After treating Saitama and Genos to a hearty hot pot dinner, Genos once again made a request to Qingshui and Saitama.
He wanted to see how far he still was from Saitama, and from Qingshui, an S-Class Hero, now that Dr. Kuseno had upgraded and reinforced him again.
After all, this time he was only ranked second in A-Class by the Hero Association, not directly promoted to S-Class.
"Has Kuseno removed the Limiter on your Scorching Core?"
"It can probably only reach 30% at most. Although I have the Flash Freeze Coolant you provided for heat dissipation, and the Arc Reactor for backup power, my body and energy circuits can only withstand this level for now. Dr. Kuseno will need to continue modifying my body strength and energy circuits based on the situation to increase output firepowe r."
Genos said earnestly.
Thirty percent, huh?
That's not bad.
Kuseno doesn't have my Nanotechnology, nor does he have the ability for Magic Tool Transformation. Just relying on the technology I provided, to be able to increase Genos's burst limit to 30% of the Scorching Core in just a few days is already very impressive.
And with Kuseno's technology, and the help I provided, he will surely be able to achieve the ultimate firepower state with the Limiter completely removed in an even shorter time.
More importantly, Kuseno has made another breakthrough.
In the original timeline, Genos's strength truly began to undergo a qualitative change when he transformed from "Suitcase Genos" to "G4 Genos."
During the "Suitcase Genos" period, his strength was only Demon-level, at most comparable to Deep Sea King, and he might even lose carelessly due to being ambushed while protecting civilians.
But after defeating the G4 Machine God and obtaining the G4 Core, Genos's strength began to advance by leaps and bounds. In simulated battles, he could steadily defeat Deep Sea King and Mosquito Girl. And after going through the G4 transitional period, activating his Turbine Form allowed him to directly fight Elder Centipede and Black Sperm, Monster s at the peak of Dragon-level, for several rounds.
When Genos was saved by Saitama in Z-City, he was being hunted by the G3 Machine God and several lower-model G2 Machine God s.
Although it wasn't the next-generation G4, the G3 Machine God still possessed considerable combat power among Demon-level s, and the other G2 Machine God s had also touched the threshold, which was why the previous Genos was no match.
However, with Saitama there, these Machine God s were naturally destroyed, and their cores fell into Genos's hands, eventually being handed over to Kuseno for research.
The latter even invited Qingshui to research together, and now a large amount of data is stored in Qingshui's computer.
The cores of the G-series Machine God s are all from the same lineage, and their core principles are similar. They can be understood as Scorching Core s developed in a different way by people in this world once their technology tree advanced.
It's like two similar but different fruits growing on the same branch of a tree.
A typical example is the atomic bomb.
Atomic bombs also have implosion-type atomic bombs and gun-type atomic bombs.
However, the difference between the Scorching Core and the G-series Machine God cores is much greater, and the...
As long as the G-series Machine God cores are cracked, combined with the technology Qingshui provided earlier, both Genos and Qingshui's Black Samurai will only need some time to quickly develop the Scorching Core to its limit, and theoretically even try to break through further.
Fifty percent can elevate destructive power to Dragon-level peak. If it can reach 100%, it can contend with Psykos fused with Monster King Orochi before running out of energy.
Monster King Orochi alone is already an existence above Dragon-level, and it becomes even stronger after fusing with Psykos.
Genos is currently only at 30%, but the energy from one Scorching Core is enough to give Genos upper-tier Dragon-level destructive power for half a minute.
This amount of time is enough for him to take down most ordinary Dragon-level Monster s.
Sweet Mask can no longer stop Genos.
Even in his normal state, with his metal body powered by a second-generation Arc Reactor and some modifications, Genos's normal combat power has surely surpassed "Suitcase Genos" from the original timeline, touching the threshold of Dragon-level.
Although he might be slightly weaker than Sweet Mask,
"There's no need for a sparring match, Genos. In my opinion, you've already met the S-Class standard. As long as you can pass Sweet Mask's hurdle, or have a record of single-handedly defeating a Dragon-level Monster, you can be promoted to S-Class. In fact, when the output power of your Scorching Core is raised to 30%, you'll possess upper-middle S-Class strength."
