Chapter 67: After Sales Service... (Bonus Chapter)

The Yamata no Orochi Fruit in Senshi's hands would likely just be good for chopping off an opponent's head—it wouldn't allow him to fully utilize the fruit's abilities.

But in the hands of a talent like Orochimaru, it's bound to yield impressive results.

Senshi had also overlooked another thing—that Yakushi Kabuto would actually be a great fit for this fruit, too. In some ways, Kabuto might be an even more significant candidate.

Under the curious gazes of Senshi and Kabuto, Orochimaru decisively consumed the Yamata no Orochi Fruit—he took one spoonful and swallowed it down.

A strange expression appeared on Orochimaru's face.

After a while, he couldn't help but burst into wild Uchiha-style laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha…"

It was clear that the Yamata no Orochi Fruit had already begun to strengthen and modify his body. He was visibly undergoing some changes.

"Boom!"

In the next instant, Orochimaru's appearance changed dramatically.

One after another, eight serpent heads emerged—Yamata no Orochi heads—continuously shedding skin!

Senshi saw that the very first head looked somewhat like Orochimaru's face. In the beginning, it was a deep green color, whereas the other seven heads and necks were a lighter, turquoise shade.

However, as time went on, one of Orochimaru's serpent heads kept molting, clearly indicating further transformation.

Senshi couldn't help but exclaim with admiration, "Nicely done, Snake Bro. You only just ate the fruit, and already you've pulled off a new trick."

"Crack…crack…"

The deep-green snake head bearing Orochimaru's features began to shed its skin bit by bit. Gradually, it changed from a deep green to a pale white.

This newly emerged white serpent head already resembled Orochimaru's original form by seven or eight tenths.

"Heh!"

At this moment, Orochimaru's lips curled into a satisfied grin. This Yamata no Orochi Fruit was even more perfect than he'd imagined.

Orochimaru was sure that, after the fruit's transformation, this new body of his was, in the truest sense, the ultimate perfect vessel. It had become a vast treasure trove, filled with inexhaustible wealth for him to discover.

Meanwhile, the other seven Yamata no Orochi serpent heads were also shedding skin. There was no doubt: Orochimaru really was a master at 'playing with snakes.' Given to him, this Snake-Snake Fruit would be fully developed to its maximum potential.

Behind Orochimaru, Kabuto watched the incredible changes unfolding. Internally, he made a silent decision—he had to save up money!

After all, only Senshi could get hold of these Snake-Snake Fruits. Seeing the astonishing results on Orochimaru, Kabuto's desire for such a fruit was overwhelming. He needed to save up! Once he scraped together 100 million ryō, he would commission Senshi to get him one as well.

Senshi was unaware of how deeply Kabuto had been affected by Orochimaru's transformation—unwittingly, he'd gained a potential big client.

Orochimaru excelled at research and development, while Kabuto specialized in technical integration. Even if the Yamata no Orochi Fruit might not appear again, there was a chance another Snake-Snake Fruit would show up. Kabuto could pay up and post a task for fruit retrieval.

"Crack…crack…"

At this point, Orochimaru's remaining seven serpent heads finished molting. The discarded green skin lay on the ground, while the seven newly revealed heads resembled those of the Eight Branches Technique.

"Pffft!"

Generously, Orochimaru demonstrated one of his best-known ninjutsu—"Snake Sword Ejection"—after completing the molting. All eight of his new serpent heads each spat out a sword.

Senshi found it interesting, but since Orochimaru had only just consumed the fruit, he couldn't yet unleash its full power. Otherwise, he might even perform "snake spits out Orochimaru, Orochimaru spits out snake," and so on.

Eyeing the now-transformed Orochimaru, Senshi asked with keen interest, "Orochimaru, want to go out and spar?"

He was quite curious about just how strong Orochimaru had become with the Yamata no Orochi Fruit's ability.

"Heh heh!"

The middle head swallowed back the Kusanagi Blade and let out a cold laugh. It wasn't that he looked down on Senshi or believed he could win, but rather that he simply wouldn't risk a life so casually.

