"You seem to have gotten the wrong idea."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a deeply mocking smile. "Putting aside the risks, my Physical Enhancement Surgery can greatly increase a ninja's strength. Did you think I'd perform it just because you asked?"
Shinsuke Uchiha's expression stiffened. The stirring feeling of self-sacrifice faded, and his burning enthusiasm cooled.
Before he could say anything, Orochimaru continued, "You should know that, not counting my fee, the surgery alone costs thirty-five million ryo."
Shinsuke Uchiha's eyes widened in disbelief.
Thirty-five million ryo? How could it possibly cost that much?
An S-rank mission paid only one or two million ryo. In this war against Kumogakure, no more than a handful of people would earn an S-rank reward. Most chūnin and jōnin would receive the pay for A- or B-rank missions.
Thirty-five million ryo was just about enough to hire the entire Konoha Military Police Force.
Fugaku frowned, too. If thirty-five million ryo could secure a Mangekyō Sharingan for one of his clan members, he could accept the price. But for an experiment, thirty-five million was far too much.
The air in the Medical Room fell quiet. Everyone was stunned by the surgery's exorbitant cost—everyone except the medical ninjas.
They knew their stuff. They could tell Orochimaru had surely included the cost of some precious equipment.
But knowing that, they chose to keep quiet.
Across the room, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance and silently breathed a sigh of relief.
The whole ordeal had been unpleasant, but at least the outcome was decent. They hadn't abandoned a Uchiha hero, yet they hadn't offered him any tangible benefits either. The proper formalities had been observed, enough to appease the Uchiha.
"Now do you understand?"
Orochimaru glanced at Shinsuke Uchiha. "If Shisui hadn't made such a significant contribution this time, and if the Council Elders hadn't told me to hold nothing back, why would I perform surgery for free?"
Shisui gave a faint, bitter smile, unsure what to say.
Utatane Koharu's face darkened. She knew Orochimaru was deliberately needling her again, so she turned away, unwilling to look at his detestable face.
On the sickbed, Shinsuke Uchiha's face shifted between pale and flushed. He'd been ready to make a selfless sacrifice so Shisui could see again, only to have Orochimaru knock the wind out of him with a few words.
Money, favors... Was everything really this practical? At a time like this, shouldn't people say something more lofty?
Like the "Will of Fire" or something?
Orochimaru licked his lips, wearing an enigmatic smile.
He did need a compliant Uchiha elite jōnin to speed up his research on the First Hokage Cells.
But as he'd said, Physical Enhancement Surgery was still risky—almost certain death.
What if he accidentally killed the patient?
If a village ninja died during one of his human experiments, the consequences would be unimaginable, even for Orochimaru.
Never mind anything else; no one would ever volunteer to become a test subject again.
Orochimaru still needed to preserve his reputation, at least for now. He didn't want to ruin it in the village.
So he had to rethink how to perform surgery on a Uchiha jōnin. He needed to frame it differently.
There was nothing wrong with the surgery itself. What could be wrong with a procedure that cost so much?
And if something did go wrong, well, that was your problem. I performed surgery on you for free, and you still wanted more?
Besides, you were the one begging for it!
Tsk, tsk, tsk... What a despicable, shameless man!
A smile tugged at Orochimaru's lips. After being played by Genie for so long, he hadn't learned nothing.
"I can pay thirty-five million ryo," Shinsuke Uchiha said through gritted teeth, forcing the words out.
He was young. He really couldn't bear the thought of letting his wish go unfulfilled because of money. It was simply awful.
Of course, Shinsuke Uchiha wasn't a hothead. He couldn't save up that much money on his own, so he turned his gaze toward the clan leader.
He believed the clan leader wouldn't make him pay alone when Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan was at stake.
Seeing Shinsuke Uchiha's hopeful look, Fugaku gave the faintest nod.
Fugaku couldn't bear to give up on the Mangekyō Sharingan either. Besides, with a price that high, the results ought to be impressive.
Shinsuke Uchiha was already an elite jōnin of the clan. If he advanced further, then even if he didn't awaken the Mangekyō, he would at least become a Kage Level shinobi.
All things considered, it wasn't a bad deal.
Before Orochimaru could speak, Utatane Koharu objected. "I won't allow this."
She turned to Orochimaru, her expression stern. "The risks are too high. This is no longer just a routine operation. You should know what would happen if Shinsuke Uchiha died on the operating table, Orochimaru."
As if that weren't enough, Utatane Koharu added, "Hiruzen wouldn't approve of this surgery either."
Orochimaru was displeased. His gaze turned colder, and a chilling aura spread around him.
Utatane Koharu's breath caught, but she furrowed her brows and refused to look away, her expression full of warning.
This wasn't just about preventing Shisui from regaining his sight. It was also for Orochimaru's sake.
She knew—or rather, most of Konoha High Command knew—that Orochimaru was obsessed with seeking immortality, and that his moral standards were steadily slipping.
They could turn a blind eye to human experiments on ninjas from other villages. But if they let him start with their own ninjas, who knew how far things would go?
Worse still, if the rumor spread that "the surgery failed and Shinsuke Uchiha died," it would stir up all kinds of gossip in the village.
After what had happened with Hatake Sakumo, Utatane Koharu had no doubt about that.
But Orochimaru was no Hatake Sakumo. He wasn't the type to let people criticize him. In the end, the best-case scenario would be him defecting from the village.
After learning of Orochimaru's astonishing strength in this war, how could Utatane Koharu sit by and let that happen?
The two stared each other down for a while. Then Shisui spoke up, earnest and sincere. "Please, don't go to all this trouble on my account."
He turned his head toward where Shinsuke Uchiha's voice had come from. "Shinsuke, Lord Orochimaru said that in two or three years, the technology might be more mature and I could undergo the surgery then. I can't let you risk your life just to save me a few years."
"But..." Shinsuke Uchiha tried to speak, but Shisui cut him off. Though his eyes were closed, Shisui could feel the pleading look directed at him. "Don't make this harder for me."
Shinsuke Uchiha opened his mouth, then lowered his head in defeat.
Since the person at the heart of the matter had said that, Orochimaru no longer had a reason to insist. He looked at Utatane Koharu, snorted, and strode out of the Medical Room.
Uchiha Fugaku left Shisui with the medical ninjas and hurried after him.
"Lord Orochimaru, is there really nothing that can be done for Shisui's eyes?"
Before you continue