Chapter 11

He was so… handsome.

The most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. Merely looking at him caused her heart to beat faster, her stomach to turn, her blood to rush to her face, and gave her an unfamiliar warmth that she could not control. With beautiful tanned skin, rich golden eyes, and such long, long locks of dark braided hair – her breathing picked up as she imagined being whisked away by such a man. Considering that she just recently turned twelve, it was made worse by all the complicated feelings and emotions that came with that age, and her imagination ran wild.

It was strange for them to have visitors in the Land of Snow, though. Her father rarely ever got people from across the world travelling here to meet with him. More than that, he rarely ever got visitors in the form of a handsome priest. The way he carried himself, it was more regal and more elegant than anything she could put together. The way he spoke, he commanded more authority and respect than anything she could ever muster. She didn't really know what her father was discussing with him, but she knew it was something serious and business-like. She really ought to pay attention to it though – because she would be the Daimyo one day, and she would need to do her best to understand all the politics and stuff.

A sudden wave of pleasure and happiness hit her and she gawked from her hiding spot. She had never felt anything like it before – a burning feeling that washed over her skin, crawled and caressed her body, comforting her, reassuring her and at the same time soothing her – she bit her lip as the sensation drenched her in its full embrace, feeling like pure, unbridled euphoria –

Her breaths came out in short pants as she tried to understand, or comprehend what it was that hit her – what it was that rolled over her like that – she continued peeking, and surely enough, she knew that it was from the man. The handsome man. His very presence sung of that comforting, pleasurable feeling –

She yearned for it. For him. Already, she envisioned dirty little fantasies in her mind, blushing up a storm as she wondered how he would feel, she wondered if he would be gentle as he appeared, or a savage, ravaging beast –

"Ah, Koyuki-chan."

She went ramrod straight at her father's voice. Her fantasies stopped abruptly, especially as she knew that she had to put on the demure appearance that was required of her. She stepped out from her location, slowly, gently, mentally counting her steps and calculating her breathing, before appearing in front of the guests.

"This is my daughter, Koyuki." She heard her father say, his voice preening with pride. "Koyuki – this gentleman before us is called The Shepherd."

She bowed, doing her best to smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you Shepherd-sama."

He smiled at her, and she felt her heart nearly burst. "And likewise, it is a pleasure to meet you, Koyuki-chan."

It shouldn't have been possible for mere words to make her feel as though she had been pleasured. Yet, that was exactly how it felt. The Shepherd's smooth, soft voice caressed her like a passionate, yet gentle lover, and it took every last ounce of her willpower to stop herself from crying out like a bride in the throes of passion.

"You have a truly beautiful daughter Kazahana-dono," The Shepherd said, and Koyuki found it hard to as much as breathe, lest her dwindling resistance fail and she lose every inhibition.

"But of course, my daughter is my gem." He said with a grandiose laugh. "I love her more than anything in the world."

"More than anything?" The Shepherd said, his golden eyes locking unto her form –

And her body shuddered as she bit down on her lip.

She – she –

"I would have her then."

Had she been in a clearer state of mind, she would have reacted to the Shepherd's statement with shock, confusion, shooting her gaze upwards in a mix of disbelief and giddiness –

Instead, she tried her best not to be… overwhelmed for a second time.

"Ah – my – daughter… you want… her?" Her father's voice croaked.

"Yes, Sosetsu Kazahana-dono," the Shepherd said, his voice smooth and clear "You did state that you would grant me whatever it was I desired – was that declaration a lie, Sosetsu-dono?" The Shepherd tilted his head, "Are you a man, who makes empty promises, Sosetsu-san?"

"No! Surely – I am not – but… my daughter –"

"Are you aware of the story of Jephthah, Sosetsu-san?" The Shepherd spoke, his voice clear "He made a promise to the Divine – that should he slaughter his enemies, overcome them, he would grant unto the Divine, the first person whose feet enter his door. And so it was – that the first person who entered his abode… was his beloved daughter."

"I – you see –"

"Are you a liar Sosetsu?"

The voice thundered across the room, and Koyuki had never seen her father so ashen.

"N-no." he said, his voice low "B-but – not my daughter. Please. Anything but her – anything else – anything you ask for – anything but my Koyuki."

"Anything?" The Shepherd asked.

"Anything!"

The Shepherd smiled.

"Very well." He rose his hands. "Then grant me your kingdom, oh great Daimyo."

Her father glanced at her, and then back to the Shepherd, before seemingly swallowing a thick lump in his throat.

"You… you may have it." He croaked. "The Land of Snow is yours."

