Dragging Someone Down

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru, who had been busy with government affairs all day and was also exhausted after the Shadow Clone disappeared, was unaware that the Anbu had secretly planned a targeted attack against him.

Konoha Underground Secret Laboratory.

Rubbing his temples, exhausted from finishing his morning government duties and then resting with his eyes closed in the afternoon to prepare for the Shadow Clone, he couldn't help but sigh that it was no wonder the Shadow Clone Jutsu could only be used for cultivation by the protagonist.

The mental recovery alone has stumped countless people; to put it bluntly, only those with excess physical energy can cultivate.

Entering the research room, Orochimaru looked up and gave a hoarse laugh upon sensing his arrival. "Heh, Lord Yoru, come and see my masterpiece."

"Whether it's the Living Corpse Reincarnation or the Impure World Reincarnation, both require a large amount of Chakra as a foundation, just like the legendary Sage Mode Natural Energy, which also require a large amount of Chakra as a foundation."

As soon as he entered, he was greeted by Orochimaru's endless stream of technical jargon. When he saw what Orochimaru was researching, he couldn't help but frown. On the experimental table, a prisoner was struggling and groaning in pain, his body covered with black markings.

"This is?"

Although he had already guessed what was going on, Uchiha Yoru pretended not to know, while Orochimaru, seeing this, was filled with excited smiles.

"Lord Yoru, do you know that I don't know if the legendary Sage of Six Paths exists, but the legendary Senjutsu really do exist? For example, the Fire Temple has a lineage of Senjutsu, and there are also Three Great Summoning Sanctuaries, such as Ryūchi Cave."

"Senjutsu?" Uchiha Yoru feigned a frown, then hesitated before saying, "Teacher Orochimaru, I've seen information about Senjutsu in my clan."

"Ordinary Chakra is formed by the fusion and condensation of physical and spiritual energy in a balanced way, while Senjutsu Chakra (Sage Power) is the power created by absorbing the Natural Energy around the body and combining it with one's own physical and spiritual energy in a balanced way. Ninjutsu (taijutsu, genjutsu) performed using this power is called Senjutsu Technique."

Listening to Uchiha Yoru's vast knowledge, Orochimaru couldn't help but smile and nod, "Lord Yoru is indeed extraordinary compared to ordinary ninjas; he can even peruse these books."

Ordinary ninjas would only pay attention to Genin scrolls and the like, and wouldn't have the leisure to read other books. For Orochimaru, who had already embarked on a research path, this was too narrow-minded.

"Ninjutsu activated using Senjutsu Chakra is several times, or even dozens of times, more powerful than in its normal state, and can even grant the user extraordinary sensory abilities."

At this moment, Orochimaru was explaining the power of Senjutsu at length, excitedly saying, "Not only is it too time-consuming to cultivate Senjutsu, but the prerequisite for cultivating Senjutsu is to have a huge amount of Chakra, which shuts out almost all ninjas. But I discovered a person with a natural Sage Bloodline. Do you know what that means?"

"This suggests that Senjutsu Chakra in ancient times may not have been solely a matter of cultivation and inheritance, but perhaps also a bloodline inheritance, similar to Kekkei Genkai. If Senjutsu Chakra existed, what about Sages? What was the Ninja Continent like before the emergence of ninjas? Did Sages truly exist in ancient times?"

Good heavens! Seeing Orochimaru's increasingly excited, perverse, and fanatical expression, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye. As expected of Orochimaru, he actually had so many conjectures. However, he did know what a sage looked like; the legendary Sage of Six Paths of Six Paths was the son of a woman.

"Lord Yoru, the research base in the north has discovered a boy who is born with the ability to absorb Natural Energy. Once he stays in a place with extremely strong Natural Energy, he will Sage Transformation, but he will go berserk because he cannot control it. This is Sage Bloodline, or rather, the bloodline of a sage. Did you see the Cursed Seal on the test subject? This is the power I obtained through that boy."

Cursed Seal! So Orochimaru started developing the Cursed Seal around this time. Come to think of it, when Orochimaru defected, he even planted a Cursed Seal on his disciple Anko.

"Cursed Seal? Teacher Orochimaru, what is the connection between Natural Energy and the Living Corpse Reincarnation?"

At this moment, Uchiha Yoruro a puzzled expression, while Orochimaru immediately revealed an amused smile.

