Chapter 450: Sector 12
At the Technology Development Bureau.
Katasuke Tono was walking down a path, leading a young man who wore glasses.
"Take a good look—this is one of the premier laboratories in our Technology Development Bureau, equipped with the world's most cutting-edge science and technology."
Katasuke introduced every detail to the young man step by step.
The youth gazed at the entrance of the massive laboratory before him.
Sector 12 Laboratory.
The gate and its surrounding structures practically oozed an advanced, high-tech aura.
"This is the Sector 12 Central Laboratory. From now on, you will be working under me. It will be your duty to help carry forward and spread the glory of Scientific Ninja Tools. As my nephew, and someone who has studied scientific principles for a long time, you must put in your absolute best effort.
Our goal is to promote Scientific Ninja Tools until they become the most popular force in the entire world, ultimately shaping the global direction."
Katasuke harbored immense dreams of his own.
Ever since the founding of the Technology Development Bureau, he had dreamed of making Scientific Ninja Tools the dominant, mainstream force across the globe.
By now, although Scientific Ninja Tools were sufficiently advanced, it still wasn't enough. They were still quite a distance away from realizing his grand dream.
As for this young man, he was Katasuke's nephew—someone who shared a deep passion for Scientific Ninja Tools as well.
Having just reached adulthood, the youth was entering the workforce, so Katasuke brought him directly into the Technology Development Bureau.
"Yes, Master Katasuke! I will definitely help you become the world's greatest Scientific Ninja."
The young man was named Daikan Tono. His eyes were glued to the laboratory ahead, though his gaze occasionally darted toward other areas of the Technology Development Bureau.
So this is the Technology Development Bureau... one of Konoha's core pillars.
Is this the exact place Lord Victor wants to penetrate the most?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a faint green light flickered across the youth's eyes.
Immediately afterward, his head felt momentarily dazed. What was I just thinking about?
"Excellent! My nephew should naturally hold such high ambitions! My goal is to become the world's very first Three-Star Scientific Ninja, carving my name into the history books forever. That is the true glory a scientist should strive for."
A look of fanatical passion washed over Katasuke's face.
The intertwined blend of logic and fervor rendered his convictions all the more intense.
"However, Master Katasuke... isn't Orochimaru the Director of the Technology Development Bureau? I heard he is extraordinarily powerful too," Daikan remarked.
According to public knowledge, Orochimaru was the Director of the Technology Development Bureau and its single most formidable figure.
Not just in Scientific Ninja Tools, but in every other scientific domain—such as biological sciences—he stood uncontested at the absolute pinnacle of the Shinobi World.
Though he hadn't taken the official examinations held by the World Ninja Association, every scientist understood just how terrifying his technical prowess had to be for someone capable of thoroughly decoding Hashirama's cells.
In fact, countless research personnel looked up to Orochimaru as their ultimate goal.
Still, when it came specifically to Scientific Ninja Tools, Master Katasuke stood a real chance of surpassing him.
Hearing this, Katasuke offered a soft smile. "Science is the pursuit of absolute truth. Until the very end, no one can say for sure whose research into truth will prove superior. In the field of Scientific Ninja Tools, I will not lose to anyone—including Lord Orochimaru."
He held immense respect for Orochimaru, but his dream was to surpass even Orochimaru's achievements alongside his own scientific team.
As for whether he held the official title of Director, he didn't care about that at all.
His dream was to research truth, not to scheme for power and status.
"I see! Perhaps one day you really will surpass Lord Orochimaru, Master Katasuke. You're amazing!" Daikan praised enthusiastically.
Katasuke burst into laughter.
His nephew's flattering words were undeniably flattering to his ego.
That was also part of the reason why he had brought his nephew into this vital Konoha facility. His nephew had previously been employed at another tech corporation in the Land of Fire. Months ago, while conducting an inspection in the Capital of the Land of Fire, Katasuke had reconnected with him and discovered his impressive foundation of knowledge regarding Scientific Ninja Tools, deciding to bring him along as an assistant.
Seeing him now, it seemed he had made the right call.
"Come, I'll take you inside the Sector 12 Central Laboratory—the lab under my direct command."
Katasuke stepped forward, passing through a multi-factor scan at the entrance involving retinal, fingerprint, and chakra recognition.
The heavy automated doors slowly slid open toward both sides.
An intense atmosphere of cutting-edge technology rushed out to meet them.
Straight ahead lay an entry corridor whose walls were constructed from specialized composite materials, making it look virtually impenetrable.
"Do you see this? Although Sector 12 isn't quite as fortified as Sector 13, even a Jonin shouldn't dream of breaking through its defenses to breach this hall."
Surrounding them were numerous automated defensive armaments powered by Scientific Ninja Tools, along with various advanced scanning sensors.
Holding complete trust in his nephew, Katasuke patiently introduced each security feature to him.
Daikan marveled, "That's incredible! In the future, I will help develop Sector 12 into a laboratory even greater than Sector 13!"
Katasuke chuckled. "That's the spirit! Across all thirteen sectors of the Technology Development Bureau, there are core laboratories operating under a shared goal: to surpass Sector 13 and become the flagship hub of the entire Bureau. This competition was a rule personally established by Lord Orochimaru and Lord Tonbo—whichever sector's contributions exceed Sector 13 will receive the largest share of Konoha's research funding!
Heh, everyone is pushing themselves to the limit right now, but only your uncle and our team have managed to come close to matching Sector 13's experimental capabilities."
Among the various laboratory sectors, Sector 12 specialized in Scientific Ninja Tools, while other sectors focused on practical applications, pharmaceuticals, or ninjutsu research.
Among them all, Sector 13 was the most enigmatic and the most formidable.
Every single year, it yielded a massive trove of groundbreaking technologies for Konoha.
However, Sector 12 was far from slacking—they had delivered immense contributions to Konoha in their own right.
"But Uncle, how come I've rarely heard about what Sector 13 actually contributes? Usually, we only hear about Sector 12 making famous breakthroughs," Daikan noted curiously.
Katasuke led him to the center of the laboratory, where a massive control console towered before them. "Naturally! Sector 13 focuses on fundamental core technology. The vast majority of underlying core technologies used throughout the Technology Development Bureau were developed by Sector 13 and are actively utilized by the rest of us. Never doubt Sector 13's capabilities, nor should you suspect Konoha of favoring them unfairly.
Look at these high-tech instruments here—the machinery used to research all other fields represents the true core. Our rapid progress in Scientific Ninja Tools relies entirely on these core technologies as a foundation.
So while our contributions to civilian livelihoods and practical gear are immense, Sector 13's foundational contributions are even greater.
However, we have our own dreams too! One day, we will stand on the shoulders of giants to engineer even superior core technologies. When that day comes, they will be using our tech!
Then, further down the line, an even more brilliant mind will stand on our shoulders to develop even greater breakthroughs.
That is the true purpose behind dividing the Technology Development Bureau into sectors, and it's the exact reason why Lord Orochimaru and Lord Tonbo structured things this way.
Everything is done in service of research."
Katasuke didn't look down on any of the other laboratories. His sole focus was to realize his own dream—and to realize that dream, he needed to accomplish even greater feats.
He believed this competitive model was ideal.
Only through this environment could his growth accelerate faster and faster, propelling him to become the world's number one authority on Scientific Ninja Tools.
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