Before, when he lacked the Yamata no Orochi Fruit's power, Senshi might have gone easy on him. But now that Orochimaru basically had eight lives, Senshi would almost certainly show him a strength he had never seen before.

Sure enough, that was precisely what Senshi was thinking. Since Orochimaru could die up to eight times, not going all-out would be disrespectful to those eight lives!

Nearby, Kabuto was enthralled by Orochimaru's display of his newfound powers—he wanted these abilities for himself, desperately. He couldn't wait to keep up with Lord Orochimaru's progress.

Moments ago, Senshi hadn't noticed, but now he caught the eager glow in Kabuto's eyes beneath his glasses. He immediately understood; Kabuto clearly coveted such abilities.

Senshi walked over, patted Kabuto on the shoulder, and said, "Kabuto, the treasure lies somewhere in the Shinobi World—just work hard and save up."

Orochimaru overheard this exchange but didn't mind. He had never been stingy about passing things on; even with Sasuke—who might well kill him someday—he gave it his all. And in his view, Kabuto was an excellent student. Once Kabuto progressed further, Orochimaru might hire Senshi to obtain a similar fruit for him. Given Kabuto's talents, he'd surely develop its powers to their full extent, just as Orochimaru had.

…

Back in Konoha

At the Memorial Stone, Kakashi stood once again, silently facing row upon row of carved names. Some time ago, he had asked the Third Hokage to assign personnel to investigate whether Obito was still alive. The Third Hokage had agreed.

But a long time had passed, and there weren't many clues; so far, there had been little progress. Kakashi wasn't certain if his suspicions were correct. If Obito was alive, where was he now? What had he been doing all these years, and why hadn't he returned to the village?

None of those questions had an answer.

"Thud!"

Just then, behind Kakashi, came the sudden sound of something heavy falling to the ground. Kakashi flinched and turned around—just one glance, and he felt as though lightning had struck him!

He saw Obito. Though his appearance was drastically different from the boy Kakashi remembered, there could be no mistake. It was his dear friend.

"What on earth is going on here?"

Seeing Obito unconscious, his life signs uncertain, Kakashi rushed over. He was stunned yet overjoyed—his friend was truly still alive!

"Obito, Obito, what happened to you?"

Kakashi called out repeatedly, but Obito didn't respond. Seeing how bad his condition was, Kakashi didn't hesitate and immediately took him to Konoha's hospital.

Once there, Obito was treated right away and spent a full hour under medical care before being transferred to a ward.

Obito's mind had been in a fog the whole time. He vaguely recalled encountering Uzumaki Senshi and a very dangerous individual. Before he could use Kamui to escape, the foe had critically wounded him, leaving him utterly defenseless.

Memories of what came next were fuzzy. He only had a general idea, with no details.

In a Konoha hospital room, Obito finally, groggily, opened his eyes. He saw Kakashi standing not far away, by the windowsill.

The instant Obito regained consciousness, Kakashi noticed. Overjoyed to see him awake, Kakashi hurried over and asked with concern, "Obito, how are you feeling now? Why haven't you returned to the village?"

Kakashi wanted to say so much more, but his words caught in his throat because he saw that both of Obito's eyes were Sharingan—the kind with a spiral pattern. He recognized that right eye in particular; it had resided in Kakashi's own socket for years.

Seeing that, Kakashi felt shock and a tinge of loss.

"So that's it… You hired Uzumaki Senshi to take back your Sharingan?"

Kakashi's question jolted Obito, and in that moment, he realized his mask was nowhere in sight. Obito stared back at Kakashi, then used Kamui, instantly disappearing into a swirling vortex.

"Obito, wait!"

Kakashi reached out, trying to stop him, but grasped only empty air. Even if he called out at the exact moment Obito invoked his jutsu, Obito still wouldn't stay.

…

A faint swirl formed in a hidden underground chamber. Obito, still weak, tumbled to the ground. This was the place Uchiha Madara had once used to save him—a very safe hideout. Though, Uzumaki Senshi's power was so fearsome that "safe" now was only relative.