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Son of Gato –

Year Five – Month Twelve, Day Three

One of the few things I loved about behavioral psychology, was the "Foot-in-the-door" phenomenon. Or, as I liked to call it, the "Decoy Bargain." It was always significantly easier for someone to gain something from someone else, if they made a large, absurd demand first, and then made their actual demand afterwards. Done in such a way, it would make it appear as though the second offer was far more reasonable, even if it was not truly so.

You wanted to get a hundred ryo?

As for a thousand, and when the decoy bargain failed, you asked for your real amount, which would seem far more reasonable in comparison.

You desired to take a girl on a date?

Ask her, as comically as possible, for you to grow old together. She would flat out turn you down. And then, you sprung the actual question, 'a single date,' which would seem far more reasonable once the decoy bargain had run its course.

The reason it worked effectively was because people tended to feel guilty about refusing others, no matter how much they claimed to be the type of person who could bluntly do so. To refuse someone, twice, in a short span of time would make them feel immense guilt, hence, they were more likely to accept the second demand, especially if it seemed far more feasible than the first.

I used this trick in my old life to gain favors and items from other people, and this was when I was an average-looking young man with no special traits to trigger any innate biases.

But as the Shepherd?

I almost laughed as I watched Kazahana Sosetsu finalize the papers which would crown me as the Daimyo of the Land of Snow – all because I had tricked the fool into promising me 'any one thing' he desired, and then promptly asked him for the one thing I knew he would never be willing to give. It was a decoy bargain, asking for his daughter, because I had no true intention of actually keeping her – but he did not know that. Upon refusing the decoy bargain, asking for his position as Daimyo was child's play.

I watched as Doto Kazahana seethed quietly in the corner, and I knew that I had ruined the fool's plans to assassinate his brother and become the Daimyo. Not that I could blame him – such a plan which he had no doubt spent months or years finalizing, only for all of it to be rendered pointless by the arrival of a foreign force.

Of course, I could not have my recent ascension to Daimyo of the country be ruined by any idiots, nor could I allow for the continued existence of the ex-Daimyo, which would constantly be a thorn to my authority that I did not suitably need.

A shame that they would both have to go.

XXXX

"Shh… be calm my child. It will all be better. Your father has gone to a far better place now."

The crying form of a twelve-year old Koyuki Kazahana clung to me, as I slowly, reassuringly rubbed her back and her head, holding her in a tight embrace. We stood in the large, open throne room of the Kazahana Fort, and I let the girl weep.

"Do not worry my child, we shall hold a memorable service in his honor – and we shall not forget him."

So it had been, that Doto Kazahana, angry and seething at his brother's casual handing over of their country to a foreigner, confronted Sosetsu Kazahana in public, engaging in a heated, angry shouting match, before, in the heat of the moment, Doto launched the first punch. Of course, Sosetsu, baffled at his brother's violent outburst, could do nothing but stare on in shock, as his brother unleashed his full fury upon him.

The people of Yuki no Kuni had stared on in shock, as the former Daimyo was beaten like a mere thug on the streets. Doto Kazahana was a beast – an animal – and he rained layer upon layer of blows upon his brother, so much that the snow beneath them was absolutely layered with blood, and the blows had continued until one connected and resounded with a thick, sickening crack.

Sosetsu Kazahana lay dead, and his panting brother stood above him, with bloodied fists.

For all of a few seconds, before he, as well, collapsed, grasping at his chest and coughing violently before falling over, dead.

Or at the very least, that was the version I wanted everyone to believe.

The truth was far, far trickier – but now irrelevant. The less that was said of it, the better. It was not like anyone needed to know, that when Doto had supposedly been attacking his brother, he had instead been in his room, where several sharp icicles impaled his throat.

Part of me couldn't help but feel the irony, as I wondered what Koyuki would do if she realized that the hands which calmed, stroked and comforted her, were the same ones which had beat her father to bloody death.

Considering that in the nearest future, these same hands would be inside her –

It was just too deliciously ironic.

Congratulations!

You have attained absolute sovereign control over an entire country!

You are now [Daimyo] of the Land of Snow!

You can now fully assign tasks, funds, management, and choose the production of the country under your command!

New Territory Attained!

Land of Snow (Yuki no Kuni)

A frozen country on the farthest edges of the world, with access to technology, ores, silvers, and unexpected amounts of riches. Previously owned by Sosetsu Kazahana before formally handing it over, the country is yours to modify and command.

Statistical Information:

Taxation Rate: Low

Illiteracy Rate: 9.2%

Poverty Rate: 13.07%

Unemployment Rate: 16.4%

Birth Rate: 50.1%

Death Rate: 30.5%

Environmental Cleanliness: 89.7%

Populace Satisfaction: 96%

Population Count: 7,523

[Note: Low ratings of Environment Cleanliness equal higher frequency of diseases and illnesses, and potential spreads of viruses/epidemics.]

Infrastructural Information:

No. of Hospitals: 2

No. of Schools: 5

No. of Industries: 24

No. of Casinos: 0

No. of Geisha Houses: 0

No. of Brothels: 1

No. of Hotels: 2

No. of Hot Springs: 0

No. of Tourist Attractions: 0

Religious Information:

You have established your religion amongst the people, rewriting their perspectives, stripping away their individuality, redrafting their history, preying on their gullibility and making them believe in your philosophical and religious "doctrines".

Religion of Gatoism

Leader/Ruler/High-Priest: Gat the Shepherd

Designation of Followers: Sheep/Sheeple

Philosophical Doctrine: The Sheep are lost without the Shepherd. The Sheep are devoured without the Shepherd. The Sheep are nothing without the Shepherd.

Religious Doctrine: The Divine Shepherd is god.

Mantras: Freedom is Slavery/Ignorance is Strength/All men are born equal, but some men are more equal than others.

Devotees: 9

Brainwashing: 1%

Fanaticism: 0%

Loyalty: 42%

Fame: Incredibly Well Known

Sphere of Influence: Land of Water, Land of Hot Springs, Land of Fire, Land of Bears, Land of Hot Water

It had been such a long time since I last gained territory. Since Waterlily Port Town… a full year ago. So much had happened in that time.

Industrial Production

The Land of Snow (Yuki no Kuni) has special productions which are unique to it. These special productions include:

[Transportation System – Trains]

[Transportation System – Blimps]

[Special Item – Chakra Armor]

[Special Item – Chakra Negator]

[Special Item – Generator]

Ah – this was going to be simply, glorious.

XXXX

Year Five – Month Twelve, Day Eight

"Haku-chan, Kimimaro-kun – make yourselves at home," I said, gesturing to the large castle, before turning back to them. "Yuki no Kuni is ours, and we're going to be staying here for a while. It can get a bit cold – but I think you'll warm up to it in no time."

"Wow… this place… it's so huge!"

It was indeed. The scale of the fort – which I'd quickly christened Shepherd Citadel – had been grossly underestimated in the sole movie that depicted this area of the world. The fort was large, easily twice the size of the Fire Daimyo's compound, and it could have been the size of a small town on its own. It was staffed and operated by servants, something that had been missing in the Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow movie – and there were other areas within it which were owned by some of the country's richer citizens. However, the majority of it belonged to the Daimyo, to me.

"There are over twenty two or so bedrooms," I added, "So pick whichever ones you like. Although, one preferably close-by. The kitchens are operated by the Citadel's staff – who all have their own quarters here. There isn't much in the way for entertainment, surprisingly – but, there is a large courtyard which I can get repurposed into a proper training field."

The interior of the fort was large and blue, being designed in a manner that would not have been out of place in a videogame level, with architectural designs that were nothing I'd ever seen in the Elemental Nations so far. The Main Throne Room held a long carpet which led to a central chair that stood above all others, in a vast hall designed with numerous ornaments, trinkets, and candles. The hallways were filled with different paintings, and they were broad, long stretches of things with a staircase at the end.

Thankfully, the country had electricity, and everywhere was powered up with electric lightbulbs or fluorescent lighting that was elegantly designed to be shaped like icy prisms. There was also the existence of rushing water and proper water-closet toilets and sinks, which meant hot showers. It also meant that the inside of buildings had temperature regulators that weren't the Cool-GATs that I had my company manufacture. It was just another one of those things that reminded me of how the Land of Snow developed differently from other nations, and the technological divide that existed between them.

"So… we finally made it here." Kitami spoke up, glancing around at the room. "I can't say I'm fond of the cold, but I have a feeling it won't be a problem for long."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because you've got that look on your face."

I smirked. "What look?"

"There – that one – the one that makes it appear as though you're about to perform another miracle."

"Well… maybe I am."

Kitami shook his head. "I'm going to find something to drink." He turned to one of the maids, "Hey you –

"Her name is Ikki." I supplied helpfully. I sometimes forgot that not everyone had the ability to see people's names on top of their heads.

"Ikki! What's the best booze you've got in this frozen wasteland?"

I watched Kitami make his way to the kitchens, and then turned my attention to Haku and Kimimaro.

"Hmm… now… you two also need to find something doing for the mean while…" I turned to Haku, "Haku-chan – how about you trail Koyuki, and then try to teach her a few things? She's practically nothing but a useless pretty face to me at the moment, so, try to change that."

