Power Development and Research

"Hmm... If we don't use Clones, then we can only find a way to annex other powers."

Hancock, standing to the side, offered a suggestion as well. Naturally, with her personality, the solution she proposed was simple and brutal.

"Don't worry. I already have a plan, and it's about time to put it into action."

Vegapunk unfolded a map and said directly, "This world's system of governance is extremely strange. The leaders and highest rulers of the nations are the Daimyo, while the ones who truly control violence are the Kage of the Major Ninja Villages. To a certain extent, ninjas with Supernatural Power are completely separated from ordinary people."

"Moreover, ordinary people can use money to command ninjas, and the ninjas themselves have no desire to pursue higher ruling status... I have to say, the brainwashing here is quite impressive, whether it's brainwashing others or brainwashing themselves."

In the vast majority of supernatural worlds, the violence brought by Supernatural Power made superhumans the true ruling class. Even if they were not rulers, they would still be a privileged class like superheroes. A world like the Ninja World, where they had fallen to the level of Mercenaries, was truly rare.

After hearing Vegapunk's words, Hancock's face showed a trace of shock. "Those ninjas never resist? Are they robots or something?"

After all, although the Pirate World also had people like the Celestial Dragons sitting at the top, they possessed a national treasure capable of threatening the world. Even so, the truly powerful hardly gave them any respect. Pirates mad enough to want to bring down the World Government were as numerous as hairs on an ox.

"Who knows? In any case, among ninjas, even Rogue Ninja almost never lay hands on Daimyo. Of course, the Daimyo of this world are indeed far better rulers than the World Government."

Vegapunk shook his head. He did not know why the ninjas of this world were so content with the status quo. As for the ruling ability of these nations' Daimyo surpassing the World Government in the Pirate World, that was hardly praise. Given the World Government's level of governance, it was honestly difficult to find anything worse.

"Still, this system of rule has revealed plenty of loopholes to me. Because Supernatural Power is isolated from the secular world, those Daimyo themselves possess very little strength. The Daimyo of some major nations have powerful ninja guards around them, but outside the Five Great Nations, the other Daimyo are far too easy to deal with."

Among the Guardian Ninja around the Daimyo of major nations, there might be elites among Jonin. Some smaller nations did not even have Ninja Villages; being able to hire a few Wandering Ninja was already quite respectable.

If he truly wanted to control the Daimyo of those small nations, Vegapunk had countless methods.

More than three months quickly passed. The Snow Country's Geothermal Generator had now been operating for half a year, allowing the entire Snow Country to experience an enormous Bountiful Harvest for the first time.

Because the Geothermal Generator used Natural Energy, all kinds of Crops grew quickly and well. Whether fruits, vegetables, or grain, their yields were two or three times those of equal areas of land. Not only was it more than enough to support the Snow Country's population of less than a million, there was even a large quantity of Export Product.

They no longer needed to purchase large amounts of food and instead earned a considerable amount of Foreign Exchange. In addition, Vegapunk improved the Mining Machines, allowing the Snow Country's Mining Industry to develop tremendously. As a result, the Monetary Tax Revenue earned by the entire Snow Country that year was nearly seven or eight times greater than in previous years, and the Snow Country became prosperous almost overnight.

With more money, they could naturally obtain better materials and instruments and build a better Research Base. Of course, before that, Vegapunk had not forgotten his own plan.

The Ninja World had numerous Overseas Islands. Any somewhat larger island could be considered a nation. Even the Water Country, the strongest nation overseas, was actually a country composed of a large number of island chains.

Because transportation was inconvenient, these island nations were far more isolated than continental countries. This resulted in the ninjas of many island nations varying greatly in strength; overall, the overwhelming majority were merely Minnows.

Under such circumstances, the rulers of those islands naturally could not have any powerful experts around them. Having two or three Chunin for protection was already considered impressive, so they naturally could not stop Vegapunk and his group.

In fact, during this period, the Daimyo of seven or eight Small Island Nations around the Snow Country had already been controlled by Vegapunk. Near the Snow Country, only the relatively large Sea Country remained. Since it was a vassal of the Water Country and had quite a few Kirigakure ninjas within its borders, it had not been controlled yet.

But that was only due to Vegapunk's usual caution. Once the intelligence was fully gathered, controlling the Sea Country would absolutely not be difficult.

Because Kirigakure had begun carrying out the Great Purge, it was now gradually descending into chaos. Even if the Water Country wanted to protect its own Vassal State, it was increasingly unable to do so.

On the island closest to the Sea Country, Vegapunk had established a brand-new Research Base. After using Clones to replace the Daimyo of those small nations, the small Ninja Villages and ninja organizations in those countries were naturally absorbed by Vegapunk. As for some Rogue Ninja and underground organizations, they became test subjects in Vegapunk's Laboratory.

Vegapunk now had more than a thousand ninjas under his command. After being technologically enhanced by him, even the weakest among them possessed Chunin-level strength. More than two hundred had strength at the level of Special Jonin or above, and their overall strength was enough to wage war against Kirigakure.

However, these ninjas were severely homogenized. They had no trump cards such as Secret Techniques, Kekkei Genkai, or advanced ninja tools. If they truly fought, they would probably lose more often than they won.

"Another failure!"

Looking at the mass of flesh on the experimental table, an Unknown Organism with a distinctly Cthulhu-like feel, Vegapunk sighed helplessly. He casually snapped his fingers, and a powerful Magnetic Field enveloped the lump of flesh. Under the terrifying Ionization Effect, all the flesh turned into a pile of ashes.

"How exactly does Natural Energy extend one's lifespan? Perhaps I need to capture a few Summoning Beasts from the Three Great Sage Locations for research!"

Since he had come to the Ninja World, Natural Energy was naturally an unavoidable area of research. Vegapunk had only conducted a little research into Sage Mode. After all, he already understood its principles, and replicating Sage Chakra was not difficult.

What truly gave Vegapunk a headache was Natural Energy's unique ability to extend life. Leaving aside anything else, the Animal Sages in those sacred locations all lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. Compared with that, Sage Mode was merely a minor detail.