Chapter 397: An Unexpected Turn
Dana circled the Flying Thunder God Mark I several times. It was a typical laboratory prototype—built purely for efficiency with zero regard for aesthetics. The only highlight was the fully enclosed alloy structure; the silver-white hull gave it a somewhat futuristic, high-tech look.
Overall, however, it didn't look particularly "divine."
The side hatch hissed open, revealing an interior that was even more clinical. From the outside, it looked substantial—twenty meters long and over three meters high—but the internal space was pitifully small. The ceiling was only about 2.2 meters high. Even the Third Raikage and Arashi felt cramped inside, let alone the 2.6-meter-tall Dana.
Dana had to hunch his shoulders and bend low just to peek inside. The cabin could only hold five or six people. If they were all of the Raikage's build, four would be a crowd. He quickly backed out.
"It's just a testbed," Tobirama Senju explained. "Most of the internal volume is dedicated to the machinery. Future goals include enhancing functionality while reducing the footprint and cost."
Dana nodded. That was only logical. Even if Tobirama had lost his mind, he wouldn't have designed the first-generation experimental aircraft specifically to accommodate Dana's monstrous height.
The first-generation "Auxiliary Single-Pilot Flight Units" had been the same way; Dana could only look but never ride.
There wasn't much to see inside the Flying Thunder God Mark I; all the critical components were shielded behind metal plating. The Third Raikage and Arashi emerged shortly after.
"Everyone is familiar with the Flying Thunder God (Hiraishin)," Tobirama began. "What I developed is a Space-Time Ninjutsu based on complex sealing formulas. Porting that jutsu into mechanical equipment was an immense challenge. Even as the creator, it took me several years to produce a stable experimental version."
He wasn't boasting. Tobirama was a master of forbidden arts; if it took him years to build a prototype, any other researcher would have spent decades without even grasping the basics.
"Has it been tested?" Dana asked.
"Short-range blinks have been completed with excellent results," Tobirama replied. "I called you here today for the final acceptance test: a long-distance jump."
"Is it safe?"
"Since development began, we haven't encountered any life-threatening failures. That's the nature of the Hiraishin; it either works or it doesn't. There's no middle ground where you lose a limb—usually. Unless... two vessels equipped with Hiraishin Engines activate simultaneously and collide, disrupting the space-time fabric. But that's a worry for the future. For now, the world only has one Flying Thunder God Mark I."
Dana nodded. The safety coefficient of the Hiraishin was indeed high. He had never heard of an accident where the top half of a person was teleported while the bottom remained.
Standing on the coast, the group watched as the ship lifted off and hovered silently in the air.
"I've set up an observation post in the Land of Wind's desert," Tobirama said. "The goal is to have the ship jump to the desert and return immediately."
At Tobirama's command, the aircraft emitted a steady hum. Energy began to coalesce within its core.
In the next heartbeat—Swish!—the ship vanished.
Dana blinked. He realized something. "Wait, is there no one inside?"
"The coordinates are preset. It makes no difference whether it's manned or not. If you're interested, you can sit inside and experience it later."
Dana thought of the cramped ceiling and shook his head. Bending over for a flight was a nightmare. He couldn't exactly squat or lie on the floor; they hadn't even installed chairs yet.
Beside him, the Third Raikage's eyes lit up. "I want to try it later! I've never experienced the Hiraishin before. I wonder what it feels like."
Arashi also expressed interest.
Dana was curious too. This was, after all, the prototype for the first Hiraishin-capable starship in the ninja world. But looking at the tiny cabin, he decided to maintain his dignity as the Consul.
About thirty seconds later—Swish!—the ship reappeared.
It was now covered in a layer of fine, grey-yellow dust. Dana reached out and wiped the hull; it was sand—the common sand found all over the Land of Wind.
A few minutes later, the test station in the desert sent back their feedback. Tobirama reviewed it and nodded. "The test was a success. All data from the Land of Wind side is normal."
The surrounding researchers erupted into cheers, celebrating the successful completion of the first long-distance spatial jump.
The three Yotsuki men looked at each other in silence.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Dana felt it was a bit anticlimactic. It was impressive, sure, but there was zero "immersion." From their perspective, the ship was just there, then it wasn't, then it was again.
Nothing but applause and cheers.
Sensing the Consul's dissatisfaction, Tobirama offered, "If you really want to, you can experience it. How about I teleport you all directly back to the Cloud Spire?"
Somewhere else...
In a dim, dusty basement, a young man in his early twenties was looking around in a state of high alert.
The stale air smelled of neglect, as if the room hadn't been touched in years.
A hand suddenly dropped onto the young man's shoulder, making him let out a high-pitched shriek.
"WHOA!!"
The man reaching out was tall, sporting a uniquely styled goatee.
"Sorry, kid. I didn't mean to startle you. What's the situation? Where are we?"
The tall man glanced at the youth's tattered clothes. A large section of the fabric over his chest had been shredded by something. "Nice suit. I hope it's not a rental."
"actually, it's worse than that," the youth stammered. "It's my uncle's..."
The tall man fell silent for a moment.
"Doctor, what is going on?"
The youth looked around. Not far away stood a massive, scaled lizard-man and another individual with four mechanical steel tentacles.
The tall man looked a bit bedraggled himself, as if he had just come from a fight. He let out a weary sigh. "Listen, that spell you botched? It has caused some very severe consequences."
"The spell I botched? Which one?"
The tall man grew impatient, his tone turning sharp.
"The one to make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man! Because of your constant talking, the spell became unstable. It's created unpredictable changes!"
The youth looked embarrassed.
"The situation is catastrophic," the tall man—Doctor Strange—said urgently. "As it stands, everyone from every universe who knows that Spider-Man is Peter Parker is being pulled into this world!"
The youth was bewildered. "Every universe? You mean... the Multiverse is real?"
Doctor Strange didn't answer. Instead, he turned to the overweight man with glasses and mechanical arms trapped nearby. "You know Spider-Man, right?"
"Of course!" the man (Doctor Octopus) replied.
"Is it this kid with the half-ruined suit?"
"Certainly not!" the man snapped. "You're telling me this brat is Spider-Man? Don't make me laugh."
Strange turned back to Peter. "See? This guy is from the Multiverse."
The youth known as Peter Parker looked excited. "Wait, so the Multiverse really exists!"
Strange looked at him fiercely. "You clearly don't grasp the gravity of this! The Multiverse is a concept of which we know frighteningly little! Not Dr. Banner, not Dr. Selvig—nobody! No one knows what's in those other universes. It could be a world ruled by mice, or filled with eldritch horrors, or just a bunch of gods from myth having a party!"
Peter argued stubbornly, "Doctor, I don't think someone from a universe like that would even know what a 'Spider-Man' is, let alone a Peter Parker..."
"SHUT UP!"
"Yes, sir!"
Strange flicked his cloak. "Fix your own mess! Go find the people who were dragged into this universe and bring them back here!"
"What about you, Doctor?"
"The spell is still active. I have to find a way to patch it, or this universe will become a sieve, constantly leaking in new travelers! Do your job! Now!"
"Doctor, I know it's urgent, but I really want to talk about the physics of the Multiverse. Does this prove String Theory? What kind of worlds do you think are out there?"
"I DON'T KNOW! I'M A DOCTOR OF MEDICINE! GO FIX YOUR MESS!"