AO POV

The room was quiet, almost too quiet. Ao stood near the wall, his single visible eye fixed on Sukuna. The powerful shinobi had been silent for a while, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, Sukuna spoke up.

"Why don't you grab me a pen and paper, Ao?"

Ao blinked, surprised by the request. "If I may... why would you need those?"

Sukuna's lips curved into a slight smirk. "Well... I was thinking about a few things, don't worry you'll know why pretty soon."

Ao stared at Sukuna, trying to figure out what he was up to. After a moment, he decided it wasn't worth arguing over. With a nod, he turned to one of the masked men standing guard in the room.

"Get me what he asked for," Ao commanded.

The masked man disappeared without a word. Ao tapped his foot impatiently, wondering what Sukuna could possibly want with writing materials.

Within minutes, the masked man returned, pen and paper in hand. Ao took the items and walked over to Sukuna, who was now standing up, holding them out.

"Here," Ao said gruffly.

Sukuna took the pen and paper, a strange glint in his eyes. Ao watched, curiosity getting the better of him. 'Is he going to write something now?' he wondered.

But what happened next left Ao completely stunned.

Instead of putting pen to paper, the mouth on Sukuna's stomach opened wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Before Ao could react, he tossed both the pen and paper into the gaping maw.

Ao's jaw dropped. He stared at Sukuna, then at the now-empty spot where the pen and paper had been, then back at Sukuna. Words failed him.

Sukuna nodded to himself, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He met Ao's bewildered gaze with a calm expression.

"What?" Sukuna asked, as if eating office supplies was perfectly normal.

Ao struggled to find his voice. "You... you just... Why did you do that?"

Sukuna shrugged. "I told you, I was thinking about a few things."

"And that required eating a pen and paper?" Ao couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"You'd be surprised what can spark new ideas," Sukuna replied cryptically.

Ao shook his head, trying to make sense of what he'd just witnessed. He'd seen a lot in his years as a shinobi, but this... this was something else entirely.

"Is this some kind of technique I've never heard of?" Ao asked, still struggling to understand.

Sukuna's lips curved into another smirk. "Let's just say I have my own ways of processing information."

Ao decided he didn't want to know any more. Whatever Sukuna was planning, it was clear he wasn't going to share until he was ready. And if it involved more bizarre demonstrations like this one, Ao wasn't sure he wanted to be present for it.

"Right," Ao said, trying to regain his composure. "Well, if that's all you needed..."

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SUKUNA POV

Sukuna smirked, watching Ao's comical expression when he'd swallowed the pen and paper. Of course, he had plans for those items later, but the situation had been tense since his arrival. He'd decided to have a little fun with Ao in the meantime.

'I'll deal with the pen and paper when I'm alone,' Sukuna thought. 'For now, messing with Ao was worth it just to see that face.'

Jokes aside, Sukuna knew they were hiding something. He'd noticed the small paper Ao slipped to Mei earlier. He'd said nothing, but his keen eyes hadn't missed a thing. Mei's behavior had shifted dramatically after reading it. Before, she'd been suspicious of his abilities. Suddenly, she believed in them completely, ready to take on the Mizukage with his support.

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It was a development worth considering. Sukuna closed his eyes, trying to imagine what might have been written on that paper. After a moment, he shook his head. It was pointless to guess without more information.

Instead, Sukuna decided to review everything major he'd done since arriving in this form. The realization hit him quickly: in this body, the world didn't know him. There was really only one thing they could recognize him by - his battles on the Kaguya Clan's newest hiding island.

'The news of my exploits must have spread,' Sukuna mused. It wasn't Zabuza, that he was sure of. He'd sensed Zabuza the whole time he was fighting, and while Zabuza had seen him kill the Kaguya Clan's leader, he hadn't witnessed the battle with Orochimaru. But a few others did see him take down the legendary Sannin.

'Didn't think news traveled so fast in the ninja world,' Sukuna thought, mentally whistling at the efficiency of their information network.

The question now was how much they knew. How detailed were the reports of his abilities? He had made sure that everyone else was at a distance where they couldn't hear his conversation with Orochimaru. So, there was no way that they knew too much.

'Betting on me to beat the Mizukage, simply because I took down Orochimaru single-handedly? Honestly, that seems too desperate,' Sukuna thought wryly.

"Let's move to the location," said Ao.

Sukuna pushed off from the wall, stretching his muscles as they both went down through the ladders.

Ao led Sukuna through a labyrinthine corridor, the walls had blazing torches that flickered, they were the only source of light there. The narrow passage was a maze of twists and turns, each corner revealing another stretch of identical stonework.

The deeper they went, the colder it got. The torches were the only thing providing warmth that helped a bit with the encroaching cold. Sukuna also noticed the thickening humidity.

"When is it when we truly leave?" asked Sukuna. He expected they would be leaving with a boat or something, but here they were going deeper and deeper to God knows where.

"Mei-sama will tell you when we reach the location," said Ao as he focused ahead. His eyes narrowing slightly, trying to make sure he doesn't make a mistake and get stuck in this maze.

Slowly but surely, Sukuna felt an invisible weight pushing down on him from every direction. The walls themselves seemed to sweat, droplets of moisture trickling down from the stone surfaces and pooling on the floor.

The deeper they went, the steady the torches on the walls burned. Different materials from the ones above, no doubt. Their light illuminated the water seeping from the cracks in the ceiling and the walls.

Sukuna wiped his brow, feeling the dampness clinging to his skin. 'Why are we heading deeper and deeper into the ocean?' thought Sukuna, his eyes narrowing on the back of Ao.

However, he continued in silence. The corridor narrowed and narrowed and soon they reached a huge metal door, 10 feet in height and width. Fuinjutsu seals, glinting faintly in the dim light, were present on it which made Sukuna curious.

"Stand back, please," said Ao, stepping forward towards the door. He took a deep breath and he began to weave a series of hand-signs.

For a full minute, Ao continued.

"Open!" he intoned, the seals flared brilliantly before dimming to a steady glow. With a resounding clank, the metal door began to shift. The sound of gears turning and metal component sliding against each other filled the air.

Slowly, the massive door creaked open, revealing the chamber beyond. The sound of metal rolling and grinding continued.

"Please come inside," Ao broke the silence, inviting Sukuna into the dimly lit room. With a nod, Sukuna stepped across the threshold. Immediately, he sensed a shift in the atmosphere. The oppressive pressure and the humid heaviness that clung to the corridors vanished, dispersed by some unseen force.

Sukuna glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

'Is it those seals?' wondered Sukuna. Considering the corridor had progressively narrowed as they ventured deeper, Sukuna hadn't anticipated the room's expansive dimensions.

It had a long, polished wooden table dominating the center. Maps and scrolls were spread out across its surface, several chairs were arranged around it, and torches lined the wall.

"Please, take a seat," Ao offered, pulling out a chair hospitably.

Sukuna declined with a shake of his head. "I'm fine. I'm rather interested in these walls."

The walls which surprisingly were made of stone, were also covered in fuinjutsu seals like the ones of the metal door. Sukuna walked over and analyzed those seals.

After a few moments, he realized. 'So this is the reason why the pressure and humidity disappeared all of a sudden?'

His fingers traced the strokes of brush on the wall. 'These strokes are perfectly balanced to maintain an equilibrium of energy. This is a work of a master, no doubt.'

The seals themselves were divided into various layers, one layer stacking up on the other. It was deliberate move to hide the true workings of the seals, Sukuna realized. He inspected further and what he found surprised him.

'Uzumaki signatures? This was made by an Uzumaki?'

Sukuna's gaze snapped towards Ao, who flinched under the sudden intensity of his stare.

"Wh-what?" Ao managed to stammer out, his voice wavering slightly.

"Do you know the origin of this seal?" Sukuna's voice was calm yet insistent, demanding answers.

"Uh..." Ao hesitated, swallowing audibly. His eyes darted around nervously, weighing his options. After a pregnant pause, he gathered his courage and replied, "This was something we stole from Kirigakure's Jutsu Treasury."

"Which was also stolen?" Sukuna questioned, his tone betraying a hint of skepticism.

". . . Yeah," Ao admitted reluctantly, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Sukuna turned his attention back to seals on the chamber walls. 'Kirigakure was one of the primary suspects in the destruction of Uzushiogakure. I didn't expect to find actual proof here,' he thought, a faint grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The destruction of Uzushiogakure had been shrouded in mystery. It was a devastation carried out with unparalleled efficiency.

Despite suspicions, not a shred of tangible evidence had surfaced, leaving Konoha's hands tied. If proof had existed, it would have forced Konoha into a position of conflict with Kirigakure and potentially other involved villages.

'What a pleasant surprise,' Sukuna mused silently.