Yakushi Nono's sneak attack was extremely sudden, and perhaps it would have been effective against inexperienced ordinary Chunin, but facing Pakura, it was undoubtedly meaningless.
With a whoosh, two senbon pierced through Pakura's afterimage, striking the metal wall with a clang and snapping in half.
When Yakushi Nono saw Pakura vanish, she was slightly startled, then suddenly felt a slight pain in the back of her neck and immediately fell unconscious.
Pakura, who had used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Yakushi Nono, chuckled softly. In her eyes, the Walking Shrine Maiden might possess extraordinary intelligence capabilities, but her combat strength was at most that of a Chunin. Facing Pakura, the Kazekage, she was merely cannon fodder that could be instantly killed with a casual move.
If Vegapunk hadn't taken an interest, Pakura definitely wouldn't have held back. The Walking Shrine Maiden was famous, and she must possess a great deal of confidential intelligence. Yakushi Nono's fate would surely be miserable; it would be quicker and cleaner to just kill her and extract the secrets from her brain!
When Yakushi Nono opened her eyes again, she found herself inside a sterile white laboratory.
However, she seemed to be restrained on the bed. She turned her head slightly and saw several metal rings clamped onto her hands and feet.
Furthermore, mobilizing her own Chakra was extremely difficult. It must have been suppressed by some drug or seal.
When she raised her head, she saw a Blond Youth busy working at a laboratory bench. Beside him, a woman with a hime cut, whose beauty was beyond imagination, was gazing at the youth with an expression of complete infatuation.
Vegapunk, Boa Hancock?
Yakushi Nono's heart skipped a beat. Recalling the intelligence she had read, she immediately recognized their identities.
Unfortunately, knowing this was useless now, as she had already been captured. Although she had considered meeting these two, she never expected it to be under these circumstances.
She wondered how they planned to deal with her. According to the intelligence, although Vegapunk was a super genius in scientific research, as a sixteen or seventeen-year-old noble youth, he still had the weakness of being susceptible to beauty... Yakushi Nono was somewhat confident in her own looks. It was precisely because of her appearance and gentle temperament that she could quickly gain the trust of others. At least two or three tenths of the reputation of the Walking Shrine Maiden relied on the goodwill her appearance generated.
However, after seeing Hancock's beauty, her confidence was not so strong. Furthermore, she knew very well that Vegapunk was only somewhat susceptible to beauty, not the type to be completely infatuated and lose his mind over someone.
But at least she hadn't been thrown into the Interrogation Department. Thinking of the Interrogation Ninja she had seen in Konoha's Root, a trace of fear flashed in Yakushi Nono's eyes.
"Oh, you're awake?" Vegapunk, who seemed to have just finished calculating a piece of data, stretched, looked up at Yakushi Nono, and spoke with some surprise.
Yakushi Nono said in a low voice, "Are you Doctor Vegapunk? What do you intend to do by bringing me here?"
"Oh, naturally, you're going to be my lab assistant and my test subject," Vegapunk replied casually.
Yakushi Nono was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile. "A test subject... Doctor, are you joking? If I'm a test subject, how can I be a lab assistant?"
"I'm not joking," Vegapunk said seriously. "If I don't mess with you a bit and run some experiments, how can I make you my lab assistant?"
As he spoke, Vegapunk reached out and pulled out a syringe containing a strange silvery substance that shimmered with a metallic luster. Yakushi Nono wondered if she was mistaken, but she actually sensed faint Chakra flowing within that silvery mass.
It was not surprising for inanimate objects to possess Chakra, but that Chakra was usually static. Only living things possessed flowing Chakra like this, yet no matter how she looked at the silver substance, it didn't seem alive.
At this point, Vegapunk began his explanation: "The human brain produces different electrical signals under different emotions and thought processes. By analyzing these electrical signal regions, it is possible to achieve Mind-Reading."
"For me, merely controlling magnetic fields to read minds isn't difficult, but I want mass adoption, not an exception. That's why I developed this Nanometer Mind-Reading Machine. Once these Nanomachines are injected into your brain, they can read the signals in your brain and understand everything you are thinking."
