The Craving for Extraordinary Power

"Whew~"

He plated the fragrant tomato and scrambled eggs, paired them with two pieces of tempura fried to a crisp golden brown, and added a side of dipping sauce. Dinner was served.

Finally finished.

Not just with dinner, but with the layout of the shrine as well.

In truth, Akihi Yu understood that beings like "gods" were best kept out of the public eye.

However, his subsequent plans required the gods of the island nation to "stand by and watch," while ensuring that Amame Ei would not be sent to the battlefield.

Moreover, rather than letting the island nation and America conduct reckless investigations that might accidentally stumble upon the truth, it was better to seize the initiative: throw them a script about the resurgence of spiritual energy and the return of the Demon King to keep their focus firmly occupied.

Such words had to be spoken by an entity with enough "weight."

As a benevolent deity in charge of "abundance," the Inari God "Miketsu" was a perfect fit. Originally, Akihi Yu had considered staging a self-directed performance, creating some "accidents" during their conversation.

If the island nation and America were to bow down in worship immediately, it would be difficult for the "Miketsu" persona Akihi Yu was playing to turn hostile. If these guys came to pay respects and seek answers every other day, it would be a nuisance even if he ignored them.

He hadn't expected the Americans to be so "cooperative," which saved him quite a bit of effort.

"When it comes to gods, the more you say, the more you err. The later they enter the fray, the better."

Setting the food on the dining table, Akihi Yu wiped his hands.

Now was the time.

Because of America's "rude" behavior, the island nation's gods had collectively decided to stop interfering in human affairs.

From here on out, the rise of demonic disasters and the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons would follow logically!

When the island government reached a dead end, under their "bitter pleas," Miketsu, as a benevolent god, would finally be unable to bear seeing the people suffer and would descend with the Seed of the Divine Tree, transforming it into a giant tree to shelter the land. That would be perfectly reasonable.

Otherwise, if a god suddenly bestowed a "Divine Tree," wouldn't it seem both abrupt and suspicious?

They needed to beg for it themselves before they would feel at ease.

"As for Miketsu's 'persona,' well, there are eight million gods in the island nation, each with their own temperament. If they aren't convinced, they can go to 'Takamagahara' and argue with Him!"

Come to think of it, the gods of the island nation were almost more "human" than "divine." There was the battle-crazed Susanoo, who caused trouble everywhere and was kicked out of Takamagahara; there was Amaterasu, who was so annoyed by Susanoo that she suffered from chest pains and shut herself away in Amano-Iwato; and there was Tsukuyomi, who was forever a background character with zero presence.

As the top "Three Noble Children" among the island's gods, it could be said that every one of them was a temperamental master.

The top-tier ocular techniques of the Uchiha clan in the World of Fire were named precisely after them.

So then—

"I won't let the 'gods' appear until my strength reaches the Kage level."

In any case, America was definitely going to take the blame for this!

"Sora, time to eat."

Calling out toward the second floor, Akihi Yu continued to map out his next moves.

Just as the Akihi siblings were eating and sleeping as they did every day, many big shots were unable to sleep at all.

Yokosuka.

A city located in the southeastern part of the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

At the same time, it belonged to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, one of the three major urban circles of the island nation. Simply put, Kanagawa Prefecture to the west of Yokosuka, combined with Chiba Prefecture to the east, stretched into the sea like two arms, jointly forming a massive natural harbor: Tokyo Bay.

And Tokyo was located right in the center of this giant port.

It could be described as uniquely blessed by nature.

In fact, the other two major urban circles of the island nation, Nagoya and Osaka, also possessed such excellent natural seaports.

The reason Yokosuka was known to people across more than half the planet was not because of the "Black Ships Incident" that once occurred here: in 1853, the American captain Perry led a fleet to Yokosuka, using sturdy ships and powerful cannons to force the islanders to open their borders.

Yet, the islanders commemorated the invader Perry as a benefactor.

They believed that without Perry, the island nation might have continued its isolation and become a colony; thus, Perry became the pride of Yokosuka.

The more important reason was, America had established the Yokosuka Military Base here!

This premier military port of the East covered an area of approximately 2.3 million square meters, possessing berthing facilities, ship repair capabilities, fuel and ammunition storage equipment, and troop rest facilities. It was also the only aircraft carrier homeport in the Far East; only here could carriers be repaired, otherwise, they would have to crawl all the way back to Hawaii.

Both the American Fifth and Seventh Fleets were stationed here, serving as their strongest support point for controlling the Western Pacific.