Qingshui crossed his legs, using a toothpick to put a freshly cut fruit into his mouth, speaking indistinctly to Genos.
At most, upper-middle S-Class. Definitely not higher.
No need to mention Blast and Tatsumaki. Superalloy Darkshine and Flashy Flash, at least, have the strength of Dragon-level gatekeepers. One is S-Class's top in defense, the other is S-Class's top in speed. Genos definitely can't surpass them.
And then there's me.
Among the remaining people, whether it's Drive Knight, who can easily capture Dragon-level Monster s like Nyan, or Bang and Atomic Samurai, whose comprehensive strength is above Dragon-level, and who can fight Dragon-level peak in specific situations, even if Genos opens his Scorching Core to 30% power, he might not be able to suppress them. At most, it would be an even match.
The assessment of upper-middle S-Class should accurately reflect the power level of "30-second Genos."
And if we're talking about beating Genos, the eight people mentioned above can certainly win. At least, lasting for 30 seconds is no problem. The remaining S-Class Heroes, like Zombieman and Pig God, would likely also have no problem.
Overall, Genos's true level is probably around mid-S-Class. At least, bullying the bottom-ranked Puri-Puri Prisoner and Tanktop Master is no problem.
"Then, if I may ask, Sir Black Flash, how do you assess your own strength? And what about Saitama-sensei? With his strength, is he capable of competing for the strongest S-Class?"
Genos continued to ask straightforwardly.
"Me, huh… My combat power should be able to rank in the top 5, aiming for the top 3, among the current S-Class. I actually feel like I'm precisely third. If it's the Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki, even if I can't beat her, I should be able to protect myself. As for Blast, who's been missing for a year, it's hard to say. As for the rest… Flashy Flash and Superalloy Darkshine should be on my level, but probably slightly weaker than me. Atomic Samurai and Bang are masters of the sword and martial arts respectively; one has incredibly strong attack power, and the other excels at dealing with human-form opponents. They should also have the ability to threaten me."
Qingshui held a toothpick in his right hand and stroked his chin with his left, self-assessing.
I can probably just barely squeeze into the top three.
In my normal state, I can fight Asura Rhino Beetle to a standstill, which means I have upper Dragon-level combat power. Once I unleash 70% of the Scorching Core's power, then even peak Dragon-level entities, unless they specialize in defense like Elder Centipede, even Blast would make a mistake and fail to kill them, allowing them to escape. The others, though, I should be able to threaten.
Although there's a cooldown, three minutes is enough time for me to stall using my spatial abilities. Besides Tatsumaki and Blast, no one should be able to consistently defeat me.
I should be able to escape from Tatsumaki, but Blast specializes in spatial abilities, and his strength must have reached the threshold of God-level. His mastery of space is probably higher than mine.
While Superalloy Darkshine's defense is strong, he might not be able to withstand an attack unleashed with 70% of the Scorching Core's power. At worst, I can use Sealing Jutsu to suppress and seal him. The same goes for Zombieman. In terms of speed, with my spatial abilities, I'm not afraid of Flashy Flash, who is fast but whose attack power hasn't reached Dragon-level peak.
Similarly, unless Atomic Samurai's Atomic Slash can cut through space, or Bang's fists are strong enough to shatter the void, they can't truly threaten me.
However, these few individuals have also reached near-pinnacle levels in their respective fields. While I can defeat them, killing them might be troublesome, possibly even requiring a significant cost.
Besides them, the only potential exception is Metal Bat.
The more severely injured he is, the stronger his fighting spirit becomes, and the higher his combat power – including his resilience. When his injuries are severe enough, his endurance is also incredibly high, almost like a locked health bar.
Theoretically, there's no upper limit to Bat's power.
Even if there were, he could reach a Dragon-level or higher when critically injured.
So, to defeat Bat, you need to beat him before his fighting spirit escalates.
In his normal state, Bat is only at the level of a regular Demon-level, so all you need to do is go all out from the start and not give him a chance to stack his rage.
