After pondering it thoroughly, Orochimaru realized that spending 100 million ryō to hire Uzumaki Senshi to bring him a living member of the Uchiha clan seemed to be the only viable option. In more practical terms, no matter how he twisted and turned, Uchiha Obito was still the only real choice!
Senshi waited patiently while Orochimaru stood there, lost in deep thought—clearly digesting all the intel. Meanwhile, Senshi wondered to himself, "Could Orochimaru actually fail to come up with 100 million ryō? It sounds like a lot, but really, it isn't that much, right?"
After waiting a bit, he saw that Orochimaru still wore a conflicted expression, so Senshi took the initiative:
"Well, Orochimaru, have you made up your mind?"
Orochimaru paused and asked:
"Are you absolutely certain there are only three living Uchiha left in the shinobi world?"
Senshi nodded solemnly:
"That's correct. A mercenary doesn't lie. Everyone in Akatsuki knows I'm honest to a fault. Don't pretend you haven't noticed."
Orochimaru continued:
"And about needing an original pair of Sharingan—if it's not the matching pair, the eyes can't unleash their full power. Is that information reliable?"
He had carefully weighed the idea that Obito might really be his only option. Letting Obito go from one eye to two eyes should, in principle, be easier: Senshi apparently had channels to acquire Sharingan. If they captured Obito, he could simply implant another Sharingan into him. But if the eyes had to be Obito's original pair, that meant going after Konoha. At the moment, Orochimaru wasn't eager for a head-on clash with the village.
Senshi answered without hesitation:
"Yes, absolutely. Don't doubt my professionalism."
Hearing that, Orochimaru asked further:
"What if you have a pair of Sharingan already—couldn't you simply replace Obito's single eye with a matching set?"
Senshi silently gave Orochimaru credit for his inventive angle. Logically, if you transplanted a perfectly matched pair into Obito, the Sharingan should function normally.
But after a short pause, he explained:
"Mangekyō powers vary tremendously. Some abilities are extremely useful, others fairly lackluster."
At that, Senshi recalled one particularly notorious Mangekyō ability: Amaterasu—legendary in name, but often underwhelming in actual combat. It burned the Fourth Raikage's arm, sure, yet many times it got shrugged off by enemies simply discarding a piece of clothing or something similarly trivial.
Orochimaru pondered a while but didn't decide immediately. He looked at Senshi, speaking in a serious tone:
"I need time to reflect on everything I've learned today before making a decision."
He needed to analyze the pros and cons in detail. Senshi wasn't bothered and simply replied:
"Take your time. Think it over and get the money ready. You pay, I deliver."
With that steep price tag laid out, Senshi and Karin left Orochimaru's base. Orochimaru's skill in research was top-notch, but making money was not really his forte, and he rarely sold his results. Senshi had no idea whether Orochimaru would be able to come up with the enormous sum he'd requested. Maybe, but…this was Orochimaru, after all.
…
When the two exited the base, Karin asked offhandedly:
"Senshi, is there any particular food you really want to eat? I could learn to cook it specifically."
Senshi shook his head.
"Karin, the path of cooking is a long one. For now, stick to simple stuff—like instant ramen."
Karin froze for a moment and then realized he was teasing her.
"Senshi, you're stifling a future culinary genius!"
Pouting, arms crossed before her chest, she stuck out her lower lip in protest. Senshi found that adorable and was tempted to ruffle her bright red hair into a nest. Silly brat, being tsundere is so old-fashioned.
He smirked slightly. A sudden idea crossed his mind: Why not use those 'Scare Apples' to bribe her?
He'd drawn Lv80 Scare Apples earlier, a unique fruit from the anime, Toriko. When you shock or scare them, they develop "levels" and funny facial expressions. The higher the level, the more delicious the apple. Level 100 was the max, so at Level 80 they were presumably already top-tier in taste. Curious about the flavor, Senshi decided this was a perfect moment to bring them out.
He took two of the strangely patterned apples from his inventory space and handed one to Karin with a smile.
"Karin, I have a really tasty fruit here—wanna try it?"
Karin turned away, feigning indifference.
"Well, if you insist on me trying it, I guess I can manage…"
Senshi chuckled and handed her one. Initially, Karin assumed it was just an apple, but the moment she actually looked at it, she nearly jumped out of her skin, clearly repulsed.
"Eww! Senshi, this apple looks so gross! It's so weird—are you sure it's edible?"
Seeing her reaction, Senshi couldn't help laughing. These are high-grade items only available from an advanced system draw—no chance they'd taste bad.
"Karin, never judge an apple by its cover. It's like how my handsomeness can't be measured with normal means."
As he spoke, he raised his own bizarrely patterned apple and took a bite.
Crunch!
All at once, it felt like an electric shock zippered through his mind. A fresh, sweet fragrance exploded on his taste buds, so vivid that his entire body seemed to sing with bliss. Every cell shouted in unison, "So good, so good, it's unbelievably good!"
