Upon hearing Charles's order to build a base of their own, everyone became interested. While Charles's office was nice, it was relatively small. This was especially problematic for Rock Lee, as the training room was too small for his needs.
After some consideration, Ginny spoke up, "Boss, the gift from Elder Mark includes an estate in the suburbs of New York, covering an area of 0.5 square kilometers. It's the most valuable single item in the assets you received."
Upon hearing about this, Charles thought for a moment. It was a substantial piece of land, located in the suburbs away from the city center. This location offered a good level of secrecy. Unless they decided to build a tall building there, it would be ideal.
Furthermore, with frequent battles expected in the city, it might need rebuilding every year or two.
"In that case, let's use that piece of land for the base. During the construction, make sure to include training facilities, a medical room, a laboratory, and leave some room for future expansion," Charles decided.
"Oh, and I'd like to have a museum. I want to display some of our trophies and collections there."
Thinking about his still-hidden Mark 1 mech in the storage space, Charles realized that he needed his own museum to display it.
After giving these instructions, Charles turned to Rock Lee, who was standing nearby. "You and I will go to the training room. The rest of you, discuss with Ginny what equipment and facilities the base should have."
As Charles left with Rock Lee, the others didn't pay much attention. However, Sasuke seemed to have had an idea and looked curiously at Rock Lee. Was this guy about to increase his strength?
Iruka and Shizune began discussing the plans for the base with Ginny.
...
Arriving at the training room with Rock Lee, Charles asked, "Lee, have you made any progress in the past year?"
Rock Lee was respectful, not knowing why Charles had brought him here. He answered honestly, "Lord Charles, I've been training diligently this past year, often carrying weights on me."
"However, in terms of strength, while I've improved since I first arrived in this world, I'm still weaker compared to my previous self because I can't unlock the Eight Gates."
Hearing Rock Lee's response, Charles nodded. Rock Lee had indeed made progress, but he couldn't compare to his previous self who could unlock the Eight Gates.
The summoned Rock Lee was the version from a year after graduating from the ninja academy, who should have been able to unlock the First Gate. However, in this world, he couldn't unlock any of the Gates, making him weaker than his earlier self.
However, the improvements in his physical abilities were still beneficial.
Without further delay, Charles began the experiment, telling Rock Lee, "No matter what you see, don't be surprised."
Rock Lee nodded, ready for whatever was about to happen.
Charles intended to conduct an experiment: to see what would happen when two versions of Rock Lee coexisted.
Additionally, he wanted to explore the state of Rock Lee, the character from the Naruto game, who was supposed to maintain the Eight Gate state continuously.
Entering the system space, Charles accessed his ninja panel, where he saw the five ninjas: Umino Iruka, Rock Lee, Sasuke Uchiha (with Sharingan), Shizune, and Rock Lee(recently summoned).
Charles directly placed Rock Lee (recently summoned) into the battle-ready column.
Ding! Do you wish to place Rock Lee (recently summoned) within 3 meters of Charles?
Without hesitation, Charles selected "Yes."
In the next moment, the figure of Rock Lee in his activated state appeared beside Charles.
"Boom!"
The moment Rock Lee entered the scene, he was already in the fully activated Eight Gates state, and a massive surge of chakra erupted around him. The training room was filled with violent winds, and an overwhelming pressure emanated from Rock Lee.
Chakra, which was normally invisible to the naked eye, now manifested as green flames enveloping Rock Lee as it surged out.
Back in the meeting room, the others sensed the raging chakra, leaving Iruka amazed. "That chakra is so intense! Did another powerful figure come here?"
Even Shizune, who had felt the phenomenon, speculated, "The chakra feels incredibly violent. I wonder which high-ranking ninja has arrived."
Only Sasuke Uchiha didn't say anything; he believed that this power was coming from Rock Lee. Otherwise, why would Lord Charles summon Rock Lee?
Ginny noticed the terrifying aura that permeated their workspace but calmly said, "Boss has taken Rock Lee to the training room. We'll find out what's happening when they return. Let's continue discussing about the base for now."
Hearing Ginny's reassurance, Iruka and the others regained their composure. They decided to wait for Charles and Rock Lee to return before drawing any conclusions, so they resumed their discussion about the base.
…
Meanwhile, in the training room, Rock Lee (weaker one), looked astonished. "Lord Charles, what is happening?"
Recently summoned Rock Lee, now in his activated state, didn't speak immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes and seemed lost in thought. His forehead veins bulged, and his entire body surged with chakra, indicating that maintaining the Eighth Gate state wasn't easy.
Charles turned to Rock Lee (weaker one) and explained, "This is you, but at the same time, it's not you. This is the Rock Lee from your world, brought here by me from the river of time."
Charles believed that the system's power ultimately stemmed from himself, as the system was his possession. Thus, the abilities within the system could also be considered his.
Rock Lee (stronger one), currently absorbed in memory absorption, finally spoke, "Lord Charles!"
Seeing Rock Lee in his activated Eight Gate state, Charles asked, "Rock Lee, will you stay in this state permanently?"
Rock Lee moved swiftly, reaching supersonic speeds. His movements were so rapid that ordinary people couldn't follow. However, for Charles, who possessed the Sharingan, it was not a problem.
After some simple movements, Rock Lee opened his mouth and explained, "Lord Charles, my current state is continuously active."
"I don't know the exact reason, but I am stuck in this state and cannot deactivate the Eighth Gates."
Hearing that Rock Lee was stuck in this state, Charles was amazed. This meant that Rock Lee could maintain his strongest state indefinitely. He was not just an average jounin; he was even more powerful.
"He might even be stronger than an elite jounin."
With Rock Lee maintaining the Eight Gate state, there was no need for the injury exchange that usually occurred when using the Eight Gates technique.
The Eighth Gate was no longer a forbidden technique, and there was no need for the exchange of even life force when entering the last gate. This revelation was a game-changer.
Charles couldn't help but gasp, realizing the true terror of the System's power.
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