I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 44

Fugaku felt that Uchiha Gin's costs certainly couldn't be that high, but he naturally wouldn't undermine him at a time like this.

"What a pity. If there's an opportunity, we can continue to cooperate on other projects."

Fugaku also stood up as he spoke, signaling that it was time for the guest to leave.

"This price, I really cannot accept it. A little lower, can we go a little lower?"

The caravan leader's expression shifted. If this were a product from other minor nobles in the Land of Fire, he might have resorted to other means.

But these were people from Konoha, and specifically the Uchiha Clan. The name of this family still carried significant weight in the Land of Fire. Assassination or theft was basically impossible, so if he wanted these unique special items, he had no choice but to cooperate.

"Once the chakra in this Guardian Gem is exhausted, you can bring it to me to have the chakra re-injected for one million ryo per time."

"The price cannot be lowered, but you can pay with gemstones. One Guardian Gem in exchange for ten gemstones of the same size. If you can't collect those, you can trade Ruby, Sapphire, or other gems. If you purchase in bulk, the price should be significantly lower, right?"

Uchiha Gin offered his own conditions.

He didn't want money; he wanted gemstones. Having the other party buy them for him saved him the time and energy of sourcing them himself.

The profit margin on gemstones wasn't low, but he lacked the channels. At this moment, he even felt like defecting to swap places with Shisui, but due to a promise made to his grandfather in this body, he decided it was better to stay in Konoha.

"Can you really not lower it any further?"

The caravan leader was still testing the waters.

However, Uchiha Gin just shook his head with a cold face.

He had originally planned to sell other types of item gems, but eventually gave up on the idea; the ones with the highest value were still these defensive types.

Attack-type and Sensory-type items were more useful to ninjas, but for nobles, they could simply order the ninjas they recruited to handle such tasks, so the price couldn't be set too high.

"I'll consider it for the night. I will test this gem today, and if it's genuine, I will come to find you tomorrow."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's attitude, the caravan leader understood that further price negotiations were impossible.

In any case, he wouldn't be losing money; he would just be making a little less.

"Then the remaining transactions will be discussed between you and Clan Leader Fugaku."

Uchiha Gin stood up. Aside from the trade of the Guardian Gem, there was also the Blue Pill developed by Orochimaru.

However, Uchiha Gin left this matter for Fugaku to handle.

"There's another transaction?"

The caravan leader was stunned for a moment.

Fugaku, meanwhile, felt his old face flush; after all, this was truly his first time doing something like this.

He didn't quite believe that this kind of pill could sell well, but after trying it himself, he found the effects... were indeed quite good!

About half an hour later, the caravan leader and Fugaku left the hotel room separately. At the same time, the caravan leader entered his room with a lecherous grin, carrying the maid who followed him in the caravan.

"???"

The Anbu outside listened to the sounds and remained silent.

Around four in the morning, inside the Hokage office, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he looked at the intelligence in his hands.

"The Uchiha Clan is trading Aphrodisiac with this great noble's caravan?"

When he saw this report, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought he had misread it.

However, looking at the blue pill he had obtained, he felt something was off.

Fugaku had provided quite a few of these pills specifically for the caravan members to test, so it was easily intercepted by the Anbu.

"The caravan leader and his personal ninja were using ninjutsu in their room at night..."

"Investigate. You must investigate this clearly for me."

Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered.

He always felt that there must be more to this than met the eye; it definitely wasn't just about making money.

Could it be that the Uchiha Clan intended to reach the Daimyo of the Land of Fire through the noble route?

If one wanted to compete for the position of Hokage, the intentions of the Daimyo and the nobles of the Land of Fire were also very important. He believed that this time, he had uncovered the secret behind the Uchiha Clan's actions.

"Yes!"

"How is it? Still unwilling to talk?"

In his own base, Obito looked at Danzo, who was covered in wounds and guarded by two White Zetsu, and asked him.

After Danzo was captured, the priority was to extract the intelligence from his brain, but a man like Danzo was ruthless to others and even more ruthless to himself.

