Three days later—
Kai woke up on top of his courtyard wall.
Morning sunlight poured down from above. He stretched lazily, bones cracking as he yawned.
[Ding! Sunbathing for 1 minute: Chakra +1.5. Current total: 3.8 million+]
The passive chakra gain from sunlight was still ticking upward.
But Kai barely cared anymore.
Sure, every bit counted.
But—
What if you owned an entire pasture instead of chasing scraps?
With over 3.8 million chakra, he could already overwhelm most Tailed Beasts through sheer reserves alone.
Still, what mattered more was the next notification.
[Ding! Six days elapsed. Epic Enhancement Point +1 obtained.]
[Can enhance Epic-tier traits or below.]
Another enhancement point.
The value of "six-six fortune" never disappointed.
Kai grinned and scanned through his purple-tier traits.
[Spore Technique (Purple)]
[Tailed Beast Cloak (Purple)]
[Mount Myōboku Contract (Purple)]
[Phantom Body Flicker (Purple)]
[Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave (Purple)]
[Mangekyō Sharingan (Purple)]
[Byakugan (Purple)]
[Mind Body Switch (Purple)]
[Rotting Decomposition (Purple)]
…and more.
Too many to count.
But he'd already decided.
"System. Enhance Spore Technique."
Yes—Spore Technique.
After several days of nonstop planting, he'd realized this ability was absurdly useful.
Controlling people with it felt way too good.
[Enhancement successful. Trait upgraded to: Spore Deity (Gold).]
"…Spore Deity?"
Kai blinked.
That name sounded… suspiciously lazy.
Almost like the system couldn't be bothered.
[Effect: Can plant chakra spores in targets. Spores absorb their chakra and gradually influence their attitude toward the host. Effect strengthens over time.]
"…A weaker version of Kotoamatsukami?"
Kai nodded thoughtfully.
Not as instant.
Not as overwhelming.
But—
Quantity beats quality.
As the saying goes:
Forced melons aren't sweet… but if there's enough juice, they'll quench your thirst anyway.
All he had to do was keep planting spores.
Ten years.
Twenty years.
Wouldn't the entire ninja world eventually become his subordinates?
Kai clicked his tongue.
That was honestly terrifying.
By the time Kaguya or the Ōtsutsuki clan showed up—
They might drop their jaws in disbelief.
Chuckling to himself, Kai vanished in a flicker—
Heading toward the Forest of Death.
Best way to know how effective it was…
Was to test it.
The Forest of Death was a completely different scene now.
Dust everywhere.
Noise everywhere.
Work everywhere.
The labor capacity of over two hundred elite jōnin was no joke.
Across dozens of kilometers, construction sounds filled the forest.
Tree-felling.
Rock-cutting.
Clearing debris.
The whole place sounded like Konoha's loudest construction site.
"HEY—HAA!"
On the eastern side, amid massive ruins—
Ōnoki floated three feet above the ground.
His old face had long turned liver-colored from strain.
Sweat couldn't even drip properly through the wrinkles on his cheeks.
Yet—
Like a brutally exploited laborer, he repeated the same mechanical motion.
Hands trembling.
Palms facing each other.
HUMMMMM—
A dazzling white light formed—
Condensing into a slightly unstable cube.
Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
A beam that could once disintegrate Susanoo ribs and erase Kage-level enemies—
Now functioned as…
A perfectly precise laser cutting machine.
The white light slid into the mountain of rocks before him.
No explosion.
No roar.
Just silent disintegration.
Stone dissolved into fine, flour-like sand.
Softly cascading downward.
Soon piling across the ground.
Below, waiting Iwa jōnin quickly shoveled the material into huge customized scoops, then dumped it into nearby mixers.
"Catch it! Catch it! Don't waste any!" one small team leader shouted.
After three days, he'd grown deeply attached to this job.
No battles.
No schemes.
No life-and-death tension.
Just… peaceful routine.
Load sand.
Mix.
Make bricks.
Repeat.
Simple work.
Low skill.
Yet strangely satisfying.
Like how young people swear they won't work factory lines—
Until they try it and realize the calm, repetitive life isn't so bad.
PFFT—
Suddenly, a pile of sand overflowed.
The team leader's face instantly darkened.
That was his performance quota!
He stormed forward, yelling upward:
"Hey! Watch it! Didn't you see the bin's almost full?! We can't shovel that fast!"
Ōnoki: …
Floating above, the Third Tsuchikage stared down at him with a pitch-black expression.
His tiny body trembled slightly.
He wanted to scold them—
But his lips shook uselessly.
Finally he just snorted.
"…Fine. Got it."
"And remember! While working—address me properly!"
"Uh…"
The jōnin flinched.
Right.
That old man overhead was still his boss.
He forced a bitter smile.
"Tsuchikage-sama… maybe slow down a bit? Wouldn't want you throwing out your back…"
CRACK.
The sound came instantly.
The entire Iwa squad fell silent.
They knew that sound.
Ōnoki clutched his waist with both hands, face twisting in agony.
After a long pause—
He finally wailed:
"AAAGH! My old back!!!"
And oddly enough…
The ninjas below almost thought they heard a hint of grievance in that cry.
At that moment—
A ripple flickered in the air above.
Then—
FWOOOSH!
A crimson chakra cloak suddenly ignited around Ōnoki.
Warm, dense chakra flowed straight into his lower back.
"…What—?"
The Iwa ninjas exchanged glances, hurriedly dropping their shovels and bowing their heads.
They recognized that chakra instantly.
How could they forget?
"Eh?"
Ōnoki blinked mid-groan.
"…It doesn't hurt anymore?"
He stretched cautiously.
Twisted.
Bent.
His face lit up with pure joy.
"It's fine! It's fine! HAHAHA! My back's healed!"
Right as his laughter rang out—
A calm voice drifted down.
"Since it's fine now…"
"…get back to work."
Ōnoki: …
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