"Lord Yoru, as expected, your thinking is the same as mine; we have long since transcended the narrow-mindedness of ninjas."

"Hehe, because I discovered that the Sage Mode Natural Energy the Cursed Seal Sage Technique can erode spiritual power, that is, the so-called soul, and at the same time, it can greatly enhance the abilities of ninjas. Natural Energy is too profound; there must be many more abilities that we haven't discovered yet."

Orochimaru spoke with a fanatical excitement, while Uchiha Yoru listened with a look of sudden realization. No wonder Orochimaru placed Cursed Seal on Sasuke in the original work; it was probably not just to seduce him, but to corrupt his mind.

"Teacher Orochimaru, this is the 'Caged Bird' Cursed Seal scroll sent by Hizashi Hyuga, along with research funds."

Uchiha Yoru smiled and revealed the purpose of his visit. Orochimaru, upon seeing this, let out a hoarse laugh and licked his lips, saying in a raspy tone, "Lord Yoru, the Hyuga Branch Family's matter is not easy to resolve. Over the years, the Branch Family has had its elite members research it."

Even so, Orochimaru still accepted the scroll. He wasn't very interested in lifting the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird, or rather, he didn't have enough energy right now, so how could he possibly help a Hyuga Branch Family?

Living Corpse Reincarnation's research into the Forbidden Technique of Impure World Reincarnation and Impure World Reanimation, his oversight of Root's so-called Wood Release Restart Plan, and now his focus on Cursed Seal —it's fortunate that this is a world of ninjas, otherwise Orochimaru would have long since given his all.

The study of Sage Mode Natural Energy not only strengthens Orochimaru but also allows him to have more energy to research Forbidden Technique.

"Teacher, you said that although this Caged Bird is Cursed Seal, it is still a derivative of Sealing Jutsu. Can it be sealed with Sealing Jutsu?"

Uchiha Yoru smiled and expressed his opinion. Orochimaru shook his head and said, "Lord Yoru, Sealing Jutsu are different from the five elemental Ninjutsu. Studying Sealing Jutsu requires not only talent, but also precise control. You can study them, but don't go too deep."

Orochimaru didn't want his disciple to waste his talent on Sealing Jutsu and waste his time, as Sealing Jutsu were clearly difficult to learn and master.

Despite this, Orochimaru still tilted his head back, and a chilling sound came from his throat as a large snake emerged from his mouth. Then, the snake spat out a scroll that was several times larger than its own body.

"Hehe, Lord Yoru, these are the Sealing Jutsu I've collected. You can choose one or two to learn specifically. After all, life is too short. To achieve your dreams, you need to be strong enough not to die at the hands of any powerful opponent."

The hoarse voice echoed in the room as Orochimaru spoke with a laugh. Uchiha Yoru nodded and shrugged, indicating that he understood. However, he also realized that his teacher probably developed a series of strange and unscrupulous Ninjutsu because of this very mindset.

You could say Orochimaru's Ninjutsu isn't powerful, but it's definitely the most Eight Gates and bizarre, especially in terms of survival techniques—it's practically the best in the Shinobi World.

Under the cover of night, outside a grand and solemn courtyard in the Uchiha Compound Uzuki Yugao utterly distraught. This time, she wasn't feigning it; she genuinely felt panicked. Was she really going to do this for the Anbu's mission?

"Yugao, this is the captain's house. It seems the captain hasn't returned yet."

Nakata Miko spoke with a hint of timidity. Looking at Yugao's young face, she couldn't help but smile bitterly, and finally shook her head with a self-deprecating smile.

"Yugao, it's not too late for you to back out now. Think about it yourself, is mortgaging your own house and all your savings over the years enough?"

Dragging someone down is a very immoral thing to do. At this moment, Nakata Miko was obviously feeling a bit guilty. However, after hearing Uzuki Yugao's flustered face showed a forced smile.

Under the moonlight, she saw Nakata Miko's timidity and the guilt in her eyes as she looked at her. At that moment, a warm feeling welled up in her heart, but she also smiled sadly. She never expected that the one who cared about her in the end was the one she had schemed against.

Thinking of this, Uzuki Yugao gave a miserable smile. "Sister Miko, my parents are from humble backgrounds and live in an apartment. Even if we sell the house, we can only raise 300,000 to 500,000 taels at most. With my savings, we can only scrape together about 500,000 taels. Three million in debt! Not 30,000 taels! Sister Miko, I really have no other choice."

