Naruto: Choosing from Birth

Hmm, I wondered whether this would affect his future cooperation with Orochimaru.

Thinking of snakes made him think of Orochimaru!

Though Orochimaru was somewhat cold-blooded, it was undeniable that he had been clever since childhood and possessed a maturity far beyond that of ordinary people.

He would give him "Orochimaru Smashes the Vat."

The general idea was that when Orochimaru had just entered the Ninja Academy, Jiraiya, being mischievous and wanting to show off during an outdoor activity, stood atop a large water vat.

He accidentally fell into the vat, submerged in the water and at a complete loss.

While all the other children panicked and scattered to find adults, Orochimaru alone picked up a large stone nearby and smashed the vat open in one swift motion, saving Jiraiya's life...

Jiraiya got the short end of the stick in this story, so he should be compensated a little. He would write "Little Tadpoles Find Jiraiya."

The two of them were already somewhat famous in Konoha. After all, they were the Third Hokage's disciples and were quite powerful. They simply had not yet become as renowned as they would be after the Second Shinobi World War, when they were dubbed the Legendary Sannin.

Hmm, since these stories were meant to spread throughout the entire shinobi world, they could not be limited to Konoha alone.

He should give characters from the other villages some screen time.

The story of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" would be perfect.

Then he would write "Granny Chiyo and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen"! This time, it probably would not be just children who loved reading it. Adults would likely sneak a look too—after all, everyone had a soul that craved gossip.

Who should play the prince? The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, of course.

They seemed like quite a good match.

The story involved three shinobi villages. He wondered what interesting things would happen when they met on the battlefield after becoming famous?

Uchiha Cheng then spent ten days polishing and revising the entire Ma Liang the Immortal's Fairy Tales.

Pen name: Magic Brush Ma Liang!

Then, using the many channels at his disposal, he transformed into a middle-aged man and sought out publishers to distribute it.

He used his own little treasury in the early stages, throwing several hundred thousand ryo into publication.

For the rest, he would simply wait for it to slowly gain momentum and reap the rewards.

During work hours, he found things to do and farmed rewards. After work, he cultivated with the two little lolis.

Ah... life in a shinobi village could be quite pleasant too.

Uchiha Cheng sat in his office chair, reclining for a brief rest before springing back up again.

No, his body was too young and energetic. He simply could not stay still. He needed to find something to do—should he continue adapting and creating world classics?

Knock, knock, knock!

A light knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!"

Uchiha Rinne, captain of Squad Two, entered holding a file. "Report, Captain! After a series of eliminations, the spy identity information we obtained last time has now been narrowed down to three people. Please review it!"

"Ding! The spy who has hidden in Konoha for many years has finally revealed his fox tail. Please choose!"

"A: Leave it to your subordinates to crack the case. Reward: 50 Small Chakra Energy Pills! (Can slightly increase one's total chakra reserves. An excellent item for training subordinates.)"

"B: This is the Anbu's main job, so return it to them. Let your own people take a break and get some beauty treatments. Reward: Three Youth Preservation Pills. (Can preserve youth indefinitely while keeping bodily functions at their peak! Only at the very last moment of one's lifespan will one instantly grow old. Note: This is not an immortality pill!)"

"C: Take the field personally! Capture the real spy before the Anbu solves the case. Reward: 100 Small Chakra Energy Pills and 8 Youth Preservation Pills!"

Spies were different from assassins who carried out killings.

They did not need to undertake dangerous assassination missions that required tailing targets and could easily expose them.

Ordinary spies only needed to gather simple information. Even when collecting routine intelligence, they remained extremely cautious, doing their utmost to conceal themselves so they could obtain information without being exposed.

They usually hid very deeply. Some even lived in Konoha like ordinary villagers for decades, with no one discovering their true identities until the day they died. That was why such spies were difficult to identify.

Now that the Second Shinobi World War was drawing near, spies from every faction were spread throughout the shinobi world. Moreover, in their haste to obtain more accurate intelligence, they began unusually following targets or changing their daily habits, causing more and more spies to gradually expose themselves.

As for high-level spies, many had already infiltrated the enemy's upper ranks. Such agents were exceedingly rare, and it often took massive amounts of manpower and resources to build up their achievements and increase their faction's trust in them.

Once they were truly acknowledged and became part of the upper echelon, the returns were exceptionally generous. Often, a casual nudge in the right direction could lead large numbers of shinobi into a trap and send them to their deaths for nothing...

