With Tsunade and the others joining, Akemi and her two friends couldn't go to a dessert shop. After all, there were three men, so they couldn't just follow the girls' preferences. They found another shop that offered both desserts and other food.
The eight people directly requested a private room. After ordering, everyone sat down. Tsunade knew Akemi and Asuna's future goals, so she immediately congratulated them on their graduation. Then, she turned to Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, when Akemi comes to your place in the future, you must take good care of her."
Akemi clasped her hands together, looking adorable with an expression of 부탁 (pleading), and said, "Please guide me in the future, Senior Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's expression was calm, and he nodded slightly, indicating that he would look after her. Jiraiya, who was beside them, interjected, "Even if Orochimaru can't, there's still the previous generation."
"That's true, Grandfather Tobirama will definitely be fine." Tsunade looked at Orochimaru's cold expression and thought he wasn't someone good at taking care of others.
"You guys, since you're asking me to take care of her, don't undermine me," Orochimaru said with a hint of helplessness in his tone, seeing Tsunade's gaze.
"That's right, I think Senior Orochimaru is also a gentle person. Although it doesn't show from his appearance, Father said not to judge a book by its cover," Akemi said.
"Gentle?" Everyone else's expressions were a bit subtle regarding Akemi's evaluation, as if they weren't sure if the word "gentle" suited Orochimaru.
Not to mention the others, Orochimaru himself felt a bit awkward. He never thought of himself as a gentle person. To be honest, he couldn't even accurately understand what gentleness was. But looking at Akemi's gaze, he couldn't directly deny it; no one would speak ill of themselves.
Seeing Orochimaru's slightly embarrassed look, Jiraiya and Asuka couldn't help but laugh. As companions, they rarely saw Orochimaru like this. In the past, Orochimaru was too aloof, but perhaps after spending too much time with Jiraiya and Asuka, he occasionally showed a more human side.
Orochimaru lightly coughed, thought for a moment, reached into his ninja tool pouch, and said in a hoarse voice, "You should be entering the Research and Development Department soon. I'll give you a gift first."
"Oh? Orochimaru gives gifts too?" Jiraiya leaned forward curiously, and Asuka also looked curious, as did everyone else.
Orochimaru had an urge to roll his eyes. He took out something from his ninja tool pouch and placed it on the table, saying, "This is the latest ninja tool produced by the Research and Development Department. Consider it a gift for you."
The device was smaller than a palm, with a base at the bottom and a gear-like object on top that seemed to rotate. Orochimaru pressed a button on the back of the device, and the gear-like object began to spin, blowing out small but comfortable gusts of wind.
"Amazing, what is this thing?" Akemi asked with a surprised expression.
"The Third Hokage seems to call it a fan, and we think it's quite fitting," Orochimaru said, looking at the small gadget. "It's not much, but its significance lies in being the first tool to use a chakra storage block."
"Ah, this thing is an application of that chakra storage block?" Tsunade was startled and quickly took it from Orochimaru's hand to examine it. Her expression was a bit disappointed, and she grumbled, "It's not quite what I imagined. I thought it would be something like what Sensei Kazamori wrote about."
"The Research and Development Department is working towards the tools described in the stories written by the Third Hokage, but do you think it's that easy? The effort put into creating the necessary chakra flow lines and generating the driving force is immense. For now, we can only produce this thing," Orochimaru said. "Although we have the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets captured during the Shinobi World War, the damage was severe, and we haven't gained much from it. Moreover, those were directly powered by ninjas providing chakra. Automatically extracting chakra from a chakra storage block is something we've only just begun to figure out."
The others were not very familiar with the current situation of the Research and Development Department.
Fumori Masaki placed great importance on the achievements of the Research and Development Department. Apart from surface-level information, all key technical content was strictly prohibited from being disclosed. The most core secrets were even sealed with cursed seals on people and sealing jutsu on objects to prevent leaks.
