Inside the room.
Lock quickly drafted a preliminary development plan.
As the future owner of the largest shipping company in the Ninja World, Lock naturally had no intention of abandoning the advantages of maritime trade.
Shipping could provide international reach and influence, but its limits were obvious.
At best, it allowed dominance over remote and impoverished nations like the Land of Waves.
And even after all this time, success there had still not been absolute.
If he truly wanted to enter the power struggles between nations and earn recognition…
…then he needed to begin with food and energy.
As for technological research, most inventions from Lock's previous life already existed somewhere within the Ninja World.
They simply were not widespread, and technological development varied drastically between regions.
More importantly, technology demanded excessive time, spanned too many disciplines, and produced results far too slowly.
Food and energy, by comparison, yielded influence much faster.
Between the two, Lock favored food.
Energy resources were tightly controlled by major nations; he had no intention of stealing meat from a tiger's mouth.
Food, however, was far easier.
All he needed was a specific Wood Release technique.
Through crossbreeding and grafting crops, he could cultivate high-yield, high-quality seeds and quickly dominate agricultural markets.
Very few shinobi possessed Wood Release.
And none of them would ever think of using it to improve civilian livelihoods.
They only cared about increasing combat strength.
Furthermore, agricultural productivity in the Ninja World was astonishingly primitive.
During missions under Kakashi, Naruto had even performed manual rice planting and weeding.
Production methods were outdated.
Yields were equally pitiful.
Compared to the thousand-jin-per-mu hybrid rice from Lock's previous world, this place was decades behind.
After finalizing the plan…
Lock opened the system panel within his mind.
[Exchange List]
[Wood Release Ninjutsu (Ashura) — 600,000 blackening value]
[Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands — 150,000]
[Wood Human Technique — 120,000]
[Wood Dragon Technique — 100,000]
[…]
[Vegetation Technique — 2,000]
The list was extensive, categorized with meticulous detail.
Unfortunately, nearly everything was outrageously expensive.
Still, one option caught Lock's attention.
Affordable.
Useful.
"System, exchange Vegetation Technique."
[Exchange successful]
[blackening value −2,000]
[Current blackening value: 38,000]
A familiar chakra flowed into his body the instant the exchange completed.
Once oppressive.
Now obedient.
"Ashura's chakra… though only a fragment."
Since character techniques came with a one-time chakra infusion, Lock was unsurprised.
Even so, the pressure on his soul eased slightly.
If Naruto attempted to reclaim control again…
…this trace of Ashura chakra could delay him for several seconds.
Lock looked at the remaining 38,000 points.
Saving them held no meaning.
Strength came first.
"System. Exchange the complete Yang Nine-Tails and character Taijutsu."
[Yang Nine-Tails exchange successful]
[blackening value −36,000]
[Mid-High Jonin Taijutsu exchange successful]
[blackening value −2,000]
[Current blackening value: 0]
Since Three-Tails Mode previously required 14,000 points, unlocking the remaining seven tails consumed the remaining 36,000.
The taijutsu data came from Zabuza, Haku, and Gato's shinobi forces.
The moment the exchange finished—
Power flooded his body.
An overwhelming surge of Nine-Tails chakra engulfed Lock's consciousness.
If Three-Tails Mode had been a pond…
Then the complete Yang Nine-Tails was an ocean.
The difference was absolute.
He could now produce multiple Tailed Beast Balls simultaneously.
Each one is massive.
Each one catastrophic.
Combined with Kage-level taijutsu, Lock felt confident he could completely overwhelm so-called Kage figures like Hiruzen Sarutobi or Danzo.
For the first time, he possessed true self-protection within the Ninja World.
Even if the Akatsuki appeared ahead of schedule, he no longer needed to fear them.
The disturbance upstairs quickly attracted Sasuke and Sakura.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
They rushed up the stairs and burst into the room.
"What happened?"
"Why is the house shaking?"
The instant they entered, Lock suppressed the leaking Nine-Tails chakra.
The trembling stopped immediately.
"It's nothing," he said calmly. "I lost control of the Nine-Tails chakra for a moment."
Seeing the messy interior, they accepted the explanation.
But Sasuke's fists tightened unconsciously.
He felt it clearly.
Lock had grown stronger again.
Just standing nearby felt like facing a monstrous predator.
The same suffocating pressure he once felt from Uchiha Itachi.
"Clean this place up for me," Lock said casually. "I need to go out again."
Without waiting for agreement, he leapt through the window and vanished into the distance.
"You made the mess yourself—!"
Sakura stopped mid-complaint, stunned by his speed.
"He got stronger again…"
Sasuke turned away coldly and headed downstairs.
"You clean. I'm going to train."
Sakura: "…"
Looking at the destroyed room, she nearly cried.
For a brief moment, she missed Naruto.
If Naruto were here, he would help clean.
No—he would probably clean everything himself.
…Night.
Inside the shipping company headquarters.
Zabuza, Haku, and Gato knelt respectfully.
Because of Zabuza and Haku's identities, Lock had not allowed Gato to be killed.
Instead, he remained a public puppet.
At first, Gato resisted desperately.
But after repeated cycles of torture, healing, and torture again under Zabuza's supervision—and witnessing overwhelming power—he became obedient.
A blur appeared.
Lock materialized before them, wearing a mask marked with four stars.
Without ceremony, he scattered a pile of seeds onto the floor.
"The rice seeds are ready," he said. "Register a seed company tomorrow."
Zabuza and Haku nodded immediately.
Gato hesitated before speaking carefully.
"Are these… the thousand-jin-per-mu rice seeds you mentioned?"
Fearing misunderstanding, he slammed his forehead to the ground.
"I'm not questioning you!"
"It's just… the quantity seems small. Shouldn't they be sent for laboratory sterilization before propagation?"
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