"Of course, even though my specialty is brain research, achieving this isn't easy... so I'll have to trouble you to be a test subject so I can run a few more experiments."
"Once the experiment is successful, I will program the Nanometer Mind-Reading Machine. If you harbor any dissatisfaction towards me, or have any intention of harming me, it will immediately release electrical signals directly into your brain..."
"The pain simulated by these electrical signals, which directly interface with the brain, will bypass even your brain's shielding function. The intensity of the pain will absolutely exceed your imagination. I believe after a few lessons, you will become docile."
The more Vegapunk spoke, the paler Yakushi Nono's face became. After listening to Vegapunk's explanation, Yakushi Nono felt that the handsome Blond Youth before her was a figure more terrifying than a devil.
Having her innermost thoughts completely exposed, and even being punished for merely having certain ideas... this was even more terrifying and twisted than Danzo, the Darkness of the Ninja World!
"No, don't, don't come any closer!"
...Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
"Hmm... alright, I understand!"
The Vegapunk Clone hung up the phone, glanced at the Fourth Raikage, who was adapting to his body, and said, "I need to go check on the newly ordered Third-Generation Electron Microscope. I have to leave the village for a trip."
With a loud crash, the Fourth Raikage, who was practicing his reaction speed, couldn't stop in time and slammed headfirst into the steel wall, leaving a human-shaped indentation.
Looking closely, the wall already had at least seventy or eighty human-shaped dents, all clearly made by the Fourth Raikage.
During this time, the Fourth Raikage had been adapting to his near-godlike reaction speed after cultivating Current Propulsion. His adaptation speed was also very fast; had Vegapunk not distracted him just now, he wouldn't have made another mistake.
Shaking his head, the Fourth Raikage climbed out. "Electron Microscope? Can't they just deliver it?"
"I need to see if it meets my standards. Custom-made items like this require careful inspection, otherwise, it will take quite a while for them to remake it."
The Vegapunk Clone shrugged and explained.
This wasn't the first time this had happened. During this period, the Vegapunk Clone had also undergone a series of self-enhancements. Even if his combat talent wasn't outstanding, by relying on sheer physical strength and Chakra volume, he was already a top-tier Elite Jonin and could spar with Kage-level Ninja.
Moreover, every time he went out, the protective measures were excellent: a Jinchuriki plus two Kage Guard Unit-level Elite Jonin. Even if a Kage-level Powerhouse encountered them, they wouldn't fare well.
Initially, these people served as both guards and monitors, and the Fourth Raikage himself even took action, fearing that the Vegapunk Clone might run away. However, after these trips became frequent, the Fourth Raikage developed some trust in him, and now it was purely protection.
So the Fourth Raikage didn't refuse. "Alright! I'll arrange the guards. When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow. I need to finish collecting the data I have first."
Early the next morning, Vegapunk saw his three protectors at the gates of Kumogakure.
The team consisted of the languid Darui, the somewhat arrogant Yugito, and the very serious-looking C, who possessed the rare pale skin of Kumogakure. This was Vegapunk's Guard Unit.
Darui appeared lazy, but he was actually a Ninja with a style similar to Kakashi Hatake. Not only was his strength outstanding, but his combat experience and wisdom were also extensive, making him the leader of the team.
Yugito, needless to say, was a Perfect Jinchuriki and a Kage-level Ninja specializing in destructive power.
Although C's strength was inferior to his two teammates, his abilities were extremely comprehensive. Whether it was Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Perception, or Medical Ninjutsu, they all reached the Jonin level, making him an all-rounder with no blind spots.
It could be said that besides Kumogakure's AB Combo, these three were Kumogakure's trump cards. The fact that all three were working together to protect Vegapunk showed how highly Kumogakure valued the Vegapunk Clone.
"Doctor, you're here. Are we leaving now?" Darui asked respectfully upon seeing Vegapunk.
"Of course, I'm in a hurry. Let's leave now. With the Cloud Rail Tram, it shouldn't take long to reach our destination!"