More than twenty years ago, the Yokosuka base was valued at as much as 5 billion US dollars!

Added to the continuous, real-money investments in expansion over the years, it was second to none in the world in terms of both scale and level of advancement.

Logically speaking, being in command of such a top-tier military base should be a relaxed and glorious task: after all, few forces could pose a threat to the Yokosuka base.

However—

"General, the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the island nation has called again to protest."

"Tell them I'm already asleep!"

In an office filled with the minimalist style of the military, the newly transferred white Lieutenant General slammed the phone down and couldn't help but rub his temples.

He was the powerful figure in the American military sent to replace the previous Black lieutenant general and take command in Yokosuka, yet he hadn't even warmed his seat before encountering such a wretched affair.

Were those greedy yellow-skinned monkeys trying to take advantage of the situation to fish for benefits?

In their dreams!

This time, they were indeed the ones in the wrong.

However, America never spoke of reason; it only spoke of the range of its missiles.

Unfortunately, this time.

America's missiles could not reach into the Divine Kingdom.

Thump, thump, thump.

"Come in."

As the door was pushed open, Brigadier General Thomas, his blonde hair standing on end and his muscles bulging, strode inside.

"Ah, it's Thomas. Sit."

At the white lieutenant general's greeting, Brigadier General Thomas pulled up a chair and sat down neatly and efficiently opposite the lieutenant general's desk.

"How is the situation?"

Facing the lieutenant general's inquiry, Thomas shrugged.

"The good news is that Lieutenant Colonel Miller is still alive."

"According to the doctors' diagnosis, his cerebral cortex remains in an active state, proving he is still thinking, and most of his organs are maintaining normal function."

That was correct; although poor Lieutenant Colonel Miller had been "cursed" by the island nation's deity for causing offense and turned into a tree, he had not died. The roots within his body had precisely bypassed his vital organs, growing out from every part of him while simultaneously "healing" his flesh, keeping him in a "healthy" state.

"And the bad news?"

The white lieutenant general asked while pouring two cups of coffee.

"The bad news is that the lieutenant colonel might as well be dead."

He had lost the ability to hear, speak, see, write, or walk!

He was a true "vegetable."

"Perhaps we could find a place to plant the lieutenant colonel and watch him grow into a big tree."

"Or wait until the domestic 'brain-computer interface' technology has another breakthrough, allowing poor Lieutenant Colonel Miller to be restored."

"Wait!"

The white lieutenant general, who was stirring his coffee, paused.

"Do you mean that Lieutenant Colonel Miller is now fused with that Cherry Blossom Tree?"

"That is what the doctors say," Brigadier General Thomas nodded.

"His body and the wood within him have reached a bizarre 'symbiotic' relationship."

"Perhaps this is that 'deity's' punishment? Or perhaps it is merely a manifestation of the other party's authority—"

That deity with the tongue-twisting name was said to hold the authority of "abundance." One could tell from the abilities of the "nuns" under His command that it leaned toward healing; however, that did not mean healing abilities could not harm others. For instance, poor Lieutenant Colonel Miller had offended that deity and was now fused with a tree, suffering eternal retribution.

"That tree"

"Possesses the hardness of steel and formidable vitality."

"However, the base doctors are not experts; they only conducted simple tests."

"Excellent!"

The white lieutenant general's face lit up with joy.

"Send Lieutenant Colonel Miller to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory immediately!"

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, located at Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island in New York State, America, had research subjects including cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics. Its primary achievements were in the field of molecular biology, and a total of eight Nobel Prize winners had emerged from the institute.

"Wait, General."

Brigadier General Thomas raised a hand, stopping his superior's action.

"Lieutenant Colonel Miller was cursed by the island nation's deity. If we rashly move him to the mainland, will the curse disappear?"

That would not do!

If such a precious "experimental subject" were lost, those domestic biological experts would be so furious they might jump off the Empire State Building.

"The prudent approach is to establish a new laboratory here, then transport those experts and their equipment from the country."

"You are right, Thomas."

The white lieutenant general nodded, realizing the point.

Sending Lieutenant Colonel Miller back to his home country was merely his official duty.

But if any breakthrough were to be made at this base, the first person to grasp that secret would be him—a Lieutenant General!

This was a curse bestowed by the god of "Abundance"—no, a blessing! Perhaps it could lead to the development of various life-extending results.

"Thomas, I leave this matter to you."

Personally handing a freshly stirred cup of coffee to his subordinate, the white Lieutenant General patted the man's shoulder with feigned intimacy.

