Can I Borrow a Head?

"How are you so sure I'll take you with me?" Uzumaki Reikawa crossed his arms. "Stop messing around and go back. If we run into a Jonin, I'll barely be able to escape on my own, let alone protect you."

Sasuke nodded. "It is precisely because you lack that strength that I am following you."

"..."

"Regardless of what the mission is, even if it was signed by the Hokage, it doesn't look like a classified one. Given your strength, a mission you're executing alone can't be that difficult. I haven't had a suitable mission to practice with lately, so I came to find you." Sasuke's analysis was perfectly logical.

"..."

If the reality were truly as Uzumaki Reikawa had told Tsunade, then Sasuke wouldn't be wrong.

But the problem was that Uzumaki Reikawa was heading to meet his main body. If he hadn't been followed, he would have dispelled himself long ago and had the main body create a new clone. He wasn't even sure if the main body could keep fooling White Zetsu.

Thinking of this, Uzumaki Reikawa refused, "No, this is a classified mission."

Sasuke: "..."

What kind of classified mission starts by walking out the front gate in broad daylight? And isn't that red hair a bit too iconic?

After saying this, Uzumaki Reikawa prepared to slip away. Sasuke stood where he was, neither chasing after him nor returning to Konoha. Just as he lifted his foot to head in a different direction, Uzumaki Reikawa suddenly doubled back. "Where are you going?"

"What business is it of yours?"

...This brat is truly unlikable. He doesn't even have the attitude of someone asking for a favor. "Since you don't intend to talk, I'll just have the people of Konoha drag you back."

"..."

However, since things had reached this point, and seeing that Sasuke still didn't intend to say anything, Uzumaki Reikawa resigned himself to his fate. "Fine, follow me. But I can't guarantee your safety."

On the other side, after Uchiha Gen brought the Five-Tails back, he was temporarily free. Although he still needed to perform the sealing, there were only ten spots available, and there was no extra pay for doing more work, so Uchiha Gen was quite happy to be idle.

It is worth mentioning that Itachi's handwriting was much better than Obito's, and the previous trial card reward was still active.

He blocked his line of sight, used a clone to replace Uchiha Gen to stay here, and applied the skin to the clone. The main body then used Instantaneous Shift to leave.

Looking at the familiar cracks on his hand... and thinking about the amount required for the skins in the system, Uchiha Gen smacked his lips. At this moment, he really wanted to say to Asuma, "Can you lend me your head for a while?"

The meeting point he had agreed upon with his clone was the place where they had captured the Five-Tails, on the border of the Land of Rock. It had no other significance; it was mainly just far away and convenient.

The cracks on his face were also the reason he chose to always wear a mask.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Gen looked at the cracks on his hand and fell silent for a moment. Honestly, he really wanted to pick at them. Couldn't this thing be a bit smoother?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Orochimaru, who still harbored designs on Sasuke, laughed the moment he sensed that Sasuke had left Konoha. At the same time, a small snake crawled into his sleeve.

After receiving the intelligence brought by the small snake, Orochimaru pondered slightly. There was a red-haired ninja with Sasuke?

White Zetsu, who was observing from afar, saw this and relayed the news to Obito.

The sky had turned completely dark...

Uzumaki Reikawa set up the tent and asked as if making idle chatter, "You seem to be pushing yourself very hard lately. Tell me about it; maybe I can give you some pointers."

"...Forget it. What is the destination of your mission?"

"The border of the Land of Rock."

"That far?"

"I'm going to visit relatives."

"...I think I want to go back."

"I think so too. I told you to go back earlier, but you wouldn't listen. Now that you want to go back, you can't. Trouble is here."

"?!"

No sooner had he spoken than several giant snakes suddenly appeared and slammed into the location where Sasuke and Uzumaki Reikawa were, attempting to scatter them. Prepared for this, Uzumaki Reikawa grabbed Sasuke by the collar and dodged with speed that was almost like teleportation.

However, the tent left behind was instantly smashed to pieces. Seeing this, Uzumaki Reikawa fell silent. "...It looks like we'll be sleeping on the streets."

Seeing that the attack hadn't worked, Orochimaru wasn't annoyed. He recalled the giant snakes, licked his lips, and stepped out, laughing, "Sasuke, you haven't come to find me for so long. Is your hatred not enough? Or do you not care at all about the person who wiped out your entire clan? After all, it makes sense. As the only Uchiha left, without other clansmen to compare to, who would know that you have the least talent?"

Seeing Sasuke get directly provoked into activating his Sharingan, Uzumaki Reikawa reached out to stop him and instead retorted to Orochimaru, "You say you can give him power, so that means you're stronger than his enemy, right?"

Hearing this, Sasuke slowly calmed down. He didn't know why, but the more he looked at Uzumaki Reikawa, the more familiar he felt, yet he was certain he had never seen this face anywhere.

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's golden slit pupils narrowed slightly, and he replied calmly, "Of course I am stronger. Are you a member of the Uzumaki Clan?"

"Bullshit!" Seeing Orochimaru tell such a blatant lie with a straight face, Uzumaki Reikawa didn't know what to say; he was thick-skinned enough to reply, "Whether I am or not, does it matter?"

"Heh heh..." Despite being repeatedly undermined, Orochimaru was smiling, but he had developed a tremendous killing intent toward Uzumaki Reikawa.

Unfortunately, the "winks" were being cast for a blind man; Uzumaki Reikawa couldn't feel that killing intent at all and suddenly asked Sasuke, "Sasuke, do you want to try challenging him?"

Sasuke was stunned: "?!"

"I obtained some interesting intelligence these past few days. The current Orochimaru is just a paper tiger. Because of a certain ninjutsu, his mental state is currently very poor. You know what to do, right?"

Sasuke's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this. Challenge Orochimaru as he was now? Thinking of his previous sense of powerlessness and being crushed, he didn't believe he could beat Orochimaru at this moment.

"Of course, according to a normal life-or-death battle, I shouldn't interfere, but since this is a challenge against a superior, if you are outmatched, I will save you."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed at these words: "You are welcome to try!"

With that, his body suddenly twisted, his neck elongating with the rapid, serpentine fluidity of a snake as he spat out the Kusanagi Sword, which shot toward Uzumaki Reikawa. However, upon impact, Uzumaki Reikawa transformed into a wooden log.

Uzumaki Reikawa suddenly reappeared beside Sasuke, his voice clear and steady: "Remember the movements. The power of the Sharingan is not limited to copying and observation; it also possesses a vital genjutsu component. You don't need to be a master, but as long as you grasp enough to pose a threat to Orochimaru, that will be sufficient."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression turned ugly. How did this fellow know his weaknesses? "Kabuto!"

A split second before Orochimaru even called out, Kabuto, his glasses glinting, unleashed a Chakra Scalpel, aiming to sever the muscle connections in Uzumaki Reikawa's body.

Uzumaki Reikawa dodged with a side-leap, but despite the opening exposed, Kabuto had no intention of pressing the attack, instead reaching out with his backhand to snatch Sasuke away. However, the next moment, a golden chain bound his hand.

Sasuke seized the opportunity to vacate the spot, his heart filled with shock—was this guy really this strong? At that moment, Uzumaki Reikawa didn't give Sasuke a chance to stand by and watch, saying, "I can only hold these two off; whether you defeat them depends entirely on you."

Meanwhile, he silently calculated his remaining chakra—only thirty percent left. Seeing the Three-Tomoe beginning to faintly manifest in Sasuke's eyes, Uzumaki Reikawa sighed. Forget it.

As for what might be exposed after this, given Sasuke's obsession with power, if he were told to keep quiet, he likely wouldn't say a word.