The research proposal was finally approved.
Whether it was about developing a side-effect-free aphrodisiac didn't matter. What mattered was using scientific research to contribute to the Hidden Leaf and the ninja world—to make it a more harmonious and beautiful place.
As senior advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were very supportive. Especially Homura—old men inevitably had certain problems.
And when Koharu saw that the second item in the proposal involved skin-tightening and rejuvenation research, she declared the project essential—insisting it be pursued with maximum effort and full support in everything but funding.
After all, it didn't require any money from the Leaf. No extra financial burden meant full endorsement.
Thus, the plan to build a top-tier laboratory passed unanimously. Hiruzen Sarutobi personally designated a large plot on the village outskirts to Orochimaru and Uchiha Kei for the project.
Naturally, Kei didn't handle the construction himself. After informing Orochimaru of the proposal's approval, he went straight to the Hidden Leaf Game Association and commissioned the lab's construction, leaving the professional work to professionals.
As for supervision—he left that to Orochimaru, who could just dispatch a shadow clone to manage it.
Meanwhile, Kei continued developing *Escape*, drawing occasional lottery items with his accumulated emotional points. The shop had refreshed with the new month, and Kei promptly swept up all useful goods.
He used the attribute-enhancing potions on himself, then sorted the rest. Among them, one purple item caught his eye. Kei handed it directly to Orochimaru to research.
It was called: "Aphrodisiac Formula."
Yes, no joke—it was a formula for a side-effect-free aphrodisiac. Kei hadn't been bluffing in the proposal. This thing actually existed.
Why would the system generate this? The item's description explained everything:
**\[Aphrodisiac Formula: A side-effect-free production recipe. Special Note: Please pay attention to the personal lives of your programmers and overtime staff. As a boss, care for their every need. Only then will they work themselves to the bone for you, becoming your most loyal beasts of burden.]**
Well then. The system wasn't even pretending anymore—just straight-up calling employees livestock.
It was… brutally honest.
Still, the item was extremely useful.
Orochimaru's face twitched when he received the formula, but he didn't reject it. He knew the thing looked absurd, but once mass production was achieved, it could generate massive economic—and even political—benefits.
Though the word "aphrodisiac" sounded crude, it was a universally desired product, from daimyō down to merchants. As long as it had no side effects, even those who thought they were perfectly healthy would be tempted to try it.
So, even before the lab was completed, Orochimaru began researching it in his home basement, using ninja-world materials to crack the formula.
By the way, Orochimaru now had a tablet, a laptop, and a solar charger—provided, of course, by Kei.
And how did Kei explain this?
"Orochimaru-senpai, this might sound strange, but these were summoned through my summoning technique. It seems affected by the genjutsu world's anomalies, my summoning has mutated and can now produce odd things that either don't exist in or exceed the ninja world's technology."
That was what Kei told Orochimaru.
And Orochimaru believed him. Summoning Techniques were mysterious like that. Mutation through anomaly exposure wasn't unheard of.
After all, his good friend Jiraiya once botched a summoning and ended up reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku.
So began Orochimaru's path to becoming the ninja world's number one aphrodisiac researcher.
Of course, Orochimaru didn't focus all his attention on it. He delegated the task to a shadow clone, while his real body immersed itself in the virtual library of the mental network world—utterly addicted to learning.
Let's clarify: Orochimaru could access the mental network world thanks to Kei's level 3 Mental Network Control, which allowed him to plant a "login port" in others' minds via Sharingan, letting them enter Kei's personal mental network.
In essence, Kei had created a local network—himself as the server. As long as one was within range and had a login port, they could access the network.
Current testing showed the effective radius was 10 kilometers, but interference to mental fields could reduce or block access.
Still, even with limitations, the core concept of a "mental network" was now reality.
Kei suspected that if he upgraded the Mental Network Control again, he'd unlock tech for building a large-scale server.
At that point, "The Sacred Chakala Connects Us All" wouldn't just be a dream.
For now, it was just a theory. Whether it'd happen would depend on future system upgrades.
Currently, Kei had provided both Orochimaru and Kikyo with login ports, packaged as "mental seeds" to help them understand the concept.
Maintaining the network depended on Kei's mental strength, though the system didn't constantly drain him—it simply built a persistent VR world within his mental space.
With his current capabilities, Kei could provide up to seven access slots. He had already reserved two for Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze.
Why hadn't he granted them yet? Because Minato wasn't back yet, and Kushina, as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, was constantly monitored. Kei wouldn't give her access without proper safety measures.
As for the remaining three slots, Kei had candidates in mind but hadn't finalized them.
He did, however, want to keep at least one slot open for emergencies.
Also, Kei retained full admin control over the mental network world. With just a thought, he could instantly eject anyone—no resistance possible. So he wasn't worried about internal trouble.
And so, on the fourth day after meeting Orochimaru, Kei ran into a "familiar face."
Why "familiar"? Because in Kei's memory, this person had never set foot in the Hidden Leaf. Yet now, here he was—in a gaming arcade, no less.
Kei had been cooped up making games, but today he felt drained and decided to take a stroll. He dropped by the arcade to check business—only to spot the person teaming up with others to play *Left 4 Dead*.
As the mental network owner, Kei had one secret: he'd built a backdoor into all genjutsu games, granting him full admin rights.
Usually useless, these rights let him monitor gameplay—or even interfere—via the network.
He didn't even need to touch anything. Wireless linking worked just fine—within range.
Think of it like Bluetooth.
So Kei sat down in his private office in the arcade's backroom and, through the mental network's backend, secretly logged into "that person's" game.
And he saw it—Sasori of the Red Sand, future assassin of the Third Kazekage, a boy capable of wiping out a small nation… hopelessly addicted to the game.
And he had a quirk: whenever he encountered puppets or puppet-related mechanisms in-game, he'd become utterly entranced—staring, touching, practically crawling into them to study. His teammates waited patiently each time.
No complaints from the team, because they weren't randoms—his squad consisted of Suna shinobi from the diplomatic mission, who'd all been dragged into gaming by him.
Their excuse? "Testing and evaluating genjutsu games."
Expenses? Covered by the diplomatic delegation's budget.
Kei watched them play for over an hour and confirmed: Sasori was truly addicted. Not just because of the puppets, but because the game was genuinely fun as hell.
Forget his future as the "Art is Eternal" artist—Sasori was still just a teenage boy.
Maybe his painful, loveless childhood shaped his eccentric thinking, but age didn't lie.
He hadn't been addicted to play before because there was nothing worth the addiction. But genjutsu games—compared to Earth's highest entertainment standards—were dimensional leaps above. Once experienced, their allure to a teenage boy was overwhelming.
With no one stopping him and no awareness of the dangers of game addiction, it was no surprise that the famous Sasori became an internet-addicted teen.
Kei stared blankly.
This Sasori… was supposed to kill the Third Kazekage and trigger the Third Great Ninja War. And now?
Um… would he still?
Maybe the Kazekage found out about his addiction, tried to make him quit, and Sasori, in a fiery rage, killed him out of spite?
Honestly… not impossible.
Kei propped his chin in thought.
Then, watching Sasori obsess over a puppet trap, a new idea sparked.
Before transmigrating, someone had theorized: Sasori was actually the ninja world's engineering genius. With proper education, he might've built real mecha in the ninja world.
Considering how abstract the ninja world's tech already was, that didn't sound far-fetched.
So... should he recruit Sasori?