Land of Fire Border.
"Jōnin Shisui, this is nowhere near enough. You have to understand, Anko is not only a beautiful girl, she is also Lord Orochimaru's student. The moment we met, I had to go to incredible lengths just to build some rapport with Anko. Only then did I barely manage to join Anko's team."
Inside the Uchiha tent, Uchiha Yoru came in looking exhausted and immediately began pouring out his grievances. Uchiha Shisui, however, looked stunned after hearing him.
"Brother Yoru, you! You mean you've already teamed up with Anko?"
Uchiha Shisui's eyes widened. How long had it been? Not even half a day. They had been at the front line for less than half a day, yet the other man had already completed half the mission.
As Uchiha Shisui looked at Uchiha Yoru's handsome face, he silently muttered to himself. Sure enough, the elders had been right. In this regard, his talent was far inferior to Brother Yoru's.
Seeing Uchiha Shisui's shocked expression, Uchiha Yoru secretly curled his lip. What good is being shocked? Does courting girls not cost money?
There definitely had to be expenses, and huge ones at that. Otherwise, how could it live up to the status of being one of the Sannin's disciples?
He had to get Shisui to send a message to the clan, to make them understand one thing: even ordinary dating required spending money, let alone with Anko, who was practically like a young lady of a wealthy family. How could she be so easily won over?
"Sigh, Shisui, this time I had to put aside my pride before Anko agreed. And besides, besides!"
Uchiha Yoru looked as though he wanted to speak but hesitated. Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui immediately nodded solemnly. "Brother Yoru, there are no outsiders here. Just tell me what difficulties you have."
That was exactly what he had been waiting for. Uchiha Yoru put on a troubled expression, even pretending to struggle before finally making up his mind. Then he let out a deep sigh.
"Shisui, you don't know this, but Kurenai and Anko were good friends back at the academy. Naturally, you know that I've always made a living with this face. Now that Kurenai and I have broken up, and Anko, well, you understand."
With that troubled expression, Uchiha Shisui instantly nodded with a solemn look. He understood! How could he not?
After all, they had both attended the academy. How could he not have heard of Uchiha Yoru's reputation? If one spoke of geniuses at the academy, then it was undoubtedly Hatake Kakashi. But if one spoke of the most handsome and most popular with women, then it was definitely Uchiha Yoru.
As Uchiha Shisui filled in the blanks, he seemed to imagine a melodramatic story: Yūhi Kurenai had become lovers with his senior, while Mitaraishi Anko, as her good friend, could only silently offer her blessings. But now, an opportunity had appeared.
Seeing Uchiha Shisui's determined expression after his imagined scenario, along with the sympathy in his eyes, it was as if he were saying, "You sacrificed yourself for the clan. I truly admire you."
Yet Uchiha Yoru cursed inwardly. Shisui, you're as dense as wood. No wonder you got fooled into becoming brain-damaged. Don't you know to open your mouth and offer funding?
"Shisui, Anko and I have been friends since childhood. This time, I also told her about the clan's current predicament. Anko is willing to put in a good word for me with Lord Orochimaru and see whether I can become Lord Orochimaru's student."
The moment Uchiha Yoru finished speaking, Uchiha Shisui was moved. This was a crucial matter tied to the clan's rise and fall.
If Brother Yoru truly became Lord Orochimaru's student, then the Uchiha would once again establish a relationship of trust with the Hokage Faction within the village.
After all, Orochimaru was practically guaranteed to become the future Fifth Hokage.
In this world, aside from father and son, the most trusting relationships among ninja were teammates, teachers and students, and masters and disciples. Teachers and students simply referred to instructors and their students.
At that moment, in Uchiha Shisui's eyes, Mitaraishi Anko clearly wanted to help Uchiha Yoru become Orochimaru's student through the relationship of a team leader and subordinate. It was only a step below the bond between master and disciple, or father and son.
The bond between master and disciple was like that of the Third Hokage and the Sannin. Especially in this era, the feelings between master and disciple were no less profound than those between father and son.
"Brother Yoru, are you saying Anko is willing to have Lord Orochimaru become your team leader?"
Uchiha Shisui looked excited. If this relationship could be confirmed, it would be like the Fourth Hokage and Kakashi. The fact that Kakashi had directly entered the Anbu was proof enough. The Uchiha clan would once again earn the Hokage's trust.
Uchiha Yoru sighed helplessly. "Jōnin Shisui, I think you need to contact the clan. Anko has already gone to find Lord Orochimaru. She even patted her chest and said it was almost certain, but..."
At this point, Uchiha Yoru gave a bitter smile. "Funding! I need a large amount of funding. You know Anko is Lord Orochimaru's disciple. She lacks neither ninjutsu nor secret techniques. Whether I can go a step further and become Lord Orochimaru's disciple is still uncertain, but Anko absolutely cannot be abandoned."
"Anko is different from other female ninja, so right now I can only rely on the clan's accumulated resources."
Uchiha Yoru's meaning was simple. Anko was now like a young lady of a wealthy family; she lacked nothing. The only reason she was willing to help him was because of their feelings from the academy. But as time went on, he would lack everything while she lacked nothing. Once those feelings gradually faded, how could a rich young lady possibly take a liking to a poor boy?
In short, the clan needed to quickly provide him with every convenience and turn him into a young master of a wealthy family as well. Wouldn't that make them a golden couple, perfectly matched?
That way, there would be no chance of the rich young lady looking down on him.
Uchiha Shisui showed a look of sudden understanding. Although he had never had a girlfriend, he understood this principle. Only by narrowing the distance between two people could they communicate better.
"Brother Yoru, don't worry. I'll send word to the clan right away. Rest assured."
Uchiha Shisui nodded firmly. Although he knew Uchiha Yoru had selfish motives, who in this world had none? He was using his face to complete the mission, obtain the necessary resources for it, and satisfy a tiny bit of his own desire. Was he wrong?
No, he was not.
Seeing Uchiha Shisui's attitude, Uchiha Yoru immediately put on an ashamed expression and sighed. Yet inwardly, he was secretly delighted. It seemed he had to hurry. Before Orochimaru defected, he had to fleece the clan like crazy.
After all, if he did not fleece the clan, then after the clan massacre, those resources would only benefit Konoha. He might as well turn that wool into his own strength.
Ever since the clan had assigned him this mission, he had begun plotting in his heart. He needed to maximize his gains and strengthen himself as quickly as possible.
Spending money! This was the only path he could take now, but relying on the meager rewards from missions was like a snail crawling along—painfully slow.
Only by fleecing the clan could he strengthen himself at the fastest pace. Once Orochimaru defected, his strength would have grown. At the very least, he would gain the clan's attention, and then whether he took missions or sought benefits within the clan, he would gain more.
Uchiha Yoru pondered silently. He needed to fleece the clan, but that was still not enough. Orochimaru's defection was only a matter of the next two years, so he needed a second path.
A path that would let him keep fleecing others for the long term: intelligence! Selling all kinds of information for huge profits.
At that thought, Uchiha Yoru smiled. Konoha was in turmoil now; wasn't that the best possible intelligence? And he was even at the front line.
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