Therefore, Orochimaru felt that everyone else was just making sarcastic remarks, completely unaware of the cost involved in the research process.
Akemi took the device called a fan, played with it for a moment, then smiled and said, "No matter what, being able to create this thing means the first step has been successful. Following this direction, we can eventually replicate the ninja tools Father imagined, don't you think so, Senior Orochimaru?"
"Ah, yes, it should be successful," Orochimaru said with some uncertainty. To be honest, he had little interest in this kind of mechanical technology. He was more concerned with ninjutsu because he felt that only ninjutsu could satisfy his curiosity and help him await the reincarnation of his parents. As for mechanical tools, their status was not much different from shuriken and kunai.
"You're too lacking in confidence, Senior Orochimaru. Even if it's really troublesome, you should have the belief that you must achieve your goal, shouldn't you?" Akemi said with great spirit.
"Well said! That's the spirit we need! I say, Orochimaru, you can't be worse than a girl, can you?" Tsunade strongly supported Akemi's statement.
Orochimaru remained silent. He wasn't truly lacking in confidence. The Research and Development Department was currently full of vitality. As Akemi said, the appearance of the fan had already overcome certain technical difficulties. The key was how to scale it up. It was foreseeable that this could be achieved in the future and wasn't a big problem. The real trouble lay in the technology of converting natural energy into chakra out of thin air, which had been discussed by Fumori Masaki and Tobirama.
Because of Orochimaru's outstanding talent, he was not only valued by Hiruzen Sarutobi but also favored by Tobirama, who appreciated his thirst for knowledge. Tobirama often kept Orochimaru by his side. Therefore, Orochimaru knew some things that other research ninjas did not.
The power source for these new ninja tools was the chakra storage block, which could directly store chakra and serve as an alternative chakra source for ninjas. If they relied solely on ninjas to provide chakra, the efficiency would obviously be very low, unless they utilized the Nine-Tails' chakra from Mito. Currently, they primarily relied on the underground Dragon Veins of the Land of Roukaran. This natural chakra source met the needs of the new ninja tools.
However, Fumori Masaki believed that they couldn't completely rely on the Land of Roukaran because the underground Dragon Veins were ultimately located there, not within the Hidden Leaf Village. What if the Land of Wind discovered it and destroyed it? Or what if the underground Dragon Veins suddenly underwent an anomaly?
Therefore, Fumori Masaki's idea was to research the technology of converting natural energy into chakra. This way, the Hidden Leaf Village could fully control the initiative instead of relying entirely on external Dragon Veins. However, this was clearly more troublesome than the new ninja tools.
After all, natural energy was too ethereal. Only those who practiced Sage Mode could perceive it, and even attracting it was troublesome, let alone converting natural energy into chakra. Fumori Masaki believed that such a method definitely existed. He was certain that the Tailed Beasts' chakra was converted by absorbing natural energy. The only problem was how to resolve the conversion process. Of course, he couldn't ask the Tailed Beasts; they condensed chakra almost instinctively, so how could they explain the process?
Regarding new ninja tools, Orochimaru was still more interested in researching this aspect. At least, natural energy itself was very intriguing. It was rumored that those who practiced Sage Mode could obtain power beyond ordinary people, which was an irresistible temptation for Orochimaru, who had always pursued the mysteries of ninjutsu.
"Asuna, what are your plans for the future? Your sister is going to the Research and Development Department. Since you're going to be a regular ninja, you should intern elsewhere," Hatake Sakumo asked. "You can tell me if there's anywhere you want to go. I think Sensei Kazamori will arrange it for you."
Asuna quickly stated where she wanted to go, and her answer surprised everyone: "I want to go to the Land of Rain to study."
"The Land of Rain? Why that place?" Jiraiya was a bit puzzled. "Other places in the country can also provide training, and the environment is better."
"I know, but I want to see that country. It used to be a closed small nation, but now it has undergone huge changes because of the village. I think it can better broaden my horizons, and the harsh environment can hone my strength," Asuna replied.
