My Techniques are a bit off

"Let's go. I'll take you to the Second World so you can see for yourself. Keep your temporary ID card on you, and if anything happens, remember to contact me at this Web Net ID…"

As Main-World Sasuke walked ahead, he explained things.

Because the Web Net portals connect individuals directly—unlike standard space-time ninjutsu—if someone tries to rush in at the last second when the portal is about to close, and the user happens to switch to a different Web Net channel at the same moment, there's a good chance it'll send that person somewhere else within the "reference world."

Someone unlucky once tried to squeeze through a portal like that, triggering a safety glitch. They got teleported to the middle of the sea in the Second World. Fortunately, they could use Web Net for an SOS, or else drifting on the ocean would've spelled trouble.

After that incident, a new rule was added: no entering or exiting the portal in the last ten seconds before it closes.

There are other similar rules; you could say that behind every weird rule is an even weirder story.

"Mm." Gaara nodded, only half-understanding. After they entered the station platform, he suddenly noticed a pair of huge eyes watching him curiously through a pane of glass.

Alarmed, he instinctively gathered chakra, nearly letting his sand envelop him. "A Tailed Beast?!"

"That's Shukaku's jinchūriki," rumbled the Three-Tails Isobu on duty this month, very slowly. "So… Shukaku got sealed again?"

"Oh… I see." A moment later, it recalled that there was still another Shukaku in the Main World.

"It's an employee of the Allied Shinobi Forces," Main-World Sasuke explained, then glanced at the clock. "We've got three minutes left, so let's just wait here."

Gaara nodded, dismissing the sand he had raised in defense. He couldn't help sneaking another look at the giant turtle-like Tailed Beast through the glass.

Three tails—so it's the Three-Tails from the Mist, right?

But he'd heard that after the Fourth Mizukage died, the Three-Tails was also gone. How could it have revived so quickly?

No, maybe this is the Three-Tails from an alternate world…

His thoughts bounced around. Learning the truth had left him more uncertain than ever; he wasn't even sure what steps to take next.

If Link truly intends to unify the ninja villages, it seems there's no way to stop this war. But is war really a good thing?

He didn't know.

"Let's go," Main-World Sasuke said.

Gaara turned to see that a doorway had opened up in the once-solid wall, revealing a station on the other side that looked almost identical to the one they were in.

So this is the Web Net portal? he thought, queueing up and moving forward with piqued curiosity about this "other world."

Crossing the portal gave him no particular sensation at all—he just took a step, and in that instant, he'd arrived in another world.

It was like walking through a simple doorway.

…

(!)

The moment Gaara reached the Second World and was about to ask a question, Shukaku inside him suddenly became agitated. A split-second later, a pair of Sharingan appeared before his eyes, and Shukaku went silent.

A dull thud came from somewhere, and Gaara looked up to see another Shukaku pressed against the glass.

Oh, that's the Second World's Shukaku. No wonder it got angry, he thought.

Having spent so long with Shukaku, he knew exactly how short-tempered it could be.

Second-World Shukaku wore a mockingly smug grin. Back then, it was the loudest about refusing cooperation, but now it was quite enjoying its job at the Allied Shinobi Forces—and took every chance to scoff at alternate versions of itself. It had found a sense of superiority in seeing how other Shukakus were still "stuck" in different circumstances.

Main-World Sasuke opened his Sharingan wider, throwing Shukaku a warning look. The beast immediately pulled its head back behind the glass, smoothing its chubby face into something resembling a serious expression.

Gone were the days when Tailed Beasts ranked as natural disasters; too many humans could overpower them now—especially the Uchiha. Against the Sharingan, Tailed Beasts barely had a chance to resist.

Following Sasuke, Gaara quietly left the station and stepped into a wide street at the Allied Shinobi Forces' base.

It was bustling, lively, and full of shinobi. Lots and lots of them.

Just a quick glance revealed ninjas from at least seven or eight different villages. Some were returning from rescue (or exploration) missions in the Third World, hauling heavy backpacks, lined up for security checks run by the Hyūga and Inuzuka clans. Others, empty-handed and excited, were following their instructors out to help in other worlds.

Once they left the immediate area around the station, however, the crowd grew sparse.

Noticing Gaara's confusion, Main-World Sasuke explained, "Right now, the portals are all maintained by Tailed Beasts. Nobody can guarantee they won't randomly lose control and injure people, so this area is restricted.

"But that'll change soon. I've heard that the new Web Net Technology Department has developed a 'bio-computer.' If they combine that with scientific ninja tools, Tailed Beasts will no longer be needed to open Web Net portals."

A bio-computer… and scientific ninja tools?

Gaara was even more baffled. What in the world were those?

Sasuke remembered too late that Gaara lacked the basics on "bio-computers" or "scientific ninja tools." He smacked a hand to his forehead and quickly downloaded a file from the Alliance forum: a glossary of all the cutting-edge terms in the Allied Shinobi Forces. Then he sent it to Gaara via Web Net. "I've just sent you an explanation."

Gaara, busy reading through his Web Net interface, was then pulled along by Sasuke to the main registration office for the Allied Shinobi Forces.

The whole sign-up process went smoothly. Forget the war-torn Third World—here in the Second World, it wasn't unusual to see missing-nin or shinobi displaced from small countries come by in groups to register.

Whether their personal information was real or fake didn't really matter. Once you were connected to Web Net and used its registration software, any crimes against the Ninja Pact would be immediately flagged, and the enforcement squad would show up in minutes. Running away was futile.

As the Alliance expanded, its rules grew increasingly thorough. There was basically no loophole left to exploit. No one needed to reveal much—if you kept your nose clean and wanted to join, that was enough.

"Gaara-san, would you like to join any particular organization?"

An overly enthusiastic staff member at the reception desk flashed a bright smile. "I can introduce you to something called the Stone Temple—"

"That'll do," Main-World Sasuke interrupted. This staffer obviously wasn't a monk.

The "Stone Temple" was an organization in the Land of Earth's "Inn #1" region. The name sounded like a religious temple, but in reality, Inn #1 was a den for wanted criminals. Now that the Alliance was unifying the ninja world and was lenient about new members, many hidden fugitives or rogue-nin joined under fake names.

They'd banded together and formed an organization whose name imitated a monastic order—since monks in the Land of Earth held high status. Apparently, they'd recently had a dispute with a real monastery in the Land of Earth over the name, causing most of them to flee to the Third World.

Even if Gaara decided to join some group, no way was Sasuke letting him be roped into that fiasco.

As the Alliance grew so rapidly, troublemakers were unavoidable. Since they hadn't actually broken any rules yet, the Alliance couldn't just purge them.

~~~

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