At the moment, Obito was both agitated and furious. He landed in a heap, breathing heavily. He had been battered severely this time: first beaten nearly to death by Senshi, then subjected to Orochimaru's meddling.

Though Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation had failed to take him over, due to Obito's unique body and his Zetsu cells, it had still done damage.

Now Obito slumped on the ground, curiously sensing the effect of having two Sharingan once again. That part at least improved his mood.

"Damn it, just you wait…!"

He had warned Nagato that Senshi was a major problem, but Nagato paid no heed. And look where that got him—nearly killed.

"Curse that Uzumaki Senshi!"

"Curse that Orochimaru, and that fool Nagato!"

"They'll pay for this! I won't just let it go!"

…

In Orochimaru's research base, Orochimaru had reverted from his Yamata no Orochi Serpent form back to normal. He was exceedingly pleased with Senshi's "after-sales service."

After the Yamata no Orochi Fruit's enhancements, his body was now the ultimate vessel. He already had plans to push more of his experiments forward.

Orochimaru glanced at Senshi. "As expected of the black market's strongest mercenary—a ninja reputed for keen insight. I'm very satisfied with this outcome."

Senshi brushed aside the compliment—if Orochimaru wanted to cozy up, fine, but the next step was for him to commission more missions.

Having dealt with Senshi extensively, Orochimaru knew him well. Strictly speaking, Orochimaru was likely Senshi's top client.

After a brief consideration, Orochimaru said, "I need the Sharingan and Byakugan Kekkei Genkais. Have you got a way?"

Senshi found it amusing. Did he have a way? He possessed the production channels, the sales channels… even a "zero-cost procurement" channel if needed. Of course, rarity meant a higher price, and he had to get Orochimaru to pay willingly.

Senshi stroked his chin and made a show of looking troubled. "The Byakugan? The Sharingan? Those are Konoha's most prized Kekkei Genkai…"

Orochimaru cut him off—he knew these lines hinted at a high fee. "I need them in a form that can be perfectly used."

Acquiring a Kekkei Genkai is no small feat; being able to use it perfectly is even harder. Still, there was one thing nobody doubted: While Senshi might charge an outrageous sum, he would always deliver.

Having roamed the ninja world for years, Senshi's acting skills were top-notch. Seeing his pained expression, Orochimaru frowned slightly. Inwardly, he mused:

[So obtaining a perfectly usable Kekkei Genkai is really that difficult? Even this kid Senshi looks unsure if he can pull it off.]

Senshi frowned for a moment longer, then told Orochimaru, "Getting the Sharingan and Byakugan bloodlines isn't easy. Getting them in perfect working condition? Even more difficult. Orochimaru, are you certain that's what you want?"

Hearing that, Orochimaru's spirits lifted. After all, you get what you pay for. In the ninja world, if Senshi couldn't handle a mission, nobody else in the black market likely could.

Orochimaru thought it over and finally said, "Name your price."

Senshi casually replied, "One hundred million ryō for the Sharingan, and one hundred million ryō for the Byakugan."

Orochimaru patted his ear, as though suspecting that the Yamata no Orochi Fruit's transformation had damaged his hearing. Irritated, he said, "Uzumaki Senshi, that's not how a quote is supposed to go."

Senshi grinned. "The Uchiha Clan is practically wiped out. There are hardly any people in the entire ninja world who can provide Sharingan."

Orochimaru nodded. "All right, so for a pair of perfectly usable Sharingan, I'll pay twenty million ryō!"

In his view, that price seemed fairly reasonable.

He even felt some regret about the past—back when he left Konoha, he hadn't gone to the Uchiha clan to snatch a few Sharingan eyes.

Of course, if Orochimaru had actually done that, he might never have made it out of Konoha in one piece.

"Twenty million ryō?"

Hah, that would barely cover a pair of single-tomoe Sharingan.

"Orochimaru, you clearly have no clue about the going rates."

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh without saying anything more, waiting for Senshi to continue.

~~~

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