Chapter 62: Oniisan

"Elbow Bolt!"

At the moment he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Senshi's voice suddenly came from behind him.

When Kakashi swiftly turned around, he was struck in the abdomen—a terrifying blow carrying immense force sent him flying into midair.

Still airborne, Kakashi had no time to reorient himself before Senshi closed in on him again. Amid crackling thunder and flashing lightning, the two of them slammed hard to the ground.

Boom—!

The instant they landed, stone and earth around them were instantly shattered. Spiderweb-like cracks crazily spread in all directions, and thick dust churned in the wind.

When the dust settled, Senshi stood there without the slightest injury, not even ruffling his hair.

Kakashi, on the other hand, had suffered severe damage—had Senshi intended to kill him, Kakashi would already be dead.

Indeed, it proved that a genius-type ninja was still no match for someone who worked so hard.

Senshi could subdue Kakashi with ease, all thanks to his sweat and toil.

Next, one mustn't forget the local custom after arriving at "Head-Pat Village"—having defeated the elite jōnin from Head-Pat Village, one naturally had to perform this ritual.

After patting Kakashi on the head a couple of times, Senshi—somewhat sighing with a lonely-expert demeanor—said:

"It'd be a pity to kill off a genius of your caliber."

"I've achieved what I have today solely through hard work, so I've decided to give you enough time to train and grow. Once you've reached a sufficient level, come challenge me again—prove that 'genius' can prevail over 'effort.'"

Fortunately, Karin wasn't here; otherwise, she'd be blinded by the dazzling aura of Senshi's sweat and "hard-working pride."

"I already gave you a chance just now. Since you wouldn't remove the Sharingan yourself, I'll just have to do it for you."

With that, Senshi lashed out—a sharp kick to Kakashi's chest, followed by a lightning-fast grab.

Before Kakashi could grasp what was happening, his Sharingan was already in Senshi's hand.

In the moment that sharp pain came, Senshi had placed Kakashi's Sharingan into a small container.

Kakashi clutched the gaping wound around his empty eye socket, mind full of sorrow and despair.

That Sharingan was an extremely precious kekkei genkai of Konoha, and moreover, Obito's keepsake.

But there was no helping it—Uzumaki Senshi was far too strong. If he really intended to, Senshi could instantly kill Kakashi.

Under Kakashi's despairing, resentful gaze, the unthinkable happened.

Senshi pulled out yet another glass jar and casually tossed it to the ground in front of Kakashi.

"I'm not some devil. Consider this in exchange—take it!"

"Two for the price of one. You actually come out ahead."

Inside the clear glass jar lay a pair of crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan.

For a moment, Kakashi just stood there, stupefied. A surge of unspeakable shock flooded his heart.

What on earth was going on?

Senshi had seized his single Sharingan, yet then tossed him a pair in return?

Kakashi was completely baffled, frowning as he stared at those two eyes, his mind racing with questions.

That original Sharingan was Obito's bequest. Could there be some hidden secret behind all this?

Or did it have something to do with Obito? But how could that be possible…? Obito was already…

In a swirl of chaotic thoughts, his confusion only deepened. By that time, Senshi had used his space-time ninjutsu and vanished. Kakashi looked at where Senshi disappeared, his heart filled with shock and conflicting emotions.

He simply couldn't fathom why Senshi did that, nor figure out how Senshi could so easily toss him a pair of Sharingan—one of the ninja world's most valuable kekkei genkai—just like handing out candy.

One should note, not long ago, in its quest to capture the Byakugan from Konoha, Kumogakure had racked its brains and still failed. Hinata Hyūga's Byakugan was still safe. That same incident had cost Hyūga Hizashi his life.

Yet Senshi had just casually left him two three-tomoe Sharingan!

Kakashi didn't realize that if Senshi had enough "Employment Points," he could possess more Sharingan than even Danzo did.

Senshi had no clue what Kakashi might be thinking. By then, he'd already gone to find Obito.

…

Meanwhile, Obito was still speeding along his route, continuously using the Body Flicker Technique. Deep down, he was grateful: "Phew—thank goodness I ran fast."

He felt quite satisfied with how he'd handled things just moments ago. Before he could relish that feeling, a dark-red vortex-like portal quickly appeared not far away.

Spotting that ominous, crimson-black spiral, Obito's heart gave a jolt!

Underneath his mask, his expression showed deep wariness. Still, he forced a tone of annoyance:

"?? Uzumaki Senshi, what's your deal now?"

