Kin slowly exhaled.
The current complexity of the Heavenly Demon Art had reached its limit.
To research further, the extreme intricacy of the sealing techniques required was beyond human capability—unless his spirit underwent a qualitative leap in enhancement.
As for his current strength...
"I wonder if I could defeat Uchiha Madara in his current state."
Kin clenched his fist.
Based on his self-assessment, he was now at the peak of Kage-level, just one step away from Super-Kage status—all thanks to the improved Dark Walker Technique.
To put it in perspective: against Hashirama Senju without Sage Mode, it would be an even match. But if Hashirama activated Sage Mode? Kin would need to pick out a nice gravesite.
Against Uchiha Madara? At his peak, Kin stood no chance. But against an aged and weakened Madara? That remained to be seen.
Such was the summary of his current capabilities.
For further improvement, only one path remained:
"Chakra Internal Energy: Third Layer."
A breakthrough that could fundamentally alter the power dynamics of the entire shinobi world—a qualitative transformation.
Land of Rain.
Kin's private laboratory.
His flesh clone rubbed his temples, feeling mentally exhausted.
Aside from monitoring Nagato's trio, his sole focus had been researching the Byakugan—a mission assigned by his main body. Unbeknownst to him, the original had already leveled up again; the memory transfer hadn't completed this "version update."
Yet even without the update, he'd achieved significant progress—specifically with the Byakugan research.
The sheer quantity of Byakugan eyes had yielded discoveries.
He found that the Byakugan possessed remarkable compatibility—higher purity Byakugan could absorb lower purity ones. After fusing all the eyes through ninjutsu...
He obtained a Super Byakugan.
"Doesn't that sound like an insult?"
Kin clicked his tongue and touched his forehead.
The final product:
On either side of his brow, fissures opened, revealing a deep white eye at the center of his forehead.
Instantly, the world became monochrome—only the chakra within living bodies retained color.
This wasn't a drawback. The forehead Byakugan could clearly perceive the structural composition of all objects, displayed as dark lines—as if seeing the fundamental fabric of existence.
For any object in this world, as long as Kin understood it, he could replicate it.
He turned to gaze at the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
All its secrets were laid bare before him.
By studying its construction, he could create a second box.
He also understood its true nature:
"Isn't this thing just a prototype?"
Kin raised an eyebrow.
Many techniques inside bore signs of being unfinished—like a half-baked experiment discarded midway.
"Research on Emotional Chakra."
The chakra within wasn't the standard earth, water, wind, or fire—but four emotional attributes: joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. Clearly, the creator had failed.
The fusion of these emotions within the box birthed a consciousness composed entirely of feelings:
"Wu."
"This must be a relic from the early days of chakra exploration. The creator is undoubtedly connected to the Sage of Six Paths—if not the Sage himself, then someone he oversaw."
The Box of Ultimate Bliss held no more secrets for him.
It was now truly just storage—something to bury underground later.
But this Byakugan's utility extended far beyond this.
Kin looked into the distance—all obstacles vanished from his vision as he saw the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth.
"That's seriously far."
This eye could surveil the entire Land of Rain at will. With sufficient chakra expenditure, he could even observe the whole shinobi world.
"Moreover... I can feel this Byakugan resonating with my eyes."
Kin unconsciously touched his own eyes—the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.
The resonance was faint, likely because he was just a clone.
"If I deliver this Byakugan to the main body, it should trigger an evolution."
Kin pondered.
Though the fused Byakugan hadn't reached the level of the Tenseigan, its extraordinary functionality arguably surpassed it in certain aspects.
"In combat, it's inferior. But in utility? It rivals the Tenseigan."
He'd only uncovered these capabilities so far. He sensed there were more functions within the Byakugan yet to be discovered—things to explore gradually.
Next step: wait for the main body to take over, then implant this Byakugan.
He hoped the procedure would be excruciating.
The clone grinned maliciously.
"Heh."
Kin stopped further Byakugan research and exited the lab.
Kakuzu had returned.
"Weren't you thriving in Kusagakure? What brings you back?"
Kakuzu's ninjutsu trafficking venture hadn't started smoothly.
Scams, extortion, ambushes—all manner of troubles arose.
But ultimately, these people either became one of Kakuzu's spare lives or contributed combat experience to the Money Corps.
None caused lasting waves.
Though initially, Kakuzu lost considerable money and techniques to fraud. It took intervention from the Rain Corps to track down the culprits—leaving rivers of blood—before restitution was made.
After that, transactions became straightforward.
The bounty stations grew fearful. Minor villages trembled. Even rogue ninjas complied without protest.
Now, the Land of Rain's rapid development was funded by Kakuzu's profits.
Normally, he'd never leave Kusagakure—as he put it, "Every minute means millions lost."
He rarely even visited the home base in the Land of Rain.
For him to return voluntarily was unusual.
"Iwagakure wants to buy some techniques."
Kakuzu stated his purpose directly.
"Iwagakure, huh?"
Kin narrowed his eyes.
That village had an old bastard who wasn't easy to deal with.
"What's their proposal?"
"They requested proper negotiations."
Kin's original target had always been the major villages. But dealing with them wasn't simple—they needed to demonstrate sufficient strength first.
"Also, I suspect they intend to steal our techniques."
Kakuzu added.
The Iwa-nin who came to negotiate had been aggressive—clearly considering forceful seizure.
Only after Kakuzu nearly killed one did they agree to proper negotiations at a set time and place.
Kakuzu sensed no goodwill from them.
"Then I'll receive Iwagakure's delegation personally."
Kin touched his closed Byakugan.
This clone wasn't like previous ones—the main body had left it with chakra reserves at chūnin level.
Coupled with the forehead Byakugan...
He wondered if it would be enough.
(End of Chapter)