Naruto felt like his head is about to explode with questions. The Hokage, his teacher, and everyone he asked either changed the subject or in some way told him it would be for the best if he didn't know anything.
He played with the golden card in his hand thinking back two days ago when he met the Hidden Sand shinobi called Gaara. He already felt some sort of weird connection to the guy at first glance, like some kind of understanding between two long lost brothers. At the same time, he could feel how dangerous Gaara is despite the smile decorating his face all the time. The smell of blood and negative emotions surrounded him and followed him like a ghost. Not even the worst of criminals he knew could compare to the thickness of the negativity in his aura.
Naruto hesitated a lot, something is telling him that once he opened this metaphorical box then there's no going back at all. He scratched the back of his head in confusion. He is never one for thinking through complicated problems. Easily put, he would rather punch it than talk to it kind of guy. He flopped into his mattress groaning and fell deeply into the realm of dreams soon after.
Sasuke on the other hand is conflicted. Gaara spoke about some kind of reason why his brother Itachi murdered their entire clan. Something he would have liked answered a long time ago but in vain. Now a foreigner comes along telling him that he knew the answer even going so far as to use a very precious fuin seal and telling him 'He did it for you and for his beloved village'. If not for the vow of servitude attached to the conditions mentioned by the mysterious ninja from the Sand he would have already called the number he just saved on his phone.
Sakura stood in front of a thoroughly destroyed tree in the forest, she huffed and puffed from the exertion. Some random albeit handsome guy just labeled her as 'insignificant' while speaking politetly towards the 'idiot' Naruto. Even Sasuke nearly got ignored by the guy saying he had nothing to offer. Sure the Gaara guy looked all that and it would have been fine no matter how he behaved because at the end of the day, they are tourists here in Konoha. The thing is, she felt truly insignificant when Gaara panned his gaze towards her for a second. She was essentially crippled by his mere glance.
In the world of Shinobi where a mere slip in attention can cost yours and your team's life, that kind of reaction towards someone who she didn't even know the full extent of capabilities is simply unacceptable. It was no wonder that Sasuke told her how she is even worse than Naruto. She wanted to be strong. Strong enough not to be looked down upon ever again. Playtime's over.
"Are the preparations complete?"
[Yes sir, we are awaiting your signal.]
"Any movement from the other major villages? The Akatsuki?"
[There are in fact, mostly from the Akatsuki. The group is bolstering itself by recruiting S class missing nin on the Bingo book. Most of our POIs are either training or are in a mission at the moment. So far no major actions towards the hidden Leaf are observed aside from those influenced by Orochimaru.]
"Good, keep me posted. You will have to act very soon, all of the characters in our little play are already here afterall."
Gaara smiled knowing that his efforts aren't in vain. Sure, monitoring this many people did cost a fortune, but he would have spent more if necessary just to monitor these children who hold immense powers that is borderline reality-bending level already. Right now, he is planning to make a move on one of the most well known characters in the anime. Orochimaru is a very useful person. At the same time, he posed great danger to anyone who is trying to forcefully control him. But Gaara liked to believe that making use of Orochimaru's intelect is so much better than trying to get rid of him. That is if he can be permanently killed.
So Gaara took the long route. He will ransack every laboratory under Orochimaru's name and grind those he can not take to rubble. Then reach an olive branch through Yggdrasil. He will of course be stationed in a facility dedicated to himself as Yggdrasil provided everything that he needs for his researches. Well if plan A worked out perfectly that is. If not, then there's plan B. Kill him then resurrect him and used him as one of the pillars of Gaara's village. Which is a huge waste since chakra batteries are robbed of their thought capacity and put in a metallic box to contribute for mankind's advancement for all eternity.
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"Woah! You weren't lying when you said there's a huge tree in the middle of the desert! Just how tall is that tree?"
A man exclaimed in awe at the view before him which can be seen from far away. A tree stood in the middle of the arid desert and reached for the skies with all its might.
"That was just over a hundred meters when I last came here. Now, I think its about more than a hundred and fifty meters tall. If the Lord didn't stress the need for additional minds on his projects, and you begging me to bring you along with this rising power then I would never have left for an entire half a year journey."
A man beside the first man who spoke tipped his straw hat and stretched his back. Riding all the time made him miss the research base of Roran so bad. The bed, the food, the people, and most of all, the unlimited research funds made his heart beat in excitement. If someone told him that this place is not at the forefront of this world's technological development and actually proved it, he would literally kill himself. Metaphorically speaking.
Up close, an entrance of some sort which leads to the inside of the tree can be seen. A mixture between nature and technology seems to be the theme of the whole place. The outside looks like a tree, but the inside looks more like a luxurious eco-friendly hotel vibe kind of feels. Not that these people knew what an eco-friendly hotel is in any sense at all, but its good that you do. Or not. (Google it at least)
People wearing protective clothing can be seen walking to and from places which has a very restrictive access, some are taking a break, some are exercising, some are eating, etc. people basically did what they found necessary it seemed.
"Those people are on mandatory break, don't mind them."
The other newcomer guy frowned.
"Wait a minute, breaks are mandatory?"
His friend paused for a moment eyes wandering as he looked for a clear explanation.
"Yeah well, sort of actually. You see, everyone's overall health is being monitored by the membership seal. This means mental, emotional, physiological and all other things are monitored to ensure that one of the scientists does not forget to take care of their health. You know people on our side, we tend to lose track of well... everything else when our minds are fully stimulated. Which can be disastrous on so many levels."
The nod of the other person showed that he understood perfectly why such a system is in use.
"How about the thing you told me?"
He asked is a husshed tone, almost whispering.
"Hehehe. Don't worry, its more like an open secret around here. It is true. This place offers conditional immortality. There are of course complications and not everyone is eligible to get an offer without the right amount of contributions. As far as I know, only those who are terminally ill or those who are already dead are offered such welfare."
He again nodded his head. He has been a researcher all his life and has been here in there looking for his big break. A civilian like himself who had no access to chakra are just fodder in the eyes of shinobi after all. An offer like immortality is just a pipedream to someone like himself. So what if he had to give up on some things for his ultimate dream? Unlimited time in order to unravel the mysteries of the world is an offer no man of science would refuse.
"Oi Keiske, what happened to your little brother Katasuke-chan? I bet that little squirt is all grown up?"
"Ah yeah, he is still going around studying from one place to another wanting to prove himself better than his elder brother. Hahaha. Like that's gonna happen."