In the end, that old fossil lived—mainly because he held real power in the Kingdom of Rōran and had unrestricted access to the Dragon Vein. As long as he could be controlled, his value alive was far greater.
Although Uchiha Kei had yet to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, the eye power he possessed directly replicated the level of several Mangekyō Sharingan users from the Hidden Leaf. With such ocular power, he could even control a Jinchūriki like the Fourth Mizukage—let alone an old man with some chakra.
Thus, without a sound, Uchiha Kei and his group had already seized control over much of Rōran's power structure. If they wished, they could easily take the rest, reducing Queen Sara to nothing more than a figurehead.
Essentially, Uchiha Kei's Sharingan was a dimensional suppression in Rōran. The only exception was Sara—and the reason was simple. In this world where bloodlines reigned supreme—even more rigid than caste systems—blood did determine many things.
For example, the Dragon Vein's control was inherited by Sara's bloodline. As queen, she naturally possessed the highest authority over it. While that didn't make her superhuman, it gave her strong resistance to many forms of manipulation.
Even Mangekyō-level hypnosis had some effect, but she could break free quickly—this was confirmed through testing. Afterward, Uchiha Kei's group had to spend time wiping her memory of the event.
Minato Namikaze commented, "Incredible. Despite having so little chakra, she can resist Mangekyō ocular power. If we hadn't confirmed her constitution is only slightly stronger than normal, I'd think she was related to Kushina."
Uchiha Kei nodded, "Honestly, that red hair that resembles the Uzumaki clan is very deceptive."
Afterward, the two scientists established a cross-dimensional communication network and reported the situation to the main body through the temporary link.
Once done, Uchiha Kei's shadow clone sealed itself inside a scroll, ready to be reactivated when needed.
The remaining three used the controlled minister for their own objectives.
Sasori and Orochimaru naturally went to study the Dragon Vein's energy, while Minato Namikaze began efforts to reform Rōran.
Without question, Sasori and Orochimaru's progress would be smooth, while Minato's would be exceptionally difficult. A nation this decayed wasn't rotten only at the top—it was sick from top to bottom.
With no prior experience or model to follow, Minato had to fumble forward using his education and instincts. The difficulty was immense, and failure was a real possibility.
However, Uchiha Kei didn't mind. Even if Minato failed, the experience would be invaluable—assets for the future when Minato became Fourth Hokage and began revolutionizing the Shinobi World.
Since his reform plans would take a long time, they didn't need immediate attention.
Meanwhile, Sasori and Orochimaru had found a new source of joy. Even their preliminary research showed the Dragon Vein's energy was vast—far greater than that of the Nine Tails.
Moreover, it was gentle and attribute-free—unlike chakra, which bore will and elemental traits.
This gave Dragon Vein energy incredible versatility. Many goals unattainable under the chakra system could theoretically be achieved using it.
Even better, Dragon Vein energy didn't conflict with chakra—it could merge with it, complementing and compensating for its weaknesses.
Thus, they didn't need a new technological system. The Dragon Vein could be directly integrated as a new energy source into their current tech tree.
The first result of using this energy came quickly: the Puppet Clone.
Creating a clone with puppets wasn't new in the ninja world, but such clones were stiff and fake—useless without constant control.
Sasori and Orochimaru's version was different. It resembled a shadow clone and had thought processes nearly identical to the original.
It didn't constantly consume chakra and wasn't easily destroyed by minor attacks.
In essence, it was a Shinobi World version of a robot with full cognitive function—powered by the Dragon Vein, capable of recharging itself.
These puppet clones didn't burden the original user like shadow clones. On the contrary, they were perfect assistants—persistent, fully controlled, and capable of forming dedicated research teams.
With that, the biggest limitation faced by the two geniuses—lack of research personnel—was significantly alleviated. Though industrial infrastructure was still lacking, small-group development was no longer an issue.
And given how much forbidden tech already existed in the Shinobi World, even Uchiha Kei couldn't imagine how far they could go.
Upon perfecting the puppet clone tech, they made many clones and assigned a batch to optimize the cross-dimensional signal transmission. Their goal: reduce cost and convert the temporary link into a permanent connection.
The two geniuses planned to remain in Rōran for now. Sasori had no issues staying—his identity was hidden.
Though Orochimaru couldn't leave for long, puppet clones and shadow clones could handle most matters. If needed, Minato—infused with Nine Tails chakra—could teleport him back.
