Chapter 73: 72. Growing Investment

The next day

Rei returned from his lab, his body exhausted from using the Ten-Tails to widen the Physical and Spiritual centers within his body

"Agh...I had almost forgotten why this method was deemed too dangerous for ordinary humans!"

Elated from the news he received yesterday, Rei somewhat overdid it in the efforts to increase his chakra reserves. Most would be dead with such a practice, if not extremely hurt

{Amazing. After everything I did yesterday, I'm only slightly tired now}

Thanks to gaining the first part of the Black Scroll, Rei's bodily functions have improved greatly. Along with more efficient blood circulation, the glucose in his system is performing much better. The blood sugar levels are being managed far superior than normal humans, granting him much more energy

After resting for a bit, Rei walked around the house, looking for any trace of Mabui. His "cousin" had been given more leeway recently, granting them more time to spend with one another

"I thought she'd be back from her mission by now..."

But Mabui had yet to return from the mission she was given nearly three days ago

BUMP! BUMP!

"!"

Just as he was about to take some food from the fridge, someone knocked on the door. Opening it, he was greeted by the local mail carrier. In his hands was a package and a letter on top of it addressed to him. Parting ways, the postman left as Rei went back inside

"Oh! It's from Tetsuo. I wonder if he's done as I asked..."

Sitting down by the Kotatsu, he placed the package on the floor and opened the letter

"Greetings from my new factory Rei!

I've finally settled down in a new workplace, much closer to Kumogakure. I initially didn't want to move so far away from the border, far away from the people who needed the most help. But now that your village is providing more relief aid to those affected by the war, Shō-san managed to convince me it was the right decision. Plus, being closer to the nation's capital ensures the threat of another incursion is less likely to happen (And I for one do not want another encounter with criminals like the "Oni Garrison" again).

Shō-san decided to leave his town and come along with me. He's now working as the head of my private security force, sending most of his daily wage to his home. With him in charge, coordination with your Kumo shinobi has been going along swimmingly. Enough that I've already started hiring more experienced engineers. With that in mind, I've begun the construction on the "device" you designed.

I must confess, skepticism was all I had when you proposed that I back you. I mean, having a nine year old (You're almost nine right?) be my chief engineer is something that would make colleagues of mine question my psychological state. But after witnessing you and your teams performance when you saved me two years ago, I was convinced it's worth the risk.

My top builders also had a change of mind when they took a look at your work. They were singing songs of praise towards the genius who created the designs. Per your request, I've kept your identity anonymous. The only thing they know is the person responsible for pioneering these devices is someone named "Developer R".

After looking at the schematics you sent, my team's construction of the individual parts is already underway. But as our agreement stated, we'll only begin mass production of any product you provide AFTER you've given your seal approval. Inside the package attached to this letter is first part my team has completed.

I have to say, I've never been so excited about what the future holds in my life. Out with old "Mori Ltd.", in with new "Mori SP". We all look forward to hearing from you soon!

From an eternally thankful friend,

-Tetsuo Mori

P.S. This will be the first and last letter I send you"

CRACKLE!

The letter in his hand burst into flame. The last time Rei and Tetsuo talked, they agreed to meet in person from then onwards after his new company was built. This was all in an effort to keep Rei's identity a secret

"Not bad Tetsuo, you'd think rebuilding a company on such a scale, in barely two years would be impossible. I was wise to invest in you...now let's see how your team performed"

Opening the package, Rei took out some type of soft material

"Hmmm...very nice. This silicone-infused rubber will serve as a fine separator. Once the project gets underway, nee-san should have much more leeway from her secret 'Network' project"

For the past two years, Rei's suspicions of Mabui's frequent absence had only grown. Once his interest hit its peak, he took upon himself to investigate. During one night, Rei used his superhuman hearing to eavesdrop on a conversation between Mabui, and a superior who visited her in the middle of the night

A word that kept coming up was "Network". Although he didn't know what it meant, Rei was able to find out the project in question required the use of batteries and generators. After thinking back on Tetsuo's old commission and the events that followed, Rei began connecting the dots

"I still don't have the whole picture, but I know the Raikage is involved in whatever this project is. And he's brought nee-san into the fold"

But that wasn't the only reason he decided to help Tetsuo renew his contract with Kumogakure, along with secretly aiding their efforts to acquire a new age battery

GURGLE!

