"Hey! Sasuke, you still haven't told me why you didn't let me go greet the leader! Maybe he'll teach me some powerful ninjutsu..."
Listening to Naruto's endless chatter, Uchiha Sasuke rolled his eyes. Inwardly, he thought, I don't know if the leader would teach you anything useful, but I do know that if you go barging in and disturb him, Hinata will make sure you regret it. And she hits harder than you can handle.
Sasuke kept his silence, choosing not to argue further, while Naruto trailed beside him, still muttering complaints under his breath.
The two of them continued walking until they reached the deepest part of the complex. The halls gradually grew quieter, the ambient hum of machinery replacing the sounds of footsteps and conversation. Finally, they arrived at the innermost laboratory, a place off-limits to almost everyone.
Hinata, who had been walking alongside Shin the entire time, finally released her gentle hold on him. Her face flushed a deep red, but she followed him without hesitation into the hidden laboratory, which was considered the most confidential research facility in the entire Academy.
Because of the presence of the Red Queen, the technology of this world had advanced at an unprecedented pace. Devices once thought impossible were being created in mere years. The real obstacle, however, remained the lack of individuals with the unparalleled genius of someone like Vegapunk. Even with rapid development, the ninja world was still bound by the limits of its human intellect.
At best, scientists such as Orochimaru, Sasori, or even the later-captured Hiruko were only one or two decades ahead of the mainstream world. Impressive, yes, but still limited. To be so far beyond the times sounded simple in words, but in practice, it required extraordinary brilliance and often madness.
Yet these scientists possessed one unique advantage. They did not merely study technology but also the extraordinary energy called chakra. Chakra itself was a system that defied many natural laws, a mysterious and powerful energy that allowed them to bypass conventional science. In biological research, especially, this gave them an edge.
For Shin, who relied on chakra as his personal foundation of strength, this type of research was invaluable. While the scientists of this world could not compare to Vegapunk or the obsessive minds of infamous scientists, their studies aligned far better with his own path forward.
As the group entered the laboratory, the sound of an electronic door sliding open echoed through the sterile chamber. Orochimaru was there, immersed in his work. Without even turning, he activated a machine filled with seals and conduits. A pulse of chakra surged, and moments later, a shimmering distortion appeared in the air. Before their eyes, a dark portal formed, its surface rippling like liquid shadow.
Finally, Orochimaru turned. His golden eyes gleamed as he smiled thinly. "Long time no see, leader. Have you made any new scientific discoveries on your travels?"
"That's not the point," Shin replied, his voice calm yet sharp. His eyes narrowed on the phenomenon before him. "What is this portal? Where does it lead?" Hinata, standing close, also stared curiously, her Tenseigan faintly activating as she tried to pierce through the layers of space.
Orochimaru chuckled softly, his tone carrying both fascination and menace. "Who knows? I cannot say where it leads. This is the first successful trial. Although I ran countless simulations, if I hadn't seen you here today, I wouldn't have dared to open it. After all, who can predict what might crawl out from the other side?"
His smile widened. "And such experiments cannot be done in the Virtual World. That realm is already a separate dimension with its own spatial parameters. Opening a portal there would be impossible."
"So," Shin said dryly, "you waited for me to return, then decided to gamble with space itself?"
Orochimaru's tongue flicked briefly across his lips, but his voice remained smooth. "It was only reasonable. This ninjutsu was derived from the mirror dimension you once introduced to us, my lord. I thought you might have insights into it."
"Mirror dimension?" Shin blinked, his brows rising. "You mean you developed it this far already?"
"Perhaps it is because the worlds differ," Orochimaru explained with a faint shrug. "Our shinobi world might lack the same constructs. There may be no natural equivalent of a mirror dimension here at all."
Shin considered this and nodded slowly. The mirror dimension had always been a unique phenomenon of the Marvel universe. Any half-trained sorcerer there could summon it, but their magical power alone was never sufficient to create a fully independent dimension. It had always existed as a parasitic, secondary realm attached to the greater Marvel universe.
Here, however, the shinobi world's laws were different. There was no guarantee such dimensions even existed, or if they did, they could take entirely new forms.
Shin's eyes sharpened. Activating his enhanced vision, he peered into the portal. To ordinary sight, it was pitch black, but to him it revealed far more. The portal was like a distorted reflection of the entire world, though painted in stark monochrome. Within that distorted space, shapes drifted. They resembled shadowy creatures, but Shin quickly identified them as constructs of Yin chakra rather than actual living beings.
Their energy levels were unimpressive, equivalent to a handful of Genin. Their numbers were limited as well.
"It seems to resemble a Shadow Realm," Shin finally said, stepping closer but not entering. "A subsidiary dimension of this world, born from its own chakra."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "So it has no significant threat? With the shinobi world's current strength, could we control it easily?"
"At present, yes," Shin replied, though his tone remained cautious. "There's nothing that poses a true challenge here."
"Remarkable..." Orochimaru murmured, almost reverently. His smile became sharper. "It seems you have gained much from your journey across worlds, Leader." His words carried both flattery and a probing edge, testing the waters of authority.
Shin caught the nuance immediately. He studied Orochimaru carefully. The man's strength had increased alarmingly fast. His chakra reserves alone now rivaled the legendary Hashirama Senju, and his mastery of ninjutsu grew with equal speed. With his current power, Orochimaru could likely stand against even Madara in his Six Paths form without being crushed outright.
The reason was clear. The shinobi world itself was evolving. With the integration of foreign magic from Kamar-Taj and the constant push of innovation, the very foundation of ninjutsu had risen to a new era.
Techniques that once seemed unattainable were now within reach.
But Orochimaru was not only a scientist. He was ambitious, restless, and unwilling to serve quietly. It was natural that he would test boundaries. Genjutsu or illusions no longer worked on him. His will and knowledge made him resistant to almost every manipulation.
Yet Shin had no intention of indulging his games.
Without moving a step, Shin let his chakra flare. The energy within him surged like a blazing star, filling the laboratory with an overwhelming pressure. It was not an attack, merely the oldest intimidation tactic of the shinobi: pouring killing intent into chakra and directing it at the target.
For ordinary opponents, such a wave of aura could paralyze the body and crush the spirit. It was the same method Zabuza once used on a fresh Team 7, making them freeze in terror. Orochimaru himself had once used it against Sasuke during the Chunin Exams. For those outclassed in power, it created the illusion of instant death.
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