I almost grinned at seeing Haku's slightly begrudged expression. I didn't even need my Observe to know that she was did not like the other girl, for fear that Koyuki would try and 'steal' me away.

"You can be… a little bit rough on her. I'd say she needs the tough love."

Haku's smile was almost predatory.

"Hai Shepherd-sama!"

And she was gone in a crack of ice.

I turned to the last member of the group. "Kimimaro-kun. While we're here, we might as well work on making you even stronger."

He straightened up at the prospect of power and training, and I smiled at him.

"Imagine the amount of damage you would be capable of wreathing, if you could channel Lightning Chakra through your bones and use them to attack. A living lightning rod, making you possess unbeatable offense and defense."

I felt Tutoring immediately become active, and watched as Kimimaro's eyes widened as he realized the implications, and the applications.

"Not just Lightning Chakra – but other types as well. Your bones are already an unbreakable defense – but to turn it into an unstoppable offense, imagine channeling Wind Chakra through it. Using Wind Chakra with your Bone Bullet technique or Bone Lance would make them unstoppable piercing projectiles. Or you could simply utilize Wind Ninjutsu with your bloodline in order to achieve maximum range and damage."

He was immediately jotting down what I was saying, and I felt my cheek twitch.

"So – we're going to get started on your Nature Manipulation training." I said simply. "I'm not sure what your chakra nature is, however, it doesn't matter, considering we'll be working on all five natures regardless. By the time we're done, you should be able to wield all five Chakra Natures naturally."

Sarutobi Hiruzen could do it – after years and years of training, and he didn't even have a hax teacher like myself to impart the knowledge and boost up the training speed and progress. So, it was feasible that in the next twelve years, Kimimaro could and would master all the five chakra natures.

"So – start with wind, and then go to lightning, and then, fire, earth and water."

"Understood, Shepherd-sama." Kimimaro declared. "I will not let you down."

I spent a short while teaching him the basics of using Wind Chakra, before leaving him to his devices. Now, left on my own, I decided it would be best to begin working on the next agenda of my plans, particularly, the production stages. I made my way out of the Citadel and into the general city, following the map I possessed which ensured that I never got lost, before eventually finding myself standing at a building.

Yuki no Kuni Technological Research and Development Division

I sauntered my way inside, immediately drawing looks from many people who realized that their newest Daimyo was present.

"Is that?"

"It's him – the new Daimyo –"

"Shepherd-sama? Shepherd-sama is here?"

I paid little heed to the idle and excited chitter-chatter, before merely smiling at the gathered workers,

"May I know who is in charge here?"

"Eh – that would be me," a somewhat young, bespectacled and bearded man approached, wearing a labcoat that was stained with oils and different other assortment of colors which I could only wager a guess to.

"Hasshinsha Hatsumei." I greeted, delighting in his momentary surprise, "A pleasure to meet you."

"E-eh – yes, a pleasure to meet you as well Daimyo-sama," he said, recollecting himself "may I know what brings you down here Daimyo-sama?"

I smiled. "I merely wanted to meet the genius mind behind the revolutionary Chakra Armor, and the Weather Regulation System."

"E-e-eh – you – ah – you flatter me, Daimyo-sama. It is merely out of necessity that we build what we have." The man adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, "E-eh however, Daimyo-sama, the Chakra Armor is still in its experimental stages… how is it, that you came by the knowledge of it?"

"I am a holy man, Hatsumei-san. It is the same way I knew your name even before I met you. You may not place much stock in it, but the Divine – he is real, and he is powerful." I shook my head, "Regardless, that is not the reason why I am here. I am here to aid you, and to help you do whatever it takes to complete the Chakra Armor, to reinvent the trains – and then, go beyond."

"E-e-eh – beyond, Daimyo-sama?"

I nodded, grinning for the first time.

"Tell me Hatsumei-san, what do you know of Nature Chakra Theory?"

XXXX

The benefits of the Legendary Master title, when working in collaboration with high A-Rank Luck, S-Rank Charisma, and Tutoring as a skill, equaled a completely asinine level of work-ethic and production rate.

As it turned out, my Tutoring skill when combined with all the above, actually exceeded my own limitations and capacity. I had casually told the kitchen chef an interesting way to make a meal (pizza) from my home world, and I watched as she went and created a perfect pepperoni pizza that almost had me mouth-watering at the taste. From there on, she somehow reverse-engineered other recipes, from vegetable pizza, to chicken pizza, and on and on, until she created apple pie.

The thing was, I didn't even know how to make pizza. Or, more accurately, I had the vague idea as to what you did, how you beat the dough and spun it and what not, but I'd never actually made one before. Yet, from my vague instructions, numerous masterpieces emerged.

