Pakura was standing right there, so the young couple couldn't even whisper sweet nothings to each other. To make matters worse, the woman had no sense at all and didn't know when to leave.
Rasa exchanged a few pleasantries with the two women, feeling distinctly uncomfortable and thoroughly bored.
He took two glass bottles from his clothes, one large and one small. He tossed the larger one to Pakura and handed the smaller one to Karura.
"What's this?" Pakura held the bottle up to the sunlight. Its crystal-clear surface refracted a dazzling array of colors.
"Sunscreen. I bought it for Karura as a gift in the Land of Artisans.
"I figured you could use some, since you're always wearing backless outfits, never change your clothes even after several years, and live in the desert climate of the Land of Wind. So I picked up a big bottle for you while I was at it."
Points +1+1+1...
Damn it!
Pakura felt awful. He'd only picked it up for her while he was at it? And who said she never changed her clothes? She just wore the same style, okay?
Karura felt a little uncomfortable too. He'd bought her a gift, but why did he have to pick something up for Pakura while he was at it? Could her younger brother have been right? Had Rasa really been bewitched?
Rasa seized the initiative and made the atmosphere even more awkward. After a few more minutes of small talk, he made an excuse and left.
The two women were both in low spirits. They exchanged a glance, then each said goodbye and went her own way.
"Phew!"
After closing the door, Rasa returned home and focused on the Starry Sky Vortex in his mind.
[Points: 532]
Now that the troublesome woman had left, he could finally upgrade his Electromagnetic Force and increase his strength.
Everything he had was thanks to his strength. Without it, everything else was just talk. This wasn't the time for romance.
Settling his mind, Rasa considered where to spend his 500 points.
Raising Electromagnetic Force Precision to Lv. 2 or Electromagnetic Force Intensity to Lv. 1 would each cost 500 points.
He had already tasted the benefits of precision. Even at Lv. 1, it was enough to let him manipulate small amounts of metal and ions, generating high voltage to create lightning.
If he raised it further, he should be able to go a step further and develop new abilities on a microscopic level, like Electromagnetic Propulsion or a Railgun...
But for now, his existing methods were more than adequate. Even simple metal manipulation gave him plenty of options. What he lacked was strength.
Stamina, mental energy, and chakra could all serve as power sources to drive his Electromagnetic Force. At present, he only had the chakra reserves of an elite jonin, making that his biggest weakness.
According to the bucket theory, the shortest plank determined one's overall strength. With a major war looming, improving his strength was the priority.
Having made up his mind, Rasa spent 500 points on Electromagnetic Force Intensity, raising it to Lv. 1.
In an instant, the Starry Sky Vortex in his mind released strange, mysterious fluctuations from an unknown dimension. Carrying energy, they resonated with Rasa's own bioelectromagnetic field.
According to quantum theory, as living organisms metabolize, energy is transmitted in the form of information. Their one and only common material carrier is the bioelectromagnetic field.
At that moment, Rasa's bioelectromagnetic field began operating and adjusting on its own. Every inch of skin and every cell was influenced in reverse by the field, returning to its optimal state.
Rasa carefully experienced this state. Once his Electromagnetic Force Precision reached a higher level, he should be able to adjust his bioelectromagnetic field automatically and keep himself at his peak forever.
The human body was made up of cells, and cells were made up of chemical elements. Elements, in turn, were the collective name for a class of atoms.
He could even go a step further and directly manipulate atomic nuclei, orbital electrons, and protons, stacking countless operations of the utmost precision to become his own god.
What did it mean to be a god?
To do as one pleased, to be omnipotent, omniscient, and all-seeing and all-hearing.
But that was for the future. One still had to live in the present.
His body had finished transforming. All impurities had been broken down and reassembled by the energy. This was probably an added effect of increasing his Electromagnetic Force Intensity.
Rasa performed a few movements to get a feel for his new state. Every cell had been further developed, and his mental strength and cellular vitality had increased at least fivefold.
Chakra was a mixture of mental and cellular energy. He could use those two kinds of energy directly to drive his Electromagnetic Force; there was no need to add an extra step by using chakra.
Still, measured in chakra, he was now a true Kage Level powerhouse, with reserves that even surpassed Chiyo's.
He spread his Electromagnetic Force as far as he could. Once it reached three hundred meters, it could extend no farther. It seemed its radius had doubled, greatly increasing the area he could control.
Further testing and developing his abilities wouldn't be very convenient at home.
Fortunately, the Land of Wind had plenty of open space. After resting for a while, Rasa slipped out of the village after nightfall to get used to and develop his new abilities.
He focused mainly on his previous techniques. With his current Electromagnetic Force Precision, he couldn't develop any groundbreaking new moves, so he had to put a new spin on old tricks.
After several days of testing, Rasa had made great progress.
As for manipulating metal, the maximum mass he could control had increased from seventy kilograms to five hundred. This was the area where he'd improved the most, mainly because his enhanced ability made him more adept at handling magnetic metals.
But the tradeoff was that his ability to accelerate metal hadn't improved by much. The heavier the object, the more energy it seemed to consume.
He could accelerate a several-hundred-kilogram iron ball to the speed of sound, but a coin could only reach twice the speed of sound—or 680 meters per second.
It was as if his ability were shackled, keeping Rasa from taking that final step. And the shackle was insufficient precision.
Rasa had a vague idea of what new ability he could develop after his next precision upgrade. It should be Electromagnetic Catapult Technology.
The energy consumed to generate high voltage hadn't changed, though the process had become smoother. Most importantly, his physical and mental strength had increased, so as a percentage of his reserves, the cost was relatively lower.
Now he could control lightning too. Pretty cool, Lightning King Luo Yongxin!
With his ability tests complete, Rasa had a decent understanding of his strength. Over the next few days, he finally got to enjoy a happy, carefree life.
Kage Level powerhouses weren't called into action lightly, and other people handled all the village's preparations for war. Rasa only needed to show his face in front of Chiyo once a day.
When he had nothing else to do, he'd teach his brother-in-law a lesson, lecture the village's young ninja, grow closer to Karura, and flirt with Pakura.
Life was pretty sweet—until more than a month later.
Several ninja returning from an outside mission rushed back to the village in a desperate hurry. They burst into the Kazekage Office, all of them injured, disheveled, and utterly exhausted.
Then Rasa was summoned to the Kazekage Office.
After dismissing the ninja who had delivered the report, Chiyo and Ebizo furrowed their brows, deeply worried.
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