I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 43

"I'm not afraid of close-quarters combat. We'll see who takes down whom when the time comes."

Uchiha Gin was not panicked in the slightest.

He had already progressed to using Lightning Release to stimulate cellular activation; normal training no longer yielded significant gains, so he used Lightning Release to stimulate his cells to achieve a certain level of improvement.

The Lightning Release Armor of the Fourth Raikage was not a particularly difficult ninjutsu, but it required an extreme grasp of Lightning Release and the ability to survive being struck by lightning to develop it. However, very few people could meet such conditions.

Uchiha Gin prepared to use the First Hokage Cells to strengthen himself if the Lightning Release cellular stimulation proved ineffective.

The Akatsuki organization was currently recuperating.

Konan was overseeing the reconstruction plan for Amegakure, and at the same time, the Animal Path Pain in the form of Hanzo had been completed. She had him reappear and stand forward, suppressing many disturbances.

Naturally, there were those who refused to accept this and wanted to test them, but in the end, Hanzo directly summoned the Salamander, leaving everyone speechless.

After all, this was the unique summoning beast of the Amegakure leader Hanzo, which no one else in the ninja world possessed.

Following this, Hanzo announced that the Deva Path and Konan would become the new deputy leaders of Amegakure and that everyone must obey their arrangements. Amegakure gradually calmed down; although there were still internal conflicts, those who caused them were quickly dealt with, and no one dared to speak out again.

"The internal conflicts in Amegakure have been resolved, but the probing from the outside is gradually increasing, especially from Konoha, where many Anbu have come to investigate."

Konan said to Nagato.

The other members of the Akatsuki had already left to take on other bounty missions to earn funds for the organization.

Amegakure was what Nagato and Konan wanted, and it was also for the sake of revenge.

"Just let the Animal Path Hanzo make an appearance."

"Collect the intelligence well. When the time comes, let Hanzo appear around the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth."

Nagato said.

He felt that Hanzo was very well-suited for the name of an animal.

"Although Hanzo has appeared, the fact that Amegakure suffered heavy losses should be impossible to hide. When that time comes, these three major villages might probe us, and the flames of war might spread to the Land of Rain."

This was what Konan worried about most.

The Land of Rain had become a battlefield for the three major nations. Since they would not let the flames of war spread to their own countries, they could only choose these nations that had no power to resist. The Land of Rain, which connected the three countries, was the best choice.

"If they dare to make a move, then let them experience what the Wrath of God is."

Nagato said coldly.

He was no longer the person he once was; now, he was a god.

Konan looked at Nagato's emaciated body and showed a look of worry, but fortunately, this time, he did not use those techniques that consumed a massive amount of energy.

She wanted to persuade Nagato to give up; the danger level of that Uchiha Madara was impossible to estimate, and they would be enemies of the entire ninja world. This path was too difficult, but looking at Nagato's current state, she could not bring herself to say it.

"No matter what, I will stay with you until the end!"

Konan made up her mind.

Jiraiya, who was in the Land of Hot Water observing the women's bath through a telescope to collect material, suddenly frowned and turned around.

"Konoha's Anbu?"

Jiraiya was somewhat puzzled.

In the few years since he left Konoha, he had always been in contact with the village, passing on the situations he encountered abroad back to Konoha.

But this was the second time Konoha had taken the initiative to find him; the last time was the news of Minato's passing.

Could something have happened to the old man Sarutobi Hiruzen?

Jiraiya felt a bit panicked.

"Lord Jiraiya, this is a secret letter from the Third Hokage. He asks you to return to Konoha as soon as possible after reading it."

The Anbu knelt on one knee and handed a letter to Jiraiya.

Hearing that it was news sent by the old man Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief, but he was puzzled as to what could be so urgent that he had to rush back, especially since Tsunade had returned to Konoha.

When Jiraiya opened the envelope and finished reading the letter, he was shocked.

"Asking me to go back and compete with Orochimaru for the position of Hokage?"

"Me?"

Jiraiya pointed at himself with his finger, finding it hard to believe.

Chapter 60: Miss You, Danzo, Danzo's Final Sacrifice? [Two-in-One]

"What exactly is the Uchiha clan trying to do?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the information in the report. The Uchiha were cutting costs on ninja tools, and for a moment, he could not fathom the purpose behind this.

Now that Danzo's life or death was unknown, he felt extremely irritable.

He dared not touch Orochimaru or the Uchiha now. If the other side were to launch a rebellion now, the possibility was far greater than the Uchiha launching a coup alone. Orochimaru was someone capable of becoming a new leader.

"Is there still no news about Danzo?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.

"Yes, Sunset has confirmed that Danzo did not escape from Amegakure."

"Amegakure is currently under martial law. An Anbu squad failed their infiltration and lost contact. Amegakure has publicly announced that Hanzo is not dead, merely injured, though we have yet to obtain concrete evidence."

The Anbu member reported the information in a rush.

The Root organization under Orochimaru also sent in intelligence, though it was much the same as the Anbu's.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could see that Orochimaru was far inferior to Danzo when it came to gathering intelligence, but there was no help for it now; there were no suitable candidates available. At the same time, with Orochimaru in Root, he could at least keep him under some form of surveillance.

