Hokage, I Choose Orochimaru, Ten Years to the Moon Chapter 30

"No, you could say it's created through ninjutsu. Unless you know beforehand, you wouldn't even notice if it walked right past you disguised as someone else."

Uchiha Gin said.

"Can't even the Sharingan or Byakugan tell them apart?"

Orochimaru was skeptical.

"It's just like a Shadow Clone. Once transformed, you can't judge them by their chakra or appearance; they can even perfectly mimic the meridians inside their bodies."

"It's not easy to capture one of these things. You should keep an eye out in the future. After all, they can't copy memories, and they have a particular fondness for hiding underground."

Uchiha Gin explained the general situation regarding White Zetsu.

Aside from encountering them in the Akatsuki, the only other place would be Obito's base—the place where Uchiha Madara is hiding, which seems to be called the Graveyard of Mountains.

"So they're hard to catch. You're telling me all this—is there something you want?"

Orochimaru realized that Uchiha Gin must have an ulterior motive for bringing this up so suddenly.

However, if it were about competing for the position of Fifth Hokage, he would have said so directly. It must be a private matter; he had no interest in beating around the bush and asked straight out.

"Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu—do you possess this technique?"

"The Akatsuki has these things; they are the minions of Uchiha Madara, covering the entire ninja world."

Uchiha Gin stated his request while clarifying the whereabouts of the White Zetsu to Orochimaru.

"I didn't expect you to have no reverence for the dead either."

"I happen to know this technique, but if you use it in Konoha, the consequences will be very troublesome. I'm telling you this clearly first."

As he spoke, Orochimaru took out a scroll and began to transcribe the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

This was originally one of his trump cards, but he didn't hesitate to hand it over to Uchiha Gin.

After all, he was a man who intended to learn every ninjutsu in the ninja world. He had long since read the Scroll of Seals and had bypassed restrictions to study many forbidden techniques. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this technique primarily depended on the strength of the summoned soul.

Moreover, sealing techniques could suppress the summoned undead. In Orochimaru's eyes, it was a convenient technique, though it required time to collect the genetic cells of powerful individuals. While listed as a forbidden technique, it carried no risk of backlash, and its strength was determined by the soul summoned, making it a forbidden technique with a very high ceiling and floor.

"So that White Zetsu was created by Uchiha Madara?"

Orochimaru asked while writing.

"Perhaps he thinks so."

"The genes of the White Zetsu should be helpful for cloning."

Uchiha Gin said, offering a conjecture.

After all, White Zetsu were created by refining the souls of those Kaguya had sacrificed to the God Tree. It was equivalent to finding a new vessel for a soul; being able to accommodate so many souls meant their stability should be quite excellent.

Hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

Clearly, he was very interested in this point.

"The people in Root probably aren't strong enough. If I get the chance, I'll catch one for you."

Uchiha Gin continued.

Shisui had gone to the Akatsuki, and Obito would certainly be thinking about stirring up trouble in Konoha; there might be a chance to cross paths eventually.

"I should wait until you catch that White Zetsu for me before I give you the ninjutsu."

Despite saying this, Orochimaru had already handed the scroll of Impure World Reincarnation to Uchiha Gin.

Uchiha Gin accepted it without standing on ceremony.

He wanted to experiment and see if a person brought back by Impure World Reincarnation could be used as a familiar, though in reality, it was much the same as a familiar since they would be under his control.

"That spy named Yakushi Kabuto—has he been recalled?"

Uchiha Gin asked next.

This guy had great potential; he could stir up a ninja world war by the age of 24.

His research capabilities were formidable.

How could such a talent continue to be a spy? He should be working hard for the glory of the Uchiha.

Besides, he was a master of grave-robbing. Having obtained the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, Uchiha Gin was reminded of this master of dream-fulfillment.

"You're very concerned about him. Is his future that impressive?"

Orochimaru asked.

"Yes, and he is very skilled at scientific research."

Uchiha Gin originally wanted to add that he was also a venomous cobra, but he held back in the end.

"So, do I become the Fifth Hokage in the future?"

Orochimaru was a bit curious.

He felt that after knowing the future, he might not need to work hard and could just wait for the results. But if he didn't work hard, would he still be Hokage?

"The future is constantly changing at every moment. But Hokage? That is only the beginning."

Uchiha Gin said with a smile.

Orochimaru also revealed a sinister smile, clearly quite satisfied with this answer.

Doing what one wants is the right way; wasting time thinking about all that other nonsense is pointless!

"The situation is about right. Once the next step is complete, it will be time for Orochimaru to step forward and officially announce his efforts to become Hokage."

After leaving the laboratory, Uchiha Gin stood on the rooftop, looking up at the Hokage Rock.

He felt that it wouldn't be long before Orochimaru's sinister face was carved up there, and at the thought of this, the corners of Uchiha Gin's mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

"A bunch of old schemers are all lurking in the shadows; let's see who the most cunning one truly is!"

Uchiha Gin thought of his future opponents.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Obito, Black Zetsu, and the entire Otsutsuki clan.

Konoha is just the beginning!

Mission? This is a recruitment drive!

"They're actually asking me for money?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the two application reports submitted by Root and the Military Police Force.

The gist was that the ninja tool research Root was participating in was in urgent need of funds to develop new Ninja Tool Armor. At the same time, with more money, the production of Chakra Attribute Blade could be expanded, which would help Root and the Military Police Force become self-sufficient and reduce the burden on Konoha, and so on.

