Chapter 293: Kabuto Yakushi
The Chunin rolled across the ground, scrambling to his feet only to find that the kid had vanished.
"Where...?"
"Behind you."
Itachi's voice sent a chill down his spine. His body went rigid as he felt the cold steel of a kunai against his neck, a slight prick of pain telling him just how close he was to death. He had lost. Defeated by a student years his junior.
"Battle over! The winner is... Itachi Uchiha!" the proctor announced, stepping in to separate them.
"Hahaha! That was awesome!" Shisui cheered beside him.
Kyosuke smiled, but his gaze drifted to the crowd of academy students. There, a boy with glasses was also smiling back at him.
After the match, Kyosuke walked through the academy grounds, the quiet, unassuming boy by his side. "Are you adjusting well to life at the academy?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, Lord Kyosuke. It's a bit boring, but everything else is fine. I'm keeping up with the curriculum," the boy replied, returning the smile.
"Make sure you master the knowledge I've given you. I'll be testing you regularly."
"Understood."
"Good." Satisfied, Kyosuke turned to leave. "If you need anything, come find me."
"Goodbye, Lord Kyosuke," the boy said, bowing deeply.
On the way back, Shisui couldn't help but ask, "Kyosuke-nii-san, who was that boy?"
"My new student. His name is Kabuto Yakushi," Kyosuke said, giving a brief explanation of Kabuto's background. Then, after a moment's thought, he added, "Remember... it's enough that you know about him. Don't mention him to anyone else. And try not to interact with him if you don't have to."
"Oh. Okay," Shisui replied, not pressing further. Although he was curious why his teacher would warn him away, he didn't question it. Besides, he hadn't particularly liked the boy anyway. He couldn't quite put his finger on why... maybe it was that fake smile.
Night, Secret Laboratory.
Kushina had already discovered this place, but to repay her life debt to Kyosuke, she had lied, claiming she had never regained consciousness. As a result, Minato and the high council remained unaware of its existence.
But even if it were exposed, it wouldn't matter much. With Kyosuke's current influence, Minato wouldn't dare move against him, nor would Hiruzen.
Besides, Kyosuke always handled classified research data with care. Even if someone found the base, they would find little of value aside from some cloned test subjects.
Of course, Kyosuke was already preparing to establish other bases. A cunning rabbit has three burrows; it never hurt to be prepared.
"Accelerate cell fusion."
"Yes."
"How are the vital signs?"
"Not bad. They match basic human characteristics, but the life force consumption is too rapid. Long-term survival is unlikely."
"Heh. Remember, there are no shortcuts in experimentation. Success is the fruit of countless failures. Understood?"
"Yes."
Watching the two of them work with such fervor, Saori was at a loss for words.
She was especially surprised by the young boy at Kyosuke's side. When she had first met him, she had been shocked that Kyosuke would entrust such crucial cloning experiments to a mere child. She had even voiced her objections.
But reality had quickly silenced her doubts. The boy, Kabuto Yakushi, had mastered the knowledge Kyosuke taught him in just a few months. He could now conduct cloning experiments independently.
All Saori could do was marvel at Kabuto's talent and Kyosuke's luck.
Since taking Kabuto as a student, Kyosuke would use the Flying Thunder God to bring him here whenever he had free time, both to teach him and to have him oversee the experiments.
Under Kyosuke's generous tutelage, Kabuto's abilities improved by leaps and bounds. He was likely not far behind his canon counterpart at the same age.
Kyosuke could only sigh in admiration. As expected of the original story's scientific duo, their talent was extraordinary. Without the system, Kyosuke knew he could never catch up to Kabuto in terms of research.
Leaving the task at hand to Kabuto, Kyosuke wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down beside Saori. He noticed her gaze fixed on Kabuto and smiled. "So? Not a bad student, is he?"
"Tch. I don't know where you dig up these geniuses. If I were Minato, I'd put you in charge of personnel to evaluate the talent of every child in Konoha," Saori teased.
Kyosuke ignored her jibe. After a moment of hesitation, he asked quietly, "Still no progress?"
"Sigh." Saori's sigh was answer enough.
Kyosuke shook his head silently, his fingers tapping on the armrest of his chair, lost in thought.
He was referring to Saori's Byakugan. Logically, having awakened the Sage Body and purified her Byakugan, she should have been able to awaken the legendary Tenseigan by now. Yet, for some reason, despite her dōjutsu power increasing daily, the evolution refused to complete.
Kyosuke was running out of patience. Nagisa's situation demanded that he bring her back safely as soon as possible. With the original timeline so drastically altered, who knew what unpredictable moves Obito might make?
If Kyosuke's power pushed Obito into a corner, he might take a desperate gamble and resurrect Madara in his prime. That would be... interesting, to say the least.
Furthermore... Kyosuke worried that Nagisa was being used by Obito. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
"Sigh..."
Hearing his sigh, Saori took his hand and asked gently, "Still thinking about Nagisa?"
As the person closest to Kyosuke, Saori knew that Nagisa was alive. She also knew that the person who had nearly killed her was Nagisa.
Although Kyosuke blamed himself, believing that killing the Second Elder had led to Nagisa's manipulation, Saori, as a woman, saw things differently.
Given the situation back then, no one could have saved the Second Elder, who was already under enemy control. Killing him was the best option, for both dignity and survival.
Under those circumstances, based on her understanding of Nagisa, it shouldn't have driven her to such madness. There had to be another reason.
Looking down at the hand tightly gripping hers, Saori suddenly remembered a scene from the Chunin Exams.
Could it be... because of me?
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