Likewise, I had once jokingly jested to Haku about a fascinating form of dancing (salsa), and playfully twirled her around and watched her mortified, blushing expression… and then, just like that, I watched her not only master the dance to such nigh-perfect precision, but she went out of her way and learned ballet, without even realizing what it was.

She learned ballet from salsa.

Gods, I felt overpowered.

Sure, I was 'weak' in the contemporary sense of 'power' considering I couldn't drop meteorites from the sky at a whim and summon giant spectral avatars to fight – but this – here – the little things that I could do that made such a significant difference – that was where my power lied.

Of course… if I could twirl around a little girl and watch as she mastered dance from that tiny action, and went on to discover a whole different branch of it… you could clearly imagine the outcome, of what happened, when I gave in-depth, insightful lessons to a whole group of workers and inventors about the nature and applications of all forms and types of chakra.

The result?

"H-eh – I swear, Daimyo-sama, we had no idea what came over us. It was like… our minds were open. Like we could understand things like never before – it was a furious frenzy of invention and tinkering, with very little sleeping – and – well – we did it."

"You… you completed the Chakra Armor?"

"E-eh – we did an even better one, Daimyo-sama. We revolutionized it." Hatsumei declared.

I stood in the laboratory, surrounded by tired-looking scientists and engineers, with Hatsumei standing in front of them, the most tired looking of all of them. In front of me, a large white tarp covered an item, and I could almost feel my mouth water in anticipation of what device had been created.

"E-eh, I present to you, Daimyo-sama – the Chakra Armor, Mark II."

He dragged the tarp off, and I came face to face with –

"Is – is this supposed to be some sort of joke?" I felt my right eye become very, very tempted to begin twitching.

"Ah – no – not at all Daimyo-sama. This is the reworked and significantly improved model."

"Why… does it look like…?"

"E-eh – ah – the new material used for the armor is an organic-synthetic hybrid of made of polyether-polyurea copolymer microparticles. We emulsified it with surfactants and –"

"It's latex." I interrupted, unable to hide my exasperation. "The Chakra Armor is less of an armor, and more of a latex suit."

"Ah w-well," Hatsumei coughed awkwardly and adjusted his glasses, "Considering the purpose of the Chakra Armor is not to weather physical attacks, but to rather focus on the absorption, assimilation and redistribution of chakra – we revised our designs to enable it to be worn stealthily to avoid extensive scrutiny."

"What part of shiny black latex do you believe is stealthy?"

"Ah – for starters, Daimyo-sama – I do not believe that anyone would suspect a latex suit to be the culprit responsible for the failure of their chakra-based technique to affect their opponents."

"…Fair point." I conceded. "Although, I have a feeling that was not the only reason you changed the appearance."

Hatsumei coughed even harder. "Eh – Ah… well – our design team happens to be female – and… once they realized that they would be making armor for you Daimyo-sama, they may have… er… gotten carried away."

"For me? Why would –"

Oh. That's right. I was handsome. Ridiculously, over-the-top handsome. Of course they'd want to see me in skin tight latex. Again, I never believed that this would be an issue. How wrong I was. I rubbed my nose slowly. Deep breaths.

"Does the change in design hinder any of the features?"

"Ah – not in the slightest Daimyo-sama. Rather… it accomplished the opposite. The slimmer design enabled us to be capable of maximizing the armor's absorption index – whilst at the same time providing a far-durable pseudo-exoskeletal defense. The material boasts of a tensile strength and durability at least a hundred times that of spider silk. Believe me when I say this Daimyo-sama, the aesthetics of the Armor grossly undersells its true capabilities."

I looked over the material again, the shiny material that looked like it would not be out of place in an S&M room – and I could immediately understand Hatsumei's comment. No one would be expecting something like this to be capable of providing any sort of defense. It would be like going into battle against someone wearing a bikini, and then expecting the bikini to be bulletproof. It just did not happen.

Unless of course, you were using video-game logic.

"Fascinating as that is, I don't think we can call it Chakra Armor anymore with such a design. Chakra Suit would be more appropriate."

I turned back to Hatsumei.

"Now, tell me – what exactly does it do?"

The inventor pushed his glasses up, and smiled.

"Ah… how about, I show you."

XXXX

"Ah – eh – Utilizing a lot of your theories truly helped us, Daimyo-sama, and I feel you are amazingly educated for a religious man. That law you told us – the Laws of Thermodynamics, I believe you called it – enables us to make great strides in our progress."

We walked down the hallway of the TRDD, heading to a designated test room, and I took my time to engage in a discourse with Hatsumei, whilst also taking in a full view of all the faces I encountered on the way.

