After placing the Rinnegan into the specimen jar, Richard returned to Orochimaru's underground base.
"Just like before, continue to help me transplant the Rinnegan into other subjects and train them properly," Richard instructed Orochimaru.
Examining the specimen jar Richard handed him, Orochimaru immediately frowned.
"What exactly are you planning?" Orochimaru asked, perplexed.
"That's not your concern," Richard replied. "Each time you complete this task, I'll provide you with five kilograms of vibranium."
Had anyone else made such a request, Orochimaru would have been tempted to capture them and extract the truth by force.
Unfortunately for him, he lacked the strength to subdue Richard.
With a resigned sigh, Orochimaru accepted the specimen jar.
"If you insist on keeping your secrets, so be it. If you're determined to supply me with vibranium, I certainly won't object," Orochimaru conceded.
He assumed Richard was simply dissatisfied with the previous Kumogakure jonin and wanted a different subject.
However, when he delivered the second trained Rinnegan recipient to Richard, Orochimaru discovered his assumption was incorrect.
Unlike before, Richard didn't even take the subject away—he killed the newly trained Rinnegan transplantee right before Orochimaru's eyes.
Then, with perfect composure, Richard stated: "Same arrangement as before—five kilograms of vibranium for another subject."
Without waiting for Orochimaru's response, Richard departed, not even bothering to retrieve the Rinnegan from the corpse himself.
Though uncertain of Richard's ultimate objective, Orochimaru recognized one thing clearly: Richard wasn't attempting to deceive him.
Otherwise, Richard wouldn't have provided five kilograms of vibranium for the Rinnegan transplantation and subsequent training.
After Richard's departure, Orochimaru placed the body on his operating table and immediately performed a thorough dissection, hoping to uncover Richard's purpose.
Time passed steadily.
After completely dissecting and examining the dead ninja, Orochimaru remained perplexed.
He discovered nothing unusual beyond the fatal injuries Richard had inflicted.
What exactly is he planning?
Orochimaru's curiosity regarding Richard's intentions only deepened.
After pondering at the operating table for several minutes, he sighed in resignation.
Though he craved answers, Richard clearly had no intention of revealing his purpose.
In truth, Richard's objective was remarkably straightforward.
He sought to plunder and strengthen his own Rinnegan by repeatedly killing ninja who had received Rinnegan transplants.
Though the Rinnegan remained physically identical, the system didn't recognize this distinction.
As long as the subject fulfilled two conditions—possessing the Rinnegan and demonstrating basic proficiency with it—Richard could plunder its power by killing them.
Since he had already acquired this ability from the Kumogakure jonin initially, subsequent plundering would merely enhance the Rinnegan powers he already possessed.
While Orochimaru trained the second Rinnegan recipient, Richard hadn't remained idle, instead adapting to his newly acquired Rinnegan abilities.
Though not native to this world, mastering these powers posed little challenge for him.
When first arriving in Otogakure, he had killed many of Orochimaru's test subjects, plundering their shinobi cells and physique abilities, strengthening these capabilities dozens of times over.
His current endeavor followed the same principle.
Only the target of his plundering and enhancement had shifted to the Rinnegan.
Though uncertain how long this "exploit" would remain viable, Richard intended to continue as long as the system permitted it.
Of course, considering the time investment required, he wouldn't remain in Otogakure indefinitely.
However, he planned to stay until he had strengthened the Rinnegan at least ten to twenty times.
At the rate of one enhancement per week, he could strengthen the Rinnegan twelve times in three months.
If Orochimaru's training efficiency improved, that number could increase substantially.
Richard's initial goal was to strengthen the Rinnegan twelve times.
Time passed swiftly.
Before he realized it, Richard had spent three months in Otogakure.
He had originally planned to strengthen the Rinnegan twelve times during this period, but Orochimaru exceeded his expectations.
With increasing experience, Orochimaru's training efficiency for Rinnegan recipients improved dramatically—from one subject per week initially to one every three days.
Thanks to this enhanced efficiency, Richard, who had initially aimed for twelve enhancements, managed to strengthen the Rinnegan twenty-four times over these three months.
Consequently, his Rinnegan's color transformed to silver—a shade that never appeared in the original timeline.
Though the original world featured various Rinnegan colors—purple, red, gold, and blue—none had ever manifested as silver.
Richard couldn't determine whether this change resulted from excessive enhancement.
But one fact remained certain: his silver Rinnegan far surpassed the original purple version in power.
The number of enhancements alone testified to this improvement.
After strengthening the Rinnegan twenty-four times and witnessing its transformation to an unprecedented silver hue, Richard returned Nagato's purple Rinnegan to its specimen jar.
Then, bidding farewell to Orochimaru, he flew toward Konoha.
Though he had remained in Otogakure for three months, he had heard that Tsunade had returned to Konoha to serve as the Fifth Hokage.
Without Orochimaru's interference, Jiraiya and Naruto had more easily persuaded Tsunade to return and accept the position.
Regarding Tsunade's hemophobia, Richard couldn't determine whether she had overcome it.
However, judging by her willingness to return and serve as Hokage, she must have addressed this issue somehow.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have accepted the role.
Compared to other ninja, the Hokage didn't necessarily face frequent combat.
But as Konoha's supreme military authority, a Hokage who feared blood would become the village's laughingstock.
Without difficulty, Richard flew directly to Konoha from Otogakure.
