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Land of Waves Base.
As the purple glow of the teleportation array faded, Neji walked forward, glancing at the masked Izumi, and asked:
"Have they all returned?"
"Yes, everyone's back."
"What about the Star?"
"It's already secured."
Neji and Izumi arrived at the storage site. Izumi opened a sealed box covered in complex runes.
An invisible pressure radiated from within. Neji could feel the immense chakra from the Star something an ordinary ninja would be overwhelmed by.
"Just as I thought…"
Neji placed his hand on the Star. Under the control of [Life Return], his muscles conveyed discomfort.
He withdrew his hand and closed the lid.
"It contains Ten-Tails chakra, alright... but it's too impure chaotic even. There's a foreign will inside. Not usable as is."
"Izumi, store this in Lab 10. Surround it with cultured cells from the [Shikotsumyaku] and record daily observations. Notify me of any changes."
"Understood."
With the Star delegated for now, Neji turned his attention to his other projects.
---
He entered Lab 3, where rows of incubation tanks lined the room.
These held genetically modified components, grown to suit his future puppets. He wished he had Sasori's forbidden technique for making [Human Puppets], which could preserve someone's jutsu.
"That technique would pair perfectly with my bloodline factor research..."
His own creations weren't truly alive, but if merged with the [Pacifista] cyborg tech from One Piece, they could replicate the same effect.
He also had Ukon's bloodline, a powerful fusion material.
While it couldn't be used with Hashirama cells, which acted like uncontrollable cancer, it was perfect for resolving rejection and creating stable hybrid bodies.
"Once I've figured out how to suppress the Sharingan's side effects, I'll revisit integrating Hashirama cells."
Next stop: Lab 4—a messy workshop littered with metals and electronic parts.
"Shadow clone dismissed itself before tidying up… of course."
He created a new clone and walked to the center. Activating his Byakugan, he resumed precise soldering.
This lab was dedicated to hardware engineering, chips, and components.
"In my first life, I was a tech nerd. A software major, but relatives kept asking me to fix their PCs..."
"Had to learn hardware just to explain the difference. Ended up liking it, even did some disassembly videos."
In his second life, exposure to Vegapunk's tech opened a new world to him.
"Smartphones, satellites I'll definitely build them. I don't need two and a half years. Two will do."
Here, precision work was far easier than in his past lives.
Then came Lab 5, filled with jars and containers of tissue samples.
This was his bloodline research lab. With [Bloodline Factor] tech, he was determined to uncover the mysteries of kekkei genkai.
"Like slowly undressing a beauty… revealing layers until I finally understand her."
"And when I do? I'll move on to the next one. Total playboy behavior."
Chuckling at his own metaphor, he sent another clone to continue the work.
"It's not just about using them it's about owning them."
He passed through other labs quickly:
Lab 6: Medical ninjutsu, chakra pathways, and acupuncture point studies.
Lab 7: Ninjutsu research modifications, upgrades, and experimental jutsu.
Lab 8: Sealing techniques, barrier arts, and rune decryption.
Each clone was given chakra according to task priority. Unlike normal clones, his system-enhanced shadow clones could be assigned chakra flexibly.
In most labs, the chakra was used up quickly during experiments.
---
Finally, Neji arrived at Lab 1, the cleanest of all because this one was used to study himself.
A handcrafted computer crunched data tirelessly. Its computational efficiency was staggering.
Neji plopped down on a cloud pillow and stared at the ceiling.
"Two and a half years left. I need to hit Level 50. I also need to complete the Tenseigan."
"Leveling up, bloodlines, tech… It's all on me. My mental stamina's burning out. Even my 'One Piece-tier' endurance has limits."
But he couldn't rely on Naruto to talk-no-jutsu Pain and revive the village.
"I'll strike first. I have to. I won't bet Konoha's future on luck.
"Pain's Six Paths… Nagato…"
He murmured while biting into a giant chunk of roast meat.
"So hungry from all that brainpower…"
His thoughts turned to his comrades.
"Lee's doing well. I'll teach him a few new taijutsu moves. If not, I'll just feed him some liquor chocolates again."
"As for Tenten… Does she really have to rely only on ninja tools and scroll-based space-time jutsu?"
He browsed his inventory of miscellaneous goods and spotted Sky Island Shells.
A smirk crept across his face.
"Guess it's time to show the world what it means when the times have changed."
Compared to Naruto's world, the One Piece universe had far superior tech when it came to weapons.
Sure, Pain's Asura Path had built-in missiles and such, but it still wasn't enough.
"Looks like I'm about to train up a celestial weapons expert a roaming mechanic, an ammo master… a full-on Gunner Queen."
"Hehehe…"
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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