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[Shadow Soldier (Unnamed)]
[Level: 0]
[Attributes: View Details]
[Talent: Shadow Body]
[Skills: Bite (Lv.3), Constrict (Lv.4), Venom Fang (Lv.3), Climate Control (Lv.1)…]
After reading the boss-level shadow soldier's panel, Shikage couldn't help but whistle in admiration.
Pure stats alone, it was the strongest Level 0 soldier he had ever extracted.
It lacked an extra talent compared to No.2, but the skill [Climate Control] was every bit as powerful. In a full-scale legion war, that ability would be far more valuable than any single-target skill.
No hesitation—Shikage immediately assigned it the codename "No.3."
The old No.3 would just have to step down.
The stronger the soldier, the more attention it deserved.
Even though he was thrilled, this boss-level shadow soldier still fell a little short of his expectations.
Shikage sighed, looking slightly helpless.
"I really thought a boss-level soldier would jump straight to Knight rank."
He finally understood.
Every shadow he extracted started at the basic Shadow Soldier stage.
No matter how powerful they had been in life, once they joined the legion they had to begin as rookies.
The only difference was that the stronger they were in life, the higher their growth ceiling and the higher the rank they could eventually reach.
A soldier's pre-death strength became the upper limit of their shadow rank.
For example, both Shisui and this dungeon boss were guaranteed to reach at least Knight rank in the future.
As for the others—like the Nara jonin he had harvested—it was still uncertain whether they could even make it to Knight.
While the boss-level soldier hadn't met his highest hopes, No.2 (Shisui's shadow) had been the perfect soldier and refused to disappoint.
During the dungeon clear, No.2 had contributed the most. Not only did it rack up the highest personal kill count, it also commanded the legion like a true general and brought total annihilation to the dungeon monsters.
Combined with everything it had accumulated before, it finally advanced from [Shadow Soldier] to [Shadow Knight].
Shikage's eyes burned as they lingered on the words [Shadow Knight] in No.2's panel. He couldn't stop grinning.
The moment it promoted to Shadow Knight, No.2's base stats doubled!
No.2's advancement meant far more than just personal growth.
More importantly, it signaled that Shikage's class quest was stepping into a brand-new stage.
[Class Quest · Stage Two (Completed)]
[Command Shadows: 20/20]
[Conquer Shadows: 1/1 (Shadow Knight)]
[Shadow Slots Unlocked: 20 → 40]
[Shadow Lord Compatibility: 15%]
[Shadow Power Enhanced (Shadow Affinity × 2000%)]
The increase in shadow slots was exactly what he expected—standard class quest reward.
With another twenty slots, the Shadow Legion's overall power had just become terrifying.
The real surprise was that raising his class compatibility actually strengthened his Shadow Power talent.
Aside from the legion itself, [Shadow Power] had given him the biggest boost in strength.
Thanks to that talent he had developed all kinds of clever applications for the Nara shadow techniques.
Without it, he would have been nothing more than an ordinary Nara clan shinobi.
Satisfied with how generous Stage Two's rewards had been, Shikage eagerly opened Stage Three.
[Class Quest · Stage Three]
[Command Shadows: 20/40]
[Conquer Shadows: 1/3 (Shadow Knight)]
The third stage was exactly what he had predicted—just a numbers increase, no qualitative change.
That actually let him breathe a little easier. Raising two more Shadow Knights would be much simpler than trying to push an existing one to the next rank.
He already had candidates in mind for the other two Knights.
The newly recruited boss-level shadow soldier was an obvious choice.
For the last one, he would probably need to look for fresh talent.
The old No.1 (Mizuki's shadow) had already hit its level cap because of its limited potential. It couldn't gain any more experience.
After all, Mizuki had been weak even in life.
If he couldn't find a breakthrough with the Curse Mark, Shikage figured it was time to retire No.1.
"Time to check the research institute's drugs."
Shikage gazed in the direction of Konoha and murmured,
"And it's about time I went back to report for duty."
...
Konoha Village, Training Ground No. 0.
A shadowy figure crept through the trees.
In the dappled light, round glasses glinted on the bridge of his nose.
After choosing the perfect spot, Kabuto unfolded a scroll, formed seals, and muttered the technique. A small coffin appeared.
With practiced movements he lifted the lid and stared at the young child lying inside.
There wasn't a shred of pity or hesitation in his eyes for what he was about to do.
Following Orochimaru's orders, he dispelled the technique that had kept the boy in stasis.
In just a few moments the child would wake up.
The unsettling environment would trigger extreme emotional distress, causing the boy's latent talent to go berserk and wreak havoc across Training Ground No. 0.
The rare and dangerous beasts kept here would inevitably panic and rampage.
And right next door… was Konoha Village.
This was a time bomb.
A time bomb aimed straight at Konoha's civilians.
Once everything was set, Kabuto pulled up his hood and left without looking back.
In the past he might still have felt a trace of warmth.
But ever since Orochimaru had revealed the full truth, Kabuto had lost every last ounce of hope in Konoha.
Even if the entire village burned to the ground, he wouldn't care.
Not long after Kabuto left, the boy named Yūta woke up.
He was clearly confused about his situation—his last memory was lying in a hospital bed watching his parents cry.
Dazed, he sat up and realized his body no longer felt weak and frail like before.
His innocent nature kept him from overthinking. Instead, pure joy filled him as he scrambled out of the coffin and started jumping around.
Feeling the power surging inside him, Yūta only wanted to find his parents and share this wonderful surprise.
"Dad… Mom…"
His urgent calls echoed through the forest, quickly drawing the attention of countless beasts and birds.
In a hidden corner Yūta couldn't see, a spotted leopard crouched low, golden eyes locked on the innocent child.
The next instant—a savage roar.
Yūta whipped around in fright.
The leopard was already mid-pounce.
...
Outside Training Ground No. 0.
Konoha's patrol shinobi were on their usual rounds.
One of them, yawning, suddenly noticed dark clouds gathering above the training ground. He muttered in confusion,
"What's that?"
"Rain coming?"
His partner glanced over lazily.
"Happens sometimes."
"Really?"
The patrolling shinobi still felt something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Kabuto, disguised as the partner, gave a calm nod.
"Yeah."
As Kabuto's gaze flickered, the real patrolman never noticed the subtle genjutsu already settling over his mind.