Upon arriving, rather than immediately returning to his residence near the Uchiha district, he hovered above the village, using his enhanced vision to observe the Hokage's office and locate Tsunade.
Soon, he spotted her handling administrative matters, with Shizune standing nearby, holding Tsunade's pet pig, Tonton.
In appearance, figure, and attire, Tsunade matched his recollection perfectly.
Seeing her triggered memories of comics featuring Tsunade and Naruto that he had read previously.
If he recalled correctly, Tsunade should be exactly fifty years old now.
By age alone, she qualified as a grandmother.
Yet in appearance, most would believe she had just turned twenty.
Of course, not all twenty-year-old women possessed Tsunade's impressive figure.
If she had any physical shortcoming, it was her modest height, which prevented her from having the so-called "model legs."
Tsunade stood 163cm tall—not particularly impressive.
Even Shizune exceeded her height by 5cm.
After observing Tsunade with his enhanced vision, Richard immediately approached the Hokage's office.
Before he entered, Tsunade sensed his presence, her expression turning serious as she looked toward the window.
Under the watchful gaze of Tsunade and Shizune, Richard calmly opened the window and flew inside.
Recognizing their unexpected visitor, Tsunade and Shizune relaxed slightly.
Though they had never met Richard personally, before returning to Konoha, they had heard much about him from Jiraiya and Naruto, understanding he was a formidable ninja who rivaled the Legendary Sannin.
"Hello, I'm Richard. This is our first meeting—a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Richard greeted them upon entering.
"I know who you are," Tsunade replied. "Though you're not a village ninja, entering the Hokage's office without permission remains discourteous."
"Indeed, somewhat rude," Richard acknowledged as he approached her desk. "Rest assured, it won't happen again."
Tsunade frowned slightly. "Tell me, what matter brings you here?"
Without hesitation, Richard explained his intention to establish an office within the village.
Hearing this, Tsunade's frown deepened.
Had Richard wanted to open a detective agency or similar business, she would have raised no objections.
The problem lay in his desire to accept commissions from clients—missions that would otherwise go to Konoha.
Once established, Richard's agency would inevitably divert assignments that rightfully belonged to the village.
Though Tsunade wasn't particularly money-obsessed (otherwise she wouldn't have earned the title "Legendary Sucker"), her indifference to wealth didn't mean she would readily agree to Richard siphoning village commissions.
As Hokage, she opposed anyone taking missions that belonged to Konoha.
Even someone as powerful as Richard.
"You must realize I can't approve such a request," Tsunade stated firmly.
"Naturally. Immediate agreement would seem suspicious," Richard replied calmly. "That's why I've come to negotiate."
Negotiate with me?
Tsunade regarded Richard with surprise.
After a moment, she smiled. "I'm curious—how do you intend to convince me?"
Though Tsunade's true age was considerable, Richard had to admit her smile affected him.
He finally understood why the perpetually lecherous Jiraiya remained unmarried, eternally admiring Tsunade.
That smile alone could move nearly any man of normal orientation.
"It's quite straightforward," Richard explained. "You permit me to establish my office in the village. In exchange, I'll assist you or the village three times, unconditionally, within my capabilities."
"Jiraiya surely described our sparring session, so you understand this arrangement hardly disadvantages you."
On the surface, unconditionally aiding Tsunade or Konoha three times might not seem particularly enticing.
In reality, this promise provided Tsunade and Konoha with three potential lifelines.
Tsunade didn't respond immediately, instead furrowing her brow in consideration.
After more than ten seconds, she countered: "Three occasions isn't sufficient."
"Even with your strength exceeding Jiraiya's, your three interventions equate merely to three S-rank missions performed free of charge."
Three S-rank missions?
Richard smiled and shook his head at Tsunade's characterization.
Though Tsunade's gambling luck proved consistently poor, this didn't reflect any deficiency in intelligence.
Indeed, she was remarkably clever—evident in her status as the world's preeminent medical ninja.
Tsunade had subtly altered the terms in her response, equating Richard's three promised interventions with three free S-rank missions.
Superficially, this distinction seemed negligible.
After all, for ninja, S-rank represented the highest mission classification.
But reality proved more nuanced.
Even among S-rank assignments, difficulty varied tremendously.
Consider two tasks: gathering intelligence from Amegakure versus completely destroying the Hidden Rain Village.
By classification, both qualified as S-rank missions.
Yet their difficulty disparity was astronomical.
"Three interventions at most," Richard maintained firmly. "It's not stinginess—I simply can't guarantee you won't assign me tedious tasks if I offer more."
Tsunade abandoned further bargaining. "Three times it is," she conceded quickly.
She turned to her assistant. "Shizune, handle the arrangements for his office."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune, still holding Tonton, promptly replied.
Though Richard's proposed business would divert missions that rightfully belonged to Konoha, once the Hokage granted approval, others could only accept this decision, regardless of personal objections.
"I'll submit the application in a few days," Richard stated.
With that, he turned and approached the window through which he had entered.
Before Tsunade and Shizune's eyes, he flew out and headed toward his residence near the Uchiha district.
Soon, he arrived home.
Before entering, he examined the interior with his enhanced vision.
He frowned slightly.
He had expected Yugao to be home.
But he had assumed too much.
Though Yugao was no longer an ANBU operative, as a Konoha Special Jonin, she still had missions to perform.
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