At this moment, Uzuki Yugao, who was acting, seemed to have truly immersed herself in the role, and Nakata Miko sighed softly after seeing this scene.

"Yugao, I don't know if what I did this time was right or wrong, after all, I dragged you into this mess, but I hope you can take this advice to heart."

Seeing Uzuki Yugao nod gratefully, Nakata Miko gave a bitter smile and sighed, "Once you take this step, you will lose your dignity, and you will never forget it from then on."

"If you're only after money, then listen to me: don't get pregnant. Once we've agreed on the terms, given the magnanimity of Noble Houses Great Clans, they'll let it go in two or three years at most. Be careful during this time, try not to get caught, and forget about this experience afterward, start a new life."

Upon hearing Nakata Miko's advice, Uzuki Yugao lowered her head and forced an awkward smile. "Sister Miko, do you think you can forget about this? Once you do it, you'll have to carry the burden for the rest of your life."

Seeing the despair on Uzuki Yugao, Nakata Miko sighed softly, "Captain Yoru is a very good person. Although there are many grudges among the Noble Houses clans, the Uchiha are different from other Great Clans. Their pride is ingrained in their bones, and they would not bully women."

"With Captain Yoru's status, and the fact that she will become the Hokage's disciple and an elder of the Noble Houses Uchiha, being a secondary wife (concubine) might not be so bad."

At this point Nakata Miko stepped forward and gently tidied Yugao's slightly messy purple hair at her temples, combing it behind her ears before softly comforting her, "Being a woman from Noble Houses is not shameful, and Captain Yoru is a strong person. With his status, strength, and family position, he won't lack women."

"You'll understand matters of the heart in time. Ninjas follow the strong, and women depend on the strong—that's an unchanging truth," Nakata Miko said softly, as if making an excuse for herself, which lightened the burden in her heart considerably.

"Yugao, I didn't agree to be his second wife, not because he was unwilling, but because of my child." Nakata Miko showed a resolute smile when she talked about her child.

"My child has never seen his father since birth, and I can't let the Nakata Clan break off with me." No one understands her heartache. Not only did she raise her child alone, but she also had to endure all kinds of gossip over the years.

She was a widow, and most people would have remarried long ago, but she didn't. She was protecting the last seedlings of the Nakata Clan. (In Hokage, a woman's surname changes after marriage, for example, Sakura Haruno later became Sakura Uchiha.)

"Sister Miko." At this moment, Uzuki Yugao forced a smile. She wanted to say thank you, but she couldn't bring herself to say those two words. After all, this was something that was difficult to talk about.

It's been widely rumored that Nakata Miko had affairs with members of the Uchiha Clan, which is why she was included in the Anbu's plans—because it was perfectly reasonable for them to bring her to the Uchiha Compound.

"Yugao, you don't need to say anything. I don't know if what I did was wrong, and I don't know if you'll regret it later. Right now, I just want to say that it's not too late for you to regret it."

At this Nakata Miko seemed to have let go of her burden. Her last words came from the bottom of her heart. As for what the other party would do, she could no longer control it. After all, the other party had come to her for help, and she knew this was the only way to save the other party.

She was saving a silly girl.

Under the moonlight, the solemn house was lit up, while on the street under the night sky, Nakata Miko walked slowly toward another house with her head down.

It was already dark when Earth Flow, and there wasn't a soul in sight on the streets. Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a smile. No wonder researchers are all crazy people who work day and night; they really don't feel the passage of time.

A dark shadow flashed by; thanks to the ninja's physical prowess, he leaped swiftly through the night back to his courtyard.

Suddenly, Uchiha Yoru's brows furrowed, and Three Tomoe appeared in his dark eyes, spinning around. With his crimson Sharingan spinning, he stared solemnly at his room.

The living room light was on; someone was there! But who would come to his house?

The clan head? Or Elder Setsuna? There's no one in the Uchiha Clan who's so unruly. Hizashi? Impossible. The rigidity of the Hyuga Clan seems to be ingrained in their bones. How could that be?

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind, but as he pondered, his hand gripped the Kusanagi Sword at his waist, and as he narrowed his eyes, venomous snakes began to crawl out from his sleeve.

Thank you to reader '15046310665965404' for the 100,000 Qidian coins reward, thank you to the brother for the Alliance Master reward, I will add the promised extra chapter on the day of release, thank you to all the brothers for your support.