Konoha border.
Beneath towering trees, a young girl in a fishnet outfit had her short dark-purple hair tied into a small flower-like knot at the back of her head. She was clearly only twelve, yet she casually played with a kunai in her hand, a faintly bloodthirsty smile on her face.
"Hehe, Yoru, I never expected you to become Teacher Orochimaru's student too. Looks like you didn't get by on that pretty face alone."
The still-young Mitaraishi Anko deliberately imitated Orochimaru, putting on a bloodthirsty expression. In particular, the way she stuck out her cute tongue to lick the kunai in a threatening gesture made Uchiha Yoru smile.
"Anko, is your tongue feeling hot?"
Uchiha Yoru's words instantly killed the atmosphere she had worked so hard to create. Anko had always been playful and lively, so she immediately looked suspiciously at him. "Your tongue feels hot? What does that mean?"
Seeing Anko's childish, puzzled expression, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes and pointed at his mouth as he whispered, "My mouth happens to be rather cool. Maybe you could come to me and let me cool you down. Better than a kunai, isn't it?"
After his teasing remark, Anko froze for a moment before smiling. This time, however, there was a dangerous edge to her smile, and it was no longer an act.
"Hehe, 'Yoru,' you're right. Maybe next time, I'll let you cool me down in front of Kurenai."
After speaking with that dangerous smile, Anko immediately changed her expression and sneered, "Teacher Orochimaru may have put me on the same team as you, but don't expect me to protect you during missions."
Mitaraishi Anko was the student of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. She had graduated from the Academy at ten and become a Chūnin at twelve, making her a genuine genius girl. Naturally, she looked down on Uchiha Yoru, who had only become a Chūnin at fourteen.
"Hehe, Anko, don't be so heartless."
Mitaraishi Anko narrowed her eyes as she looked at Uchiha Yoru, the most handsome boy in their class back at the Academy and the boyfriend of her best friend, Yūhi Kurenai. Secretly, she was calculating. Uchiha Yoru was the sort who would never act without profit. She knew perfectly well how Yūhi Kurenai had managed to win him over back then.
"Uchiha Yoru, stop playing dumb. You went to great lengths to come to the front line and even became Teacher Orochimaru's student. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Mitaraishi Anko's gaze was probing. Her personality might have been somewhat impulsive, but she was still a ninja and had the vigilance of one.
Seeing Anko like this, Uchiha Yoru shrugged and shook his head helplessly. "Anko, you're really cold-blooded. Don't you miss an old classmate at all?"
"I'm heartless? Who was it that sold his body for one gold necklace from Kurenai?"
Damn it!
Hearing Anko casually drop such a bombshell, Uchiha Yoru's eyes widened. He spread his hands irritably. "Anko, for the sake of our old friendship, I'll give you a chance to make a fortune this time. One hundred thousand!"
He held up both index fingers to make a ten, then licked his lips with a smug look, as if saying, See? I'm being generous, aren't I?
"The Third has regained control of the village, but everyone knows that once the unrest settles, a Fifth Hokage will eventually have to be chosen. And this Fifth Generation..."
Uchiha Yoru stopped there, merely giving Anko a look that said they both knew. Immediately, Anko's mind began racing.
"Uchiha Yoru, you're following the Uchiha Clan's orders to get close to Teacher Orochimaru!"
Facing Anko's fierce, protective glare, Uchiha Yoru merely shook his head irritably. "You've got that wrong. I was ordered to get close to Orochimaru's student. You understand!"
As he spoke those last three words, he raised a brow. Anko's expression immediately turned furious, and she viciously stabbed the kunai into the stump beneath her.
"One hundred thousand! You think one hundred thousand is enough to make a deal? You're Kurenai's boyfriend, and Kurenai is my beloved best friend! No!"
Seeing Anko's resolute, disdainful gaze, Uchiha Yoru sneered. "Anko, don't talk nonsense. What Kurenai's boyfriend? You need to add the word 'ex' in front of that."
Ex-boyfriend? Anko froze. Had her extortion plan just gone up in smoke? But then her mind turned, and she instantly thought of something. A smile slowly curled across her lips.
"You're her sugar daddy, then? Seems you're not too bad. You know the Uchiha identity is sensitive right now, and you know enough to separate from Kurenai."
In this world of ninjas, early maturity was normal. Besides, they had already spent years on the battlefield. Those without brains had long since been lying in cold soil. As for protagonists? They were entirely outside the scope of this rule.
She put away her kunai in her Tool Pouch, then Mitaraishi Anko walked over and looked at him with an arrogant expression.
"Three hundred thousand! I'll pretend you successfully got close to me. Once you complete your clan's mission, we'll split the profits."
Good grief. Seeing Mitaraishi Anko shamelessly name such an outrageous price, Uchiha Yoru's eyes widened. He immediately refused. "Impossible! The clan is only giving me three hundred thousand ryō for completing this mission. So after all that work, I wouldn't get a single coin?"
Seeing Uchiha Yoru's resolute refusal, Anko's lips slowly curled into a smile of triumphant scheming. She had finally figured out his bottom line.
"So it's three hundred thousand. Fine, I get two hundred thousand and you get one hundred thousand. Are you in or not? One answer."
Mitaraishi Anko wore the smug expression of someone who had him completely in her grasp, as if saying, Are you doing it or not? If you don't, you won't get a single coin.
"One hundred and fifty thousand! We split it evenly!"
"Hmph! Stop talking nonsense. Either accept it, or you get nothing."
"Fine!"
In the end, Uchiha Yoru looked as though his heart ached, while Mitaraishi Anko wore the smile of victory.
Yet beneath Uchiha Yoru's annoyed, pained expression, he was secretly muttering to himself, Girl, you're not bad, but you still underestimate your current worth.
Just being Teacher Orochimaru's student was enough to double the price. Tsk, tsk. In the end, she still thought like a ninja tool.
Each harbored their own schemes. One smiled outwardly, while the other smiled inwardly. Anko could obtain two hundred thousand without doing practically anything, while Uchiha Yoru could directly fleece one million from the clan. Tsk, tsk. The two hundred thousand in expenses provided by the clan would be just enough.
Anko was only a Chūnin at the moment, and mission rewards were already lower during wartime, so naturally she was short on money. As for Orochimaru, there was even less need to mention it. Research funding was a money-burning machine. Saying Orochimaru did not worry about funds would be pure nonsense.
After all, in the original story, even Akatsuki had once bowed to money and become mercenaries to raise funds.
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