Senshi wore a playful grin as he looked at Obito.

"I'm here to do you a favor."

"Reality's too cruel, so I thought I'd send you to that 'wonderful world where Rin is still alive.'"

His words were filled with unconcealed killing intent.

Obito, behind the mask, instantly looked horrified.

Nagato, you sold me out!!

Although Senshi had never been friendly, he'd never directly shown intent to kill. Now he was openly gunning for Obito's life, and in Obito's mind, the only explanation was that Nagato had leaked the details of their conversation.

Without a second thought, Obito tried slipping into his intangibility state and fleeing. But Senshi had no desire to continue their game of cat and mouse.

Raising an arm, Senshi unleashed a terrifying lightning column that instantly swallowed Obito.

Rumble!!!

That enormous electric current froze Obito in place. When the flash of lightning dissipated, Obito's eyes bulged wide, and he collapsed like a wooden dummy.

"Ba… baka na!"

"Thud!"

Thanks to Senshi's delicate mastery of lightning chakra, the attack fully incapacitated Obito but wasn't overly injurious. Whether Obito had spent his life "standing tall" was uncertain, but at the moment, he was definitely laid out flat.

Bending down, Senshi grabbed Obito by the collar, hefted him over his shoulder, and hummed a tune as he went to deliver his "package."

"One…billion… ryō~ One…billion… ryō, a lifetime of spending doesn't run out…~"

Although Orochimaru's commission this time was for one hundred million ryō, Senshi reasoned it was all effectively his money in the long run.

…

In Orochimaru's research base near Amegakure, Orochimaru was busy with experiments.

As the man who single-handedly propelled the ninja world's technology forward, Orochimaru was always willing to devote time to his research. Some joked that if Orochimaru died, the ninja world's science and tech would be set back by two hundred years.

In Senshi's view, that estimate was actually on the low side.

This time, Senshi had come to present him with an ideal new vessel: someone with dual Kamui. If Orochimaru combined that with his own knowledge, who knew what new horrors (or "benefits") might visit the ninja world?

Once Orochimaru was done with his "transmigration," Senshi might keep farming missions from him. Orochimaru would stir up trouble, Senshi would pick up the job of subduing him, and thus keep raking in missions.

Plop!

A dull thud sounded as Senshi casually tossed Obito—limp as a rag doll—onto the floor near Orochimaru. At the same time, from inside his cloak, Senshi produced a glass jar and placed it on Orochimaru's workbench.

Then he stuck out his hand with practiced ease:

"Mission complete. Pay up."

Orochimaru took in the sight of Obito—half-dead on the floor—and the glass jar containing a Sharingan on his bench. An icy grin of delight appeared on his pale face.

"Already finished? That's you all over!"

"I haven't even set everything up, and you've already brought him here."

Senshi shrugged nonchalantly.

"Your side of things is your business. As far as I'm concerned, the mission is done. Fork over the payment."

Not wanting to waste time with Orochimaru, once he turned in the mission, he'd get a ton of "employment points," then do a big spree of draws.

Orochimaru, jar in hand, threw a greedy glance at Obito lying on the ground. With a sinister tone, he said:

"Relax. Even if I tried to stiff someone, I wouldn't dare stiff you."

Finished speaking, Orochimaru went to fetch a chest containing an array of checks, each redeemable at the money exchange for a total of one hundred million ryō. Handing it to Senshi:

Senshi received the chest, and at that moment, the system's "mission complete" alert sounded in his head:

[Client: Orochimaru]

[Mission Objective: Deliver Uchiha Obito—along with his other Sharingan—to Orochimaru's base.]

[Reward: 100 million ryō]

[Mission Rank: S]

[Bonus: 100,000 Employment Points!]

Hearing that, Senshi happily clapped his hands. One hundred thousand points—another huge windfall!

Looking at Orochimaru, he felt like seeing a fat sheep. Though Tsunade was rumored to be a "fat sheep" as well, collecting her gambling debts was no easy feat. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was far simpler to exploit.

A "fake big sheep," Tsunade-hime.

A "real big sheep," Orochimaru.

Another genuine "sucker," Danzo.

Cheerfully, Senshi said to Orochimaru:

"Pleasure doing business, pleasure doing business!"

Looking quite eager, he shook Orochimaru's hand.

"Snake-bro, so what's next?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed:

"Once I finish my Transference, I have many matters to attend to."

