Land of Rice Paddies.
In the winding underground passageways, a vast subterranean area unfolds. Dimly lit, a group of youths can be seen, each holding a shuriken, engaging in catching and comparing exercises.
The countless children below, upon seeing the figure on the high platform, all reveal fanatic expressions.
Black hair, golden elongated pupils, purple eyeshadow extending to the bridge of the nose, pale skin, wearing a blue-green jade-shaped earring, and often sticking out their tongue in excitement.
"Yoru, look, these are the children I've prepared for the new Ninja Village."
With his uniquely hoarse laughter, Orochimaru rarely shows a smile, as if displaying his proud creation.
Behind him, a white figure appears, arousing the children's curiosity. Who is this person, hidden in the shadows, capable of standing alongside the great Orochimaru?
"It seems the teacher is in need of funds."
Looking at the children below, Uchiha Yoru meaningfully glances at Orochimaru, and they both burst into laughter.
They both understand that Orochimaru prefers research over establishing a Ninja Village.
The purpose of establishing a Ninja Village is actually for research. These children will become ninjas, capable of undertaking missions. Orochimaru grants these children power, and in return, they complete missions from which he extracts fees. Essentially, it's the Ninja Village system.
After losing his support, Orochimaru needs a long-term and stable source of resources. Establishing a Ninja Village in a small country is the best choice.
His need for live materials for research can be met by capturing them through his own Ninja Village. Small countries represent chaos, making them ideal for acquiring live specimens, with mercenaries, rogue ninjas, defectors, and bandits abounding.
Especially the geographical location of the Land of Rice Paddies, adjacent to the Land of Fire and surrounded by several small countries, not far from the Lands of Earth and Lightning, is also a place of rampant chaos.
Orochimaru's purpose in creating the Ninja Village is to serve his research.
"Since leaving, the progress of my research has slowed down."
Orochimaru speaks with a hoarse smile, noting that his research progressed fastest when his disciple assisted him.
Back then, he only needed to focus on research, unlike now. After leaving the Konoha, he lost support. Although wealthy, his resources are dwindling, hence the idea of establishing a Ninja Village.
Not to dominate as a great Ninja Village but purely for a steady income to fund his research.
"Is that so?" Facing his teacher, Uchiha Yoru shrugs and smiles, saying, "Similarly, after leaving the teacher, my troubles have been endless."
Previously, with Orochimaru as a shield, he could scheme from behind. Now, he is at the forefront.
"Did I hear that you have activated the legendary Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Orochimaru, licking his lips with excitement and a desire to explore everything, turns his head slowly.
Faced with Orochimaru's unabashedly desirous gaze, Uchiha Yoru helplessly shakes his head. When a powerful person covets your body, you must display equal power; otherwise, you risk becoming their plaything.
"Teacher Orochimaru, this is the Mangekyo Sharingan of the Uchiha clan."
As the shadow slowly lifted its head, a demonic crimson emerged in its eyes, and three black Tomoe began to spin, transforming into the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan. Uchiha Yoru nodded confidently with a smile, saying,
"This is the Mangekyō, what beautiful eyes."
Upon seeing the Mangekyō Sharingan, Orochimaru revealed a twisted smile. However, in the next moment, his body trembled suddenly, and his golden snake-like pupils showed a hint of apprehension, but then - "Swoosh!"
A drop of cold sweat slid down from the temple, and Orochimaru, with fear more evident in his snake-like pupils, looked at the disciple who had suddenly appeared behind him.
First was the powerful illusion, and now this terrifying space ninjutsu.
The horrifying abilities of the Mangekyō fully awakened him, but also ignited Orochimaru's desire for greater knowledge. Licking his tongue excitedly, he let out a hoarse, twisted laugh, "Is this the legendary dojutsu? Space! And illusion!"
"How interesting, this is really too interesting."
A sick smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, openly displaying his envy, "Is this the Kekkei Genkai? Decades of practice by ordinary ninjas can't compare to the awakening and evolution of the Kekkei Genkai."
Orochimaru, an unparalleled genius once praised by the Third Hokage, knew well that his power was achieved step by step through training, a journey filled with innumerable efforts.
But what about Kekkei Genkai?
Unfair! Envy! These are common human feelings, part of human nature, and Orochimaru's character does not hide his desires.
Thus, Orochimaru is straightforward in his ways, never hiding his motives, like his desire for Sasuke's body, which was evident from the start.
In this sense, Orochimaru is a person of pure extremity.
"Correct, this is the power of the Mangekyō."
Uchiha Yoru slowly retracted the Mangekyō, nodding indifferently under Orochimaru's greedy gaze.
However, the next moment, Uchiha Yoru directly took out two glass tubes from his bosom and threw them over. Orochimaru caught them, showing a puzzled look.
Inside one tube were two eyeballs, and in the other, only one eye.
"These eyes belonged to a traitor in the clan, three Tomoe Sharingan. The other eye is from Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, a Mangekyō Sharingan."
As he casually uttered the last sentence, Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted, unable to hide his shock, which then turned into a sick smile.
"Haha, interesting, too interesting. Is this the confidence the Mangekyō gave to you, Yoru? Or is such arrogance ingrained in the Uchiha's bones?"
He could accept the three Tomoe Sharingan, but the fact that the other party was willing to give him a Mangekyō Sharingan too? This required absolute confidence.
"There should be another Mangekyō!" At that moment, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, knowing well that a Sharingan missing one eye would not be as powerful as it should be.
Hearing this, Uchiha Yoru showed a helpless expression, shrugged his shoulders, and shook his head: "The other one should have fallen into the hands of Shimura Danzo."
