Chapter 43: The Karma Mark
The young man let out a string of miserable screams where he stood.
Karma's power continued to spread through his body, reaching every part of him, erupting everywhere at once.
There was no doubt this was a painful process.
Having one's body altered by Kaguya's sealing power was never easy. During the transformation, the body would inevitably be damaged and broken down, and that destruction came with unbearable pain.
Throughout it all, Yuu simply stood to the side and watched in silence.
"Don't resist."
After a long while, he finally spoke. "Keep your body stable, and you'll be fine."
His voice was calm. In the next moment, he crouched and pressed a hand to the man's chest.
As Yuu's chakra flowed in, the man's condition stabilized noticeably. The violent tremors eased. His breathing steadied. The desperate struggling from before gradually stopped.
Time passed.
At last, his body fully settled.
"So that's what the process looks like…"
Yuu observed the entire transformation with clear interest.
Using the sealing power within himself to infect someone else was something he was doing for the first time.
Back in the era of the Land of Ancestors, although Yuu also carried Kaguya's sealing power in his body, the Karma back then did not belong to him. It belonged to Kaguya.
Strictly speaking, Yuu had merely been someone infected by Kaguya's sealing power, not its owner.
But the sealing power Yuu used now had been modified by the system panel. It belonged entirely to him.
Even if the sealing power Yuu possessed was still far from Kaguya's true level, and he could only draw out a small portion, it was still Karma.
There was a real difference in how it could be applied.
"After being altered by Karma, his physical fitness has improved significantly, and the life energy in his body is much more vigorous…"
Yuu's senses traced the changes, thoughts moving quickly. "It's hard to judge the mental side, but the increase in life energy alone is enough to boost the chakra in his body by more than half."
"And with Kaguya's sealing power as the core, a Karma mark has been planted inside him."
"This is like planting a seed. It's nourished by his own chakra and life force, growing steadily. When I need it later, I can reclaim it easily."
Yuu considered it quietly.
Ever since returning to his original body, he had been thinking about how to use Karma.
The method in front of him was, without question, the most efficient one he had found.
By sharing a portion of his sealing power and planting marks in others, he could obtain a degree of feedback from them.
And when the time came, he could retrieve the sealing power within them and strengthen himself again.
To Yuu, this was farming.
Plant a seed in spring, let another person's body nurture the Karma mark until it grew, then harvest it when the time was right.
Of course, not just anyone could endure this process.
There was a threshold to bearing Kaguya's sealing power. If one's physical fitness and chakra were not strong enough, they would collapse and die during the implantation.
By Yuu's estimate, to safely bear even this simplified version, one would need at least jōnin level strength to be considered relatively safe.
"My power…"
While he was thinking, the man in front of him slowly regained consciousness.
He pushed himself up from the ground, stunned as he sensed the changes in his body.
After Karma's alteration, the differences were obvious.
Karma's power circulated through him, strengthening his body. His chakra felt thicker, denser, heavier. Compared to before, he was far stronger.
If he had previously been average among jōnin, then with Karma's enhancement, his overall strength had taken a major step forward, nearing elite jōnin territory.
Yuu stood quietly, watching him with interest.
"What's your name?"
After a moment, Yuu spoke again.
"I am Yamame Chōshin."
Meeting Yuu's gaze, the man reacted immediately.
He dropped to one knee, posture respectful and controlled. "Greetings, Excellency."
"Yamame Chōshin…"
Yuu nodded. "From today onward, you are a member of the Night Organization."
"Your mission is simple. Remain undercover in Iwagakure."
His tone was steady. "Do everything you can to ensure your own safety and wait for my summons."
"Yes."
Chōshin nodded without hesitation.
"In Iwagakure, are there many people like you?"
After they exchanged a few more words, Yuu asked abruptly.
"People like me?"
Chōshin did not understand at first.
Then he realized what Yuu meant and answered carefully. "Most shinobi in Iwagakure are loyal to the Tsuchikage, but there are also many who are dissatisfied with the Third Tsuchikage."
"If no outside force influences them, they will continue to follow the Third's orders."
"But if something were to happen to the Third Tsuchikage, the situation might change."
He spoke steadily, revealing Iwagakure's situation piece by piece.
Yuu listened, then shook his head slightly.
"So Iwa is quite stable. Much more stable than the other villages."
That conclusion formed in his mind.
In the shinobi world, the Five Great Villages were unquestionably the strongest forces.
But even among them, there were differences.
Among the major villages, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were the two most stable.
Kumo did not need explanation.
As for Iwa, the Third Tsuchikage had ruled for many years, and Iwagakure had long since become exceptionally steady.
If one wanted to make moves against the Five Great Villages, those two clearly had the worst cost performance.
"As expected, if I'm going to act, Kirigakure and Sunagakure are the better choices."
Yuu stood there, shaking his head. "Especially Kiri…"
Among the Five Great Villages, if someone wanted to stir trouble, Kirigakure was the easiest.
The reason was simple.
Obito.
Compared to the others, Kirigakure's internal policies were already the most radical and bloody. Under that kind of pressure, cracks were inevitable.
On top of that, once the Fourth Mizukage was controlled later, the so called Bloody Mist Village would be created directly under Obito's manipulation.
At that point, making moves would be extremely easy.
After speaking with Chōshin for a while longer, Yuu let him leave.
As for whether the man was truly loyal, Yuu did not care.
From the moment the Karma mark was planted, there was no way back.
With Yuu's Karma inside him, as long as Yuu wished, he could trigger Kaguya's sealing power within the man at any time.
Once it reached that point, the man would die without exception.
If Chōshin was sensible, then fine.
If he was not, then Yuu could simply find someone else later.
.....
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