200 life energy, combined with blood containing a Kekkei Genkai, was sufficient to create a genin-level soldier—an efficient exchange by Kimimaro's standards.
These synthetic soldiers, while structurally close to real genin in terms of physical strength and basic durability, had a clear drawback: they couldn't use conventional ninjutsu, aside from the passive enhancements granted by the potions. Still, in terms of raw combat effectiveness, it wasn't guaranteed that average genin could defeat them in one-on-one encounters.
But Kimimaro hadn't created them to fight in the next Shinobi World War. Their role was far more mundane, yet essential: to serve as the military backbone of his secular regime.
"Even so, the cost adds up quickly," Kimimaro muttered. Haruna now had 1,000 elite personal guards, all loyal and mentally conditioned. To enhance them all would require 200,000 life energy—a staggering figure.
Still, it had to be done. His current military capabilities were insufficient.
A thousand super soldiers, properly organized, could easily dominate a minor nation like the Land of Vegetables. If he expanded their number to 5,000, he could even challenge the Land of Wind—assuming he could neutralize both the Hidden Sand Village and the elite guards surrounding the Wind Daimyō.
That was a matter for the distant future.
For now, these enhanced soldiers were intended to free up elite ninja like Karin and Suigetsu from low-value tasks. In the Five Great Nations, chunin and even some jonin were routinely assigned to menial duties like border patrol and internal security. It was a waste of talent.
Kimimaro retrieved a sealed vial of blood taken from a deceased genin of the Kaguya clan—sufficient to produce ten enhanced soldiers. He invested 2,000 life energy into it.
Half a month later...
"Is everyone here?"
"Reporting! The Royal Guard has assembled!"
"Good. You are the most loyal among Haruna's protectors. Today, I will fulfill my promise and make you stronger."
The troops straightened at once, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Lord Kimimaro's enhancements had been whispered about with awe for weeks.
He stepped forward and called out ten captains.
"Step up. You'll serve as the vanguard, the model of what the others can become."
From his coat, Kimimaro withdrew ten syringes, each glowing faintly with chakra-infused serum. He administered the doses himself.
The transformation was immediate. Their muscle density increased. A keratin-like sheen coated their skin—a diluted but stable manifestation of the Shikotsumyaku.
One man suddenly roared and charged into a thick stone wall. The masonry shattered, but the soldier was unharmed.
"You," Kimimaro called, pointing to the soldier. With a flick of his finger, he sent a bone needle slicing across the man's arm. Blood welled up, but within moments the bleeding slowed. Tissue regeneration had begun.
Compared to the true Shikotsumyaku, the healing was sluggish—but for the average soldier, it was miraculous.
"Long live Lord Kimimaro!"
The rest of the soldiers dropped to their knees, pleading to receive the same gift.
Kimimaro, analyzing the potion's results, was pleased. With discipline and training, these troops could match or exceed standard genin units. He made the decision on the spot: all 1,000 guards would undergo enhancement.
To do that, he prepared 500 doses each of two types of serum: one derived from Kaguya blood, and the other based on diluted remnants of Ranmaru's unique chakra perception bloodline. The latter had limited reserves, and could only yield 500 doses.
The blood from Yukikawa Himi, with latent Ice Release potential, would be stored for future, more selective integration.
Kimimaro's life energy reserve plummeted by nearly half. But it was a strategic investment.
A few days later…
The capital of the Land of Vegetables was alive with anticipation. Though an exam, the event carried the weight of a political shift. Based loosely on the college entrance exams from Kimimaro's past life, it was a way to discover and legitimize new officials and intellectual leaders.
Kimimaro and Princess Haruna made a public appearance at the exam hall, raising morale.
This time, Kimimaro stood not as a warrior, but as chief examiner. And unlike his past life, where exams were just hurdles, this one was something he could enjoy—even more so at night, sharing quiet moments with Haruna.
But not everyone welcomed the reforms.
Several factions had resisted the changes. Kimimaro had used the pre-exam purge to eliminate dissenters—including those who had attempted to slander him in Konoha.
They were commoners, yes—but each one added a little more life energy. And to Kimimaro, that had value.
For the loyal masses and Haruna's supporters, the country was flourishing. For the dissenters, it was an age of fear.
He didn't care.
If anyone thought they could resist with outside help, they were welcome to try. As long as neither the Five Great Nations nor the Akatsuki interfered, any other meddlers would simply become more fuel for Kimimaro's ambitions.
Once the exam concluded and new officials were appointed, the nation would enter a new phase of controlled expansion.
Kimimaro intended to train his new army and infiltrate the smaller nations to the west, sowing the seeds of his ideology.
People in this world were used to being trampled by those with chakra. But that didn't mean resistance was impossible—it just needed structure and a spark.
"There are too many unstable minor nations," Kimimaro murmured. "It's time to change that."
However, he knew all too well—secular control was just the beginning.
"Ninja-level threats are the real concern."
He gathered Karin, Suigetsu, and the others.
"It's time," Kimimaro said. "We must establish our own hidden village."
"We're strong enough to protect the Land of Vegetables for now," he continued, "but as our territory grows, we'll need an actual shinobi institution. One integrated with our civil government—not separated like Konoha or the others. Ours will be different. Unified."
Jūgo began to think more seriously. "Actually, we've encountered quite a few rogue ninja over time. We could recruit some of them to bolster our forces."
Suigetsu, who was usually responsible for gathering intelligence, added, "A few months back, Konoha suppressed a rogue ninja uprising in the Land of Birds. From the intel I've gathered, both the Land of Birds and the nearby Land of Stone tend to harbor a lot of missing-nin. Also, farther west, the constantly war-torn Lands of Claw and Fang are major hotspots for rogue shinobi."
The Land of Birds and the Land of Stone weren't particularly large—combined, they were only slightly bigger than the Land of Grass. Neither had prominent shinobi villages, making them havens for missing-nin. They were surrounded by nations with established hidden villages, like the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Bears. With no major villages of their own, the rogue ninja were pushed into these smaller, neutral territories where they could avoid major power conflicts.
As for the Land of Claw and the Land of Fang, those two were relatively sizable and militarily active. Their prolonged conflict had turned them into fertile ground for mercenaries and rogue ninja looking to profit off the chaos, embedding themselves into various warring factions.
"There are other regions too," Suigetsu continued. "Places like the Land of the Sea and the Land of Tea have their share of rogue ninja, but those are much farther out. It's not worth our resources to go that far just yet."
He recalled an earlier incident. "Remember Daikokuten Zen? When Kimimaro arrived in the Land of Vegetables, he established contact with that group, but they were too far away to be of use right away."
Jūgo nodded. "Yeah, there are so many minor nations in this world, but only a few are significant enough to be worth our attention."
Suigetsu scoffed. "Like that time Hoshigaki Kisame and Ranmaru made up the so-called 'Land of Mud.' Can that even be considered a real country?"
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