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In the days that followed, Uchiha Gen brought back all sorts of strange things, mostly food, causing Zaku Abumi and the others to shift from initial surprise to sheer numbness.

They also concluded that Jiya was either brain-damaged or schizophrenic; in short, he was not a normal person.

The Anbu tailing him were also somewhat helpless. Every time Uchiha Gen went out, they had to focus their full attention for fear of losing him. Yet, Uchiha Gen acted as if he were on vacation, eating this and playing with that, living his life to the fullest.

As for meeting the protagonist or clinging to powerful figures, he might have been interested if he were still alive. But in his current situation, seizing the day was the only truth. Who knew when his technique might suddenly collapse? Unless he was resurrected...

Uchiha Gen pondered. Resurrection... Rebirth. Thinking of Nagato's Rinnegan, he might be able to try and infiltrate that event later. Although his situation was a bit special, but—what if? He had to have a goal.

Once he found something to do, Uchiha Gen instantly felt energized. He would make it his goal to eat every delicacy in the world of Naruto!

Meanwhile, as Zaku Abumi and the others headed to the exam site, they watched the other jonin leaders cheering or saying goodbye to their teams. For some reason, their hearts trembled, especially when they looked at those two "green beasts." Thinking of Jiya's recent behavior and the consequences of his arrival, they thought, No, we absolutely cannot be that embarrassing.

Fortunately, they had unanimously agreed to come to the exam site without telling Jiya; they had a rare, tacit understanding regarding such matters.

However, reality is always cruel. Suddenly, a voice drifted from outside the door...

"Are you Kakashi?"

"And you are?"

"I am Jiya, the jonin leader from Otogakure. I have long heard of the Copy Ninja Kakashi. Seeing you today, you are even more handsome than I imagined."

"Aha, is that so? Thanks." Kakashi scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. Although he didn't know how Jiya could tell he was handsome through his mask, he accepted the compliment quite honestly.

Suddenly, Uchiha Gen pulled out paper and a pen from his pocket, wearing the expression of a fanboy. "Can I have your autograph?"

Hearing this, Kin Tsuchi thought, ...Should we just slip away?

The other two took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to snap! They nodded at Kin Tsuchi and walked away quickly. It was truly embarrassing for Otogakure. They didn't know what Jiya was trying to do, only that if they kept listening, they might not be able to stop themselves from disobeying orders and attacking him—and if they were beaten back by him, it would be even more humiliating.

However, thanks to this distraction, their moods relaxed much more than they had realized.

As for Uchiha Gen, his display was purely genuine; it was Kakashi! And he was alive! Even though his request for an autograph had been rejected.

Those three were idiots. As their jonin leader, he obviously knew the exam start time better than they did. They had snuck out early in the morning thinking they could hide it from him.

As the exam began, Uchiha Gen glanced at the exam hall. It was time to start making preparations. Since Orochimaru wanted Sasuke so badly, and the Curse Mark required him to plant it personally, it meant that Orochimaru's temporary base would be left vacant for a while.

If only he could get his hands on the data for Impure World Reincarnation. There must be flaws in the technique he didn't know about. He just didn't know what they were. It lacked sensation and perception, had infinite chakra, and was nearly immortal. If the control were broken, wouldn't that be another form of eternal life?

But Orochimaru couldn't have failed to consider this, especially since he was currently capable of independent thought. Knowing the hand seals for Impure World Reincarnation alone was enough to break free from control. In other words, if he went to look for the data, he would likely return empty-handed... If he wasn't mistaken, the scroll recording Impure World Reincarnation might even be in Orochimaru's stomach.

At this thought, Uchiha Gen's face fell... With his current lack of intelligence and strength, he wouldn't gain anything by following Orochimaru, and he might be discovered and controlled at any moment. It was better to slip away during this exam.

But before he left... those research instruments seemed quite valuable. At this thought, Uchiha Gen's eyes lit up, and he wore a mischievous smile. As the saying went, since he was already here, he wouldn't feel right if he didn't fleece them for something.

