A Humiliated Mei Terumi, Targeting Orochimaru!
Get out!
Mei Terumi was trembling with rage.
Who wants to see you again!
That wretched Uchiha Aoya, you better not fall into my hands again!
"Ahem, shouldn't we be able to take her back now?" Hozuki Akizuki interrupted.
Under Elder Genshi's specific instructions, they did not haggle over the ransom at all, hoping to bring Mei Terumi back safely.
"Certainly."
Qingye said with a broad smile.
That recent surge has boosted Mei Terumi's borrowing intention by another five percentage points, successfully breaking through the 50% mark!
"Wait, there's one more thing!"
Mei Terumi, who had just walked behind Hozuki Akizuki, froze upon hearing this and turned around stiffly.
Is Uchiha Aoya going to change his mind again?
The ransom has already been paid!
Are we really going to make her some kind of breeding sow, like we said before?! That's outrageous!
"Uchiha Tekka, let's take a picture."
Qingye raised her chin.
"They're here!"
Uchiha Tekka, looking like a lackey, walked over carrying a camera.
Seeing Qingye Mei Terumi's stern face, Aoya scolded, "Come on, get together and give us a smile! This is an important moment symbolizing peace between Konoha and Kirigakure, so pay attention!"
I'm still smiling!
Mei Terumi is furious!
But nowadays, when you're under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.
I tidied my messy hair, and felt another wave of frustration.
She had just been released from Konoha prison; her appearance was a mess, and she reeked of a lingering, decaying odor.
"You're quite concerned about your image," Qingye couldn't help but retort.
Mei Terumi gritted her teeth in anger, but could only give Qingye a forced smile as instructed.
Click!
After taking several photos, until Mei Terumi's face was almost frozen, Uchiha Tekka finally stopped.
"Go back and publish it in the Konoha Daily."
Qingye gave a word of advice, then looked at Mei Terumi, saying with a regretful tone, "What a pity. Why don't you stay another day? Take a copy of the newspaper when it's published tomorrow, as a souvenir."
"----No."
Mei Terumi felt extremely humiliated.
"Tsk! Alright, let's go."
Seeing that Qingye Mei Terumi's willingness to borrow had increased by another ten percent, Aoya waved his hand, not wanting to stimulate her any further.
It feels like he's almost ruined Mei Terumi.
He's supposed to be the future Mizukage, surely he won't let himself break down like this, right?
Mei Terumi and Hozuki Akizuki reunited. Seeing that Qingye didn't say anything more, they turned and left. After walking slowly for a while, they looked back and saw that Uchiha Aoya had disappeared from sight. They immediately picked up their speed and rushed back to Kirigakure at full speed.
"Captain, are we really just going to let them go like this?"
"What else?"
"I thought you were going to go and bring them back—after all, they probably sneaked in behind the Fourth Mizukage's back this time too."
"Uchiha Tekka, a person should keep their word! Who will trust you after this?!"
Uchiha Tekka nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"Oh, by the way, please keep a copy of that photo for me after you print it out. I'll need it later."
Qingye added another instruction.
Lending money doesn't necessarily mean targeting Konoha.
While the Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha, Hyuga, Kaguya, and the Otsutsuki on the moon—these descendants of the Six Paths bloodline—are the best loan targets, Bloodline Limit ninjas like Pakura and Mei Terumi can be considered second-best loan targets.
The most crucial factor is a strong enough willingness to borrow; otherwise, the loan is less likely to be approved!
Hmm, maybe I can find some time later to visit the various ninja villages.
On the edge of Konoha.
One location in the Forest of Death.
Qingye activated his invisibility using the Dustless Camouflage and stood openly in front of the entrance to a hidden cave.
This is the entrance to the underground base of Shimura Danzō's Root!
"I wonder if Orochimaru is here."
--
Qingye, who was in stealth mode, walked straight in. His Chakra fluctuations completely disappeared, and he controlled his steps to make no sound, so that he was not detected by the Root ninjas here.
After several attempts to stimulate borrowing intentions among Pakura, Jiraiya, Shisui, and Mei Terumi, Qingye had a general idea.