Half true, half false. He wanted to see whether, after obtaining a perfect Uchiha vessel, he could somehow get his hands on Senshi as well. The Uchiha clan was once his notion of a perfect host, but that was before. Right now, the perfect host he coveted might be Senshi the Uzumaki. If he could take over Senshi's body, he'd have free rein in the ninja world, able to research whatever he pleased.

Hearing Orochimaru's words, Senshi felt a twinge of regret. Who knew how long Orochimaru would need to prepare for his "Living Corpse Reincarnation"? If Orochimaru could immediately assign him another mission, that'd be great—but it was no matter. You couldn't just keep fleecing one sheep forever.

So Senshi raised a thumb:

"I'll wait for your good news!"

With that, he departed. Orochimaru promptly picked up the jar containing the Sharingan, then carefully hefted Obito, making for the depths of his lab. He might not have scored the absolute best vessel in one go, but after seeing Uchiha Itachi's display, he was more certain than ever that an Uchiha body was the ideal container—and now he had a perfect Uchiha. Excitement churned in his heart. Once he successfully completed the Transference, his strength would soar, and many of his long-shelved plans would be set in motion.

…

In the Hokage's office at Konoha's Hokage Tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished his latest stack of paperwork. He tidied the documents, stretched, and planned to go check on Naruto. But at that moment:

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone rapped on the door with urgency.

"Come in," Hiruzen responded at once, not wanting to keep them waiting. "What's happened?"

The Anbu agent before him, belonging to his own forces, spoke in a somewhat nervous tone:

"Lord Hokage, the treasury has been robbed!"

Sarutobi was stunned. The village's funds were kept there—a store of the mission pay shared by the ninja after so many tasks. He shot up from his seat:

"When did this happen? And how much was taken?"

Soon Hiruzen would learn it wasn't about "how much money" but "how many billions of ryō" had gone missing.

"After taking inventory, it appears a total of one billion ryō were taken from the treasury!"

"Huh—?!"

Hiruzen's heart sank. One billion ryō stolen? Even if Konoha's economy was relatively strong, that was an astronomical sum for the village. They had to find out who was responsible.

Hiruzen hurried to the treasury, where Anbu had already begun a thorough investigation and cross-checking.

Arriving, Hiruzen asked the masked Anbu around him:

"Any developments?"

One Anbu squad leader stepped forward to report:

"The treasury itself, and the area around it, show no signs of forced entry or damage. So we suspect someone entered normally and removed the one billion ryō themselves."

The squad leader's wording was tactful—they said "someone" had entered normally. But only a few people in the entire village had the key to the treasury or the authority to come and go normally. Even though the Anbu leader hadn't spelled it out, the Third Hokage could deduce it.

Hiruzen's aged face darkened in anger. So it was an inside job after all. Shaking his head, he reasoned:

"I can't believe any of the village's ninja would do such a thing. This must be handled discreetly: keep it classified, no leaks. No one must speak of it."

As Hokage, he had a lot to consider. If people found out a high-level Konoha ninja (or even top management) had taken the money, it would spark a major crisis of trust. After carefully examining the treasury inside and out, Sarutobi reached the same conclusion as the Anbu:

Very likely it was an inside job. If that was correct, he already had a suspect in mind. Among the entire Konoha, who was more audacious, unscrupulous, and cunning than Danzo? Danzo had done few good deeds in his life, and quite a few shady ones.

This time, he wouldn't even need to take blame for something he didn't do—because it actually was Danzo's doing. He had walked off with one billion ryō from the treasury.

Returning to his office, Sarutobi wore a severe, icy expression as he declared:

"Tell Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu to come here at once. Inform them that something's happened in the village, and we need to discuss it together."

Nodding, the Anbu left to summon the three senior Konoha advisors.

…

Elsewhere in the forests of Konoha, a swirling dark-red portal materialized.

[Long-Term Employment Mission Accepted!]

[Client: Shimura Danzo]

[Goal: Provide indefinite 'safety consultant' service, ensuring Danzo is not killed by others.]

[Reward: 100 million ryō per year]

[Rank: S]

[Mission Bonus: +1 Super Draw, +100,000 Employment Points]

Two celebrations at once!

Clearly, the Wood Clone with Danzo had already collected the money. Senshi was in a cheerful mood. He'd gotten two hundred thousand points in total—time to draw to his heart's content. Plus another hundred million ryō… he could never spend it all.

