Chapter 463: The Passage of Time
While the shinobi of the Shinobi Alliance were steadily growing in strength, the Kara organization was naturally not lagging behind.
Deep within a isolated dimension.
Numerous figures were undergoing intense training.
BANG! BANG!
"Kawaki, with this pathetic level of power, you aren't worthy of becoming Lord Jigen's vessel!"
Code delivered a heavy backhand strike across Kawaki's face, sending him flying backward.
His hands hadn't even deployed any special ninjutsu—he was defeating Kawaki purely through brute taijutsu.
Overlooking the training grounds, a figure seated on a levitating chair observed the battle taking place below.
"Very good. As expected of the most suitable vessel—to grow this strong in such a short amount of time is truly exceptional."
Jigen watched with deep satisfaction as thick, brown biological tissues erupted from Kawaki's body to block the incoming force.
This child, purchased from a remote farming village, possessed a rare compatibility with the power of their Otsutsuki Karma.
He was far more compatible than Code.
Code was a failed experiment of the Karma process, yet for some inexplicable reason, he hadn't lost his life after the failure.
He had even awakened a variant of Karma never seen before—a White Karma.
A White Karma that inherited the power of the Otsutsuki, yet without making him an Otsutsuki's vessel for reincarnation.
Soon... Very soon, I'll be able to use an even better body to become a far stronger Otsutsuki.
He could already envision his future self resurrected in full glory.
"Tch. I don't give a damn about being some vessel. I'm my own person," Kawaki muttered, utterly dismissive of Code's words.
Having grown up under the constant beatings and abuse of his biological father, nearly losing his life in the process before being purchased by Jigen, his mature and battle-hardened mindset refused to trust anyone.
If he couldn't even trust his own parents, who else could he possibly rely on?
Dr. Amado, the man who rebuilt his body?
Looking down at the hardened material covering his hand, he pondered silently.
That's impossible.
Code's face darkened at his response. "Don't be so ungrateful! Being chosen by Lord Jigen is the highest honor imaginable. I'd give anything to become his vessel, yet I can't."
To watch someone sneer at the very dream he desperately craved was an unbearable feeling.
Even though Code was already immensely powerful, he still yearned to become Jigen's vessel—to follow Lord Jigen and evolve into a divine, almighty god.
"Enough. That is all for today's training. From now on, you are both core members of Kara, so avoid unnecessary strife," Jigen spoke at last.
Without another word to either of them, a dimensional rift tore open behind him, and he stepped through it.
Left behind, the two exchanged a vicious glare before heading their separate ways.
Meanwhile, Jigen materialized inside a high-tech laboratory.
Amado stood waiting, conducting experiments.
"Lord Jigen, the new body maintenance compound is complete."
...
Time continued to march forward.
"Found it. Perfect. Once the preparations for the final battle are complete on our end, we can bring this to an early conclusion."
Deep inside Konoha's central laboratory, Tonbo Tobitake opened his eyes, a wide smile touching his lips.
As expected, Kara had been hiding deep within a pocket dimension.
Over all these years, Tonbo hadn't just been cultivating reserve forces; he had continuously dispatched Shadow Clones to roam every corner of the world.
Many Outer members of Kara had been flushed out by his clones.
Those useless Outer operatives had been eliminated directly by his clones, or reported to the Shinobi Alliance to serve as live training targets for their forces.
He hadn't just been passively growing stronger while doing nothing else.
And now, on this day, he had finally located Kara's hideout—hidden away inside an alternate dimension.
Through his intelligence network established in the Land of Snow, he had traced a cult known as the Otsutsuki Faith, manually tracking down a key figure named Boro.
Using the Flying Raijin seal, he had definitively pinpointed Kara's coordinates.
The Second Hokage really was a genius.
The Flying Raijin mark was practically impossible to erase.
Or rather, it was nearly impossible to detect in the first place.
On the other hand, tracking through nerve pathways was something easily discovered if the enemy conducted deep anatomical research.
Even with the advanced neural techniques Tonbo had developed, that fellow named Amado had likely created technology capable of neutralizing his neural tracking.
And Amado had even mass-produced that tech across most of their operatives.
It truly was remarkable technology.
Considering the prophecy from the Priestess of the Land of Demons, Tonbo was now certain that a future Otsutsuki God genuinely existed.
Therefore, despite locating Kara's base, he held back from launching an immediate all-out strike.
Their ultimate countermeasures had not been fully finalized yet.
They were still researching every possible method to counter an all-knowing, all-powerful god-like entity.
Theoretically speaking, if an Otsutsuki God can die and still needs to orchestrate a resurrection, this so-called 'omnipresence and omnipotence' must have its limits.
In that case, I need to follow this plan and make even thorough preparations.
My genjutsu, my taijutsu, my ninjutsu, alongside the scientific technologies of Orochimaru and Kabuto...
Or perhaps I should wait until Boruto grows up a bit more before making the move.
Based on the countless web novels Tonbo had read in his past life, striking an enemy too early might force them into a desperate, self-sacrificing play to resurrect ahead of schedule.
If that happened, things would get extremely messy.
Thus, Tonbo wanted to ensure absolute, airtight preparation.
Furthermore, Saitama and the younger generation had now matured into formidable fighters, ready to lend him a powerful hand.
Saitama Tobitake had fully broken through his physical limiter, and his single-track, unstoppable physical trait had begun to unleash its true potential.
As he aged, he was growing exponentially stronger.
Strong enough to strike fear into anyone who witnessed it.
Given just a bit more time, Saitama wouldn't even need to open the Eight Inner Gates to release power surpassing the Eighth Gate.
The same applied to Boruto and the others.
Now that Boruto has graduated, we just need to wait for him to acquire the Otsutsuki Karma, and for Orochimaru and me to complete our preparations.
The so-called preparations were naturally measures designed specifically to work against an Otsutsuki God.
They needed power that transcended the divine.
He wondered if his World Harmony technique would prove effective against a divine being.
Or whether his Absolute Execution would take effect.
Nothing was set in stone yet.
Everything depended on the absolute strength of the Otsutsuki God.
Perhaps that god wouldn't even get the chance to flex its full power before being taken down once and for all.
...
The Konoha Chunin Exams had officially begun.
It was a joint exam once again, with the other Four Great Shinobi Villages sending their own candidates to participate.
This exam utilized a wide array of Konoha's modernized facilities, leaving the visiting contestants wide-eyed in sheer astonishment.
Konoha had undergone staggering transformations over recent years.
The current Five Kage as well as the former Kage were all present for the event.
The sole missing figure was Tsunade.
"Tsunade still hasn't been found... I'm afraid she may have truly fallen at the hands of Kara," the Fourth Raikage discussed somberly with several former Hokage.
Tsunade's absence cast a heavy gloom over their hearts.
If Kara was capable of taking down someone of Tsunade's caliber, any of them stood a high chance of being eliminated if caught off guard.
It was a very real danger.
However, having made immense strides in their own training over the years, they held deep confidence in their current strength.
Kakashi stated calmly, "Don't worry. If they dare show their faces, we'll wipe them out instantly."
Supreme, unwavering confidence.
The technological and training breakthroughs in Konoha over these years had granted him enormous growth—far exceeding everything he had achieved from his youth to his later years.
Onoki sighed, "Ah, what a hassle... But there's no helping it. For now, we still can't locate their main hideout!"
"Forget about them for now. Let's focus on running a successful Chunin Exam first," Mei Terumi sighed.
After all these years, she still hadn't found her prince charming.
Ah, what a tragedy!
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