RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE—
The ground trembled slightly.
The giant summoned serpent slowed its crawl, its massive body crushing swathes of trees beneath it.
Everyone stood atop the serpent's head, facing the sunlight and basking in its warmth and serenity.
The atmosphere was unusually peaceful.
At the front of the group stood Uchiha Yu, now clad in clean white robes. To his sides stood Orochimaru and Tsunade, who was still being controlled by his Mangekyo.
Looking out over the green trees and grassy plains, Uchiha Yu relaxed his brow as he mentally reviewed the spoils of their escape.
First, regarding his eyes.
After completing a series of main quests and seizing several eyes by force, he now possessed 99 three-tomoe Sharingan, though most were nearly drained of ocular power.
His primary eyes were the Yasakani Magatama Mangekyō.
After absorbing Itachi's Mangekyō and Obito's left eye, the ocular techniques he currently wielded included: Yasakani Mind Imprint, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Kamui.
Through the ability Plunder, after absorbing one full pair and one extra Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Yu could feel his chakra—nurtured by intense emotions of love and hatred—greatly increase. It felt like a previously empty barrel was now filled to about one-fifth of its capacity.
Yu wasn't sure if absorbing more Mangekyō Sharingan would eventually evolve the Yasakani into the Eternal Mangekyō.
After all, the key to evolving Mangekyō into the Eternal form wasn't strictly related to the amount of ocular power.
Moreover, since the abilities of the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō were similar to his, he intended to wait until his eyes felt "hungry" again before plundering further.
He had preliminarily mastered Wood Release. Moving forward, he planned to collect large-scale destructive or bizarre forbidden techniques.
Taijutsu-wise, his physical body was nourished by the green medicine. Yu was quite interested in the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, as speed was currently his main weakness.
His weapon, Dark Moon, a black blade that could be infused with various chakra natures and molded to different chakra shapes, could essentially serve as a substitute for basic ninjutsu that required hand seals.
It was highly worth further development.
For healing and supplies, he had the green medicine capable of reviving flesh and bones. It refreshed daily, giving him an immense sense of security.
As for gear, he had a ninja tool pouch that could refresh its contents infinitely.
Bathed in sunlight, Uchiha Yu wore a calm expression, but inside, he felt joy from his massive haul. He finally allowed himself to relax, his nerves no longer tightly wound.
The weather was pleasant.
Glancing up at the blue sky, Yu continued to plan. His next goal was to complete the "Reforge the Uchiha" main quest, acquire the Gedo Statue, and begin collecting tailed beasts.
Beyond increasing his strength, he also planned to use the God Tree to initiate the Infinite Tsukuyomi, branding all shinobi in the world with the Yasakani Imprint.
Yu didn't care about creating a "peaceful world," nor a world for just one person.
Since there were always people in the shinobi world who sought to rule through violence and false justification—molding the world into their vision—why couldn't that person be him?
"Orochimaru-kun, what are your plans next?" Orochimaru turned to look at Yu.
He had just seen Yu pause in thought, glance back at the Uchiha chatting amongst themselves, and now initiated a conversation.
Yu glanced at Orochimaru and saw a hint of desire in his golden, serpent-like pupils. He had a pretty good idea of what Orochimaru wanted. Reaching into his spatial storage, Yu retrieved a cylindrical container sealed with the remaining Sharingan.
When Orochimaru saw the densely packed Sharingan, his golden pupils trembled and his heart pounded wildly. The temptation of this container was beyond words.
Tsunade, standing nearby, wore a complicated expression. She was shocked. The moment she saw all those Sharingan, she instantly understood that Orochimaru's earlier description of the Uchiha massacre had barely scratched the surface.
Yu no longer restricted Tsunade's ability to speak, but at that moment, she had no intention of opening her mouth.
What astonished Orochimaru and Tsunade even more was Yu's ability to produce items from thin air. This kind of spatial ninjutsu was unheard of—even by the Legendary Sannin.
Yu unlocked the seal and took out six three-tomoe Sharingan from the cylindrical container, placing them in his palm and handing them to Orochimaru.