"How so?" I spoke up, my mind partially on the conversation, and partially focused on some of the female scientists.

"Eh – Chakra, it seems, also tends to follow this law. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, merely transferred from one form to another. Chakra, in turn, cannot be created from nothing, or destroyed into nothingness – but merely changing forms accordingly." Hatsumei explained.

At first, I wondered if he was explaining for my benefit, which would have been odd, until I noticed two interns behind us, rapidly scribbling on notes.

"Ah – A chakra technique that generates a large ball of fire, for instance – the originating energy source is the technique's caster, and chakra is converted from it's normal form into fire – heat energy."

I nodded. "You remembered our discussion."

"Eh – That I did Daimyo-sama." Hatsumei said, "Continuing with our fire-ball technique analogy, I ask what would happen in the case dispersion of excess chakra – excess energy. Let's say, for instance, the technique creator has horrible chakra control – he uses far too much chakra for the fire ball, and only a small gout of flame erupts. So where, then, does the excess chakra go? The answer had baffled me for so long, until, you came along with your Nature Chakra Theory. Then – it all made sense."

We took a turn down the right, and I memorized the route on my minimap, whilst taking in some of the other sights. A room where a form of kunai launcher was being developed, a room where people seemed to be working on aerodynamic designs, and a room where people where experimenting with what looked like animals.

"Eh – just as my cup of hot coffee I leave on the table and forget to drink will tragically reduce in temperature until its internal temperature is equal to that of the room – excess chakra deposited in the environment created by people will eventually fade into the ambient chakra of that environment. It will become one with the world's Natural Chakra. The energy is effectively transferred."

We finally took one more left turn, reaching a room designated Chakra Armor Test Room. Within the room, there was what appeared to be a large, heavy-duty glass-wall that was reinforced with more steel than I thought available in this world. On the other side of the glass, was an open, expanded room. It almost reminded me of a police interrogation room to an extent – although far more science-oriented, and a quick use of Observe guaranteed me that the glass was not one-way.

"While it is truly fascinating to know that you have grasped my lessons on the thermodynamics of chakra and the nature chakra theory… none of this explains how you have improved the Chakra Suit."

"Ah – yes, I'm getting there." Hatsumei said, "You see Daimyo-sama, as you know, the original design for the Chakra Armor was to allow for the dispersion and redistribution of chakra upon contact. Fire based chakra would dwindle into nothingness. Wind would be but a light gust. Lightning would fizzle into nonexistence. Water would lose its momentum and become but mere splashes. Earth would crumble into dust."

As he said this, the light of the testing room went on, and on the other side of the reinforced glass, I noticed a young woman with slightly braided hair come out, wearing… the Suit.

Damn that latex… damn those curves…

I cleared my throat. "Is there… a particular reason why the person demonstrating for us is female?"

Hatsumei slowly adjusted his glasses. "Ah – would you rather prefer it was one of our male interns?"

I turned around to look at the bunch – scraggly, unattractive looking things with heavy acne. Hatsumei's hidden meaning immediately clicked in my head:

Would you want to see a bunch of scraggly nerds in skin-tight latex?

"Carry on with the presentation." I said without missing a beat.

Don't stare at the nipples – don't stare at the cameltoe – don't stare at the nipples – don't stare at the cameltoe –

Hatsumei smiled, his lips twitching. "Eh – as I was saying Daimyo-sama, the problem with the former design was that there was a specific limit in which the Armors could take. Like a storage scroll if you will. Too much chakra, or too much concentrated chakra in one location would immediately overload the Armor's ability to absorb and redistribute. It would cause the armor to fail and be damaged."

I remembered that. In the movies, the prototype version that Doto wore eventually shattered with the Seven-Colored Rasengan that Naruto pulled out of his ass. The attack broke through the armor, and ended up killing Doto.

"Eh – ah - however, since the armor's major problem was that it could only handle so much before reaching its max critical, we were able to design a solution. What if the armor has no max critical?"

I watched as the woman in latex leapt and jumped, turning and stretching to prove that the material was flexible… very flexible… considering that it hugged her body like a second skin, I did not expect that level of flexibility.

"Eh – essentially, the armor is a valve. Chakra comes in one direction, parts of it are repurposed and re-distributed to the wearer, and then any excess of chakra is dispersed outwards, into the environment as Nature Chakra."

Hatsumei moved over to a control panel, before pushing a button. Immediately, the other side of the room lit up in an explosion of what my senses could detect as nothing but pure chakra – an overwhelming amount. Despite being protected by a thick layer of steel and glass, I felt the room shake from the force.