"Just listen to these words yourself and keep them in mind, Genos. Try not to spread them around, or those arrogant S-Class Heroes will come looking for trouble every day."
Qingshui warned Genos.
Most S-Class Heroes are proud and dislike losing. While he isn't afraid of other heroes, he does want to avoid trouble.
"What about Saitama-sensei?"
Genos continued to ask.
Qingshui's gaze slowly shifted to Saitama, who was devouring watermelon, two seeds still clinging to the corner of his mouth.
"As strong as you can imagine a person's ultimate power to be, that's how strong your Saitama-sensei is."
...
...
Naruto World.
Sand Village.
The once super-sized village-town, nestled in the desert, now looked completely different.
Not only had its area expanded several times over, but it now appeared to be a scientifically planned, large-scale technological city.
Though skyscrapers stood tall, greenery was abundant everywhere, avoiding the cyberpunk, industrial city feel. It exuded a beauty of harmony between man and nature.
With the Arc Reactor providing clean energy, Sand Village didn't need to burn coal or carbon, significantly reducing environmental pollution.
While there was still some industrial pollution, Sand Village had put effort into managing it, relocating factories that could be moved outside the village.
Having lived in the desert for generations and suffered from the harsh environment, Sand Village placed great importance on this aspect.
Behind the inner city of Sand Village, a site originally planned as an Anbu training base was temporarily given to the Puppet Force a few months ago, and they moved in on the same day.
The reasons for choosing this location were twofold: first, it was large enough, and second, as an Anbu training base, its security level was already high enough, only needing minor upgrades to be usable.
Such a high-spec facility naturally had an uncommon purpose.
Two massive puppet frameworks stood tall beneath a Sealing Jutsu barrier that blocked sight and perception. Puppet Masters from Sand Hidden moved along the constructed corridors and platforms, meticulously refining and filling in details.
Further away, a colossal scorpion-shaped Puppet, nearly two hundred meters tall and over eight hundred meters long, lay dormant beneath the vast architectural dome.
"Is War Puppet Unit 1 complete?"
Qingshui, dressed in a Kazekage robe, observed the enormous Puppet accompanied by Sasori.
"Heh, for a current Kazekage, you're quite unaware of the progress of the village's most crucial mission right now."
Sasori, wearing a Sand Hidden Jonin vest, looked at Qingshui and sneered, seemingly mocking him.
Qingshui had been engrossed in breaking his Limiter through intense training for the past few months and hadn't paid much attention to the affairs of Sand Village.
He had dumped everything onto the Third Kazekage and Chiyo.
If judging purely by diligence in handling political affairs, he was arguably the most irresponsible Kazekage in Sand Village's history.
No one else came close.
However, when it came to his contributions to Sand Village and his prestige within it, he was undoubtedly the highest. Even if the First Kazekage and Second Kazekage were resurrected, and the Third Kazekage joined them, they combined couldn't surpass him.
As a result, Qingshui had to be extremely careful with his words and actions in public, or otherwise use Transformation Jutsu to disguise his identity to experience a normal life.
"Ahem, I've been busy, you know. By the way, does this Puppet have a name?"
Qingshui coughed strategically twice, changing the subject.
"I call it Sasori of the Red Sand."
Sasori gazed up at the enormous scorpion Puppet, crafted entirely from metal and gleaming under the lights, his voice tinged with pride.
This was Sasori's own title, now used for his Puppet – red hair, born in Sand Hidden, so naturally, it was called Sasori of the Red Sand.
Qingshui then asked:
"What about the other two? Roughly when will they be finished?"
Sasori replied:
"Grandma's is called Sasori of the White Sand, and my uncle's is Sasori of the Black Sand. With the experience from building this one, and the overall frameworks already complete, they should be finished within two months."
"Two months... Then there's still time to adjust the construction plan and add some things in, and enough time for some minor modifications to your Sasori of the Red Sand."
Sasori instinctively frowned, then quickly realized Qingshui had something new. He asked, "What new technology have you come up with now?"
Qingshui smiled faintly, flipping his hand to reveal a spherical object made of silver-black metal.
The Scorching Core.
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