"No problem."

Taking the coffee, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of Thomas, who possessed the bearing of a battle-hardened soldier.

He, too, harbored a deep craving for transcendent power.

What?

You ask for Lieutenant Colonel Miller's opinion?

For the sake of his country, the Lieutenant Colonel has no complaints!

"Ahhh~~!!!"

While Japanese officials were leveraging their political influence to fiercely protest against America for disrupting the relationship between Japan and its native deities, the secret "Super Soldier" experiments were in full swing.

Through the glass partition of the laboratory, Director Takeya and Iori Ichika watched calmly as the woman on the operating table struggled violently, her screams echoing incessantly.

"Do you think it will succeed, Ichika?"

"How would I know?"

Iori Ichika, arms crossed, maintained her usual slacker expression.

"You should ask Professor Osumi that kind of question."

"He's the Nobel laureate in biology; I only know how to arrest people."

"Excessive humility is just arrogance, Ichika."

Director Takeya acknowledged the capabilities of his subordinate; naturally, he was also well-acquainted with her foul temper.

"Since you were the one who recommended her, surely you have some confidence?"

"Since you put it that way,"

With her superior continuing to press the issue, Iori Ichika had no choice but to answer seriously.

"Professor Osumi and his team have extracted a special serum capable of producing 'yokai power' from the bodies of Shiba Inus."

"These serums possess vigorous vitality and formidable regenerative capabilities. Theoretically, through surgical transplantation, we can create new 'transcendents.' However, we have encountered two major obstacles—"

Past test subjects had already proven that the creation of a transcendent was by no means simple.

"First, once these cells enter the subject, they consume a massive amount of energy, causing the subject to quickly fall into organ failure."

"This can be solved by selecting subjects with robust constitutions and continuously replenishing them with nutrient solutions."

"Second, the entire process inflicts intense stimulation on the subject's psyche; the vast majority of subjects quickly fall into a state of unconsciousness. And once they lose consciousness, the experiment fails immediately."

"This requires the test subject to possess an iron will, capable of remaining conscious despite prolonged stimulation."

Animals only follow their instincts; regardless of what meaning humans "bestow" upon them—be it wolves, bears, or even lions and tigers—they all failed at this second hurdle.

Only humans are capable of consciously forcing themselves to stay awake.

"Therefore, in my opinion, if Fuji Seiko cannot succeed, then this experiment should be suspended for the time being."

Iori Ichika had reviewed Fuji Seiko's file and knew she was a person of exceptional ability and willpower. In fact, this policewoman had once been the ace of the Criminal Investigation Division, but unfortunately, she had offended the powerful and was demoted to a patrol sergeant in Adachi Ward.

Amidst their conversation, the mature policewoman lying on the operating table had been struggling for over half an hour!

Sweat poured from her body, soaking the operating table and dripping down like a curtain of rain; had she not been continuously supplied with intravenous nutrients, she would have already withered into a corpse.

Even so, her screams had turned into hoarse gasps, and her wrists and ankles, strapped to the table, were torn and bloody from her violent thrashing!

Only her bright eyes and clenched teeth proved she was still conscious.

Cannot give up, cannot give up!

Wave after wave of excruciating pain surged from her muscles, blood, and bone marrow into her brain, biological instinct urging Fuji Seiko to abandon the struggle and succumb to unconsciousness to cope with the crisis.

But her reason told her that doing so would only lead to death!

To survive, and for... Mai.

As your senior, How could I watch you spend your entire life lying in a hospital bed!

Never----

Blood began to seep from her eye sockets, and her skin turned a deep, inflamed red.

As the policewoman gritted her teeth and held on, the "serum" injected into her body gradually accumulated three inches below her navel, emitting a faint, imperceptible green glow that even began to rotate slowly.

Around her, a multitude of experts were busy at work, constantly infusing her with various nutrient solutions and the "Super Serum" extracted from the Shiba Inu, while meticulously recording every change in her body to accumulate experience for the next experiment.

"Hmm?"

At the Akihi House, Akihi Yu, who had already gone to bed, froze.

He sensed a new, faint trace of mana emerging.

"That direction is..."

The place where Tanimura Wataru's Shiba Inu was being held.

"It seems the researchers in this island nation actually have some tricks up their sleeves."

Very good.

The more people who possess mana, The more likely it is that the Divine Tree will bear the Fruit of Mana in the future.

In a pleasant mood, Akihi Yu removed his younger sister's arm from his chest and drifted off to sleep.