His brain was riddled with Cursed Seal, specifically designed to prevent anyone from analyzing the information within.

"You guy, you are definitely not Uchiha Madara!"

"As expected, everything is the work of the despicable Uchiha. Hiruzen, you were wrong!!"

Since he couldn't read the intelligence directly from Danzo's brain, he would have to resort to torture.

Despite enduring various tortures, Danzo remained resilient, his mental fortitude astonishing. At this moment, looking at Obito, he cursed the Uchiha Clan directly, convinced that all of this was a trap laid by them.

He only hated himself for not being cautious enough; he should have fled immediately while in Amegakure instead of exposing himself, or he wouldn't have been severely wounded and captured.

"Hmph, Uchiha?"

"Those guys who betrayed me have long since ceased to be on my path. You may curse them as you please; I have no objections."

Obito let out a cold snort.

Naturally, he could not admit the truth.

"Hiss, is that so?"

"If you are willing to take action against the Uchiha Clan, then we can cooperate, but if you want to obtain information, that is impossible!"

Hearing Obito's words, Danzo shifted his body, only to have the spikes behind him pierce his nerves, causing him to gasp sharply.

He then revealed a cold sneer and issued a team-up invitation to Obito.

He knew he had no way out and that becoming Hokage might only be a pipe dream, so he would let himself do one last thing for Konoha: destroy the Uchiha.

If this guy really was Uchiha Madara, perhaps he would be tempted!

"Oh?"

"You truly hate the Uchiha Clan to the bone!"

Obito was quite puzzled; where did this guy get such deep hatred for the Uchiha Clan?

"Everything I am now, isn't it all thanks to the Uchiha?"

Danzo said, sounding somewhat deranged.

"?"

Obito really wanted to say that this was his own doing.

Offending the Uchiha to the point of death and making Shisui hunt you down like a madman—can you really blame that all on the Uchiha?

However, Obito felt he needed to replenish his Sharingan; the ones left behind by Uchiha Madara were gone.

Nagato put a fair amount of pressure on him, and furthermore, the level of danger Shisui posed was also very high. Without a trump card, it seemed he could no longer suppress him.

The technique Izanagi was quite important to him.

"Then let's talk about it. If we are to deal with the Uchiha, how can we cooperate?"

Obito asked Danzo.

Shisui was becoming a nuisance; being disobedient was too much trouble, and he might even bite back.

Therefore, he decided to strike first and eliminate these unstable factors.

The same went for the Uchiha Clan.

In any case, they would all reunite in the Infinite Tsukuyomi eventually; death now was merely for the sake of a better rebirth, so he felt no psychological burden in dealing the killing blow.

Danzo was stunned; he hadn't expected this person to be genuinely interested in the matter.

"Hahaha!"

Danzo couldn't help but laugh.

He never expected that he would truly have one last chance to contribute to Konoha.

Hiruzen, I am definitely more suited to be Hokage than you!

The leader of the merchant caravan trading with Uchiha Gin finally reached an agreement. For the first batch, he purchased two Guardian Gems, paying a total of forty million ryo, which almost emptied his coffers. After all, he hadn't prepared for the gems in advance, and when the caravan leader tried to buy on credit, Uchiha Gin used the Strongman Appraisal Jutsu on him, letting him experience the sensation of pregnancy until he became much more obedient.

Naturally, he harbored resentment toward Uchiha Gin in his heart. However, after Uchiha Gin informed him that he could provide at most seven Guardian Gems in the short term, using the excuse that it took a month to craft one, and that the exclusive agreement would be void if he didn't return to purchase within a month, the caravan leader had no other thoughts. He only wanted to get the money quickly to buy all these Guardian Gems.

He planned to change his status first and then find a way to trouble Uchiha Gin later. For now, he would gain his master's favor and find a way to hook up with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Once he became a noble, he believed he would have the means to deal with Uchiha Gin.

