Whoosh!
Shinji appeared behind Orochimaru with Pakura and Gaara, whom she held in her arms. Orochimaru was staring at a culture dish, his brow tightly furrowed.
"Oh? Is it not going well?"
Orochimaru was completely absorbed in his work.
The voice startled him.
Only when he turned and saw a familiar face did he relax. "It's fine. Cultivating them artificially is just too slow..."
Privately, he could not help marveling at how much stronger Shinji had become.
He had not sensed Shinji's arrival at all...
That was a first.
"Shinji, that... vessel you mentioned?"
Shinji saw the gleam in Orochimaru's eyes and laughed. "I brought it!"
"Hmm?! Where?!" Orochimaru seized Shinji's arm, his eyes brimming with eagerness for something new.
Shinji shook his head. "Don't rush. It's enormous. We need to make room first..."
Orochimaru froze. "Enormous?"
Shinji glanced down at the ground.
He stamped his foot.
"If I remember right, this Laboratory is halfway up a mountain?"
"Ah..."
Shinji rubbed his chin. "What do you think about hollowing out the mountain?"
Orochimaru stared at him. "Shinji... that would be a huge... huh?"
Shinji stopped him with a pointed stare.
Orochimaru jolted.
"Shinji, you're not thinking of bringing Manda here, are you?"
"No. Absolutely not!"
Orochimaru shook his head vigorously. "You hurt him so badly last time that he still hasn't fully recovered. He'd go berserk the moment he saw you, never mind if you asked him to dig a hole!"
"No. That's definitely out of the question!"
Shinji glanced at Pakura. "Take him to a room and get some rest."
Pakura lowered her head slightly. She seemed to have grown entirely accustomed to being a prisoner.
"Yes..."
Once they had left, Orochimaru frowned. "Shinji, who were those two?"
"Pakura of the Scorch Release, and Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki and