Yakushi Nono was only a minor episode in Vegapunk's research. With his own electromagnetic abilities as a template, analyzing brainwaves was child's play. If he hadn't feared breaking her completely, the study would have taken less than half a month.
Fortunately, the research wasn't pointless; at the very least he gained a decent lab assistant-cum-maid. After enjoying Yakushi Nono's services, Vegapunk turned his attention back to his experiment.
The reason Vegapunk had stayed in Roran all this time was that the underground ley-line made space-time research extremely convenient. The vein's energy seemed naturally able to interfere with time and space, sparing Vegapunk a great deal of trouble.
Even the entire research base had been folded into multiple pocket dimensions thanks to that energy and his spatial technology. Outwardly it looked no bigger than an ordinary complex, but inside it was nearly as large as a major university.
And today, Vegapunk had at last finished the calculations for Parallel World travel and every other preliminary step; the real experiment could now begin.
He summoned Uchiha Obito, who had grown anxious from waiting. The closer Vegapunk's preparations came to success, the more uneasy Obito became. Only when he heard that the experiment would start today did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Success or failure, it would all be over in one go... Obito now understood that death itself wasn't frightening; the waiting for it was the real torment—though this experiment wasn't an execution, the feeling was much the same.
Ever since Vegapunk restored his body, Obito had stopped wearing that odd mask, and his contacts with the Akatsuki Organization had dwindled.
In truth, the original Akatsuki had long since been wiped out; the newly-founded group had yet to recruit any Rogue Ninja. Apart from Obito, only Nagato and Konan remained.
According to the timeline, about a year earlier Nagato had fought his way back into Amegakure and killed Hanzou, finally securing a stable base. It was then that Obito planned to expand the organization.
Full of confidence, he had come to Vegapunk's base to recruit him—only to slam into an iron plate and get thoroughly trounced. After that, the fake Uchiha Madara's communications with Akatsuki became scarce, and recently had ceased entirely. Fortunately, Obito had always been secretive; Nagato merely found it odd and had no idea anything had happened to him.
"So the experiment can begin?"
Entering the lab, Obito's eyes were drawn at once to the huge sphere of light in the center. Its glow was soft, almost dim, yet Obito could sense energy on par with a Tailed Beast inside it.
This was Vegapunk's quantum brain, transported from the Land of Sea. After discovering radioactive minerals in the Naruto World, he had unlocked nuclear-fusion technology; he could now extract limitless energy from seawater alone, so his quantum brain no longer needed geothermal power.
More importantly, Roran possessed ley-line energy—space-time-attributed power that had become the focus of his recent research—so rather than letting the quantum brain rust elsewhere, he had brought it here.
"All preliminary data has been gathered. To go further, we need an actual field test."
Vegapunk glanced at the data in his hand, then turned to Obito and said:
"I've already tried sending objects across. Crossing over was easy, but during transit the matter sustained distortional damage. The mice looked fine on arrival, yet internally their bones and organs were displaced by space-time forces."
"After all, it's only energy modeled on Roran's ley-line, not the genuine article, so problems remain."
"In theory, your own Space-Time Ninjutsu should spare you such harm, but without a live test I can't guarantee the outcome."
Though vast, the ley-line energy within Roran was hard to tap, and having accumulated over centuries it recovered very slowly.
After the previous crossing, Vegapunk had noticed the vein's energy drop by roughly a tenth—in other words, it could be used for travel no more than ten times.
By his estimate, after three or four more jumps the vein itself might collapse, never mind ten.
Thus he had to analyze the vein's composition and, using a fusion reactor, synthesize a similar energy instead of consuming the authentic ley-line.
According to his calculations, the Naruto World did not hold infinite Parallel Worlds. He could detect only two besides the Infinite Tsukuyomi world; only one alternative remained for Obito to reach.
On the first crossing, however, one could choose a temporal point within roughly twenty years of the present—but only for that initial connection; afterward the timeline would proceed normally.
After hearing all this, Obito looked unconcerned. "Doesn't matter. If it works, I can fix everything. If it fails... I'll consider it atonement."
Maybe in the Pure Land I'll see Rin... he thought, though he kept such mawkishness to himself.
Vegapunk couldn't care less what this Uchiha lunatic was thinking; the man was merely a test subject. Success would be ideal, failure would still yield valuable data.
"Right—before that, give me your hand."
As if struck by a sudden thought, Vegapunk tapped Obito's hand, leaving a diamond-shaped mark.
