"Stuff getting changed, people getting weird powers and then going mad, the chakra forming into a malevolent spirit, gravity pointing the wrong direction until someone figured the seal out, weird dimensional effects - a messed up storage seal, when it doesn't blow your arm off, will sometimes grab odd stuff from elsewhere, probably this dimension but maybe not. Nothing big, and nothing controllable so far."

"Is this an active area of study?"

"Always is. Was one of Orochimaru-sama's big pushes. Sasuke-sama's restructured things, but it's still a major research and development focus."

"I see."

"Something you're interested in?"

"Yes."

"You might be able to work out a knowledge exchange, even if you're not willing to work for us. Not sure on policy with that, but Sasuke-sama's been pushing for increased cooperation internationally."

"That is one of the objectives of my visit."

"Be neat to see what comes of it," he says. "Anything else you feel like passing on? If Sasuke-sama knows your agenda, he can prepare information or offers better."

"I think the rest should stay between he and I, for now."

"Alright. Do you want to see more? Most of it's much the same, but a portion of the training areas are open to visitors, too."

"I would like to see the training areas."

"Right this way. They're a bit set off from everything else, closer to the surface. Makes things safer - even with limits on what techniques people can use, someone always does something they shouldn't..."

Most of the training areas take the form of large, clear arenas, likely meant for sparring, sometimes with raised observation areas. A few have changeable obstacle courses. Two have seal-assisted exercise equipment - the larger has a raised track around the edge, which a couple of shinobi are running on. Three have training dummies - a sign informs readers that the dummies are capable of regeneration within such and such limits, and the next idiot to atomize one gets to explain their decision to the requisitions department.

She smirks at the sign.

A small variety of equipment, most training is combat-focused. As expected, but it's good to have confirmation.

"You're welcome to use these while you're here, long as you follow the posted rules," he says.

"We shall see. At my age, one no longer requires continuous practice."

He makes a noncommittal noise. "Must be nice. Might be a species thing, too, humans lose muscle tone pretty easily. Anyways, you want to head to the guest rooms, or hang out elsewhere for a bit?"

"The guest rooms."

"Alright."

The guest rooms are fairly plain, with rice mats cushioning against the cold stone, and the main bedding option being a roll-away futon. There's a desk and chair that fold away, as well as some shelves set up similarly, and the room has a partition that can be drawn to block off the back half. It's fully possible to get the room entirely empty. There's an attached bathroom, but no kitchen.

It will serve, for the night.

The next morning, Sasuke's ready to meet her bright and early, well before dawn. He looks like he just showered, though his hair is dry, and his scent carefully matches the background stone. His face is even, and he remains sitting when the chuunin from yesterday shows Ellisaria in. The room seems more like a living room than an office, with two comfortable couches facing each other across a low table, and scrolls with calligraphy on each wall, mostly containing scraps of poetry or short but pithy phrases. There's fancy looking paper and nice brush pens on the table, but nothing else. Another door, firmly shut, sits opposite the one Ellisaria came in from - beyond is a small suite, not significantly larger than Ellisaria's own, judging by the feeling of hollows in the earth.

"Hello," he says once he's dismissed the chuunin. "Go ahead and sit. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did," she says, arranging herself on the couch carefully and deliberately. "My investigations have revealed that this world is entirely devoid of magic, rather than it being dormant or hidden. As such, I must assume that my time here will be significantly longer than I was anticipating and correspondingly, I now have a much greater interest in the long term stability of the lands in which I find myself."

"Reasonable. I assume you wish to learn our techniques, towards the goal of returning to your home world. We do have conditions on the sharing of knowledge - usually, knowledge is given in trade. Future aid, service, or knowledge in return is the most common barter. As for stability... That is our interest, as well. What actions do you intend to take towards that goal?"

"On my homeworld of Azeroth, it was the duty of the black flight not only to care for the earth, but also to maintain peace among the mortal tribes by seeing to the physical barriers that kept them sundered. Eventually our Aspect decreed that the mortals had grown beyond the need for such, and we let that lapse. I have no desire to set myself as queen above you. You manage your people well, and I do trust that you do not wish conflict for its own sake. If you ask my aid in your endeavors, I shall give it."

"Thank you. We will do the same in return. For information exchange, I can send one of my seal masters your direction for a time."

"At the moment things are relatively peaceful, though there's tension - we've recently suffered a major change in leadership and direction, and our neighbors are watching us for weakness. Additionally, a certain group, the Akatsuki, has been making trouble. They began gathering the tailed beasts some time ago, and have already attacked at least two major Hidden Villages in search of those. We don't know what their end goal is, but it's unlikely to be anything good - historically the tailed beasts have been wielded as weapons of war. We might ask you to help in a strike against them, if they become a blatant threat, or in defending other villages from them, or even in acquiring and defending a tailed beast ourselves - we suspect we could court at least one - to prevent them from acquiring all nine, though that decision hasn't been finalized one way or another."

"Other than the Akatsuki, our current endeavors are primarily diplomatic and economic; while you might have a unique advantage in those arenas, I'd like you to know more about the local landscape before I'd ask you to intervene."