He also possessed evidence of Orochimaru's human experimentation, but he was reluctant to use it. After all, Orochimaru was his own student. Furthermore, if Orochimaru were to fall, he, as the teacher, would inevitably be implicated. Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped for a flawless record and did not want any stains on his legacy.

"If there is any news regarding Hanzo or Danzo, report it to me immediately."

"Monitor all clans closely and confirm whether any are colluding with the Uchiha Clan."

Sarutobi Hiruzen issued his final orders.

The Anbu would relay his commands to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu; these were matters they would handle in due time.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the order, the Anbu left immediately to deliver it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and looked out the window at Konoha.

I miss you, Danzo!

At this moment, he missed the time when Danzo was still around immensely. How could Konoha be so out of control? His decision to force Danzo to step down had been a mistake!

"A merchant caravan from the Land of Fire's great nobles?"

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen soon spotted a large caravan in the streets.

He had naturally known about this caravan's visit, as entry into the ninja village required prior application. Konoha had strong consumer power and was a frequent destination for many merchants, though such large caravans were relatively rare.

"???"

When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw someone from the caravan step down and begin chatting with Uchiha Fugaku, he realized something was wrong.

"So this is the Guardian Gem created by the Uchiha Clan's secret arts!"

The head of the caravan picked up a gem two centimeters in diameter and observed it closely.

He was the steward for one of the top five great nobles of the Land of Fire, and he had come specifically to verify this special item. If it were genuine, such a gem would certainly have no trouble selling; most importantly, it could be used to curry favor with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"Why not test it and see?"

As Uchiha Gin spoke, he pulled three shuriken from his ninja tool pouch.

Before the caravan head could even speak, Uchiha Gin threw the shuriken at him under the man's terrified gaze.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The shuriken struck as if hitting glass, emitting crisp sounds before falling onto the tatami mat.

The caravan head was dumbfounded, clearly unable to process what had just happened.

"This Guardian Gem can actively release a barrier to protect its owner. It activates automatically if any ninjutsu comes within three meters."

"It also activates if any object moving faster than ten meters per second approaches the owner, and it can be manually activated as well. There are three modes of protection in total."

Uchiha Gin explained the capabilities of the Guardian Gem.

Wealthy people feared death the most. Although they had many bodyguards, those could not compare to a portable protection device. Even if the defensive power wasn't overwhelming—a Chunin could break through it with enough time—the construction was complex enough to be valuable.

"Is it really that powerful?"

Despite his words, the caravan head held the gem tightly, refusing to let go.

He sensed the value of the gem; after all, bodyguards could not be by his side every single second.

At this moment, he desperately wanted to own such a gem.

"You may have your own men test it. You can decide whether to purchase it before you leave."

"However, the barrier released by this gem lasts for a maximum of thirty minutes. If it is never triggered, the chakra inside will be exhausted within a year, and it will lose its protective function."

Uchiha Gin continued.

"What, it only lasts a year?"

Hearing this, the caravan head grew anxious.

"This Guardian Gem is essentially an insurance policy. For those great nobles, not triggering the barrier is the best outcome, isn't it?"

"Besides, replacing it every year only serves to highlight your status. If the deal goes through, you will have exclusive agency over these gems. Anyone who offends you in the future won't be able to buy them, right?"

Uchiha Gin used a very tempting prospect to hoodwink the merchant.

Once he had saved up enough money, he had no interest in continuing to make such trinkets.

If they dared to come looking for him to settle scores later, his hundred-plus subordinates with Three Tomoe would teach them what "reason" meant.

"What you say makes a lot of sense!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin say this, a greedy glint flickered in the eyes of the caravan leader.

If that were truly the case, he might be able to usurp his master's position and gain the favor of the Land of Fire Daimyo; even if he couldn't manage that, becoming a new noble himself didn't seem like a difficult task.

"If you want exclusive rights, the price for a Guardian Gem is 20 million ryo each; if it's not exclusive, it's 15 million ryo."

Uchiha Gin did not stand on ceremony, stating his price directly.

"???"

Fugaku widened his eyes.

This was daylight robbery!

"Are you robbing me?!"

The caravan leader jumped to his feet, glaring furiously at Uchiha Gin.

"The raw value of this gem alone is nearly 2 million ryo, and it takes about five gems to successfully craft one. Furthermore, this is an exclusive secret technique that only I know."

"Making a profit of a little over double doesn't seem like much, does it?"

Uchiha Gin let out a cold snort, his attitude remaining unyielding and firm.

This was the time to carve out a piece of flesh; there was no way he would back down now.

"No, this price is too high. I cannot accept it."

The caravan leader shook his head repeatedly.

Two of these gems could buy the head of Asuma; that was the price of the Hokage's son.

"If that's the case, then our cooperation ends here."

"Actually, I have already been in contact with another firm, but because our partnership has been closer, I chose to prioritize you."

Uchiha Gin spread his hands, feigning helplessness.