NOVEL WEB Chapter 75: CHAPTER 75
"It's really the princess!"
"No, that's the daimyo! She's the daimyo now!"
"Lady Haruna, please forgive us! We swear loyalty to you. From now on, we will follow your every command!"
From atop the platform, Haruna gazed down at the chaotic crowd, her heart stirring with a trace of sympathy. "Kimimaro… let them eat first."
"No problem." Kimimaro's voice carried clearly. "Lady Haruna says you are to be fed."
"Thank you, Lady Haruna! Long live the daimyo!"
"And thank you, Lord Kimimaro!"
Haruna's gaze remained unwavering. She stepped forward, her voice resolute. "If you are truly grateful, prove it through your actions. From now on, you will serve as the personal guard of the royal family. You were once part of the enemy, yet I offer you trust. Will you betray that trust?"
For a moment, silence.
Then came a cry: "No! We will never betray you!"
One man dropped to his knees, weeping. "Lady Haruna, you are the most merciful daimyo in the world! I will do anything for you—even die, if you command it!"
These men had believed they were destined either for death or enslavement. Forgiveness had never crossed their minds, let alone the honor of guarding the daimyo.
"Rise," Kimimaro commanded, his tone sharp. "Your first duty is absolute obedience—to Lady Haruna."
Haruna added, "Kimimaro speaks with my authority. His orders are my orders."
"We understand! We will follow both of you, always!"
"I believe in your loyalty," Kimimaro said coldly, "but you should also understand the cost of betrayal."
With that, he tossed a mutilated chunk of flesh to the ground.
Gasps and cries broke out as several men stepped forward.
"Is… is that a person?"
"His bones… they're completely gone…"
"That's Kimimaro-sama's jutsu… It's terrifying…"
No further explanation was needed. The dread was enough.
Then came the incentive. "As long as you serve well," Kimimaro said, "Lady Haruna and I can offer you strength—true strength. So long as your enemies aren't trained shinobi, you will be invincible."
Kimimaro wasn't exaggerating. After deciding to convert these captives into soldiers, he had consulted the system.
While creating full bloodline-infused test tubes cost 5,000 units of life energy each, the system had finally revealed another option:
By using raw materials that contained bloodline traits, one could create concentrated genetic solutions, then dilute them for ordinary use. These diluted potions would grant enhanced physical capabilities—vestiges of the original bloodline abilities.
However, these enhancements were strictly limited. They were one-time boosts, incapable of evolving further. At best, they could transform an average person into an elite soldier—someone capable of fending off ten enemies, but no stronger than a Genin. Against trained shinobi, they would still be outclassed.
But that was acceptable.
"Ninjas fight ninja battles," Kimimaro thought. "But this world is mostly civilians. A strong conventional force is necessary to reshape it."
According to the system, the number of soldiers who could be enhanced depended on the donor's strength:
– One Genin's blood could enhance 10 people.
– One Chūnin's blood, about 100.
– A Jōnin's, up to 1,000.
Currently, Kimimaro had stored blood from about ten Taketori ninja—only one of whom had been a Jōnin. From all the stored samples, at most, 2,000 soldiers could be enhanced.
As for Renga, though he had Jōnin-level chakra reserves, his bloodline purity was subpar. Plus, Kimimaro had already used some of his blood for earlier experiments. What remained might enhance 500 at best.
Still, it was a promising start.
Unfortunately, this enhancement method remained locked—for now. The system required him to reach Kage-level power to unlock the function.
"Kage-level strength, huh…" Kimimaro mused. "Once Ice Release fully fuses, I should be close. But to stabilize my condition, I still need the Byakugan and to resolve the hidden threats in my body."
He had already created a new test tube, infused with Karin's blood and life energy. It would mature in a month.
The Ice Release potion needed more than two months to finish, and the Byakugan potion—over three.
With only ten days left before Haruna's coronation, Kimimaro ordered the main group to proceed to the capital while he stayed behind with 100 soldiers to supervise the captives.
He couldn't march with prisoners in tow. More importantly, he still needed time to absorb life energy—a process with strict daily limits.
Once the final absorption was complete, he would travel at full speed to the capital. At his pace, it would take less than a day—plenty of time to arrive before the ceremony.
Ten days later…
"Finally, it's all absorbed."
The gains were enormous.
Kimimaro's total life energy now stood at 280,000—meaning he had absorbed nearly 250,000 units over just the past few days.
More importantly, after the battle, Kimimaro had acquired the bones of over three thousand people. Before setting off for the capital, he knew he had to reconstruct the Bone Dragon—otherwise, the sheer volume of bones would be too much to store, especially since sealing scrolls had their capacity limits.
The newly constructed Bone Dragon was not only twice the size of the previous one but also far sturdier. Rather than blindly enlarging it, Kimimaro focused on enhancing its structure, layering the bones for durability and resilience, much like how the Shikotsumyaku clan techniques allowed precise skeletal manipulation.
The soldiers who had stayed behind to help secure the area gradually transformed their initial fear of Kimimaro into awe—and then, fervent reverence. Witnessing the terrifying might of his Shikotsumyaku and the way he moved with calm assurance even in war, they began to believe he might truly be the one to change their country's fate.
Kimimaro silently acknowledged their devotion. With proper training, this group would serve well as the foundation for Haruna's newly established Royal Guard—loyal, disciplined, and personally tempered by war.
With all preparations complete, Kimimaro set off at full speed. Using chakra-enhanced movement and bursts of Dance of the Camellia and Dance of the Larch, he crossed terrain with the swiftness of a true elite. He knew Haruna wouldn't start the coronation without him.
Though it was said the coronation would be in a month, such timetables were often symbolic—especially in a land just recovering from upheaval.
At last, Kimimaro arrived at the capital of the Land of Vegetables.
"You're finally here!" Haruna rushed into his arms as soon as she saw him. "I missed you so much, Kimimaro."
"It's only been a few days."
"It's been over ten," she pouted lightly.
To her, Kimimaro had become more than a protector—he was her anchor amid political storms and personal loss.
"Since I'm here now," Kimimaro said calmly, "let's begin preparations for your coronation."
"Mhm! And I even prepared a gift for you!"
"Oh? What kind of gift?"
"Guren and the others captured Saibai and all his remaining subordinates. She said you'd have use for them. But Saibai himself… I want to keep for myself. On the day of the coronation, I want him to pay—publicly—for what he did to my father and everyone who died during the rebellion."
While Kimimaro was away, Guren had assumed the responsibility of protecting Haruna personally—using her Crystal Release to devastating effect.
"He's not the only one worth using," Kimimaro replied. "How many did she catch?"
"Over two hundred. Guren said you'd definitely like them."
"Haha… like them? Of course I do." Kimimaro gently cupped Haruna's chin, their foreheads nearly touching. "You've become quite thoughtful."
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