The secondary shadow clone meticulously hid all the spoils 200 meters underground, ensuring absolute secrecy and eliminating any risk of accidental discovery.
Understanding the strategic foresight behind this decision, Ma Jia silently gave his approval.
"Still, I'll need to retrieve them at some point; otherwise, there's no point in burying them."
However, the current situation didn't allow Ma Jia to recover the items himself, nor could he sell them on the black market just yet.
"Then, I'll leave it to the main body."
Having made his decision, Ma Jia No. 1 initiated the Technique of Annihilation within the sealed space, transmitting his recent memories to the main body. Shortly after, Ma Jia No. 2 executed the Recovery Technique on schedule, ensuring the cycle continued seamlessly.
Far away on a secluded island in the southeastern seas of the Ninja World, Uchiha Kiyo received the transmitted memories from Ma Jia No. 1. The information was clear—Ma Jia had successfully secured the spoils, but retrieval would require precise coordination. However, Uchiha Kiyo was in the middle of important research and had no time to personally oversee the process.
Utilizing his Earth and Stone Clone as a relay station, Uchiha Kiyo efficiently passed the instructions forward. The earth and stone clone would be responsible for retrieving the hidden spoils and ensuring their safe transport to the black market for sale.
Thanks to the direct memory-sharing technique, there was no need to worry about errors or tracking—the precise location and method were securely imprinted into the clone's mind.
Two hours later, the earth and stone clone successfully retrieved the hidden spoils.
Ten hours later, Ma Jia was "discovered" and brought back to the front lines by Sunagakure's rescue team.
During the mission, Ma Jia had deliberately exposed himself to draw out a Konoha Jōnin and successfully countered the attack, securing a decisive victory. His tactical acumen earned him high praise from Sunagakure's senior officials. As recognition for his contributions, he was credited with completing five A-rank missions and was promptly promoted to Elite Chūnin.
No longer considered mere cannon fodder, Ma Jia had now solidified his place within Sunagakure's ranks.
Due to his exceptional performance, Ma Jia was granted a week-long recovery period in the Sunagakure war camp. During this time, his comrades frequently visited to commend him on his remarkable counterattack. Among them was Gui Hekong, who expressed deep admiration for Ma Jia's skillful battle tactics.
Despite Ma Jia's repeated attempts to attribute his victory to the Konoha Jōnin's mistakes, few believed it was purely luck. Reports from other Sunagakure shinobi who had previously engaged that Konoha Jōnin confirmed that the opponent indeed possessed the strength of a fully-fledged Jōnin.
The fact that Ma Jia was able to kill such a high-level opponent only reinforced the perception of his growing strength.
While Ma Jia recovered, even Sha—who had recently been promoted to Elite Jōnin—came to visit.
Although Uchiha Kiyo's main body had eliminated multiple Elite Jōnin-level opponents in the past, it was not merely due to raw power but also because of carefully crafted tactics and strategic preparation. True Shadow-Level powerhouses were extremely rare, and the ninja world only had a handful in existence. Each village counted their Kage-level fighters on one hand.
Those who were in the process of reaching this level were often referred to as Quasi-Kage—not a true rank, but a recognition of their transition into the realm of Kage-level fighters.
The ninja world's power structure was straightforward—strength developed gradually, and breaking into Kage-level required years of refinement, even after achieving an initial breakthrough.
This was why Elite Jōnin were considered the backbone of every village. They were the highest rank below Kage-level and were crucial to their village's stability.
With Ma Jia's recent achievements, along with his growing connections among the Elite Jōnin, it was clear that he was on the path to becoming a key figure in Sunagakure's future.
---
Meanwhile, at his research base, Uchiha Kiyo activated a smaller isolation formation, covering his entire house. He ensured that the formation had enough chakra stored to last for at least half a month, shielding his activities from detection.
Once the precautions were in place, Uchiha Kiyo finally turned his attention to his next major research endeavor.
In the ninja world, the most valuable resource wasn't wealth or weapons—it was ninjutsu knowledge.
Uchiha Kiyo deeply understood this truth.
Knowledge was the foundation of power.
A perfect example was Orochimaru, a shinobi who possessed core scientific knowledge and remained a major player from the early days of the ninja world all the way to the later years. His strength rarely declined, making him a unique existence among ninjas.
Uchiha Kiyo had even greater ambitions.
His ultimate goal was to develop an entirely new cultivation system beyond traditional ninjutsu.
In a world where science existed, Uchiha Kiyo naturally chose a scientific path to power.
This wasn't a sudden decision—it had been a lifelong pursuit.
From his early research in Amegakure to his theories on the nature of ninjutsu, Uchiha Kiyo had always been dedicated to discovery. His work led to the refinement and improvement of his Self-Cultivation Technique and Body Enhancement Technique, which remained the cornerstone of his strength.
However, since the start of the Second Ninja World War, his time for dedicated research had dwindled.
Now, after two years, Uchiha Kiyo was finally able to resume long-term research without distractions.
And this time, his focus was on one of the most mysterious and least understood aspects of chakra—spiritual energy.
Unlike the soul, spiritual energy was a separate force that existed only because of chakra.
Prior to chakra's discovery, there was no such thing as spiritual energy in the ninja world.
Despite its fundamental role in forming chakra, very few had ever researched its properties in depth.
Through his studies, Uchiha Kiyo had discovered that spiritual energy not only fused with physical energy to create chakra but also had a direct connection to the soul.
Even more intriguingly, when he developed the Technique of Annihilation and Recovery, he realized that spiritual energy could temporarily substitute for the soul itself.
This revelation greatly increased his interest.
With the isolation formation activated, Uchiha Kiyo could now conduct experiments freely, without fear of detection.
However, he wasn't going to rush into testing just yet.
First, he needed to review and consolidate his previous research, refining the theoretical foundation before proceeding with the next stage.
"A weak foundation will collapse under pressure."
Uchiha Kiyo understood this principle well.
Sharpening his blade before cutting wood—preparation was key.
He started by organizing his insights from the past two years, integrating his knowledge of chakra circulation techniques and making improvements to his fundamental theories.
Only then did he turn his attention to spiritual energy research.
"Spiritual energy is too abstract to study directly. I'll need to find an indirect approach."
To achieve this, he would use conversion techniques—a method he had learned in scientific experiments from his past life.
Since spiritual energy was a major component of chakra, he could analyze chakra itself to gain insight into spiritual energy's properties.
His first test involved isolating a small portion of chakra—around 100 calories—and observing its behavior.
Uchiha Kiyo took every precaution, ensuring his surroundings were safe before beginning his first controlled experiment.
With everything set, the research officially began.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 175+ CHAPTERS
patreon.com/HACKDWORLD