Furthermore, these two reports had already been reviewed by Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

If these applications hadn't come from Orochimaru and the Military Police Force, they likely wouldn't have even reached Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.

The opinions of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were both to reject, as noted on the reports, citing insufficient funds.

"Are they truly putting their hearts into researching ninja tools?"

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a long time and did not immediately refuse.

He had to guess the intent behind the reports.

What would be the consequences if he agreed, and what would happen if he refused?

Uchiha Gin had long since prepared a response: if they agreed to provide the money, he would immediately invest it, rapidly expand production, spend the funds, and then apply for more.

If they refused, Uchiha Gin would begin his next step: selling ninjutsu to exchange for funds, while simultaneously gaining some favor from civilian ninjas. Perhaps it would only be a sliver of goodwill, but that would be enough. It would be better than the previous situation where everyone shouted for them to be beaten. Of course, there might be some ingrates, but Uchiha Gin didn't care; after all, they were just civilians and couldn't stir up any real trouble.

The son of a Hokage remains a Hokage; the son of a civilian can only be a civilian.

"Denied!"

In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected the application.

Unable to clearly analyze the situation behind it, he chose to make a decision according to standard procedure, thus issuing a denial—Konoha really didn't have much money.

Many ninjas still needed to rely on going out on missions to earn money. The funds provided by the Land of Fire could not cover all of Konoha's expenses; the village had to earn its own keep.

Fugaku and Orochimaru received news of the rejection the next day. After handing the matter over to Uchiha Gin, they went back to their own business.

After all, both of them were in charge of their respective departments and had plenty to do. Although Fugaku was a bit more leisurely, on the surface, the Military Police Force had no free time; if anyone other than Uchiha Gin slacked off, they would definitely be caught.

Moreover, after Shisui defected, a new captain had been appointed, and there were many things to sort out. As for Orochimaru, under Danzo's leadership, Root had established too many objectives. When Orochimaru took over, he was surprised that there were so many things hidden from him, the second-in-command of Root!

"The manpower for ninja tool development is still too scarce. Sending out some missions should be quite reasonable."

Aside from his patrol duties, Uchiha Gin was responsible for the ninja tool department. He would come by every day to check on the development progress of the Scientific Ninja Tool and offer a few suggestions.

Uchiha Gin had also seen the Ninja Tool Armor that Root had obtained from the Land of Snow; it could be considered the prototype of a Scientific Ninja Tool.

It could amplify chakra while also releasing a chakra wall for defense. The detailed research data had also been obtained by Root, along with directions for further development, such as adding a pair of folding auxiliary wings so that, combined with chakra output, one could glide over long distances.

Aside from the high production cost, this thing was indeed very effective.

Soon, Uchiha Gin went to the Mission Building to post a mission.

C-rank Mission: Development and Improvement of Ninja Tools

Requirements: Chunin level strength, proficiency in sealing techniques, preference for barrier techniques, and knowledge of ninja tool materials will lead to direct admission.

Mission requirements: 50 members.

There are selection criteria; a written test will be held to qualify.

Reward: 200,000 ryo per person (monthly), 6 days off per month, eight-hour workdays.

Duration: One year or more!

Special Reward: Innovative discoveries in ninja tool development may be rewarded with high-level ninjutsu.

"Are you sure you want to post the mission with these conditions?"

The staff at the Mission Building looked at these very strange mission requirements, feeling that it didn't look like they were looking for ninjas, but rather some organization recruiting members.

Moreover, this reward was too high. A typical C-rank mission only paid 20,000 ryo. Although the required candidates were Chunin, a Chunin completing a B-rank mission would usually only get a maximum reward of around 200,000 ryo, and they would still need to team up and split the money with companions; they couldn't possibly get 200,000 ryo a month.

This mission was practically throwing money away.

"Yes. If anyone accepts the mission, have them wait at the Uchiha Ninja Tool Shop. We will organize an exam every week to select suitable candidates," Uchiha Gin said.

The staff member stared at the pile of gemstones Uchiha Gin had produced, ultimately concluding that the Uchiha Clan truly had money to burn.

At the same time, they couldn't help but wonder if these ninja tools were really that profitable.

Recently, the fire-attribute chakra blades had been selling quite well; surely these gems were the fruits of those sales!

"Very well, I will post this mission immediately."

The staff member said.

If it were someone from an outside village, they would be required to pay a deposit ranging from 30% to 50%.

For those from Konoha, the deposit would be lower, but if the request came from an official Konoha organization, no deposit would be collected, nor would there be any processing fees.

Examples included the Sealing Squad, the Barrier Squad, and the Sensor Squad.

The Uchiha Police Force was also part of this, so they were exempt from Konoha's commission fees when posting missions.

The mission posted by Uchiha Gin was immediately delivered by the Anbu to the office of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"?"

"They still have money?"

"Or could it be that this Scientific Ninja Tool is actually that lucrative!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a look of bewilderment after reading the contents of the mission.

If he didn't possess nearly all the data on that ninja tool and know that selling it only earned a meager profit, he would have suspected that Uchiha Gin and Orochimaru were raking in a fortune.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not treat his enemies like fools, yet after studying it for a long time, he found that there was truly nothing amiss.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen even felt a twinge of regret, wondering if he should have provided the funding after all; after all, the submitted proposal stated that if Konoha provided financial support, the village would receive a share of the dividends.

"Plant some of our own people inside to confirm what they are planning to do!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen finally gave the order.