Dust and smoke kicked up for several seconds, and everywhere was quiet. We waited with baited breath, until, the smoke and dust settled, and the young woman in the latex suit stood, perfectly and completely unharmed. If anything, she looked somehow fresher than she did before the explosion detonated. Judging by her bre –

I cleared my throat. "So, the armor is capable of withstanding all forms of external chakra, without overloading and being damaged, by sending out the excess amount as Senjutsu chakra?" I said, summing up Hatsumei's words, "I can understand that… but why does she look…"

"Eh… more vibrant?" the inventor supplied, "Ah – that, Daimyo-sama is due to brilliance of this design. With the suit now dispersing nature chakra from its own excesses, this nature chakra clings and coagulates around the suit and the wearer like an invisible layer. Realizing that this was happening, I immediately made adjustments to the material which enabled it to re-absorb the excess nature chakra that it was generating."

My brain short-circuited.

I snapped my head over to Hatsumei, not even bothering with any form of my usual elegance and behavior.

"You – you what?"

The scientist was grinning.

"Ah – that's not all Daimyo-sama. While doing this, I struck upon an epiphany. Why not redesign the armor to be capable of doing the exact opposite?" He said, grin growing wider and wider. "The armor absorbs external forces of chakra, uses it to supplement and enhance the user and armor and then converted excesses into nature chakra to avoid overloading. So, why not absorb nature chakra – use it to supplement and enhance the user and the armor, and then convert the excesses into a hybrid of nature chakra and normal chakra, launched in the form of offensive attacks?"

I did my best not to breathe too hard. But I couldn't help it, I couldn't help it as I snapped my gaze back on the latex body-hug armor, almost yelling out OBSERVE.

Mastercraft Item

Senjutsu Super Suit

Durability: N/A

An immensely upgraded version of the classic Chakra Armor. If the Chakra Armor can be likened to a bicycle, then this super suit is a spaceship. The Suit performs two functions:

First, it enables for the absorption of all Chakra from all sources, negating all ninjutsu and genjutsu cast on it, and is prevented from overloading by converting the excess chakra into Nature Chakra.

Second, it absorbs Nature Chakra into the suit, and not the wearer, and this nature chakra is mixed with the regular chakra within it, to create Sage Chakra, thus empowering the suit with all the benefits of Senjutsu.

Effects:

Unlocks Senjutsu Techniques

Grants +110 to Strength, Agility, Perseverance and Endurance

Grants +100% Bonus Damage/Effectiveness to all cast Ninjutsu/Genjutsu

Grants +200% Range and Effectiveness to Chakra Sensing

Grants +17500 Defense

Negates Incoming Ninjutsu

Negates Incoming Genjutsu

Bonus/Hidden Effects:

Enables Chakra Drain

Negates Certain Fuinjutsu via Chakra Absorption

"He… hehe… hehehehe…. HahahahahHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHA!"

OHMYGOD!

"HATSUMEI YOU BEAUTIFUL GENIUS!"

I grabbed the man by the shoulders and embraced him into a bone-crushing hug. I kissed his forehead for good measure – because fuck he deserved it.

A SENJUTSU SUPER SUIT!

I. HAVE. A. SENJUTSU. SUPER. SUIT!

People spent years and years trying their hardest to master Senjutsu and do it without turning to stone. Many failed – hundreds, if not thousands died – and even the most skilled of shinobi couldn't use Senjutsu.

And now – I have a suit that can do it for me.

It was ridiculous – absolutely bloody ridiculous –

This is what it means to work smart, not hard.

Fuck the Sharingan. Fuck the Rinnegan. Fuck grinding like a maniac. Fuck all the bullshit that people did in order to get power. This was where it was at. A great kickboxer could train for every single day of his life and still get taken down by a paraplegic with a shotgun.

Innovation – tools – the power of humanity. Humans were never the fastest animal, nor the strongest, and one-on-one, a human would get his ass kicked by a gorilla or a lion or any other predator of the animal kingdom. Put then put a tool in the human's hands, a weapon –

And they became unstoppable.

"You've done great work here Hatsumei," I said, after recollecting myself. "You can expect a large, extravagant paycheck and enough money and women than you know what to do with."

"Ah – thank you Daimyo-sama, I don't know what to –"

"But we're not done yet." I spoke up.

"E-eh – we – we're not?"

I shook my head. "As it stands, the Suits are powerful and dangerous – but they'll be even more so if they get into the wrong hands. Effective immediately, the Chakra Suit is a State Secret of the Land of Snow, in which exposing said secret will lead to execution by drowning."

The temperature in the room chilled considerably.