The Cloud Rail Tram was a mode of transportation specifically created for mountainous terrain like the Land of Lightning. Its actual technological content wasn't high, but it required the nation to complete basic industrialization.
This is why, while transportation in the other countries hadn't seen major changes, the Land of Lightning had already achieved high-speed transport first. Top-tier technology could be provided single-handedly by Vegapunk, but the process of industrialization was not something one scientist could accomplish; it required the efforts of the entire nation for at least several years.
Kumogakure was built high on a mountain, and general access was not easy. However, after the Cloud Rail Tram was established, transportation became much more convenient. The Cloud Rail Tram station was located on the mountainside below the summit.
"The Cloud Rail Tram is truly a perfect invention!" Darui, sitting in the vehicle, exclaimed admiringly. "It's just a shame that it can't be implemented nationwide yet..."
"Because it's too easy to destroy! Just a few Genin can ruin the Cloud Rail by sticking enough Explosive Tags on it," the rather cold and proud Yugito chimed in.
"But even so, this is a groundbreaking invention, worthy of Doctor Vegapunk!" C said, trying to smooth things over.
"I think what you're describing isn't a problem with my invention, but a problem with you Ninja!" The Vegapunk Clone rolled his eyes and said to the Two-Tails Jinchuriki:
"Are you expecting me to develop a mode of transport that cannot be destroyed by Ninja? Are you planning to use armored vehicles for transportation in the future?"
"But traveling like this is indeed very dangerous! If the Cloud Rail crashes, Ninja might be fine, but ordinary people would have little hope of survival!"
Yugito said, frowning.
"That's why the Cloud Rail Tram has not been fully opened; it can only be built in areas completely controlled by Kumogakure, which guards against desperate Rogue Ninja."
Vegapunk shrugged. "Unless a full-scale war breaks out, those powerful Ninja shouldn't deliberately run off to bomb the Cloud Rail! Kumogakure should still have some deterrent power."
Ninja combat not involving civilians is the consensus and explicit rule among all Ninja Villages. Although this rule cannot be strictly followed due to the loose management of the Ninja Villages,
those are only occasional actions by a few Rogue Ninja. On the surface, the Great Ninja Villages still abide by the regulations.
As for directly blowing up a nation's vital infrastructure, aside from a few Rogue Ninja, ordinary Ninja would absolutely not do such a thing under normal circumstances.
"That's true. It's not easy for an ordinary Ninja to bomb the Cloud Rail, and Kumogakure is not to be trifled with!"
Although Yugito initially doubted the safety of the Cloud Rail, she was quite confident in her own Ninja Village. "Aside from the Stone Ninja, Kumogakure has never been proactively attacked by other Ninja Villages! Those cowards certainly wouldn't dare cause trouble for us Kumogakure Ninja!"
So you often attack others, right? The Vegapunk Clone secretly rolled his eyes.
However, he had to admit that the barbarians of Kumogakure were indeed formidable. Their strength, unity, and pride were vastly different from ordinary Ninja Villages, which was why Kumogakure was able to grow stronger and stronger even before Vegapunk arrived.
"Wait, something's wrong," C, who possessed Perception abilities, suddenly sat up, his expression changing. "There's an ambush!"
Just then, with a loud bang, the entire Cloud Rail Tram tilted. As a sense of weightlessness set in, the tram derailed and plummeted toward the ground.
Amidst a fierce explosion, the Cloud Rail Tram that had crashed to the ground turned into a massive fireball, spewing various metal parts that scattered over hundreds of meters.
However, this attack posed little threat to Vegapunk and his companions, the weakest of whom was a Jonin. The four had jumped out before the tram hit the ground, landing in front of the fiercely burning wreckage.
Yugito's expression was extremely grim. She had just finished saying that no one would dare cause trouble for Kumogakure, only for them to immediately be hit by a Terrorist Attack. Her beautiful face felt thoroughly slapped; it would be strange if she weren't angry.
However, when she looked up and saw the group of Ninja in front of her, her expression involuntarily changed slightly.
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