All they cared about was maintaining the network connection—especially since they wanted access to the Mental Network's world, where Kei's school module offered endless knowledge.
They declared: "There is no end to learning." The information and wisdom in the Genjutsu World would take them ages to absorb. Even with time dilation, they still felt there wasn't enough time.
Addicted to study. Addicted to research. Addicted to discovery.
That was their mental and intellectual state.
As for Uchiha Kei, after finishing business in Rōran, he returned his focus to developing his new game and refining the livestream system. The new game was 80% complete.
Even so, he didn't ignore the outside world—especially in such turbulent times when many were secretly plotting.
And he was right.
Not because Black Zetsu had done anything drastic in the Land of Fire. The White Zetsu were monitoring the area and had already discovered that Black Zetsu was making covert contact with the daimyō.
"Covert" only for civilians—White Zetsu saw everything clearly.
In fact, Black Zetsu knew he was being watched by White Zetsu but didn't care. To him, they were mindless tools—his tools.
White Zetsu watching the daimyō and nobles of the Land of Fire had been his own orders, so now, even as he schemed, he did it openly.
Thus, while Black Zetsu plotted, White Zetsu observed everything and secretly reported it to the great Lord Kei.
Black Zetsu used classic manipulative tactics—whispering into the daimyō's ear about how Konoha had become unruly.
He didn't claim Konoha was rebelling outright—just that it was slipping from the Land of Fire's control and acting independently.
After all, economically, culturally, educationally, and militarily, Konoha was now fully autonomous. It no longer depended on the Land of Fire and was no longer under the daimyō's deep influence.
Now Konoha was pursuing economic expansion, recruiting talent from across the Shinobi World, and acting like a terrifying siphon—drawing in the Land of Fire's human and material resources.
While this had revitalized the economy and brought profits to both sides, the daimyō saw it as a loss of his rightful power.
Black Zetsu pointed all this out clearly, and the daimyō already sensed it. His officials no longer listened to him like before.
Previously, they were corrupt and power-hungry—but manageable. Now, they were "harmonized."
Normally, political harmony is good—it means stability. But for a ruler who ruled by playing factions against each other, it was alarming.
Worse still, the harmony stemmed from benefits Konoha provided—subtly creating a massive interest group.
Though the daimyō also benefited—taking the lion's share—he now felt unease.
Why? Because this interest group could override him. If he opposed Konoha's plans, they might oust him.
In a world that revered bloodlines, where nobles were all intermarried and Confucian loyalty meant nothing, the daimyō was just a figurehead—a spokesperson for the aristocracy.
If he became inconvenient, they could replace him with someone of the proper bloodline.
This terrified the current daimyō. He faced real risk of losing everything. For someone used to absolute power, that was intolerable.
So he grew wary of Konoha. Under Black Zetsu's persistent coaxing, this wariness turned into dread.
Black Zetsu framed Konoha as a wolf with ambitions to replace him. And in truth, Konoha's current efforts mirrored that.
To the towns and villages surrounding Konoha, working with it clearly promised a better future. That's why deploying the Genjutsu Network there had been effortless.
Local officials welcomed Konoha's administrators with open arms, having already received benefits. In the rigid, class-based Shinobi World where nobles dominated local power, they didn't think Konoha would strip them of authority. So they lacked vigilance.
Some smart people saw the hidden risks behind Konoha's actions, but…
Why oppose it?
In this crap world, helping nobles brought no gain—and would antagonize Konoha.
Conversely, Konoha's recruitment plans offered hope and opportunity to those without bloodlines or prospects. For the smart ones, it was irresistible.
Even those who sensed something chose to feign ignorance—or looked forward to it. If Konoha truly had rebellious ambitions and succeeded, it would be a chance to change their fate.
Shinobi World lacked the phrase "stockpile grain, bide time, and claim kingship," but many scholars thought Konoha was doing just that.
Black Zetsu laid it all bare before the daimyō. Now, the Land of Fire's ruler was filled with fear and was planning how to curb Konoha's ambitions.
Black Zetsu knew his plan had worked. Just a little more, and he could drive a wedge between Konoha and the Land of Fire, collapsing Konoha's momentum.
When White Zetsu relayed this to Uchiha Kei, he couldn't help but wonder:
"Shouldn't the daimyō of the Land of Fire—like the emperors of Ming China—also be water-soluble?"
After all, fire is extinguished by water, isn't it?
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