Ordinary incentives have limited effect in maximizing a person's willingness to borrow.
It is necessary to intentionally escalate conflicts!
Fortunately, Konoha is currently embroiled in various conflicts, which provides ample room for maneuver.
The conflicts between the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha High Command, the conflict between Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the conflict between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, and the conflicts between Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze versus Hiruzen Sarutobi.
All of these!
Amidst these conflicts, the rise of Uchiha and the opening of Hiruzen Sarutobi have somewhat eased the tensions between the Uchiha Minato Namikaze and its higher-ups, and Shimura Danzō is now forced into a period of dormancy.
Therefore, Qingye chose Orochimaru as the breakthrough point to escalate the conflict!
"The Root has quite a few members, and they're all quite capable."
As Qingye walked, he marked each Root ninja, recording their ability data and loan intentions.
Having previously observed the world lines using his Dōjutsu, he already possessed an intimate understanding of the Root's base structure.
Now that he had activated stealth, he could move as if he were in an empty place, easily infiltrating various data rooms, laboratories, and training grounds.
Finally, Qingye arrived at a secluded, enclosed training ground hidden in a corner.
This training ground is Orochimaru, who has been spending most of his time at the Root Base, probably doesn't know anything about.
"Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique!"
A brown-haired boy wearing an iron headband resembling a Forehead Protector used Wood Release Ninjutsu. Brown wood extended from his arms and wrapped around the wooden stake in front of him.
After practicing several times, the brown-haired boy was panting heavily.
"Yamato ----"
Qingye, who was watching from the shadows, had a glint in his eyes. "But he probably doesn't have a name yet. At this point, he should be Root Ninja A."
The system has marked the data Yamato and small.
Age 9, Chakra nature is water, earth, yang, spirit 6 Chakra.
"The Chakra is at least one ki -- that's a bit low."
For a nine-year-old boy, one Chakra is normally considered a lot.
However, for Yamato, which has received transplants of Hashirama Cells, this level of treatment seems somewhat insufficient.
As Qingye pondered this, she looked at Yamato's permanent loan interface again. There were two options for Talent Enhancement: one was Chakra enhancement, and the other was Senju bloodline strengthening!
"As expected, although it was Hashirama Cells transplanted later, it has now become part of my own talent, and I can also improve my talent through system borrowing."
"If we can obtain his data through lending, the problem of Mangekyo's pupil power recovery will be solved."
"But the willingness to borrow is a bit low----"
Only slightly over 20%.
After watching Jia's daily training for a while, Qingye left the training ground without lingering. He then went to check on the prison cells at the Root Base before heading towards the laboratory.
In the laboratory specifically provided for Orochimaru.
Inside the enormous nutrient tank, a Kirigakure Ninja was immersed in nutrient solution, his face contorted, his pupils dilated in his wide-open eyes, and one side of his body transformed into a grotesque wooden structure.
This is a test subject from which the transplantation of Hashirama Cells failed.
"Failed again----"
Orochimaru shook his head and sighed.
There aren't many Kirigakure prisoners of war left secretly hiding in the Root.
If we want to continue the experiments, we'll need Danzo to find some new experimental subjects.
However, now that his teacher has stepped down from the Hokage Position and become the Hokage's assistant, Danzo has been automatically demoted to an elder, significantly reducing his power.
But who cares!
If Danzo wants to produce results on his side, he'll have to obediently provide funding and help find experimental materials.
Orochimaru was just about to release the nutrient solution to get rid of the unfortunate guy who had failed the experiment when he suddenly sensed an undisguised gaze behind him!
Startled, he turned around abruptly and saw a Mysterious Man wearing a white Tomoe mask who had appeared behind him without him noticing.
"Who are you?"
Orochimaru's expression turned somewhat grim.
It suddenly appeared behind him, and he hadn't even noticed it before!
The fact that he was able to notice it just now is probably because this guy deliberately gave up trying to hide it—otherwise, if this guy stabbed him in the back, he probably wouldn't even notice!