"Alright, brats, hurry home. Let's forget today's incident as if it were a misunderstanding," Kakashi said to Naruto and the other four with a listless, lazy demeanor.
"These brats are so annoying, especially that Naruto kid, always causing trouble!"
Kakashi realized that today's encounter might have truly been an accident, and his mood immediately relaxed. He genuinely didn't know how to address Naruto.
With all of Konoha being so vast, it was coincidental that Naruto happened upon these two. He wondered if he should call it luck or misfortune.
Kakashi said to Might Guy, "Guy, I'll explain today's events to the Hokage. You take the kids home first."
Might Guy nodded and replied, "Fine, whatever you say."
"..."
Kakashi felt something was off about that statement. He shot Guy a peculiar glance before darting towards the Hokage's tower.
After Kakashi left, Might Guy gave Naruto and the others a thumbs-up, baring his sparkling white teeth and exclaiming, "How about it, youngsters? Want to learn from me how to burn with youth and be filled with passion!"
"Uh..."
Shikamaru looked at the man before him, who was somewhat dazzling, and quickly said, "We can go home ourselves, no need to worry!"
"How can that be! I will definitely ensure you all get home safely as per Kakashi's instructions!"
Might Guy thought about how he had lost to Kakashi again today, and his fighting spirit became even more fervent!
Next time! No! Tomorrow!
Tomorrow, he would definitely win against Kakashi at least once!
When that happened, he would tell all his fellow classmates!
While Might Guy was fantasizing as if he were on steroids, Naruto gave the other four a look and quietly slipped away from the woods.
They didn't want to go home yet; their nightlife had just begun!
...
The sun was about to sink below the horizon, and the endless sunset painted the sky a deep red. Ank Bandian was also quite lively at this time.
"Hey! I spotted this room first!"
Kimimaro ignored Suigetsu's grimacing beside him and silently entered the room to pack his belongings.
Because this room was the closest to Lin Yu, Kimimaro was determined to have it!
"Alright Suigetsu, isn't living next to your big brother good?" Hozuki Mangetsu looked at the empty rooms on either side of him, feeling a little dejected. Why wasn't anyone living next to him!
"No way! Brother, you snore so loudly at night, you'll disturb me!"
"..."
Hozuki Mangetsu walked forward with a smile, grabbed Suigetsu's ear, and chuckled, "I'll give you another chance, sleep or not!"
"Hmph, you just bully your younger brother!"
Hozuki Mangetsu glanced at the connecting wall and whispered, "Suigetsu, what if we knock down the wall between our rooms and combine them? Then the area would be larger, and we could build a swimming pool."
Hozuki Suigetsu's eyes lit up, "Great idea, brother!"
Meanwhile, in another area, this was the housing for core members. The area where Kimimaro was earlier was for intern staff. Lin Yu had clearly demarcated it, which would further stimulate the employees' drive!
At present, only two doors in the core member area were open: those of Shisui and Obito.
The reason for Obito's being open was simple: his Kamui dimension had stored a small mountain of trash. It wasn't unreasonable to need a room!
This aerial fortress was truly enormous, capable of carrying thousands of people at least. Yet, the Eternal Organization had fewer than ten members, so empty rooms were everywhere.
Therefore, Lin Yu let Mei Terumi and Pakura allocate a portion for a "girls' dormitory," and Orochimaru also claimed a small area to establish a laboratory and control center.
For example, Shisui requested a training ground, and the Hozuki brothers wanted a luxurious swimming pool...
Lin Yu only said a few words to them: "Pay out of your own pockets!"
This immediately led to complaints about his stinginess, with even Shisui muttering, "No salary, and we have to pay to improve the base, how stingy!"
Obito finally felt balanced. Fortunately, he hadn't joined. Looking at it this way, the Akatsuki Organization was better!
At least he didn't have to pay!
However, upon seeing that Lin Yu had advanced Orochimaru ten billion for research funds, their dissatisfaction subsided, and they all asked Orochimaru, "Do you need any assistants!"
Little money symbols were flashing in their eyes.
Orochimaru hadn't expected Lin Yu to be so generous with research. In that case, following him might be a good choice.
In the temporarily cleared hall, everyone sat around, with Lin Yu occupying the main seat in the middle.
"Have you figured out how to control the fortress?"
Orochimaru replied, "Basic operations are relatively easy to grasp, but some offensive weapons will still require some time to explore."
During his exploration, Orochimaru discovered that the fortress had more than one war weapon. However, due to a lack of research methods and energy, the research was only half-completed, which piqued his interest.
"That's enough. We'll send those civilians and ninjas down later and erase their painful memories from this period."
Shisui nodded. Earlier, they had discovered forty to fifty civilians and ninjas captured and imprisoned by Chin Shinu within the fortress. Their chakra was almost depleted, seemingly used by Chin Shinu as a source of chakra for the Zero-Tails.
"This is for the best."
No one had any objections. This would not only keep the information about the fortress secret but also allow those who had been tortured to start their lives anew.
"Then, from today onwards, this will be our Eternal Organization's base. The name Ank Bandian is hereby eliminated!"
"Oh yeah!"
Hozuki Suigetsu cheered twice enthusiastically, only to find that no one joined him. He chuckled awkwardly, lowered his head, and sat in his chair, playing with water balls.
"It's not easy," Shisui sighed softly.
However, the person most suited to sigh was not present. After all, Minato Namikaze had been tricked into joining the organization over ten years ago. It had taken more than ten years for the organization to finally have a base, a hardship untold to outsiders!
Lin Yu cleared his throat and said, "For now, the organization has only one purpose: to make money! The base is like our home! We need to improve it together!"
"..."
Hozuki Suigetsu grumbled again, "Do I, a child, also have to go out and make money?"
"Of course!"
Lin Yu said sternly, "The amount of money is not important. My original intention is to cultivate your diligent and progressive good habits by oppressing... by making you..."
"..."
If possible, please don't speak your true intentions next time. They weren't stupid!
The meeting continued, with too many things to discuss. Although everyone present felt Lin Yu was somewhat unreliable and stingy, a sense of home permeated the air among them. Though small, it was like a seed.
...
Late at night, in a certain part of the Land of Rice Fields, a pale-faced man excitedly put a letter into a carrier pigeon and sent it off. The two men behind him also looked excited.
"We found it! We found it!"
"We finally found the flower thief, Kawaki!"