As the seals and restrictions Yagyū Souma had left inside Yakushi Kabuto faded away, Kabuto lowered his head, then bowed deeply once more, sincerely expressing his gratitude.
His thanks were genuine.
Working under Orochimaru had allowed him to display his talents—but Kabuto understood very well that the moment he lost his value, Orochimaru would discard him without hesitation.
Yagyū Souma was different.
Unlike Orochimaru's cold cruelty, Yagyū Souma carried a warmth that still belonged to humans.
Kabuto hadn't been able to adapt at first, but after spending some time like this…
Honestly speaking, it wasn't bad at all.
He no longer had to worry about living day to day. As long as he did his job well, he could always exert his abilities and talent in his position.
It was far better than his time in Konoha—or ROOT.
He didn't dislike it.
"Lord Yagyū Souma, I suggest you use this curse mark as a reward for close subordinates. Otherwise, it won't display your status, nor will it truly bind people's hearts."
Yagyū Souma glanced at him.
"Who do you think should receive it first?"
"Guren."
Kabuto pushed his glasses, a confident smile appearing on his face.
"Among the current Sound Village members, Guren is relatively strong, and she isn't stupid either."
"Guren…"
Crystal Release. Her strength was indeed decent.
If combined with senjutsu chakra…
Yagyū Souma narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering for a moment before asking,
"What's her current state?"
"She's confused, but still loyal to Orochimaru for now. Since you managed to win over Kimimaro, taking Guren shouldn't be difficult either. If she's willing to assist you, the Sound Village won't need to worry about internal stability anymore."
Kabuto spoke frankly.
The Sound Village was still unstable. If he wasn't around, trouble could easily arise—that was precisely why Kabuto had to seize chances to step in.
If Guren also defected to Yagyū Souma, then everything would fall into place. Her strength was formidable. While she might be slightly inferior to a rampaging Jūgo, she was far more intelligent.
As for Karin…
Before she fully matured, Kabuto didn't consider her suitable for management at all.
Yagyū Souma thought for a moment, then said,
"I'll make a trip to the Sound Village soon and see how things look."
"Yes!"
Kabuto lowered his head.
"If there's nothing else, let's part ways. I still have other matters to attend to. If you need help in certain areas, you can go find Sakuraba Sadataki—she's on good terms with me."
"Yes!"
...
The Sakuraba Residence
A group of clan elders gathered, discussing matters anxiously.
Sakuraba Sadataki watched them with a gentle smile.
Finally—
"Sadataki, is your cooperation with Konoha really reliable? What if the daimyō cuts us off first?"
"There's no need to worry. The daimyō's ambitions are far greater than you imagine. His vision won't be fixated on something as trivial as medicinal herbs."
Sakuraba Sadataki glanced at them, a cold sneer flashing in her heart.
Idiots.
Who was the daimyō?
Stealing the herb trade—how could they even think of that?
But that was inevitable. In any large clan, there would be both smart people and fools. At least now, her authority was steadily growing.
Still…
Security was something she couldn't ignore.
Even a daimyō could be assassinated by shinobi. Who knew if there were idiots in her own clan foolish enough to hire ninja to do something reckless?
Power was necessary.
She brushed off the meeting with a few perfunctory remarks and waited until it adjourned. Her desire for strength only grew stronger.
"Sigh…"
"Miss Sadataki, why the sigh?"
"Of course I'm sighing over those idiots. Sometimes I really worry they'll be manipulated by others… Huh? Yagyū Souma, why are you here? Could it be—!"
Sakuraba Sadataki turned around, her eyes filled with shock and joy. A faint blush crept across her face.
The power she desired had arrived?
Yagyū Souma smiled lightly.
"Do you know how to extract chakra?"
"No, but I can learn! As long as I can learn it, I'm not afraid of hardship!"
Sakuraba Sadataki answered with unwavering resolve.
"Good. That's not difficult—I'll teach you shortly. But I need to say this first: this technique is somewhat special. It requires transplanting a portion of my flesh and blood, and then—"
"It's fine! I trust you!"
Sakuraba Sadataki lowered her head.
It wasn't so much trust as it was willingness to pledge loyalty—she simply didn't want to state it outright.
A genius like Yagyū Souma was clearly no ordinary person.
Following him would never be a loss.
Yagyū Souma was slightly surprised. After thinking it over, he said,
"In that case, let's go inside first. You're a young lady—some things are more convenient indoors."
"If it's Yagyū Souma… yes. Please follow me."
Her face flushed, but she still bit her lip and agreed.
She followed him inside and, without waiting for instructions, began removing her outer garments.
Yagyū Souma didn't stop her—he even nodded, about to explain—
And then she continued undressing.
"Wait!"
Yagyū Souma hurriedly stopped her.
"That's enough. Taking off the outer layer is sufficient. I'm transplanting cells, not doing that. Besides…"
He glanced at himself.
"I'm still a minor too!"
Although he looked fifteen or sixteen, he was actually only fourteen—four years away from adulthood.
This was getting dangerous.
He cleared his throat and explained,
"There's an extremely important chakra pathway near the chest. Almost all refined chakra passes through that point."
"S-so that's how it is…"
Sakuraba Sadataki's face turned crimson. She clutched her clothes, momentarily at a loss.
After a long pause, Yagyū Souma gestured for her to sit down.