Karin stared, seeing how much Senshi was enjoying that hideously colored apple, and she soon caught a whiff of a rich fruit aroma wafting her way. She swallowed hard. After traveling alongside Senshi for so long, she could tell he wasn't faking anything—he really found it delicious. Besides, to her, Senshi was indeed the coolest guy around; he wouldn't just trick her over something like this.
Steeling herself, Karin took a chomp:
Crunch!
Instantly, electric jolts seemed to dance through her mind. The wonderful flavor rolled along her tongue from tip to root, spreading through her entire body—she could practically feel every cell locking into place. How can a fruit be this delicious? She finished the odd-looking apple in no time, and still felt like she wanted more.
"So," Senshi teased with a grin, "I wasn't lying, was I?"
"Mm," she hummed happily, still savoring the lingering taste. "Senshi, I'm gonna work even harder on my cooking skills now!"
In his head, Senshi was thinking: That's really not necessary. After all, he'd never known any Uzumaki who was good at cooking—quite the opposite. He even suspected that the reason Naruto didn't get sick from expired milk was because Minato had built up a "poison resistance" from Kushina's questionable cuisine, which was then passed down genetically. Still, he wasn't about to discourage Karin.
It was right then that someone blocked their path. Senshi glanced up casually and couldn't help smirking—a familiar face! A man in a gray robe and a tiger-striped mask stood before them. None other than "Masked Man" Tobi, the very Obito they had just been discussing!
What a pleasant surprise: He'd just been talking with Orochimaru about capturing Obito, and the man himself turned up?
Senshi eyed him with a crafty smile, choosing not to reveal Obito's identity.
"Oi, if it isn't Mr. Masked Stranger. What's the deal—are you stopping me to give me a commission?"
Standing on the path, Obito (still posing as a "mysterious masked man") responded with a cheerful laugh.
"Indeed I am. I've got a number of tasks—only a formidable ninja like you can pull them off."
He spoke while slowly approaching Senshi. Had Danzo been in Senshi's place, he might have snarled, "Get away from me, you wicked Uchiha brat!" But Senshi merely looked on in mild interest. He found Obito's words suspicious, but let him get closer.
"So," Senshi said, "what sort of commission are we talking about?"
Obito didn't answer directly. He walked closer, speaking in an offhand tone:
"Why don't you guess, Senshi? After all, the mission I have in mind is—"
He didn't even finish his sentence. The moment he was within range, he struck.
Swoosh—
In a flash, he lunged at Senshi, aiming to grab hold of him. With a haughty Uchiha laugh, he shouted:
"Mada-da!!"
("Still not done" or "I'm not finished yet," in a rough pun on "Madara.")
The move was abrupt. Moments ago he'd been smiling about a mission, and now he flipped the tables completely. He struck out with stunning speed—something that would catch most people off-guard. Obito's single-minded pursuit of creating a world with "Rin" alive made him relentless. Once he decided to act, he was thoroughly decisive.
But for Senshi—an opponent of "super-Kage" level—Obito's speed was like child's play. While it might have overwhelmed an average Kage-level fighter, for Senshi it was like watching someone move in slow motion. He could easily dodge or even slam Obito to the ground if he wanted.
Yet Senshi didn't resist. He watched with mild amusement. He recognized exactly what Obito intended: He's trying to warp me into the Kamui dimension. But so what? Senshi had plenty of space-time tricks of his own. Obito's Mangekyō might be amazing in general, but Senshi had Kāma, which was at least as convenient—if not more. Besides, Senshi was also curious: Why would Obito suddenly go after me? By all rights, there's no direct conflict of interest between us right now.
So Senshi simply allowed Obito's hand to land squarely on his shoulder. Obito was momentarily shocked but also elated at how easily he succeeded. He had read Senshi's intel, estimating less than a 10% chance of success even with a sneak attack. Still, with Kamui's phasing ability, he could at least remain undefeated if things went south.
But who would've guessed it'd be so easy?
As he activated his Mangekyō and started warping Senshi, Obito couldn't help thinking:
"Heh! All the intel I got from Nagato and elsewhere must be exaggerated. According to them, I had little chance of success, yet look at this—I caught him flat-footed!"
In Obito's mind, Senshi clearly didn't live up to the hype. He didn't realize that Senshi had briefly entertained an urge to grab him by the throat and say, in a voice reminiscent of Tobirama:
"Evil little Uchiha brat. Is this all you've got?"
But Senshi was in a good mood and didn't want to ruin it by humiliating Obito. Once Obito's Mangekyō power triggered, Senshi vanished into the swirling distortion of Kamui.
…
Inside the Kamui Dimension
Buzz—
A translucent vortex churned within that gray, cubic space. Senshi landed lightly on one of the boxlike structures. Honestly, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was quite fascinating. Depending on one's mental state at the time of awakening, you might acquire all kinds of strange abilities. Some were mediocre, some were top-tier. Obito's Kamui happened to be formidable, especially in the "old days of Mangekyō." But in the era of "Karma Seals," it wasn't nearly as unassailable. After all, any wielder of Kāma could teleport freely. That left Obito's once-groundbreaking Mangekyō overshadowed.
For Senshi, being dropped into this space was no big deal. He felt no alarm at all. If he wanted, he could easily make Obito sweat.
~~~
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