Mo Yu was filled with doubt.
But he trusted his friend enough not to think he was being tricked, so he didn't ask more.
After walking for about twenty minutes, the two of them arrived at a courtyard.
Ichiraku: "We're here."
Mo Yu looked at the courtyard and asked, "The house you're renting to me is this one?"
Ichiraku: "Yep!"
Mo Yu yelled, "What the heck?!"
The courtyard in front of them, while not exactly luxurious, covered over a thousand square meters, and just the land alone would make it incredibly expensive.
"Do you think I can afford to rent this? Alright, let's say I can afford it, but I still wouldn't rent it. Let me guess, the rent for this place is at least 2000 taels a month, right? Brother, I'm just a single guy. I'm not bringing a family with me. Why would I need such a large place? I must be out of my mind to waste that kind of money!"
Mo Yu wasn't a spendthrift. On the contrary, for him right now, every tael of silver needed to be spent wisely.
2000 taels a month—that's equivalent to 2 gold coins.
With that, he could buy two months' worth of Zhilong Strong Body Ointment.
"Just find me a small house with rent of around 100 or 200 taels a month. I'm not picky. But I'm not renting this place. Don't try to scam me."
Ichiraku explained, "Mo Yu, listen to me. This house belongs to a friend of mine. Originally, there was an elderly person living here to recuperate. But, unfortunately, that person passed away last month, so the place became vacant. She was originally going to move in, but I found it too far from my shop. Now that you need a place to stay, why not move in here for free?"
"Free?" Mo Yu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Alright, it's settled then. Open the door, let's go inside and take a look."
"..."
Ichiraku couldn't help but laugh, amazed by how quickly his friend's mood changed.
He opened the door, and the two of them walked around the courtyard.
Mo Yu was very satisfied, nodding continuously.
Big spaces had their advantages—he could directly practice his ninjutsu in the courtyard without needing to run to a practice field.
Of course, the most important part was that it was free.
Otherwise, given Mo Yu's stingy nature, he would rather walk a bit more than spend that kind of money on a rental.
"By the way, is your friend a man or a woman?" Mo Yu suddenly turned to ask.
Ichiraku's face flushed red, and he stammered, "W-why are you asking so much? Anyway, just stay here peacefully."
Mo Yu shook his head, "I can tell by the look on your face. Sigh, looks like our organization has another traitor."
"..."
"When are we meeting up for a meal? My treat. After all, I should thank them for letting me stay here."
Mo Yu nudged Ichirakuwith his arm.
Ichiraku hesitated and said, "Well, that's... let's talk about it later. Her family is a bit strict."
Seeing that Ichiraku wasn't willing to talk more, Mo Yu didn't press the issue.
He wasn't a love guru, and as a single guy himself, he had no right to give relationship advice.
So the new place was set, and it was much better than Mo Yu had expected.
All the furniture was already in place. Mo Yu bought a new set of bedding and toiletries, and then he moved in with just his bag.
That afternoon...
A ninja from the Uchiha clan came to his door, handed Mo Yu 40,000 taels in silver notes, and then left.
The person had a cold expression the entire time, not saying a word, but his gaze toward Mo Yu was filled with hostility.
Mo Yu wasn't surprised to be found right after moving into his new home. With the Uchiha clan's influence, this was a small matter they could easily handle.
However, this also served as a warning to Mo Yu that he was likely being watched.
"The Uchiha..." Mo Yu narrowed his eyes.
These three words represented a terrifying, colossal force.
The Uchiha of today were not the same as the decayed Uchiha from thirty years later.
After the First Shinobi World War, the Uchiha clan was at its peak.
Without the Senju clan's restraint, the Uchiha's power could easily overpower any other clan in the ninja world.
They weren't just Konoha's most powerful clan—they were the most powerful clan in the entire ninja world.
Although the Uchiha of today were nowhere near as mighty as when Madara Uchiha was in power, even a dying camel is still larger than a horse.
And this camel hadn't died yet—it was at its peak.
Luckily, the Hokage clan and the Uchiha had always been at odds. Additionally, the Uchiha's arrogance and oppressive attitude had earned them the ire of many, so not everyone was happy with their dominance. Otherwise, Konoha would have been completely ruled by the Uchiha clan.
So, although Mo Yu spoke casually with Ichiraku, he felt a great deal of psychological pressure.
However, he didn't regret offending Uchiha Fugaku. He didn't become a ninja just to be bullied. If he couldn't even fight back, then he might as well commit suicide.
"The most urgent thing right now is to increase my strength!" Mo Yu shoved the troublesome thoughts aside and summoned the Recharge System.
He exchanged all the 50,000 taels of silver he had for gold coins.
"Recharge successful. Your current balance is 50 gold coins!"
Mo Yu looked at this "vast fortune" with satisfaction.
"Oh, right. There's something I haven't used yet."
Mo Yu said.
"The Mountain of Knives Hell Illusion (3-day trial)—let's use this first, see if it can directly unlock the Sharingan."
Mo Yu closed his eyes and mentally instructed the system to use the Mountain of Knives Hell Illusion on him.
In an instant, Mo Yu's aura changed.
His previously closed eyes opened again, and his eyeballs turned bright red, filled with blood vessels. In the center of his pupils, a jet-black tomoe (comma-shaped marks) appeared and began to rotate slowly.
"Wow, did only an instant pass outside? That's amazing."
Mo Yu's voice was tired.
It felt like only an instant had passed in the outside world, but in his mind, he had endured three days of intense suffering.
The Mountain of Knives, Hell Illusion, was truly no place for a human to stay.
If someone with weaker willpower had experienced it, they likely couldn't last even fifteen minutes.
Mo Yu barely managed to hold on through sheer stubbornness.
He picked up a mirror and looked at his face, seeing the demonic Sharingan in his eyes. Mo Yu smiled happily.
"Good thing I gambled correctly. I saved 99 gold coins this time—what a profit!"
Mo Yu could feel that with the Sharingan activated, his vision had been greatly enhanced.
From over ten meters away, he could see the patterns and fine hairs on mosquitoes.
Leaves floating in front of him seemed to move in slow motion, and every motion's trajectory was laid out in front of him.
No wonder the single tomoe Sharingan is called the Insightful Eye—its perception ability is truly strong. Probably only the Byakugan, another dojutsu, could surpass it.
As for the double tomoe Sharingan, Mo Yu wasn't thinking about it for now.
Since his Sharingan wasn't directly obtained through the system, it hadn't been taught any usage methods, so he would have to figure it out himself.
For now, he would first fully master the single tomoe Sharingan, then consider upgrading it later. For now, it was more than enough.