At the same time, before leaving, he placed a large order for blue pills. This matter was passed through the Hokage, as such external trade required the village to levy taxes.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the price of the order, he couldn't help but show a look of surprise. Is this stuff really that easy to sell? This piqued his interest, but he discovered that the place where these pills were produced was in the Uchiha compound, and the guards were so tight that the Anbu couldn't infiltrate at all. He could only confirm some of the ingredients through the medicinal herbs the Uchiha purchased.

"Did any clansmen have accidents while injecting the Gene Completion?"

After receiving the money, Uchiha Gin felt much more at ease. He could prepare the initial materials and begin crafting the Mystic Code, while simultaneously asking Fugaku.

"There were no accidents. Perhaps it is because they are all clansmen who have awakened the Sharingan, so their adaptability is very strong, though they do not possess the Wood Release ability like I do."

Fugaku replied.

The arm he had injected with the improved First Hokage Cells had turned completely white, and he had wrapped it in bandages. However, he had gained something: he had mastered Wood Release, as well as the nature transformations of Earth Release and Water Release.

"A technique like Wood Release can only be used as an ordinary Kekkei Genkai; do not harbor delusions of possessing the same power as the First Hokage. However, clansmen who have mastered the nature transformations of Earth Release and Water Release can attempt to practice Wood Release, though the possibility of learning it is quite low."

"Prioritize the safety of the clansmen. Have Itachi collect more detailed data to ensure the safety of ordinary clansmen during Gene Completion, and assign a few assistants to Itachi; he is indeed a bit tired."

Uchiha Gin said. At the same time, he felt a bit of a guilty conscience regarding Itachi working so hard, fearing what would happen if Itachi died from overwork. Such talent required sustainable development; only by pairing him with a few assistants could he better squeeze out his true value.

Obito's Wood Release could only be considered flashy. Uchiha Gin estimated that Shisui also possessed Wood Release, but Uchiha Gin had no great interest in this technique.

The power of Wood Release lay in the fact that the user was Senju Hashirama, not the Wood Release itself.

"Hmm, I have used the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu on every clansman who underwent Gene Completion to ensure they do not leak this secret."

Fugaku spoke, knowing full well that this was a critical moment for the Uchiha Clan; after this, the Uchiha Clan would be reborn!

At the same time, he understood the value of Orochimaru even more. Is this the true power of technology?

Therefore, in addition to the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu, he also had the clansmen monitor each other, forbidding them from exposing this secret or even discussing it for the time being.

However, the clansmen who had undergone Gene Completion could not hide the smiles on their faces every day. When those who had not yet undergone the process asked, they found it painful to come up with excuses, repeating things like their wives were pregnant or their dogs were pregnant time and time again.

This situation was naturally monitored by the Anbu, but they were left scratching their heads, having no idea what the Uchiha Clan was up to. Even after reporting these anomalies, there was no movement from above.

"This is only the first Gene Completion; perhaps there will be another one later."

"You must understand that the Uchiha Clan will not stop here, so broaden your horizons in the future and do not let yourself be limited by a single ninja village like Konoha."

Seeing Fugaku's serious expression, Uchiha Gin could not help but speak up.

Fugaku had been fixated solely on Konoha and the Uchiha, believing that the Uchiha only had this one place to survive, which led to his constant concessions. But now, he wanted Fugaku to understand that the future of the Uchiha was the stars and the sea; they might even replace the Otsutsuki as the tree planters.

For the next Gene Completion, they could use the genes of Uchiha Madara, or perhaps the genes of Sasuke after he awakened the Eternal Mangekyo and utilized the First Hokage Cells.

However, this was merely a possibility that still required the power of technology to test.

"There can be another Gene Completion?"

Fugaku said in shock.

Just from this one time, he felt as though he had been completely reborn. How much potential was the Uchiha Clan truly hiding?

And he realized that not stopping Uchiha Gin back then was truly the right decision.

"Remember, put some pressure on Sasuke when you have the chance, and praise Itachi more in front of him."

Uchiha Gin did not explain, instead assigning him a new task.

Fugaku was puzzled, but he nodded nonetheless.