The one Uchiha Cheng needed to track down was merely an ordinary spy, but importantly, he possessed information on a high-level spy.

And this ordinary spy was hiding among three suspects.

One was a beef shop owner named Hayakawa Hayato. It was said that the aroma of his beef balls drifted for miles, making his shop the foremost beef restaurant in Konoha.

One was a beverage shop owner named Maruyama Shota. His business mainly sold milk-based drinks. His milk made people want three more cups after drinking one. That was right—his advertisements said exactly that!

The last was named Uehara Kensho. He owned a small ranch and supplied beef and milk to the other two men.

At this moment, Uchiha Rinne and Uchiha Cheng, disguised as an older sister and younger brother, walked along the road toward the beef shop.

"Tell me what you know about them."

At that moment, Uchiha Cheng, dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, asked.

"Hayakawa Hayato came to Konoha with his mother to escape the war when he was young. It has been over twenty years now. He has run a beef shop for more than ten years. Other than staying in his shop, his favorite pastime is going to Hundred Delicacies District to eat all kinds of grilled meat."

"Maruyama Shota was born and raised in Konoha. He inherited the beverage shop from his father, and he has been running it for five years now. He is extremely obese and round as a ball, so he basically never leaves the house."

"Uehara Kensho is an elderly man. It is said that he settled in Konoha not long after the village was founded. He has now lived in Konoha for decades. He usually stays at the ranch and occasionally comes to the beef shop with the deliverymen."

"Oh, right. The beef shop and beverage shop are right next to each other. All three of them are ordinary people."

Uchiha Rinne's wind-chime-like voice rang out ahead of him.

"What do you mean, 'lived for decades'? One is one, two is two. Don't use exaggerated wording when answering questions like this! Be precise! Konoha has not even been founded for thirty years yet." Uchiha Cheng sternly rebuked Rinne.

"Still, these people have all lived in Konoha for so long. It really is hard to tell from the basic information alone who might be suspicious."

"Understood! I definitely won't make the same mistake again." Rinne straightened up and answered solemnly.

Then she playfully stuck out her tongue. "Won't it be thirty years next year?

"I didn't expect Konoha's thirtieth anniversary to come so soon. There'll definitely be a grand celebration then, right?

"Little brother! Big sister will take you out to have fun then."

"Rinne!!!"

"Ah, reporting, Captain! You were the one who said we should pretend to be siblings. I'm already in character!"

"..."

"Hehehe, little brother, smile. You act so mature for your age and keep such a stern face all day. You'll go gray young. They say Lord Konoha White Fang was like that too!"

"..."

When they arrived at the beef shop, they found a long line outside.

The owner, Hayakawa Hayato, sat in front of the shop entrance, with a chopping board and a huge slab of beef laid out before him.

He was pounding the beef right there in full view, two rolling-pin-like mallets flying up and down as they struck with the rapid rhythm of drums.

Apparently, this was the only way to break apart the beef fibers, making the meat more tender and improving its texture.

"As expected of Konoha's top beef shop. You can tell just from how booming its business is. Compared to it, this beverage shop really doesn't live up to its name."

The two suspects' shops stood side by side. Compared to the bustling beef shop, the beverage shop was practically deserted.

"I'm thirsty. Let's go in and have a drink first, okay, big sister?"

Uchiha Cheng stared at the beverage shop's slogan—Drink one cup, want three more—and swallowed vividly.

"No! You already ate three rice balls and a whole watermelon just now. Eating too much will make you fat." Rinne shook her head seriously.

What? When did I ever eat that? Are you calling me a pig by saying I ate that much?

Big sis, don't just make things up on the spot!

Uchiha Cheng glared at Rinne, his eyes wide and round!

"Fine, fine. You win. Only one cup, though. No three cups. Our family is poor..."

Hehehe! This little wench was getting addicted to acting.

Once this mission was over, this dignified vice-captain would teach her a lesson and let her see what it meant for an official one rank higher to crush those below!

As Rinne spoke, she seemed to hear the sound of teeth grinding. She took one look at Uchiha Cheng.

Oh no! The vice-captain seemed angry!

Turn around, quickly! She raised her foot and viciously kicked open the beverage shop's door.

"Is the boss blind? Customers are here! We've been standing outside for so long, and you still haven't come out to greet us? Your shop is doomed!"