Chapter 104: Orochimaru's Greed
"La la la~ It's such a wonderful day, so much fun~"
Uchiha Yasushi hummed a little tune, skipping through the forest with obvious delight.
Indeed, emotional exhaustion was unacceptable. When your mood was bad, you had to vent it out!
With all those Konoha people helping him adjust his emotions, Yasushi's mental illness was practically cured!
Following the traces of Orochimaru's movements, Yasushi quickly caught up.
When he met up with Orochimaru, the man was still wandering around the Land of Water, unable to find any trace of Hiruko.
"Oh? Yasushi-kun, why so quick this time?" Orochimaru looked surprised at Yasushi's energetic appearance. "I thought you'd wait by Konoha until I completed my mission and returned before meeting up with me!"
"How did it go? Was this operation successful?"
"Who did you kill this time?"
"Sarutobi-sensei perhaps?"
"Hehe..." Yasushi grinned like a fox who'd stolen a chicken.
He held up his index finger, waving it back and forth.
"No, no, no, Orochimaru-sama, you underestimate me!"
"Do I look like some kind of lunatic whose brain only has the desire to kill?"
"Let me tell you some good news!"
"I saw Itachi this time!"
"Itachi? Uchiha Itachi?"
"That's right!" Yasushi danced with excitement, like someone meeting their idol at a concert. "Uchiha Itachi himself!"
"I'm telling you, the Uchiha clan has a secret forbidden technique called Izanagi. It can erase all negative effects from your body at the cost of one Sharingan eye—including death itself!"
"I originally thought when Itachi resisted the Meteorite, he was completely drained and wouldn't have time to activate any eye technique. Who knew he'd preset a death trigger in advance!"
"Hehe hehe... This is just too wonderful!"
"He lost one eye, his power greatly diminished, but his life remains—perfect for me to..."
"Take revenge!"
"Wahahahahaha"
"I played a choice game with him this time. What should I play next time?"
"Such a difficult decision!"
"This time I need to plan carefully. Can't let him die again!"
"Oh? There's such a forbidden technique? The Uchiha truly deserve their reputation as one of the shinobi world's great clans!"
Orochimaru mused thoughtfully, his serpentine tongue flicking at his lips, his eyes growing increasingly greedy.
The Reincarnation eyes was certainly excellent, but the Mangekyo Sharingan wasn't bad either!
And looking at Uchiha Yasushi's trajectory, in the future that Mangekyo Sharingan could evolve into the Rinnegan—that would be even better!
Only children made choices. Adults naturally wanted everything!
He watched Yasushi gesticulating excitedly, constantly planning something, and smiled with growing satisfaction.
Mental instability was perfect!
Let him cultivate the Rinnegan first, then there would always be a way to make it his own!
"Looks like you had quite the fun!" Orochimaru said with a smile. "In that case, let's finish our mission quickly. On the way back, you can go play with him again."
"Great, great!" Yasushi immediately perked up and began carefully searching for traces of Hiruko.
Shinobi were skilled at concealing their tracks, but likewise, shinobi were also skilled at finding traces.
Knowing that Hiruko's target in the Land of Water was a Kekkei Genkai user, the two conducted a targeted investigation and soon discovered Hiruko's trail.
Neither of them had the patience to wait around. They simply went directly to find him.
Hiruko's cover identity was as a merchant. He disguised his recruited subordinates as shinobi hired by merchants, traveling smoothly between nations without anyone deliberately causing him trouble.
As for whether his business involved bloodless transactions—that was unclear.
So when the two appeared at the merchant's lodging, others thought they were there to cause trouble.
"Hey, this is the Land of Water, a place protected by Kirigakure. What do you think you're doing?"
Yasushi didn't even look up. With a hook of his finger, the three Uchiha Yashiro leaped forward. With a single "slash," they killed the shouting genin.
Seeing someone die, everyone screamed and scattered in all directions. The street that had been bustling with people emptied in moments.
But simultaneously, alarms sounded nearby. Large numbers of shinobi heard the commotion and rushed in this direction.
"Tsk, we need to hurry, or we'll waste time here," Orochimaru urged.
"Don't worry, it'll be quick." Yasushi waved his hand with a grin. The three Uchiha Yashiro rushed into the merchant compound.
"Who are you people?"
"Help..."
After a chaotic series of sounds, an explosion suddenly rang out. Black smoke rose straight into the air from within the compound.
"Well, looks like we found our target. Orochimaru-sama, go reminisce with your old friend!"
Yasushi stepped aside, gesturing slightly toward Orochimaru with his hand.
Orochimaru didn't hesitate, instantly went inside.
Inside the courtyard, over a dozen corpses lay scattered, blood flowing everywhere. The three Uchiha Yashiro stood at three corners of the yard in a triangular formation, surrounding one person in the middle.
This person had a frame as slender as a woman's, wearing an ill-fitting white robe with long sleeves dragging on the ground. The lower half of his face was tightly wrapped in bandages, hidden behind a high collar. This was Hiruko, the one they sought.
Hiruko's greedy gaze first swept across the eyes of the three Uchiha, then fell on the two newcomers.
"Orochimaru?"
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Hiruko!" Orochimaru didn't attack directly. Instead, he smiled and extended his hand in greeting.
"Hmph!" Hiruko clearly didn't recognize this former companion very warmly. He snorted coldly, his face darkening as he demanded, "What are you doing here?"
Orochimaru patted his hand against the black robe with red clouds, indicating:
"Your intelligence from the outside world surely isn't blocked. You should know I've already joined the Akatsuki organization!"
Hiruko's expression shifted several times, his voice taking on a complex tone.
"I not only know you joined Akatsuki, I also know your Akatsuki organization attacked Konoha and destroyed the village."
"Now the Fourth Great Ninja War has erupted, with all nations besieging Konoha—all thanks to you."
"Everyone generally doesn't think well of Konoha's chances. Most believe the village won't survive this calamity."
"The shinobi world's situation may change dramatically because of this. The Five Great Nations' equilibrium is finally about to be broken."
"Is that so?" Orochimaru smiled noncommittally. "Perhaps."
"But none of that matters. I imagine you don't care either."
"Our Akatsuki organization is currently recruiting. We need more powerful shinobi to join."
"Yasushi recommended you to the leader, saying you've used the Chimera Technique to steal others' Kekkei Genkai, and you've now been reborn, becoming quite strong."
"So how about it, Hiruko? Will you join?"
Hearing his secrets exposed, Hiruko's expression changed, his gaze immediately turning hostile.
He swept his eyes over Uchiha Yasushi, killing intent blazing in them.
"Hehe..." Yasushi smiled slightly. "Looks like after you left, Konoha really didn't send anyone to hunt you down!"
"You've probably forgotten some rules."
"Let me remind you!"
"In battle, no one can raise their head before an Uchiha!"
"Who gave you the courage to dare make eye contact with an Uchiha?"
Before the words finished, Yasushi's eyes suddenly changed—the Mangekyo pattern appearing abruptly within them.
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