Greed! The Desire for Power!

Secret Underground Research Base.

"Chidori!"

With the flicker of thunder and the chirping of birds, a bolt of lightning flashed by. In the base, Uchiha Yoruro's eyes revealed a two-tomoe Sharingan as he completed a thrust with a one-handed Chidori. The figure struck instantly turned into yellow mud, and in that moment, the straight sword at his waist was already drawn.

Clang, clang—

The straight sword slashed against a kunai, and the next second, Uchiha Yoruro's figure shot forward like lightning, pressing the attack without pause. His exquisite swordsmanship left only a flash of cold light in its wake.

And in that cold light stood Teacher Orochimaru. At this moment, Orochimaru wore a casual expression with a twisted smile, both hands gripping kunai as he parried relentlessly.

"Your swordsmanship isn't bad. If your Lightning Release mastery were a notch stronger, and you grasped the nature transformation of chakra, you'd be able to unleash this blade's true power."

Orochimaru gave a fair assessment. The next moment, the blade's gleam swept past, and Orochimaru transformed into a Mud Clone. Seeing this, Uchiha Yoruro let out a startled cry. He couldn't help but acknowledge the terror of the Sannin—their hand-seal speed was flawless, especially since Orochimaru's stats listed his seals at maximum.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

With a sudden roar, Orochimaru appeared overhead, seemingly out of nowhere. He formed a single hand seal, and a fierce gale erupted from his mouth.

Below, Uchiha Yoruro realized it too late. Faced with the oncoming blast, he could only hastily brace himself in a defensive stance.

Boom—

The ground cracked apart, and the hurricane tore up a layer of earth as it swept through.

Finally, as the smoke cleared, Orochimaru landed slowly, gazing at the figure in the haze with a hoarse chuckle.

"Hehe, so this is the terror of a Kekkei Genkai? Lord Yoru, your talent seems to have unlocked as your bloodline advanced. In just the last two months, your chakra aptitude—both in volume and control—has surpassed that of ordinary shinobi."

Orochimaru's raspy laugh carried a strange, appreciative look, like an artist admiring a masterpiece, as he stared at the figure in the thick smoke. Finally, he let out a low chuckle.

"Interesting. Very interesting. As expected, the human body holds endless treasures."

It wasn't just Kekkei Genkai families. Some ordinary shinobi were mediocre early on, only to suddenly become exceptionally gifted in a certain field after reaching a critical breakthrough point later.

But with Kekkei Genkai, it seemed even more pronounced. Every awakening or advancement brought a clear physical enhancement. The most typical example was Haku, who instantly killed everyone after fully awakening his bloodline. (Before full awakening, he was very weak.)

As the dust settled, Uchiha Yoruro coughed repeatedly, his whole body aching with a sharp sting. Grimacing, he stumbled out and looked at Orochimaru, who wore that eerie smile, and said with a wry grin, "Teacher Orochimaru, you were way too harsh."

That C-Rank Ninjutsu, in Orochimaru's hands, felt like a full-blown hurricane. Of course, he'd held back, but when the gale hit head-on, Yoruro could clearly feel he could barely breathe. The wind swept over him like he'd entered a gravity chamber, and his body felt as if it had been scoured by Steel Wire.

It stung like hell!

Watching his cheap disciple, Orochimaru let out a hoarse, twisted laugh. "Heh, Yoru, your growth lately has been impressive."

With that, Orochimaru's body vanished in a puff of white smoke with a poof. Seeing this from a distance, Uchiha Yoruro could only smile bitterly. Shadow Clone Jutsu, huh? That's ridiculously strong.

Without truly facing it, you couldn't grasp the terror of Kage-level power. It wasn't even on the same level. Right now, Uchiha Yoruro muttered to himself, unable to fathom how terrifying it was that Uchiha Itachi, after awakening the Mangekyo, could defeat Orochimaru in seconds.

Genius? Even geniuses had their tiers.

Looking at his tattered clothes, Yoruro winced and went to change into fresh ones, grumbling, "These clothes are so expensive..."

With a creak, he pushed open the door. Inside the lab, Orochimaru was carefully mixing test tubes. Uchiha Yoruro, now in new clothes, walked in and casually picked up some documents nearby.

Scanning the papers, he began recording notes while saying to Orochimaru, "Teacher Orochimaru, the Seventh Division of the Konoha Military Police Force will be at your disposal from now on."

Orochimaru, focused on his experiment, showed a slight reaction before letting out a hoarse chuckle.

"Heh, I accept the Uchiha Clan's sincerity. But I wonder, under what circumstances does this 'disposal' apply?"

Hearing this, Yoruro smiled directly. "Teacher Orochimaru, I am the captain of the Seventh Division. Naturally, I follow your orders."

In other words, I may be an Uchiha, but I'm fully tied to you now.

At this, Orochimaru's sinister smile widened. He slowly set down his work and turned to look at his cheap disciple, chuckling.

"The Seventh Division... seems to have become a sieve already."

Just as I thought. Uchiha Yoruro felt a jolt inwardly. He knew Orochimaru had likely already grasped all of Konoha's recent movements.

Though the Seventh Division was the Uchiha Clan's gift to Orochimaru, it had also been infiltrated by various factions. After all, big clans never bet on just one horse.

"Heh, Teacher, rest assured. The Seventh Division still has an elite squad from the Uchiha Clan."

Meaning, Teacher, don't worry. The Seventh Division will handle any troublesome Root-related missions. After all, he still had that elite squad under his command—clearly referring to Shisui's unit.

"Heh, Lord Yoru, do you know what I saw in your eyes the first time I looked at you?"

Orochimaru suddenly flashed a strange smile, piquing Yoruro's curiosity. He asked, "Please enlighten me, Teacher."

As for being wary of Orochimaru? With such a vast gap in strength, any caution was pointless.

Especially after spending this time together, Orochimaru's unique charisma was genuinely captivating and reassuring—at least for those he found useful. More importantly, Orochimaru hadn't yet developed that sick obsession with the Sharingan.

Orochimaru licked his lips with a sinister tongue, staring at Uchiha Yoruro with a raspy laugh.

"Heh, Lord Yoru, your eyes are filled with greed. And an endless thirst for power!"

Greed! A thirst for power!

Hearing this assessment, Uchiha Yoruro was stunned for a moment, then broke into a smile. He'd never hidden it. After all, in this dangerous Shinobi World, even a Jōnin couldn't claim to control their own life, let alone an Uchiha. His greed was all about paving the way for power.

"So, Teacher Orochimaru, do you have any plans for the current situation?"

Everything Konoha had done was laid out in the open, yet Orochimaru seemed to accept it. Instead of resisting, he stayed in the shadows—something Yoruro found puzzling.

Thanks to: 'Book Friend 20220317101836342' for 100 points, 'Book Friend 20180828083750703' for 100 points. Thanks to all brothers for the support.