Tony leaned back against the chair, the warm aroma of cooked meat filling the dimly lit bar. He tried to push aside the cascade of distracting thoughts that had been plaguing him. After a pause, he turned toward Eric.
"What about Yuri? Why didn't she come too?"
Eric, calmly cutting into his steak, replied casually, "Oh, she told me she was feeling a little unwell. She's sleeping. I'll bring the food back to her room."
At that moment, a middle-aged man approached their table with their order. Nothing too fancy—just steak. The man placed the plates down without a word and moved on.
Tony picked up his fork but didn't eat immediately. Instead, he asked, "So, did you decide what we're going to do here?"
It had already been ten days since they arrived in this world. Within that time, they had managed to gather most of the important intelligence they needed. The period they landed in wasn't well documented in the Naruto manga, so even Eric couldn't say much with confidence.
However, with the use of his newly created shadow soldiers, the process became incredibly efficient. Now, they could confidently say they had a basic understanding of the world—how it functioned, how people thought, how they lived. It was a fascinating contrast.
Eric had once held unrealistically high expectations for this world, shaped by childhood memories. But those ideals had been shattered, leaving only sharp shards of truth. Still, from the perspective of someone aiming to build a kingdom of his own, this world was nothing short of a gold mine.
The shadow soldiers were like perfect agents—capable of changing their appearance, wielding variable abilities, and possessing moderate combat strength. For them, taking over a country would be like a walk in the park.
All it took was one ninja transforming into someone powerful in that region. Then, after consolidating power, they'd pass it on to a loyal subordinate and fake their death. A flawless takeover with no evidence left behind.
Tony found it strange. Why were ninja, with such power and potential, serving normal civilians? It made little sense to him.
Eric must have picked up on his confusion. "I got some information about the history of this world," he said. "It used to be a normal place, just like Earth. But around a thousand years ago, two Otsutsuki came here. They're an alien species that go from planet to planet, devouring energy by planting massive trees."
Tony leaned forward, interested.
"But this time," Eric continued, "one of them betrayed the other. She took the fruit for herself, killing the other in the process. That was Kaguya. Because she feared her clan's retaliation, she planned to create an army of mindless soldiers. She even created two sons to help her."
He scoffed. "But her sons were as dumb as she was. They betrayed her without even asking questions. Just because some old toad told them to. In the end, they fought her, sealed her in the moon, and then spread her chakra across the world. That's how humans got chakra."
Tony, clearly intrigued, asked in a curious voice, "Cool story, but what does that have to do with our goal?"
"I was getting to that," Eric replied, slightly annoyed. "I was thinking—why not take the source of chakra itself back with us? Kaguya. We could mass-produce ninja back in our world, just like the Sage of Six Paths did."
Tony stared at him in shock. "You want to kidnap the Otsutsuki?"
Eric grinned, puffing out his chest with pride. "Yeah, that's my plan."
Clearly, he expected applause. But Tony's response was far from that.
"What bullshit are you spouting? That's the stupidest idea I've heard in my life!" he said, laughing.
"What? Do you have a better idea or something?" Eric replied, visibly dissatisfied.
"Obviously I do. A plan at least a hundred times better than your ridiculous one."
Tony leaned forward. "It's like finding the water of eternal youth, but instead of drinking it, you take the golden cup that holds it—just because it can create more water. It sounds clever, but when you think about it, it's extremely stupid. By the time you've made another batch, you'll be dead from old age."
He shook his head. "There are too many problems with your plan. If we had unlimited time, it'd be fine. We could cultivate slowly. But we don't. To follow your plan, we'd have to build a loyal force back on Earth, distribute chakra, eliminate those without talent, and train the rest. That would take decades. Maybe thirty years, at least, before it becomes even remotely useful. By then, there might not be a universe left to save."
Eric slumped back, disappointed. He had genuinely thought his plan was good. But he brought Tony along for a reason. Between both of his lives, Eric still lacked the real-world experience Tony had in abundance. Intelligence meant nothing without the knowledge to apply it.
Tony smiled with a mysterious glint in his eyes. "Obviously, we need to take the ninja with us. Not all, but at least sixty percent."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "But how?" he asked, barely believing what he was hearing.
"Yeah, I was getting to that," Tony said. "But first—tell me more about that Yamamoto guy. How strong is he?"
Eric frowned. "Yamamoto... he's a mystery. I still can't figure out what he's thinking. He's already invincible in this world—taking it over would be child's play. But he's still out here, working like a regular ninja, completing tasks every day."
He shook his head. "He's clearly from a modern world. That much is obvious from all the new ideas he's introduced here. He's trying to preserve the original plot of this world, but why? With his strength, he doesn't need to. I need more time to understand him."
Just then, a loud bang shattered hid thought. The door to the bar was flung open violently. In the chaotic noise, only Eric noticed it.
He turned his head, his eyes locking on a familiar figure. Blonde hair. Brown eyes.
"Is that... no way," he muttered.
Standing in the doorway was someone unmistakable.
"Tsunade?"