Where is my money?

How important is it to get this position?

In his previous life, Akihara Kagura never had the chance to secure a position!

Based on the social dynamics of his past life, if Orochimaru had offered to help Akihara Kagura arrange a position, Akihara Kagura would have had to visit him and bring gifts during every festival...

For Akihara Kagura in this life, a position in Konohagakure is still extremely useful. Akihara Kagura can use it to integrate into the most powerful ninja village in this world!

Konohagakure is the center of this world.

As long as Akihara Kagura enters Konoha, he can know the direction of this world at any time, and even influence the future of this world!

Moreover...

The system has also refreshed its new superior requirements.

[System Prompt]: [New work task: Go to Konoha, find Dan Shimura, an ally of Orochimaru, learn Wood Style Ninjutsu, and monitor the covenant between Orochimaru and Dan Shimura.]

This work task has no time limit.

The concept of work tasks issued by the system originates from superiors, and there has never been a specified completion time, giving people the vague feeling that this job may never be completed...

However...

This is precisely what makes Akihara Kagura most vigilant.

If he followed the usual routine, he would be bogged down by work his entire life; only by taking the initiative to do something could he escape a job with an unknown deadline.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

A sound of snakes slithering suddenly came out.

A small white snake suddenly emerged from the grass and snuggled affectionately against Orochimaru's calf, looking very attached.

Orochimaru bent down and extended his palm. The small white snake opened its mouth and spat out a scroll, which landed in Orochimaru's palm.

This scroll looked even larger than the white snake's body, making it difficult to imagine how it managed to swallow it.

However...

This is the ninja world, after all...

Such strange occurrences are quite common.

Orochimaru opened the scroll in his hand and looked at the writing on it. A sinister smile appeared on his lips, as if he had seen some interesting news on it.

Strictly speaking...

This was a sternly worded inquiry.

This was a letter of inquiry from Shimura Danzō.

When Orochimaru was still in Konoha, Shimura Danzō had been secretly funding and supporting his Wood Style human experimentation research project, even helping to find subjects for the experiments.

Naturally.

Such an investment was bound to require returns.

Orochimaru had also reciprocated Shimura Danzō's support by gifting him a successfully experimented Wood Style Ninja, giving Shimura Danzō hope for the project's success.

After all, investors needed to see some results...

Although that Wood Style Ninja was far from as perfect as Akihara Kagura, that sliver of hope had convinced Shimura Danzō of the Wood Style human experimentation research project's potential...

This Wood Style experimentation...

It had great prospects and was bound to succeed!

Even though Orochimaru had now defected from Konoha, Shimura Danzō, unafraid of the risk of being discovered colluding with a rogue ninja, was still painstakingly funding Orochimaru's research...

But...

Investors were always expecting returns on their investments.

The messages Shimura Danzō sent were almost entirely filled with his questions.

Where is my money?

What did you spend my money on?

Has your experimental project yielded any new results in recent years?

It wasn't until the latter part of this letter scroll that Shimura Danzō mentioned one thing: the previously unsuccessful Wood Style experimental subject had been discovered by the Third Hokage and taken under the direct command of the Hokage's ANBU. He hoped Orochimaru would help him cultivate another Wood Style Ninja through experimentation.

Likewise.

Shimura Danzō also mentioned a request for a meeting.

After all, Orochimaru had been a rogue ninja away from Konoha for several years, long out of Shimura Danzō's surveillance. This investor wanted to check on Orochimaru's project progress.

"Heh heh..."

Orochimaru ignored the questions on the scroll and looked at the final request, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"This is truly too coincidental."

"Just right... it can also serve as an explanation to him."

"What?"

Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru in surprise.

Did this superior have anything he was hiding from him?

"It's nothing."

Orochimaru smiled at Akihara Kagura, reached out to stroke his hair, and said with a face full of affection, "Someone will come to pick you up soon... Before that, I'll teach you how to remove a cursed seal."

"What cursed seal?"

"Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."

Orochimaru said it lightly.

The name of this cursed seal sounded a bit terrifying, but its effect was quite poor, and it wasn't scary at all.

This was a sealing cursed seal created by Shimura Danzō, mainly used on his subordinates to prevent them from leaking his information.

By implanting the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal under a person's tongue, anyone who had the seal would trigger it if they tried to mention Shimura Danzō, making them unable to speak or even move.

Another reason Orochimaru wanted Akihara Kagura to go to Konohagakure to defect to Shimura Danzō was to act as his spy. He would occasionally need Akihara Kagura to transmit information to him, and of course, he wouldn't let Akihara Kagura be bound by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

Besides the method to remove the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, Orochimaru also reminisced about his homeland in front of Akihara Kagura, allowing him to learn a little about Konoha's stories.

"My teacher..."

"Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi..."

"He has ruled Konoha for decades..."

"Perhaps because he is already very old, that teacher has become somewhat soft-hearted... even when facing those who might endanger Konoha..."

"..."

Young Akihara Kagura raised his eyebrows.

He knew quite a few secrets about the figures in Konohagakure.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi made people think he was soft-hearted and a kind old man because someone else played the role of the ruthless one.

Konoha was the most powerful organization in the ninja world, and it could never exist entirely in the light. Naturally, it also needed some people who operated in the shadows to handle dark and secret matters.

Undoubtedly.

Shimura Danzō was that kind of person.

Akihara Kagura wanted to know more about his future superior's story.

Akihara Kagura quietly listened to Orochimaru's reminiscences about Hiruzen Sarutobi, and at the opportune moment, he asked curiously, "Lord Danzō, to whom you asked me to defect, Lord Danzō? What kind of person is he? Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

"Danzō?"

Orochimaru's smile deepened, and he spoke sinisterly, "Danzō... is the shadow hidden behind the Third Hokage."

"A ninja's life is dark."

"The Hokage is the source of that darkness..."

"Yet humans always like to beautify themselves... My teacher likes to appear upright and approachable... He needs someone to help him deal with the troubles in the darkness..."

"Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph..."

Orochimaru actually laughed with a hint of pride, as if pleased to have found the Third Hokage's weakness. He continued to mock, "My teacher has always been so hypocritical. He doesn't want people to know he's been tainted by darkness. The Wood Style human experimentation, with its near-100% mortality rate, was actually his idea first... It's just that his will was too weak... he couldn't bear the cost of the experiments constantly failing..."

"..."

Young Akihara Kagura felt like he wanted to clean his ears.

Why did Orochimaru always bring up his teacher whenever he mentioned Konoha?

He had defected from Konoha years ago, so why was Orochimaru still making sarcastic remarks about the Third Hokage? Wasn't it just because he didn't let Orochimaru become the Hokage of Konohagakure? Wasn't it because he drove Orochimaru out of his homeland?

Didn't Orochimaru himself make the first mistake?

Right now...

I just want to hear Lord Danzō's story!

New book, please collect!

Second update tomorrow morning at eight!

Does anyone know the update schedule for the new book period...