Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

After leaving the illusionary projection in the base's room, Ye Zi looked at the dimly lit corner of the room, pondering his next steps.

They were still one core member short. Nagato wanted to assign him a genjutsu specialist, but Ye Zi didn't care whether the teammate was proficient in genjutsu, as long as they met the conditions to perform the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals.

Nagato's idea was to recruit Orochimaru for the final spot, but since Orochimaru was currently collaborating with Nanako to research Hashirama's cells, there was no way Ye Zi would let Orochimaru join the Akatsuki.

For now, White Zetsu was his teammate. Compared to Sasori, Ye Zi preferred White Zetsu because, no matter the task, having White Zetsu was like gaining an extra pair of eyes that could see farther.

The missing person could be selected from the rogue ninjas of the major villages.

After the Third Great Ninja War, many of the war factions in the villages didn't agree with the peace treaties, so when the villages signed the peace agreements, these war factions became restless. This led to a sharp rise in the number of ninja defections, with the peak increasing by more than tenfold.

However, cultivating a capable ninja was difficult, and even among those who defected from the major villages and were classified as S-rank, few were suitable candidates.

So even though the defection rate had risen, finding the right person wasn't easy.

While thinking about the final candidate, Ye Zi suddenly thought of Kotoe, who had come with him. The thought barely surfaced before he dismissed it.

Kotoe, as a jonin, was strong, but her chakra capacity was a critical weakness. Moreover, she was an assassination-type ninja. For assassination missions, she would be the perfect choice, but she likely didn't meet the conditions for performing the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals. Furthermore, when it came to capturing tailed beasts, her abilities would be far from adequate.

However...

The thought he had just dismissed resurfaced.

Orochimaru and Nanako were currently collaborating to research Hashirama's cells more thoroughly and meticulously.

There were many directions to explore, including enhancing the combat capabilities of clones and even reviving research that Orochimaru had previously abandoned.

Ye Zi, Nanako, and the very important Shin Uchiha were all successful examples of people who had integrated Hashirama's cells. One of Orochimaru's earlier experiments had been to create a ninja who could use Wood Release, but all attempts had ended in failure.

However, ever since Orochimaru learned that Ye Zi had successfully fused with Hashirama's cells and could use Wood Release, his once-abandoned ambition was reignited. Naturally, the idea of creating a ninja capable of using Wood Release was put back into action.

Ye Zi had no reason to refuse this research.

If there was a way to mass-produce Wood Release users, he would gladly support it. After all, such individuals would be assets for defending against the hidden villages in the future. Moreover, Wood Release had the ability to suppress tailed beasts.

He trusted Orochimaru and Nanako's abilities to perfect this research. So if Kotoe were to join the Akatsuki's core members, her current strength wouldn't meet the standard. Even if given a few more years, there likely wouldn't be significant changes.

Thus, forcibly enhancing her abilities through external means wasn't out of the question.

Having decided on this course of action, Ye Zi wasted no time. He got up and hurried to Kotoe's room.

He didn't bother knocking. He pushed open the door directly. The base was constructed using Wood Release, and the doors had no metal locks. This was because locks served little purpose, and the strict rules within the base meant the issue was never addressed.

Of course, these strict rules didn't apply to Ye Zi. He entered the room and froze at the doorway.

Inside, the room was brightly lit, as was typical for every room, with well-equipped lighting.

In front of the wooden bed, Kotoe was holding a white bandage. When she heard the noise, she looked up like a startled bird and immediately turned her gaze toward the door. Upon seeing Ye Zi, and realizing her current state, she felt a rush of heat to her head, completely unsure of what to do next.

At that moment, under the bright lights, Kotoe was nearly unclothed. Her lower body was wrapped in white bandages, which barely covered the essential areas. As for her chest, the bandages covered only half of it. She had been in the process of wrapping the other half when Ye Zi entered, causing her hands to freeze mid-action.

Her long, straight, snow-white legs, her firm, slender waist without an ounce of excess fat, her delicate yet toned arms, her half-exposed, snow-white chest, and her flushed, beautiful face formed a scene brimming with an irresistible allure.

Ye Zi's gaze fell on Kotoe's exposed skin, and his heart skipped a beat. A wave of heat surged through his body. He suppressed his wandering thoughts and quickly turned around.

"Put your clothes on first."

"Ah."

At this moment, Kotoe let out a soft cry, her face flushed with embarrassment. She instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands, but it seemed too late for that.

The fact that Ye Zi had seen her body made her heart race even faster, filled with shyness, though she was somewhat relieved that he hadn't seen everything.

Holding back her embarrassment, she hastily finished wrapping the bandages, tore them off, grabbed her clothes from the bed, and quickly dressed.

Even after putting on her clothes, her heart continued to race, and the blush on her face showed no sign of fading.

Watching Ye Zi's back, Kotoe took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice as she said, "I'm dressed now."

"Sorry."

Ye Zi immediately apologized, then slowly turned around to look at Kotoe, who was now dressed in green. When his gaze met her shy, green eyes, he instinctively averted his eyes, unable to suppress the image of her bare body from resurfacing in his mind. He was a man, after all, and it was impossible not to react to such a sight.

Initially, Kotoe felt extremely embarrassed, but when she saw Ye Zi avoiding her gaze and looking somewhat awkward, the embarrassment of having her body seen slowly faded.

This was the first time she had seen Ye Zi in such a state. It was a stark contrast to his usual demeanor, and she found it amusing.

Yes, even the cold, seemingly unshakable Ye Zi could have such a reaction.

Perhaps she was the first person to witness this side of him.

Realizing this made her unexpectedly happy.

She liked Ye Zi, so she wasn't opposed to or bothered by his sudden intrusion.

"I wanted to discuss something with you," Ye Zi said, looking at a corner of the room, trying to move past the awkwardness.

Kotoe smiled, her face still slightly flushed, and asked, "What is it?"

"There's a way to make you stronger, but it comes with some risks."

"What kind of method?" Kotoha asked in surprise.

Ye Zi replied, "By injecting Hashirama's cells into your body, you would be able to use Wood Release, and it would also make chakra extraction easier. However, based on Orochimaru and Nanako's current research, even if it succeeds, there are still some risks."

"So, would you be willing to do it?"

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Currently on Chapter 296 - Reincarnating Yagura