Rikusei's medical checkups weren't complicated. He simply talked things through with the shinobi.
It wasn't until dusk that he finished his work for the day. He left the hospital and followed a secluded road toward the research facility deep in Konoha.
His clothes let him pass without hindrance. No one stopped him to ask questions. He felt the gazes of unseen watchers linger on him briefly before turning elsewhere.
Rikusei stopped and looked at the research facility hidden underground. He easily found the mechanism beside him and knocked open the concealed entrance.
"Who are you?"
A questioning voice came from deep within the passage. Its owner sized up the unfamiliar man at the entrance. The symbol on his chest made his identity clear.
He was one of their own.
Rikusei descended the stairs and said to the research facility's member, who kept himself hidden in the shadows, "This isn't the place to talk."
The man seemed to snap out of a dream. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and hurriedly said, "Please, follow me."
Rikusei glanced at him, then turned and walked to the corner, where he pulled a lever. With a rumble, the open door closed again.
The man leading the way watched his practiced movements, growing suspicious and muttering to himself.
How strange. He'd been here since the research facility was first established, so why had he never seen this face before?
Once the office door was shut, Rikusei put his doubts to rest.
"Minister Tobirama's old dream can finally be realized. This is an organization bestowed upon us by Lord Hokage and Lord Madara."
Two glass bottles clinked crisply against the tabletop. The ordinary flesh resting at the bottom of each bottle caught the man's attention.
He leaned close, gazing at the labels