"Shimura Danzo!" When Orochimaru said this name, he believed it, as no one understood the dark thoughts of this ninja world better than him.
"The power of this Mangekyo Sharingan is almost exhausted, so be careful when you study it, teacher."
Seeing his disciple bring such a precious thing, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Although they were master and disciple, they were also bound by mutual interests, and he never believed his disciple would be so kind-hearted.
It was a Mangekyo Sharingan handed over to him, but Orochimaru's expression was meaningfully smiling, as if implying some condition.
Indeed, Uchiha Yoru nodded with a smile and said to the dark corridor in the distance: "Guren, come out."
With the sound of crisp footsteps, a girl slowly walked out of the darkness. When she saw Uchiha Yoru, her eyes shone with fanaticism, and she walked straight to her master, assuming a protective stance.
"The condition is your new ninja village, teacher."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru was initially stunned, then revealed an evil smile.
"Hehe, Yoru, your ambition is indeed unprecedented, and you have already begun to take action."
Guren didn't understand the conversation between the two, but Orochimaru and Uchiha Yoru shared a very understanding smile.
"The resources from the ninja village missions will all be used for the teacher's research, and the Uchiha and Police Force will also closely cooperate with the teacher's village in the Land of Rice Paddies."
The meaning was simple: the future Sound Village would belong to him, and Orochimaru would be a worker training ninjas for him.
In return, before he officially took over Sound Village, all resources obtained would be distributed by him, and the power of Uchiha and the Police Force would also secretly assist in establishing his ninja village.
"Hehe, Yoru, your appetite is not small, but it seems your temptation is still lacking."
A Mangekyo Sharingan and help in building a ninja village were not enough to make him work for free. Orochimaru, though focused on research, was not foolish and knew how to calculate. If he couldn't, he wouldn't have been a strong contender for the position of Hokage.
Seemingly understanding his teacher's intent, Uchiha Yoru slowly revealed a confident smile, raised his hand to form a seal, and the next moment, Orochimaru's smile froze.
Beneath their feet, the hard soil stirred, and a tender green sprout broke through the earth, visibly growing into a small tree.
"Wood Release!" Orochimaru's eyes filled with fervor as he looked at Uchiha Yoru. The combination of the Mangekyo Sharingan and Wood Release, incredible! His conjecture was indeed correct!
Uchiha Yoru also nodded with a smile: "Teacher Orochimaru, your conjecture is indeed correct. The Sharingan and Wood Release can not only suppress each other but also coexist, and they are very likely to have the same origin."
"This was awakened during a dangerous experiment. I wonder if this temptation is enough."
Another test tube was thrown over, and this time, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes stared intently at the test tube in his hand, which contained a small piece of Uchiha Yoru's living flesh.
"Teacher Orochimaru, this is the secret of the power of the Senju and Uchiha. Don't you want to research it?"
Under the lure of an enticing voice, Orochimaru swallowed three test tubes down his throat, and in this extremely bizarre scene, the two exchanged a glance and smiled.
"Hehe, as expected, you, Yoru, a person capable of creating miracles."
Since the deal was struck, it was time to make requests. Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, saying: "Teacher, I think Yakushi Kabuto is quite good, and I will need your help with Guren later."
Clearly, he planned to entrust the future Sound Village to Yakushi Kabuto and Guren for joint management.
There's no need to mention Yakushi Kabuto, as he was already a confidant, and he held his weaknesses tightly in his grasp. Guren, now completely his fanatic follower, had the talent and powerful bloodline to be a leader here.
"Hehe, Yoru, it's a pleasure to collaborate."
The two exchanged a glance and smiled. Orochimaru was very satisfied, not only did he acquire precious research material, but he also wouldn't need to worry about funding in the future, allowing him to focus entirely on his research.
Only Guren, although reluctant, remembered that Lord Yoru needed her strength, and she resolved to not disappoint him and to become stronger.
Uchiha Yoru was satisfied with Orochimaru's teaching quality, which was beyond reproach, and having such a powerful Kage ninja as a cover, no one would suspect this as his external force.
"By the way, Teacher, about the child from the Uzumaki clan I was looking for?" Uchiha Yoru asked curiously, remembering the important reason for his visit.
Orochimaru laughed, "Uchiha, truly the oldest and strongest ninja family, impressive with your intelligence network."
Leading the way, Orochimaru walked ahead, followed closely by Guren behind her Lord Yoru.
"In the Hidden Grass Village, we found a mother and daughter. The mother passed away a few days ago after being rescued, but fortunately, both mother and daughter awakened the Uzumaki bloodline, possessing rare sensory and healing talents even among the Uzumaki."
Finally arriving at a room, or more accurately, a laboratory.
"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Yoru."
Upon entering, Yakushi Kabuto respectfully greeted them, and Uchiha Yoru smiled, nodding, "Kabuto, when you assist Teacher, remember to take care of the children here."
Although Kabuto didn't know what had happened, he smiled kindly and nodded: "Yes, Lord Yoru."
Then they saw the Uzumaki bloodline, a small figure with red hair covering her arms, obviously just drawn blood from.
"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Yoru."
Karin, still a little girl but matured early due to harsh realities, was tense and even a bit scared, quickly bowing deeply to them.
She didn't recognize the other person but called him as Kabuto did.
As she looked up, a warm hand touched her red-haired head, and Uchiha Yoru said with a gentle smile, "Are you Karin? Indeed, a talented child."
Under the gentle smile, the young and once troubled Karin was somewhat confused and dazed, watching as these adults treated her like an object in a transaction.
~~~
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