"This is your payment for the mission. If you can provide Shinno's whereabouts, I'll give you an additional pair of Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Great, no problem. Once I return to the Sound Village, I'll immediately begin a full-scale search for Shinno."
Orochimaru's face lit up with joy as he accepted the three-tomoe Sharingan. He summoned a small white-scaled snake, produced a sealing scroll, and then took out a set of test tubes. He carefully placed the Sharingan into the test tubes and stored everything inside the scroll.
This was the reward he rightfully earned for his contribution.
Originally, Orochimaru had wanted to capture Itachi and seize his body, but unfortunately, things hadn't gone his way.
After retrieving the cylindrical container, Uchiha Yu glanced at Orochimaru—his expression back to a calm, androgynous look, now wearing a traditional Uchiha clan robe.
"What about you? Planning to return to the Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly and replied,
"I intend to apply for some funding from Akatsuki—for my experiments."
Before he had even reconnected with Yu, Orochimaru had been planning to request research funds from the Akatsuki, using the excuse that he was developing forbidden jutsu for the organization—when in truth, the money would go toward his private experiments.
Now that things with Yu had settled for the moment, Orochimaru still wanted to try "applying" for some funding. Akatsuki, after all, was far wealthier than he had imagined.
And if he failed to produce results?
Well, he'd simply say the experiments were progressing well, but an unexpected issue had come up—and that a bit more funding could surely resolve it…
Tsunade's bright amber eyes sparkled with disdain. She couldn't hold back any longer and sneered,
"Even after becoming a rogue ninja, you still haven't shaken off your disgusting habit of scamming for funding."
"Heh… how could you call it scamming? This is standard practice for any serious researcher."
Tsunade's eyes were filled with contempt.
Back in Konoha, Orochimaru had frequently run out of money for his personal projects and would occasionally pull stunts . Once, Tsunade caught him in the act and forced him to give up half the funding—which she used as gambling money.
But to Orochimaru, such things were trivial. In his eyes, only the experiment mattered.
"…," Uchiha Yu remained silent.
Orochimaru looked Tsunade up and down, noting her still-beautiful face and well-maintained figure. He smirked and quipped, "Tsunade, stop thinking about Konoha. Whatever your grandfather and grand-uncle left behind has already been squandered by Hiruzen and Danzo.
The Land of Fire won't survive this crisis.
If you stick close to Uchiha Yu and serve him well, maybe you could persuade him to take action—and Konoha might still have a sliver of hope.
Or maybe, with Yu's help, you could build a new Hidden Leaf Village from scratch.
If you ask me, you represent the Senju Clan, and Uchiha Yu represents the Uchiha Clan. If you two create a new hidden village together—who's to say which one will be the true Leaf Village?"
Veins popped on Tsunade's forehead as she gritted her teeth, but all she could do was glare viciously.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, images she did not want in her mind began to form: herself serving Uchiha Yu—her posture, her expression, her movements. She immediately felt disgusted and violated by the thought, her chest heaving in anger.
She was fuming—furious beyond measure.
Yu ignored the two trading veiled insults and looked straight at Orochimaru. "I suggest you don't return to the Akatsuki."
"You working with me has already touched on their interests—and their bottom line."
"…Is that so? I see."
Orochimaru's smile faded. His expression grew somber and serious as he etched Yu's words into his heart.
He immediately guessed that others from the Akatsuki may have been involved in the Uchiha clan massacre—and that they were standing in opposition to both him and Uchiha Yu.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his face darkening. A certain masked man flashed through his mind. He was also puzzled—how did Yu know so much?
The giant snake was now about to exit the forest.
Orochimaru pushed aside these thoughts. He glanced at the relaxed Uchiha group, then turned to Yu and smiled:
"Up ahead is the Land of Grass. Yu, if you don't have a destination in mind, how about joining me in the Land of Rice Fields, at the Sound Village? You can rest for a while."
Yu looked out across the endless green plains of the Land of Grass. After a moment of thought, he replied:
"Before heading to the Land of Rice Fields, I'll stay in the Land of Grass for a bit. I need to find two people."
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