"You don't need to worry. I've already tested this process—it's very successful and won't harm you."
He comforted her while preparing his tools.
Medical parasitic insects.
A small cut of flesh.
Then—
"Pull it down just a little more."
"No need. In your eyes, someone ordinary like me probably isn't any different from common makeup and powder."
Having passed her initial embarrassment, Sakuraba Sadataki instead relaxed.
She wanted to get closer—but whether he even cared was another matter.
If he truly did…
It might even be her good fortune.
The Sakuraba clan was considered nobility, but as a woman, her position was extremely awkward.
Without sufficient strength, she would have very few choices.
Opportunity. Power.
Both were given to her by Yagyū Souma. What reason did she have to hold back?
Yagyū Souma inhaled sharply.
Good grief.
He steadied himself, formed seals swiftly, and precisely opened a small incision, transferring the flesh.
Next—
Hand seals. Technique activation.
The Yin Seal was deployed first. Senjutsu chakra formed a small circulation loop, fixing the transplanted flesh in place and preventing it from spreading.
Yagyū Souma's physique wasn't as strong as a Sage Body, but unlike Hashirama Cells, his flesh didn't possess uncontrollable proliferation. It was far more manageable.
Once implanted…
The Yin Seal's "reservoir" was forcibly established.
Then came the final step—
Curse Mark formation!
Because he'd seen this once before—and because the scene was frankly distracting—Yagyū Souma quickly averted his gaze.
"It's done."
"Lord Yagyū Souma! Everything I have is bestowed by you. Any command, I will obey without hesitation!"
Sakuraba Sadataki bowed deeply.
Yagyū Souma shook his head.
"I don't need you to do much. If there is something, it'll probably just be financial matters."
"Yes, I understand."
She quietly let out a breath of relief.
If Yagyū Souma wanted to deal with the daimyō, she'd at least consider the consequences first.
But money?
That was trivial.
She had plenty of ways to make money—she just lacked the strength to participate in many ventures before. Now, that was no longer an issue.
Besides—
Yagyū Souma also had connections with the daimyō and Konoha.
Who depended on whom wasn't even clear.
Yagyū Souma nodded.
"I've written down the chakra extraction method for you. Read it, memorize it, then burn it. Don't pass it on—or else…"
"Understood!"
She nodded firmly.
Yagyū Souma left soon after.
Chakra extraction wasn't some secret art. Variations circulated throughout the ninja world—the differences lay only in details.
What he'd written included some of his own insights. If mastered, it would simply feel smoother to use. Nothing more.
If it spread…
He wouldn't suffer losses—he'd just be disappointed. And Sakuraba Sadataki would never earn his trust again.
He believed she wouldn't do that.
"In the short term, this technique won't show results. With your abilities, it'll take a long time before you gain combat power. You can't use ninjutsu either, so it'll only enhance physical attributes like strength and speed."
"Sadataki understands!"
She bowed.
Yagyū Souma left through the window.
Implanting a curse mark into this noble girl was entirely consensual. If anything, her request had outweighed his intentions.
He had very few demands.
Money. Medicinal resources.
That was all.
The real priority remained the Sound Village.
For Yagyū Souma himself, Konoha's many industries already covered his needs.
After leaving the Sakuraba residence, Yagyū Souma didn't go to the daimyō's mansion to look for Asuma. Instead, he quietly departed northward.
The Sound Village…
It was time to take a look. Otherwise, he wouldn't even know what state it was in.
More importantly—
He needed the Sound Village as a testing ground for certain ideas.
Chakra armor combined with ninja tools.
Sound-based ninjutsu.
Fūinjutsu.
Barrier techniques.
And most importantly—
Curse marks, Sage bodies, and using the Sound Village as a stepping stone to gather tailed beast power.
Aside from the Eight-Tails, the rest should be relatively easy to acquire.
Konoha could also experiment with curse marks—but as for special Sage bodies, the only one Yagyū Souma currently knew of was Jūgo.
Kabuto knew Yagyū Souma was heading to the Sound Village—and also knew he had secrets he didn't want outsiders to learn—so he sent a shadow clone ahead in advance.
Yagyū Souma traveled north.
The Nine-Tails caused quite a bit of trouble along the way, but eventually it stopped.
Because—
Every time it acted up, Yagyū Souma would summon the Insect King to keep it company.
He didn't kill the little Nine-Tails—he simply absorbed its chakra, leaving it half-dead.
More importantly—
The guidance techniques Yagyū Souma used were beginning to take effect. The Nine-Tails' instinctive hostility and vigilance toward him had weakened.
That said—
Even without causing trouble, it was still impossible to make the Nine-Tails' avatar help.
Not that Yagyū Souma had expected it to.
Along the journey, the friction between man and beast wasn't too intense. Even without traveling at full speed, he still crossed from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rice Fields in four days.
The Land of Rice Fields wasn't large.
This small coastal nation had harbors, flat terrain, and abundant resources.
Yagyū Souma didn't plan to manage it personally—but good land was always worth appreciating.
At least he didn't need to spend much effort on it.
Orochimaru likely thought the same way.
"This place used to be even more prosperous. Human wars destroyed many valuable things."
The Nine-Tails suddenly spoke.
Yagyū Souma paused, then nodded.
"Wars do destroy many civilizations and legacies. But many ninjutsu were also born from war and desire."
"That's why we tailed beasts rarely study ninjutsu."
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