"Moreover, I can't let anyone else have access to this sort of technology, so I need you to develop a lock-mechanism for the suit – or perhaps, an access platform. Since it absorbs Chakra, a Chakra-recognition system should be implanted immediately, and should anyone with unauthorized chakra or access attempt to utilize it, or, to as much as touch it – there should be dire consequences."

Technology this powerful could lead to people revolutionizing the world, if not outright conquering it. I was not going to take any chances or risks of this technology landing in the hands of Danzo, or anyone, period. And if they did somehow manage to get it – I would need to ensure that they could not use it.

"I think I'll add several fuinjutsu blood recognition seals as well, when I bring my Fuinjutsu up to par. There's no such thing as being too cautious." I mused silently.

I'd also have to keep calling it a Chakra Suit rather than a Senjutsu Super Suit just to throw off enemies. The fewer people who knew of its true capabilities, the better.

"Now, snap to it! I want this done and I want it done immediately. Also…" I rubbed my chin slowly, "Tell me Hatsumei… the applications of this technology we have… how far can we push it… for instance, how would chakra fair as an alternative, clean form of energy?"

I watched the gears slowly turn in the Scientist's head.

"Oh… that would be… interesting."

I grinned.

"Of course it will be. Come now Hatsumei – there's no time like the present – because now, now – the future awaits."

~~~~~~~~~~~ Son of Gato ~~~~~~~~

Year Five – Month Twelve, Day Twenty Five

The days began to blur into each other, with my administrative duties as the Daimyo, my visits and check-ins with Hatsumei, providing new ideas for the inventor to invent, and then supervising Kimimaro's Wind Chakra training, and finally, working on my own Apprentice Level Fuinjutsu.

Haku was busy torturing – er, I mean training Koyuki – ensuring that the girl wasn't completely useless and defenseless, and Kitami spent his time sharpening his blades, his wits and his tongue – as I eventually discovered that the man had taken to gambling and womanizing. Not that I could complain anyway.

One of the most amazing things that I planned on accomplishing for Yuki no Kuni was yet to arrive, although, the railway system was rapidly gaining favor amongst the citizens, particularly when the entire continent was a frozen landmass and the trains possessed an internal heating system.

I planned on eventually shipping engineers and train technology over to the Land of Water, integrating it there, before moving it to the Land of Wind. That poverty ridden hellhole was in due of a complete revolution. For now though, I was just having a little bit of fun.

"Alright, now, right foot forward, left foot back – yes, yes, you're getting it."

The Polar Bear in front of me moved forward, standing straight, before it began sliding backwards on both feet, its head in the air, its paws outstretched in a wavy pattern. It grunted a bit, before spinning around, shooting one paw into the air, and the other down to the ground, and tilting forward with the hat I had placed on its head.

"And that," I said, turning around to a group of gathered children staring with wide eyes, "is how you teach a Polar Bear to moonwalk. Any questions?"

"AWESOME!"

"Shepherd-sama is the best!"

"Can I dance him? Can I? Can I?"

"I wanna dance with the polar bear too!"

I smiled. "Of course, of course, Rupert doesn't mind. Do you Rupert?"

"Will you give me more food?" The bear grunted.

I rolled my eyes. "As much as you want."

"Fine."

I watched as the children moved to interact with the dancing Polar Bear, Rupert, who, with the aid of Tutoring, I had trained to be capable of communicating with me in grunts, and trained to, well… dance.

Max Skills for the win.

Still, I was unable to resist eavesdropping on the hushed whispers of their parents from behind.

"Shepherd-sama… such a powerful man."

"He actually tamed that polar bear?"

"Tamed it? He taught it how to dance… in thirty minutes."

"I always thought all the Gatoists were talking out of their ass, but seeing this –"

"I'm just glad he's our Daimyo. This man… no… this being – he – there's no way he's human."

"What else could he be?"

"There's a polar bear twirling your daughter in its paws right now. What else could be capable of making something like that possible… what… if not a god?"

Ping!

Miracle System

Tales of your magnificent, seemingly impossible deeds have spread long enough, that people have begun to question if you are truly a mere mortal, or if you are a divine being descended to the world in flesh and blood.

You have unlocked new special abilities!

A Shepherd and His Flock

All of your [Devout] and [Fanatical] Followers now learn skills 35% faster, and are granted with 50% of your Luck stat.

Dreaming Sheep

You can now enter and manipulate the dreams of your most [Devout] and [Fanatical] followers.

Let Thy Will Be Done

You can now locate, influence, see-through the eyes of, hear through the ears of, and speak directly to the minds of your most [Devout] and [Fanatical] followers, irrespective of range.

And so it came to pass… that I found myself with the most useful espionage technique in the entire world.

Prepare yourself world. Prepare yourself… because the Shepherd is here –

And he shall conquer you.