely was shrinking.
I won't be able to act as before. Now Jigen will focus entirely on training Kawaki. His perfect vessel. This is my only chance to ask Jigen if my plan is even possible.
Once the laboratory emptied, Code followed Jigen down the corridor.
"My lord," Code called with absolute respect. "There is something I wish to share."
Jigen didn't stop walking, but he responded.
"Speak."
"I've been thinking about how to increase my physical strength… beyond the Karma."
A brief silence.
A dangerous one.
Jigen finally stopped, turning his head slightly.
"And what conclusion have you reached?"
Code swallowed. He knew he had to weigh every word.
"The ninja world has Kekkei Genkai tied to the body. Some increase endurance, regeneration… and strength. I thought that… perhaps… one of those powers could be combined with my Karma to make me… more useful to you."
Jigen looked down at him.
His expression was pure contempt.
"You truly want to damage your body with the powers of those inferior beings?"
he asked, his tone cold, almost mocking.
Code bowed his head, not raising his eyes.
"It is an interesting power, my lord. Only if you permit it."
Jigen clicked his tongue—barely audible.
"Which one specifically?"
"The Kaguya clan. Their bodies were their weapons. It is the Kekkei Genkai most compatible with taijutsu."
The leader of Kara observed him carefully.
Very few could say such a thing and live.
"And how do you plan to obtain something that no longer exists?"
Code took a deep breath.
"There is a man named Kabuto Yakushi. A ninja and scientist. He has access to the DNA of numerous clans. If Amado studies his body… he could extract the genetic material and adapt it to mine. And I would be far more useful for your purposes."
Jigen raised an eyebrow.
"You want to ruin the Karma I granted you with a cheap experiment?"
he spat. "Do as you wish. It's your body."
Code hid his smile.
"Thank you, my lord."
Jigen resumed walking as if the conversation had never happened.
Code remained alone in the hallway, breathing slowly.
Now he didn't need to ask Amado for permission.
He just had to say:
"Jigen authorized it."
And Amado would obey.
But there was one more step.
To obtain that DNA…
He needed to capture Kabuto Yakushi alive.
A huge risk.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kabuto had been one of the strongest.
They had to invent a special jutsu just to stop him.
If he was still that formidable, this would be difficult… but from what Code remembered, in Boruto he lived quietly as a monk.
But there was no alternative.
The Kaguya clan was the best path toward a monstrous body.
And Kabuto, the only bridge.
Code closed his eyes and inhaled.
"First I'll capture Kabuto… then I'll force Amado to follow Jigen's orders."
And once that was done…
His physical strength would be the first step toward something far greater.
Hours after Jigen's order, Code disappeared into one of Kara's caves, traveling through one of the many marks he had placed throughout the years.
He had left claws in the Five Great Nations, across the ninja world, and even in small hideouts he built in case he ever decided to leave Kara.
It was his personal failsafe.
His mobility network.
His silent freedom.
One of those marks brought him directly to the outskirts of Konoha, where his presence would go unnoticed thanks to a carefully refined camouflage technique.
He advanced among the shadows, silent, following the memorized route toward the orphanage where Kabuto Yakushi lived now as a nobody… at least to the village.
He stopped at the door, suppressing his chakra almost completely, and knocked lightly.
Kabuto opened, wearing a gentle smile—typical of someone who believed he had left his past behind.
"Can I help you?" he asked calmly.
Instead of responding, Code struck directly at his face—fast as a bullet.
Kabuto burst into a gelatinous mass of water.
Code stepped back, surprised.
"Tsk…" he growled. "Suigetsu's jutsu… I see."
Kabuto emerged behind him, guiding the children down a protected hallway.
"I don't know who you are… but I won't allow you to harm anyone here," Kabuto said, activating his watery transformation again.
Code didn't respond.
He simply covered the walls, floor, and ceiling with marks—unleashing his claws like a total domain.
Kabuto noticed and frowned.
Code was sealing every exit. Surrounding him. Trapping him.
Kabuto stepped forward.
"If what you want is for me to come with you… I will.
But don't cause any more harm here.
Not in front of them."
Trying to restrain Code, Kabuto launched a bone strike—but Code slipped past it and reappeared behind him using one of his marks.
In one clean movement, he struck Kabuto's abdomen so hard the sound echoed through the hallway.
Kabuto's body convulsed, part of his watery form exploding.
Massive damage.
"You're very wise," Code whispered, grabbing him by the neck as water turned back into flesh. "This way, I won't have to waste time."
Kabuto fainted, collapsing in front of the trembling children.
Code lifted him like an empty sack and, before leaving, looked at the group of kids for a brief second.
Without saying a word, he vanished in white distortions—traveling with his captive toward one of his secret marks outside the village.
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