"Setting things on fire is often an effective way to truly purify them. I doubt anything short of a volcano could disperse the impurity from such a technique, though." Although, a sufficient purification fire would certainly solve the Orochimaru problem.

She raises an eyebrow, and shifts slightly.

"Would you like to gather your ingredients back in your world, or is it fine if you gather them here?"

"Ones from my world will likely be best. I can work with any varieties, although I would not object to a chance to speak to one person here and gather supplies I am familiar with."

"I don't know how much things vary. But everything you have there has a double in this dimension. Except people." She points to a strange standing shadow a little ways away, "You can really only get an impression of people."

"Interesting. I don't know the effects of something taken from this world on its purity for our current purposes, though, and would rather err on the side of caution."

"I'm cool with it. It's really up to your lord and my captor, though," she looks up at Orochimaru cheerfully.

"If you don't object to my continued presence in the temple, I am fine with acquiring whichever supplies you feel appropriate."

"Appreciated, my lord." Ass. "I would prefer to walk there in our usual world. I feel it will be less alarming to the initiates than suddenly appearing elsewhere, and will give me time to delegate what needs to be delegated for the temple's running."

Akhlys shrugs and shifts her back over to the other world alone and then looks to Orochimaru.

"Does she seem alright to you? She was very friendly. I got the impression you were some sort of ominous figure."

"I am! Most people are terrified of me, I wonder if she's planning to try an assassination. Likely wouldn't be her style, though, she's successfully stayed out of politics since the Warring States Era. I suspect the main reasons she has agreed to come are to spare one of her underlings, and that her own advanced age limits how long she could be captive - she must be at least eighty, given when the temple was founded."

"Warring States Era? How old is she?"

"The Warring States Era officially ended a little over sixty years ago, when the Elemental Nations began to consolidate into more-or-less their current forms, the shinobi clans settled into villages rather than constantly competing with each other, and the constant warfare among petty warlords ended. This temple complex existed by the founding of the Leaf, the first shinobi village. It would have been noted if she was a child at the founding, though she might have been a teen. I don't know how old she is, exactly, or precisely when this temple came into existence, or if she had been at this site for longer."

"Interesting. Well, I'm sure you can handle yourself if worst comes to worst. I'll probably... go find someplace else to be while that happens. No offense."

"I would prefer you stay close. Never know who might choose to strike at a clear associate of mine."

She considers that. "Define close. As in, right next to you? That seems hazardous."

"Same room, preferably. And I can defend a target easily enough; no one here is on my level."

"I suppose we'll have to figure out what to do when we find someone that is on your level."

"Few people are. My old teammates are the only ones likely to bother with me, and they'd allow you to leave most likely."

"They have issues with the whole death thing too? Or are they just mad you murdered your mentor?"

"Murdered our teacher, invaded their village, something about betraying them, Tsunade has an odd grudge related to me offering to return her tragically lost brother and boyfriend..."

"...I suppose all that other stuff kind of taints an offer like that." She sighs. "Is there anything else, or should we get to it?"

"I can't think of anything else, no."

So she shifts them back, and feels immediate relief.

The amount of extra time that passed isn't noticeable, and indeed none of the monks will have so much as seen the flicker of their disappearance.

Tetsuri leads the way into a plain room, begins gathering blocks and sticks of various types of incense, after sending one of the braver teenagers off to find a certain person.

-- yeah, it doesn't take him long to get there at all. He pauses, stares at the Lord Orochimaru and then looks to Tetsuri.

"What do you need?"