"What's this?" Obito asked, curious.
Vegapunk waved dismissively. "Inspired by the Ōtsutsuki soul-rebirth technique, it's a data package. When you arrive, just press the mark onto any enemy below Jonin level."
The Ōtsutsuki Clan's soul-reincarnation technique is exquisitely subtle: they anchor their own Chakra to the host, and the moment they die their soul is instantly drawn into that compressed anchor, gradually overtaking the victim's body.
At first Vegapunk was baffled by the ability; he couldn't grasp how a mere soul-data package could produce such an effect. Later research revealed it stemmed entirely from the Ōtsutsuki's unique physiology.
Though the Ōtsutsuki appear flesh-and-blood, they are in fact bio-mimetic bodies woven from high-density Chakra. Because they are fundamentally Chakra entities, their reincarnation incurs no loss of strength—they emerge at full power.
Only the Ōtsutsuki can wield this power. Unless Vegapunk abandoned his physical form and converted himself into a pure Chakra being like them, he could never use it.
Vegapunk was certainly unwilling to discard his body—who knew what the consequences of such a transformation might be? Not to mention it would wreck the power system of the One Piece World.
Unable to transfer souls, Vegapunk devised an alternative: combining the Shadow Clone technique with the soul-transfer method, he could convert weaker Ninja directly into his own clones.
To prevent rebellion the conversion was incomplete; the clones were hard-wired with mechanical minds, stripped of emotion and bound solely to the objectives he set.
Uchiha Obito didn't follow the talk of soul-data packages, but nodded and agreed to Vegapunk's request, then asked nervously, "Where will the experiment take place?"
"Right here. You have ten minutes to prepare; then I'll open the space-time gate. If my calculations are correct, I'll send you back about five or six years, to the middle of the war between Konoha and Iwa."
"Of course, there'll already be another you there... Heh, I wonder how that version will react when he sees you."
Obito's gaze turned cold. "I'm nothing like my old self anymore."
"Yeah, yeah—save the speech for yourself," Vegapunk waved him off. "Go get ready, and bring anything you need."
Ten minutes later Vegapunk linked to the quantum brain and precisely opened the space-time gate. Swirling violet energy formed a vortex-like passage; within, intense purple light obscured the destination.
Clenching his teeth, Obito slung the instruments Vegapunk had given him and stepped straight inside.
Moments later the light faded and the gate vanished. Vegapunk frowned, straining to sense Obito's presence. Inside the temporal tunnel Obito drifted through a kaleidoscopic space of warped mirrors, buffeted by strange temporal currents.
Fortunately he could slip into the Kamui Dimension to dodge most of the turbulence; otherwise he'd have shared the fate of the lab rats.
Subjectively only two or three minutes passed before light flashed ahead and the warped space shattered like a Mangekyo pattern. A cool night wind brushed his face.
"This is... Konohagakure!?"
Obito stared in bewilderment at the familiar village. It was exactly as he remembered—only slightly shabbier, more backward than prosperous.
Leaping to a rooftop he froze: carved into the distant cliff stood the famed Hokage Rock, but only three faces were carved—First, Second, and Third Hokage.
"No Minato-sensei... So I really have returned to the past."
Obito spoke as if in a dream, his face caught between sorrow and joy.
"I'm back. I can undo every tragedy, every regret. Rin, I'll save you!"
"Hey, Uchiha! Stop yelling from the roof—some people are trying to sleep! Get down here!"
He looked down to see two Uchiha Military Police officers glaring up at him.
Fresh from the chaotic tunnel, Obito's Sharingan was still active, though without Kamui it had reverted to three tomoe—enough to identify his clan.
The officers studied him and frowned. "Which family are you from? I don't recognize you."
With fewer than a thousand Uchiha in total and only a few dozen wielding three tomoe, the police knew every one by sight.
Their eyes narrowed, hands drifting toward their pouches.
This was the Third Ninja World War; vigilance was paramount. Any anomaly and the Military Police or Anbu would strike first and ask questions later.
Obito glanced at them; the pattern of his Mangekyo Sharingan flashed and both officers fell under a genjutsu, eyes vacant.
He leapt down. "What date is it, and how is the war proceeding?"
Compelled by the illusion they answered; Obito learned Vegapunk's experiment had been perfect—he had arrived in the war's middle stage.
Relief washed over him. The battle for the Kannabi Bridge had yet to happen; this world's Obito hadn't even given Kakashi his eye. He had all the time he needed.
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