34. (updated)

Hiroshi's clone entered the room with a quiet knock, holding a large storage scroll marked with intricate sealing patterns.

"About time," Hiroshi muttered, barely glancing at the clone.

The clone silently handed over the scroll before vanishing in a puff of smoke, leaving a faint swirl of chakra in its wake. Hiroshi held the scroll with both hands, examining the seals carefully. With a single-hand seal and a whispered incantation, the scroll glowed faintly.

Whoosh!

A metallic cube, massive in size at 4 meters on each side, materialized in the center of the room with a dull thud, shaking the floor slightly. Next to it, a small pile of green crystals containing a White Zetsu shimmered under the room's light.

"Finally," Hiroshi murmured, walking up to the cube. His excitement was evident as his fingers traced the seamless metallic surface.

With a casual wave of his hand, a section of the cube began glowing faintly, and a door appeared as if the metal itself had rearranged to his will. Without hesitation, Hiroshi stepped inside.

As soon as the door slid shut, the room was illuminated with a soft blue glow. The interior was impossibly vast—far larger than the cube's external dimensions, thanks to advanced spatial seals.

Holographic screens floated everywhere, displaying endless streams of data, live feeds, and detailed blueprints of Hiroshi's ongoing projects. The faint hum of chakra-powered systems and the occasional flicker of a hologram gave the space a futuristic yet surreal feel.

Nova's voice echoed through the space, calm and sharp as always. "Welcome back, Hiroshi. All systems are operational."

"Good." Hiroshi walked further inside, letting his gaze roam over the floating screens. With a simple flick of his wrist, he swiped several windows aside, clearing his view of the central console. "Give me a full status report."

The holographic displays shifted. Nova began narrating as various feeds appeared on the screens:

- Feed 1: Sasori meticulously working on a new puppet in a dimly lit inn room. His hunched posture and constant glances at the door made it clear—he was terrible at working undercover.

- Feed 2: Root headquarters, where masked operatives moved with machine-like precision, their actions carefully coordinated under Danzo's watchful eye.

- Feed 3: Minato sitting in his office, deep in thought as he sifted through stacks of documents, his golden hair reflecting the faint sunlight from the nearby window.

- Feed 4: Split-screen showing Konan and Mei….

Pov: Konan

Konan stirred awake, her senses slowly returning.

"Ugh… What happened last night?" she murmured.

She blinked a few times and noticed the unfamiliar bed she was lying on. The sheets were soft and luxurious, and the faint scent of lavender and something funny? Lingered in the air.

Turning her head, she froze. Right next to her, snuggled under the same blanket, was Mei.

And not just any Mei, but completely naked Mei, her auburn hair cascading messily over the pillow, her serene face resting peacefully as if she didn't have a care in the world.

Konan's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat.

She glanced down and realized she was in her birthday suit as well.

"Nope. Nope. This isn't happening," she whispered to herself, her voice laced with panic. "It's just a bad dream. A really, really bad dream." She pinched her arm hard.

"Ouch!" Okay, not a dream.

Mei stirred, her emerald eyes fluttering open as she let out a lazy yawn. She turned her head to Konan and gave her a slow, teasing smile. "Good morning, sunshine."

Konan bolted upright, clutching the blanket to her chest and covering herself.

"W-Why am I here? Why am I—" She gestured wildly at herself, "like this?!"

Mei propped herself up on her elbow, looking entirely too relaxed for the situation. "Relax, Konan. After the party, you got a little… carried away."

Konan narrowed her eyes. "Carried away how?"

"You drank a little too much sake," Mei said with an innocent smile. "Then you spilled some sauce on your clothes while you were trying to eat those dumplings.

So, naturally, I had to help you out of them before you ruined them completely. I'm a good host, after all."

Konan raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And this somehow explains why I woke up naked in your bed?"

Mei's smile turned mischievous. "Well, you insisted that my guest bed was too uncomfortable, and then you climbed into my bed. I wasn't about to argue with you in your state."

Konan's face turned redder than a fire jutsu. "That… that's not possible! I don't get drunk that easily!"

Mei shrugged, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "What can I say? Maybe you're not as strong against sake as you think."

Konan stared at her, her piercing blue eyes narrowing as if trying to dissect Mei's every word.

"You're lying."

"Lying? Me? Never," Mei replied, feigning offense.

Konan buried her face in her hands. "This can't be happening."

Mei chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. It's not like we—"

"Don't say it!" Konan snapped, cutting her off before she could even finish the sentence.

Mei laughed again, sitting up and stretching, completely unbothered by her lack of clothing.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you too much. But you have to admit, this was probably the most fun you've had in years."

Konan groaned, her head falling back against the pillow. "Why do I feel like I'm being punished for something I didn't even do?"

Mei leaned closer, her tone turning playful. "Oh, Konan, don't act so innocent. You did say some interesting things last night."

Konan's eyes snapped open. "That's it. I'm never drinking again."

Mei giggled and patted Konan on the shoulder. "Relax. It's just us girls here. No one else needs to know."

Konan eyed her suspiciously. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

Mei placed a hand over her heart, her expression mock-serious. "Of course not. Your secret is safe with me!"

Konan sighed in relief. But as she turned her head to glance at the clock on the nightstand, she noticed something peculiar.

On the bedside table was a small, folded piece of paper with the words "Nice moves, Konan!" scrawled in familiar handwriting.

Her eyes widened in horror. "Hiroshi….!?" she remembered everything that really happened last night.

"Ugghhh!"

Mei just laughed as she saw Konan passing out again; she was clearly enjoying every second of Konan's misery.

…

"Poor Konan." Nova teased.

"Aren't you equally responsible?"

Hiroshi smirked because of the lack of an answer, "Good. Now let's get to work." He walked to the center of the control room, where a glowing platform rose slightly from the floor. He tapped it with his foot, and a massive holographic file labeled 'Project Starlight' appeared in the air before him.

"Project Starlight," Nova intoned. "Objective: Create a wormhole and prob to harness the power of a star. Current progress: 43%."

"We're still stuck on the energy issue, aren't we?" Hiroshi asked.

"Yes," Nova replied. "A stable wormhole requires an extraordinary amount of energy. Current calculations indicate two potential sources: the Ten-Tails or an equivalent amount of natural energy. What do you this–"

"Warning signal detected," Nova said. "A critical situation involving the merchant."

Hiroshi straightened up. "What's happening?"

Nova pulled up a live feed. On one screen, mist shinobi were attacking the merchant.

The merchant's servants lay scattered, lifeless on the ground. In the background, the merchant's storehouse was engulfed in flames.

"They've already killed his servants," Nova reported. "The merchant is cornered. His storehouse is fully on fire."

Hiroshi's gaze darkened. "Is there a Flying Thunder God mark nearby?"

Nova scanned the area rapidly. A few moments later, a hologram highlighted a mark inside the burning storehouse. "There is one, but it's inside the fire."

"That'll do," Hiroshi said, already forming hand seals.

"Are you sure about this? You will still feel the pain." Nova asked.

He smirked. "Do you even need to ask?"