In fact, Senshi's finances had already reached a ridiculous level; now it was even more bottomless. Those 200k Employment Points would yield who-knew-how-many good items.

Indeed, his system storage already held quite a few treasures. At this rate, someday he'd be able to form an entire ninja army from them and sail across the stars. Or he could just wait until the Ōtsutsuki arrived to stir things up. The more chaos in the ninja world, the more missions to be had; the more missions, the more points; the more points, the better he'd draw, and the stronger he'd become.

It was all looking terrific—his future unlimited. Senshi decided that later tonight, he'd treat Karin and Sasuke to a fancy meal in celebration!

"Eh?"

Using the "tatto" space-time technique, Senshi appeared back in the forest area, only to find something wrong. Where had his big-little assistant gone? Neither Sasuke nor Karin was in sight.

"Aaah!"

Not too far away, Sasuke was pinned underfoot by Itachi, while Karin had activated her initial Susanoo—enveloping herself in a huge pink skeleton. Karin's little face was tense and stern, staring at the intruder who'd shown up!

Seeing that from a distance, Senshi felt a hint of amusement:

"Here it is—the iconic scene has arrived."

But first, Senshi approached Karin rather than look on at the iconic "brothers' drama."

"Karin, did Itachi give you any trouble?"

Seeing him appear, Karin immediately relaxed upon sensing that familiar chakra. Her heart warmed further when she heard him ask if the intruder had hurt her. She quickly shook her head:

"Senshi, that guy didn't do anything to me."

Hearing that, Senshi folded his arms and turned to watch the drama not far away.

Uchiha Itachi, sporting his Mangekyō, stood aloof, eyes cold, stepping on Sasuke:

"Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, then hate me, loathe me!"

"And survive in disgrace—run, run, cling to life. Then someday, when you have eyes like mine, come and face me again!"

Sasuke, hearing those words, clenched his teeth so hard it seemed they might shatter, his eyes filled with fury. He desperately tried to stand and fight, but at present, the gap between him and Itachi was far too large. There was nothing he could do.

As for Itachi, his own emotions were complicated. He'd rushed to Konoha upon hearing that the extremely dangerous Uzumaki Senshi was in the village, fearing for Sasuke's safety. Arriving, he quickly gathered intel: apparently Senshi hadn't harmed Sasuke—in fact, Senshi was now acting as Sasuke's personal tutor. Under Senshi's guidance, Sasuke had picked up a decent mastery of lightning ninjutsu for his age, but that wasn't enough. Sasuke still needed greater hatred and loathing toward him. Only such intense pressure would force Sasuke to push himself to the limit, powering up to kill Itachi. Sasuke's current progress was passable in Itachi's eyes…

But after seeing that Karin—a non-Uchiha—had not only awakened the Mangekyō but was using Susanoo, Itachi felt that maybe he was too soft in beating his little brother. This girl was about Sasuke's age, after all, and if she could do it, so theoretically could Sasuke. Plus, Karin's presence confirmed that Senshi had done extensive research on the Sharingan.

While Itachi lectured his brother, Senshi asked Karin how they ended up in that predicament.

Karin, still a bit shaken, explained:

"Not long ago, that person suddenly showed up at the place where Sasuke and I were training. The moment Sasuke saw him, it was like he went berserk—he charged straight at the guy, trying to fight him. I got worried the guy might kill Sasuke, so I followed from behind, all the way here."

Once she finished, Senshi basically understood. He wasn't going to let Itachi keep dishing it out on Sasuke. Sasuke's development was fine at its current pace, and besides, Sasuke was Senshi's employer and student. As the teacher, Senshi couldn't just stand there watching Itachi thrash his pupil.

Senshi walked toward Itachi and Sasuke. First, he addressed Itachi:

"Ichi-ni-san, that's enough. If you keep pounding on my client, I'll have to get serious with you."

Then switching faces in an instant, he gave Sasuke a friendly smile:

"Sasuke, since we're teacher and student, how about I give you a 'friends and family' discount to take him out for you? Deal?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi remained expressionless outwardly but felt a deep strangeness inside. He already knew Senshi had great power, but was this man's personality truly suited for teaching his kid brother?

A bizarre image flashed through his mind: one day in the future, Sasuke sidles up, hands rubbing together, wearing a mischievous grin:

"Oniisan, got any job leads for me? C'mon, we're bros—I'll cut you the family discount!"

Itachi shuddered a little, goosebumps rising all over.

~~~

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