Inside the room, Ryota Akimichi and Tatsuya sat facing each other.
"Tatsuya, did you truly not conduct any live human experiments?" Ryota Akimichi finally asked after a moment of silence.
"Clan Head, I have never used living people for human experimentation," Tatsuya replied seriously, his tone firm and certain.
(In Tatsuya's mind, clones that hadn't yet developed self-awareness naturally didn't count. The one-eyed clone was a deformed anomaly, so it didn't count either!)
"Mm! As long as you haven't, that's good! However, to avoid trouble, it's best if you don't build your laboratory within the clan compound in the future," Ryota Akimichi said after a slight hesitation.
"Rest assured, Clan Head. I will make proper arrangements for this matter," Tatsuya nodded in agreement. After this incident, he naturally wouldn't set up his lab in the clan compound again. After all, as Tatsuya continued to grow stronger, some of the experiments he planned for the future would become increasingly dangerous. Placing the lab in the densely populated clan compound risked causing a major tragedy with the slightest mishap.
"Good! I'm glad you understand," Ryota Akimichi nodded, satisfied to see Tatsuya showing no signs of displeasure. After that, they exchanged a few more words before parting ways.
Returning home, Tatsuya found Kyoko and Anko waiting anxiously. Having caused such a huge commotion, they naturally couldn't have been unaware. However, both women were sensible enough not to go and cause Tatsuya any trouble.
"Tatsuya-san!" Seeing Tatsuya return, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Kyoko immediately pressed close, clinging to him gently. Anko had similar thoughts but didn't act on them.
After reassuring the two women briefly, Tatsuya didn't stay home for long before leaving again. His original laboratory was completely destroyed; he needed to find a suitable new location as soon as possible. After using Tenkei, Jizo's body had suffered severe damage again, and his injuries urgently required Tatsuya to replenish his life energy.
This incident didn't cause major waves within Konoha; the news quickly died down completely. Apart from interested parties like Danzo and Fugaku Uchiha, the leaders of other factions didn't pay too much attention to the matter.
Soon, three days had passed.
Konoha Village, edge of the Forest of Death.
Swish!
A figure flashed through the air, and Tatsuya appeared on a patch of ground showing obvious signs of a past collapse. This was the location of a secret base Orochimaru had once used. After Orochimaru defected, this secret base was completely abandoned. The Third Hokage had even secretly assigned people to monitor it for a period. As time went on, the secret surveillance here had long since been withdrawn.
Tatsuya planned to build his new laboratory right here. The site selection was just beneath these ruins, needing only a single wall separating it from Orochimaru's original base. The location was remote and hidden, rarely visited by anyone – truly an excellent spot for constructing a secret laboratory. The ruins of the original secret base also served as a natural concealing barrier.
Tatsuya flickered underground into the ruins and began creating shadow clones to excavate the laboratory. Using shadow clones for manual labor like this was probably something only Tatsuya, who could rapidly recover chakra using the Swiftness Seal, would do.
While Tatsuya was busy with the heavy lifting, Pakura wasn't idle over in the Land of Fields.
Land of Fields, within a hidden mountain forest. After several months of construction, the hidden village being built by Ansei Hall was beginning to take shape. At the very center of the complex, a multi-story office building had already been erected.
Atop the building, Pakura, now in her true appearance, and Guren stood side-by-side. Looking down at the burgeoning ninja village below, Guren couldn't suppress the excitement showing on her face. Beside her, Pakura's expression was calm, only the faint flicker deep within her eyes betraying her inner turmoil.
"Sensei, three of the people Big Brother Tatsuya asked us to find have been located. Why don't we bring them over too?" Guren asked, turning to Pakura after they had stood in silence for a moment.
"The hidden village's construction is still in a confidential phase for now. Let them stay at Ansei Hall a while longer. It's also a good opportunity to gauge their temperament," Pakura replied softly after some thought.
"Oh!" Guren responded obediently, not asking further questions. As the very first registered student of the new hidden village's Ninja Academy, Guren was already eager to meet her future juniors. Since awakening her Crystal Release, Guren's strength had been increasing at an astonishing rate. She was confident she could fulfill the role of Head Senior!
Poof!
"Meow! Mistress, a message from Lord Tatsuya!"
Suddenly, a puff of white smoke appeared beside Pakura, and Kura, the orange cat, materialized, holding a communication scroll in her mouth.
"Ooh! Sensei, it's a letter from Big Brother Tatsuya!" Seeing the sudden appearance of the summoning ninja cat, Guren exclaimed excitedly before Pakura could even speak. Guren desperately wanted to know what message Big Brother Tatsuya had sent, and whether it mentioned anything about her!
"Hmph! Don't get too excited. That guy never contacts me unless he wants something. I bet it's nothing good this time either," Pakura snorted, glancing at the thrilled Guren, sounding slightly put out. She had been teaching Guren for nearly two years, yet she still couldn't compete with the girl's affection for Tatsuya.
With that, Pakura took the scroll and began to examine it.
"Just as I thought, nothing good," Pakura muttered, rolling her eyes after reading the few simple instructions and the long list of equipment detailed in the scroll. It was a list of equipment Tatsuya needed procured for his new laboratory. Pakura knew a letter from Tatsuya meant trouble!
That guy really is a very competent hands-off boss.
"Sensei, let me see!" Guren saw her reaction, snatched the scroll, and started reading it herself. Reading to the end and finding, indeed, no extra personal messages, she couldn't help but pout in disappointment. It had been such a long time since she'd last seen Big Brother Tatsuya.
"Alright! Let's go, back to Ansei Hall," Pakura said, quickly setting aside her minor irritation and preparing to act.
That afternoon, Pakura took Guren back to Ansei Hall. After that major battle, Ansei Hall's standing in the shinobi world had been firmly established. The Five Great Shinobi Villages had all dispatched personnel at various times to investigate Ansei Hall, all without success. Ansei Hall's publicly visible strength still consisted of those externally recruited wandering shinobi; the only other known figures, Pakura (under the alias Yurika) and Guren, both had unknown power levels. Nevertheless, none of the major powers in the shinobi world dared to underestimate Ansei Hall.
For safety, Yoshida Jin, as Ansei Hall's public figurehead, had also moved his residence into the Ansei Hall town. Nowadays, the town had become a veritable military outpost, boasting an armed force of over 200 people.
Yoshida Jin's Residence.
"Lady Pakura, when is this equipment needed?" A radiant Yoshida Jin, having received word, immediately came to meet Pakura. After reviewing the equipment list she handed him, he asked.
"As soon as possible! That guy wants to build an even bigger laboratory," Pakura replied softly.
Hearing Pakura mention Tatsuya, Yoshida Jin's expression grew slightly serious. He pondered for a moment before saying, "Alright! I'll arrange for people to procure everything immediately. If it takes too long, I'll reallocate some equipment from the workshops first."