“The Team” Saga – 34. Research [1]
In a dark room, several men sat around a circular table. Their faces impossible to see
"What about our resources?"
"If we play our cards right, we should still have a sufficient amount of funds"
"Okay then, are we all in agreement?"
"Yes"
"Of course"
"..."
"What's wrong?"
"I understand using this clan. Their simple, efficient, and they never ask questions. If things go wrong, we simply place the blame on them. It's the other clan that's..."
"..."
"I was wondering when someone was going to say it"
"Actually, I share the same concerns. While that clan is powerful, they're also a total wild card. You never know what they'll do once they get to Kumogakure"
"Not to mention their VERY bad history with the Land of Lightning"
"But isn't that what we counted on in the first place? We needed scapegoats with proper motivation and incentive"
"Yes, but it'll all be for naught if they lose control. The village needs to be in a state capable of reoccupation after the deed is done for our plan to be successful. They go crazy, and even the foundation itself could end up as rubble"
"...In that case, how about a little test run?"
"A means of affirming their risk status..."
"Are you sure that's wise to do now?"
"Why not? The gears have yet to be set in motion. We've plenty of leeway"
"You have something in mind?"
"Yes...I think it's time we made a call to him"
"That buffoon? I've been meaning to talk about that. I still have complaints about putting a greedy man like him in such a place of power"
"After gaining his new status, all he's done is reap the benefits for himself and his family. He's completely detrimental to the village"
"Exactly! That power hungry fool could end up jeopardizing everything we've fought to accomplish"
"That's precisely why we put him in that position. He's an ignorant dog...but an ignorant dog that's easy to control. Even if he gets caught, he can't say anything since he doesn't know anything"
"Indeed. Also, I've had to listen to his complaints for months after his nephew's failure. I say it's about time we put him to work"
"Well we had better act soon. After receiving news from Danzo, the new peace treaties between Kumo and Konoha are most likely set to be signed in little over a year"
"If we can't get proper confirmation on where that clan stands before then, we'll have to delay our time table. And the cost of doing so will be incredibly excessive"
"Not to worry. It'll take some effort, but if we move swiftly, we can get our answer just in time before the peace treaties are signed. I will see to the arrangements myself. Any opposed?"
"Nay"
"Nay"
"Nay"
"Nay"
"...Nay"
The group stood up from their seats
"Then it's settled. May our 'Company' keep Kumogakure forever Illuminated..."
"May our 'Company' keep Kumogakure forever Illuminated..."
The rest of the group sounded out in unison before vanishing in the shadows
♦♦♦
Back at his lab, Rei was tinkering with some tools
CLANK!
"Damn it...another failure. I don't understand, I'm sure that was the right temperature..." (Rei)
[No luck?]
"There's been progress, but it's slow" (Rei)
{I followed the schematics to the letter, so what went wrong?} (Rei)
[Now that you've cleaned up Isshiki's...er...YOUR lab, I thought recreating his personal weapons would be a cake walk]
"That's what I don't get! Isshiki didn't have a Rinnegan so he couldn't make "Black Receivers" out of pure chakra, let alone those giant "Black Cubes" of his" (Rei)
[So how did he make them?]
"That's what I'm trying to find out! There's something that I'm missing..." (Rei)
The lab Rei "inherited" from Isshiki held several schematics and unique devices of Ōtsutsuki origin. During the time that passed since his graduation, the now seven year old has been hard at work trying to acquire the powerful weapons Isshiki used in the original story
{...Come on Raymond, you're an engineer. You used to solve problems for a living. Something like this should be easy} (Rei)
[Well don't sweat it! It's not like you don't have a lot of free time now that you're out of the academy. You don't even have a squad yet!]
"That's not a good thing you know. I've only been allowed to go on D-rank missions, barely earning any money or achievements" (Rei)
{If I can't rise up the ranks, I won't be able gain more authority or influence. Or even just the freedom to do what I want, when I want} (Rei)
Due to the 3rd Shinobi World War, the already small population of Kumogakure became worse. Recovery has been slow, not the mention the short supply of Jonin. Because of this, there has been a delay on the formation of Rei's team. Leaving him with nothing to do but train and study this strange technology
"Besides, one of the main issues is the inconsistencies of this world's technology" (Rei)
[I don't follow...is the tech level too small for you to work with?]
"No! It's inconsistent. The story starts off with them barely able to make video calls between Daimyō's, then 15 years, then progresses into the sequel series where they suddenly have laptops and nanotechnological cyborgs! I know Ōtsutsuki are aliens but come on, it's not like they were THAT advanced when they first showed up" (Rei)
{Ugh. Terrible. Trying to break down this process is like trying teach a lesson on Thermal Nuclear Astro Physics to children} (Rei)
[Well...unless you use a "Lifeline", I can't tell you how exactly Amado built these things]
"There is no way I'm gonna use a...! Wait. What did you just say about who?" (Rei)
[Huh? You mean about Amado building these things?]
"I thought you said it was Isshiki! Amado built these things?!" (Rei)
[Well...yeah! He was the head of Kara's research and development division. All of their weird technology was built by him when he met Isshiki. Don't get all mad cause YOU misinterpreted my words]
"..." (Rei)
[What? What are you thinking abo-]
"Wait" (Rei)
[Humph! Rude]
{Amado was able to create this stupid tech when he met Isshiki, or rather when Isshiki gave him access to Ōtsutsuki secrets...} (Rei)
"Ōtsutsuki...! That's it! The methods I used weren't the problem...it was the materials!" (Rei)
[Huh?]
Rei ran to the basement and jumped through the space-time gate that led to the ten-tails. Approaching its cage, he took out an unusually large butterfly needle1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_infusion_set with a long tube attached to it
[Okay, what in the world are you doing?]
"I initially believed I could replicate Isshiki's weapons by melting down the materials he left in the lab at super high temperatures. But you saw how that worked" (Rei)
[They shattered to pieces...]
"Yes! Because once they take on a solid state, they'll break apart if you attempt to change them" (Rei)
[Then how did Amado create those black cubes?]
"With this" (Rei)
[?]
"ROOOAAARRRRR!!!!"
Maintaining a safe distance from the hostile creature, Rei threw the needle at it's skin and began extracting it's blood
[It's blood? How does that help you?]
"Let me show you" (Rei)
Getting what he needed, Rei immediately returned to the lab. Taking a single drop of the blood he extracted and placing it in a glass petri dish
"Just a drop should be good enough for the first test"
[What are you going to do?]
"It needs a stimulant" (Rei)
Rei held out his hand
[Stimulant?]
"I've formed a hypothesis, just watch" (Rei)
[This...]
After adding some chemicals, he began sending chakra into the blood sample
[Sending chakra into the blood...how does that...hm?!]
FZZZZ
[Hm? Wha?! WHAT THE HELL?!]