"Not really. You'll hopefully be cured of the results when we get back, if that makes you feel any better."

"I get hazard pay. The consideration's appreciated, though!"

She laughs. "I'm glad. Hmm. Topics... oh, I can read you some Shakespeare. Do you like comedies or tragedies best?"

"Oooh, comedies. There's enough tragedy in the world already, you know?"

"I know what you mean. Though, admittedly, I am a sucker for a romantic tragedy. I don't really know what my father expected," she laughs and takes out her expensive -- and stolen -- tinker tablet. "Unfortunately, I don't have any actual books on me. But I did come semi prepared."

"Well, a melodramatic romantic tragedy's fun every now and then, but I prefer laughing, really. What's that?"

"It's a small computer, essentially. I don't know if you have computers here?"

"Big ones? Mostly in the bio labs, I don't get to interact with them much."

"Interesting. Your world is a mess of anachronisms. I suppose I could also revolutionize your computer technology alongside building a bunch of cars. The latter being more my area."

"Huh. I'd like to hear the stories, but maybe you could also describe technology? I'm more on the ground than my lord is, there's things I'll notice about people's everyday lives he wouldn't necessarily."

She hums.

"We have a lot of tech. Especially in the last few decades since people with powers started appearing. Getting into tinker-tech seems way out of my wheelhouse. But I can talk about non-tinker technology, sure."

"Yeah, and anything reliant on local powers is unlikely to help much, here."

"Replicating some of them is literally impossible too. But, other more mundane stuff? Can do."

She pulls up her archived encyclopedia/wiki and picks something at random.

This is very not his field, he wouldn't be a low-level goon if he was technologically inclined, but he lives here and knows what people on a local level need. (He's very thoroughly stared desperation in the face, after all.)

She tells him about tech that rapidly improved upon people's quality of life.

There are a lot.

He won't remember all this, but he does have paper and pen at least. Agricultural and transportation advances are a big deal; medicine slightly less so, that's one thing Orochimaru's managed to advance, but still major. Anything time-saving, too - some of that's probably standard in the richer countries like Fire, but Rice Fields is poor and no one shares information if they can help it. (There's a few things they already have, that're simply priced out of the common person's reach, so anything cost-reducing is also a big deal.)

That goes on for a while.

"How are you feeling?"

"Bit headachy? And like I've been working a way longer shift than I have."

"I think we can wait a little longer. Hm. Though for a shortcut you could hold my hand. Physical contact exacerbates the effect."

"If my lady wishes."

She laughs and takes his hand.

"What brings you to this evil lair anyway? Good health care?"

"The pay's good, and yeah best healthcare in the nation. Pretty good other benefits, too, and my usual beat doesn't put me in half as much trouble as shinobi tend to get into. Also with my skills I'd be working for someone or another, it's not exactly safe otherwise."

"What are your skills?"

"Mostly standard low level shinobi ones? I'm faster and stronger than a civilian, I can fight for hours but not days, I'm skilled in hand-to-hand and no slouch with weapons. Genjutsu I'm decent with, but any specialist could take me. I don't have much general ninjutsu, I specialize in percussive blasts. Sound-based techniques are pretty common around here, though."

"It sounds like you'd fair well against the more powerful capes in my world. At least the ones with more offensive powers."