"Ugh! I'm still hungry. It sucks not being able to buy more food. It's just as Notitia said"

Rei was flat broke. After his continuous patronage to Tetsuo's recovery, along with purchasing various chemicals for his research, he had burned through the rest of his inheritance. The materials needed to construct his "Black Rods" and other experiments were not cheap. By making Tetsuo's business successful, the money Rei invested would certainly come back with interest

"Haaa...crummy vegetables it is then"

Grabbing some food from the fridge, he sat down at the table before recalling a conversation he had with Notitia

♦♦♦

Eight months ago

BOOM! The sound of an explosion echoed throughout Rei's lab

"Shit! I used to much!"

[Still no luck huh?]

"No...I must've gotten the numbers wrong. Lemme try something else"

Rei had been hard at work trying to replicate Isshiki's "Black Cube", unusual devices capable of disrupting sensory abilities

"Didn't think it would explode in my face this time"

[Careful, this already happened to you once before]

"Relax. It's not like I can get 'double reincarnated' into another world...or can I?"

You are reading story Illumination – A Naruto Fantasy at novel35.com

[No clue. I was advising you to be careful, but now I'm kinda curious to see if that's possible]

"Your concern for my well being is touching as usual Notitia"

Opening a crate, a flash of worry appeared on Rei's face

"Oooooh...shit"

[Hm? What's wrong]

"...I've burned through most of the materials Isshiki had"

[Uh-oh. Well...can't you just buy some more? From what I've gathered, the materials exist on this planet and are available for purchase]

"Yeah, but that's not the problem. A lot of substances I use in conjunction with the blood of the Ten-tails are very expensive. I may have inherited a hefty sum from my 'father', but I'll burn through all of that in no time"

[Oh...]

Too tired to even yell, Rei sat down with a fatigued demeanor. After a few minutes of silence, Rei spoke

"How did he do it?"

[Hm? Who?]

"Isshiki. How was he able to carry out all of his experiments? You told me he was making...um..."

[Cyborgs]

"Right...from ninja to...cyborgs"

[I know what you're thinking and yes, the whole concept is ridiculous. By the time of the sequel series, the whole comic didn't even remotely resemble the original story]

"Okay. Cyborgs. Regardless of the possibilities, it must've been a hefty sum when it came to the money"

[Isshiki created his secret organization "Kara" for two reasons. One, it allowed him to remain hidden from Kaguya and her creation "Black Zetsu" from discovering he was still alive, all the while his agents carried out his work. Two, he needed money to carry out his goal of creating the perfect "vessel" for him to inhabit]

"Because his original body was dying. Man, this is the one time I regret not reading the sequel comics"

[Kara was composed of many politicians and merchants, some of whom sought to undermine the rule of the Daimyō and Kage. And all of them had accumulated a great deal of wealth and political influence]

Rei made a deep sigh

"In other words..."

[You're gonna have to take a break from training and start making some smart financial decisions soon. Otherwise, you'll have to struggle even if you just want to eat a good meal]

That last line from Notitia hit Rei especially hard. Because of his new body, he appetite was nothing to scoff at

"...Maybe it's time I got in touch with Tetsuo"

♦♦♦

Present time

"Even though Tetsuo has come through, it's still gonna take some time before the money starts rolling in"

Rei glanced at the materials Tetsuo sent him

{He did a very nice job though...I should contact him as soon as possible}

FWISH! BOOF!

Making a hand seal, Rei created a shadow clone and sent said clone on its way out of the village to inform him of his approval to begin large scale manufacturing

"And now I play the waiting game"

BUMP! BUMP!

{Huh? Don't tell he sent another package? Or maybe it's nee-san, though she does have a key}

"Coming!"

Making his way to the door, a familiar figure stood before him

"What the?"

"Rei, I need you to come with me now"

"Sensei? What going on?"

Standing at the door was Tango. Before Rei could properly question him, Tango strongly insisted he leave with him

"Tai and Suzu have already been informed, but I need you to come with me now!"

"O-okay! Where are we going?"

"To Raikage-sama's office"

{Wha?! Don't tell me they found out about my business with Tetsuo?!}

 

"I have a really bad feeling about this"

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