At the Black Market, Uchiha Gen wore a cloak and a white mask. With a grand gesture, he pulled out a summoning scroll and unsealed various scientific instruments onto the counter. Passing ninjas couldn't help but glance over, but upon seeing they weren't items of interest, they immediately lost interest and walked away.

"You can haggle if you pay in full on the spot, but remember the rules!" Uchiha Gen deliberately adjusted his voice to sound hoarse, threatening the man. In truth, he didn't know any rules; he was just trying to scare the guy. He knew he would be lowballed, but at least he wanted to make the man wary enough not to push too hard.

The man glanced at Uchiha Gen, saw he wasn't anyone he knew, and completely ignored the posturing. "20,000 ryo."

"Deal!"

"These things of yours... hmm, hmm???" The manager was deeply skeptical. The value of these instruments, even with depreciation, was at least 600,000 ryo. He had offered 20,000 expecting to be questioned, just to deflate the man's ego and prepare for further bargaining. He was confident he could scam someone and have them thank him for it.

Of course, he also judged that the person in front of him didn't seem very strong. But Uchiha Gen's readiness made him wonder if he had offered too much.

"Is there a problem?"

"...No." If someone wanted to be a fool, could he stop them?

Money and goods were exchanged. The lack of the usual joy from scamming someone left the manager feeling incredibly depressed.

Uchiha Gen didn't care. The instruments weren't his anyway; getting money for nothing was great. He would use these 20,000 to gamble a bit, easily turning it into 100,000. He could also take bounties at the Black Market, but that was too much trouble...

As for how he knew where the Black Market was, Uchiha Gen hadn't just been playing around these past few days. He had been wandering everywhere, though he had been blocked by Anbu in certain locations. He had even caught someone outside the village for a "friendly" chat, nearly getting discovered.

Orochimaru probably never expected that while he had secured the important data, this guy had stolen his lab equipment to sell for cash. After all, what would a dead man need with money?

He casually dealt with two chunin who thought he was a greenhorn (which he was) and tried to rob him. He didn't kill them, but he broke their arms.

He carefully counted his money. Including the operating funds Orochimaru had given him, he had 20,647 ryo left. He could buy some small things...

After playing the hands-off leader for a few days, Uchiha Gen met the trio again. They probably didn't want to see him either.

Except for Dosu Kinata, who was in better shape, Zaku Abumi's arms were ruined, and Kin Tsuchi looked terrible. She felt she had failed Lord Orochimaru's trust; the tasks hadn't been completed, and they had been eliminated by some unknown kid. No matter how they explained it, a loss was a loss...

None of the three had the energy to deal with Uchiha Gen. Zaku Abumi and Kin Tsuchi packed up their things and prepared to leave.

"Are you going back?"

"We were eliminated and failed our mission. We have to go and beg for forgiveness." Zaku Abumi's face was gloomy, his voice filled with extreme unwillingness. He had become a cripple, but fortunately, Lord Orochimaru seemed to have other methods and still needed him. "What about you?"

Uchiha Gen was silent for a moment. "I'm staying here."

Zaku Abumi nodded, and Kin Tsuchi helped him leave.

He watched them go in silence, not trying to persuade them otherwise. Dosu Kinata suddenly asked from the side, "It was all planned by Lord Orochimaru, wasn't it? His goal is actually Sasuke, and we are just whetstones he prepared for Sasuke."

"You're very smart." Uchiha Gen dropped his expression, becoming as cold as when they first met. "If I were you, I'd stay as far away from Orochimaru as possible. Otherwise, find a way to survive under his arrangements, rather than racking your brains trying to prove something to him."

Dosu Kinata became vigilant at these words, quietly pulling a kunai from his sleeve. "Are you trying to betray Lord Orochimaru?!"

Uchiha Gen waved his hand. "Just a friendly reminder." He couldn't be bothered to say anything more. He had done his best. He didn't want to return to this place ever again. Strictly speaking, he didn't even need a place to stay; this place had actually been prepared for the three of them.

Dosu Kinata didn't stop him. After Uchiha Gen left, he fell into silence, for he saw much further than the other two, yet not quite clearly enough.

Lord Orochimaru... was he really just a discarded pawn?