"That makes sense, but it will be somewhat dangerous there. The Land of Rain is located between three countries, and people from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth might enter. Our village's Anbu can't investigate as freely as they do in the Land of Fire, and there are many foreign spies lurking there," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Exactly! I ran into Heizo last time, and I heard that the Hidden Sand Village seems to be stirring due to the Daimyo's attitude. His squad is very concerned about the situation there," Jiraiya said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Although the Land of Earth isn't as obvious, there should be people investigating the situation in the Land of Rain."
"Risks always exist; we can't shrink back because of fear," Asuna calmly looked at everyone and said, "It might truly be a place of hidden currents, but it's still peacetime, after all. The great nations won't suddenly turn hostile. I think the danger, while present, is limited. The Hidden Rain Village also won't allow other countries to act recklessly. As long as we are careful and cautious, I believe we can achieve internship results while ensuring our safety. If we truly encounter danger, we can retreat in time."
Asuna was not a self-important person. She had received education from Fumori Masaki since childhood. Fumori Masaki understood that his daughters would eventually leave their father's wing and stand on their own. The only thing he could do was teach them how to survive in this shinobi world, whether it was strength, theoretical knowledge, or psychological attitude.
Asuna went to the Land of Rain to gain experience, but she wasn't naive. She knew the risks involved and believed in her ability to escape. At this point, the others couldn't say anything to stop her, as it would seem overly protective.
Akemi had long known her sister's thoughts; they had always lived together, so there was nothing the sisters didn't know about each other. Uchiha Rizuki also knew about this, but after hearing Asuna's words, she felt a surge of excitement. For the Uchiha clan, even for women, the innate nature of a strong individual still flowed in their blood.
"What should I do, Asuna? Hearing you say that, I also feel an urge to go to the Land of Rain," Uchiha Rizuki said with a bitter expression.
"Rizuki, you want to go too?" Asuna was slightly startled.
"I also really want to see what I can learn in the Land of Rain and if I can withstand the pressure there. The work in the ANBU is good, but it doesn't have this kind of appeal," Uchiha Rizuki sighed softly. "I wonder if I can still change my specialization now."
"With your father's status, are you afraid you can't change your specialization? Rizuki, if you're really determined, go with Asuna. With the two of you together, I'll be at ease," Akemi said.
"If Rizuki goes too, I think Sensei Kazamori and the others might not be too at ease," Hatake Sakumo said with a smile, shaking his head. After a moment of thought, he said, "Actually, recently, the village has arranged for genin to go to the Hidden Rain Village for exchange studies, and I'll be leading the team. Asuna, if you think you can, participate in this assessment. If Rizuki also wants to go, come along."
In recent years, the Hidden Rain Village not only intended to achieve economic cooperation with the Hidden Leaf Village but also planned to promote military alliance. Hanzō knew that even if the Hidden Leaf Village had other motives, it was still willing to protect the Hidden Rain Village, unlike other villages that were like jackals. Considering the Hidden Rain Village's weak power, he decided to form a military alliance with them to advance and retreat together.
Fumori Masaki naturally wouldn't refuse, because in his heart, he also hoped to achieve such a military alliance. He also understood that Hanzō hoped to use the power of the Hidden Leaf Village to strengthen the Hidden Rain Village's strength. However, the size of the Land of Rain was there; no matter what, it couldn't surpass the Hidden Leaf Village. As long as the Hidden Rain Village guaranteed not to betray them, its increased power would also be a help to the village.
Therefore, Fumori Masaki readily agreed to Hanzō's request for exchange students and appointed his student, Hatake Sakumo, as the team leader. Hatake Sakumo felt that if Asuna and Uchiha Rizuki were both going to intern in the Land of Rain, it would be best for them to go with him. That was the Hidden Rain Village's base, with experts like Hanzō and himself present, so the safety would definitely be better than if they participated in other internship work.