Friends Reunite, and Jiraiya Doesn't Dare Face Naruto? [Two-in-One]

Fugaku figured that the cost of making the Guardian Gems couldn't possibly be that high, but naturally, he wasn't about to undermine Uchiha Gin now.

"What a shame. If we get the chance, we can work together on other projects."

Fugaku rose as well, making it clear that he was seeing their guest out.

"At this price, I really can't accept. Could you lower it a little? Just a little more?"

The caravan leader's expression shifted. If this had been a product made by some minor noble in the Land of Fire, he might have resorted to other methods.

But these were people from Konoha, and not just anyone—they were the Uchiha Clan. Their name carried a lot of weight in the Land of Fire. Assassination and theft were basically out of the question, so if he wanted these exclusive, special items, he had no choice but to work with them.

"When the chakra in this Guardian Gem runs out, you can come to me and have me refill it. It'll cost one million ryō each time."

"The price can't go any lower, but you can trade gems for them. One Guardian Gem can be exchanged for ten gems of the same size. If you can't collect those, you can trade rubies, sapphires, or other gemstones. If you buy in bulk, the price should be considerably lower."

Uchiha Gin laid out his terms as well.

He wasn't after money so much as gemstones. Having the other party buy them for him would save him the time and effort of acquiring them himself.

There was plenty of profit to be made from gemstones, but he had no connections in that business. He was even starting to think about defecting and trading places with Shisui, but given the promise he'd made to the old man who owned this body, he figured it was better to stay in Konoha.

"Can't you lower the price any further?"

The caravan leader kept testing the waters.

But Uchiha Gin simply shook his head, his expression cold.

He'd originally planned to sell gemstones with other types of effects as well, but in the end, he'd given up on that idea. The Guardian Gems were still the most valuable.

Attack-type and Sensory-type items were more useful to ninja. As for nobles, they could simply order the ninja they'd hired to handle those tasks, so the price couldn't be very high.

"Give it some thought overnight. I'll test this gem today. If it's genuine, I'll come back tomorrow."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's attitude, the caravan leader understood that there was no point trying to haggle any further.

He wasn't going to lose money either way; he'd just make a little less.

"As for the rest of the deal, you can discuss it with Clan Head Fugaku."

Uchiha Gin stood up. Besides the Guardian Gem deal, there was also the Blue Pill developed by Orochimaru.

But Uchiha Gin had left that matter in Fugaku's hands.

"There's another deal?"

The caravan leader was taken aback.

Fugaku, meanwhile, blushed. This really was his first time handling a deal of this kind.

He wasn't convinced that the pills would sell well, but he'd tried one himself and found that... they really did work!

About half an hour later, the caravan leader and Fugaku left the inn separately. The caravan leader, leering, carried one of his personal maids into his room.

"???"

The Anbu outside listened to the sounds and said nothing.

Around four in the morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he looked over the report in his hands inside the Hokage's office.

"The Uchiha Clan and this high-ranking noble's caravan are trading aphrodisiacs?"

When he saw the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought he must have read it wrong.

But as he looked at the blue pills in his hand, he couldn't help feeling that something was off.

Fugaku had given them quite a few pills for the caravan members to test, so the Anbu had obtained some without much difficulty.

"The caravan leader and his personal ninja used ninjutsu in their room last night..."

"Investigate. I want a thorough investigation."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave the order.

He had a feeling there was more to this than met the eye. It definitely wasn't just about making money.

Could the Uchiha Clan be trying to connect with the daimyo of the Land of Fire through the nobles?

If they wanted to contend for the position of Hokage, the opinions of the daimyo and the nobles of the Land of Fire would matter a lot. He believed he'd uncovered the secret behind the Uchiha Clan's actions this time.

"Yes!"

"How is it? Is he still refusing to talk?"

Inside Obito's base, he looked at Danzo, who was covered in wounds and being guarded by two White Zetsu, and asked him.

After Danzo was brought back, they'd first tried to obtain information from his mind. But Danzo was ruthless to others and even more ruthless to himself.

His mind was full of Cursed Seals, meant to prevent anyone from analyzing the information inside his head.

"You're no Uchiha Madara!"

"So it really was all the work of those despicable Uchiha! Hiruzen, you were wrong!"

Since they couldn't directly extract information from Danzo's mind, their only option was to torture him.

But Danzo had endured every kind of torture they'd inflicted on him. His mental fortitude was astonishing. Now, he was cursing the Uchiha to Obito's face, convinced that the whole thing was a trap laid by the Uchiha Clan.

He only hated himself for not being more cautious. He should've fled right away in Amegakure instead of exposing himself. If he had, he wouldn't have been grievously wounded and captured.

"Hmph. The Uchiha?"

"Those traitors who betrayed me stopped being my allies a long time ago. Curse them all you want. I don't mind."

Obito snorted.

Naturally, he wasn't going to admit the truth.

"Is that so?"

"If you're willing to move against the Uchiha Clan, then we can work together. But I won't give you any information!"

At Obito's words, Danzo shifted, only for the spikes behind him to pierce his nerves. He sucked in a sharp breath, then sneered as he invited Obito to join forces.

He knew there was no way out for him now. Becoming Hokage was probably just a pipe dream, so he might as well do one last thing for Konoha: destroy the Uchiha.

If this man really was Uchiha Madara, perhaps he might be tempted!

"Oh?"

"You really do hate the Uchiha Clan with all your heart."

Even Obito was puzzled. Where did this guy's deep hatred for the Uchiha Clan come from?

"Isn't everything that's happened to me the Uchiha's fault?"

Danzo said, sounding almost deranged.

"?"

Obito wanted to say, Wasn't this my doing?

He'd gone out of his way to antagonize the Uchiha, making Shisui hunt Danzo down like a madman. How could the Uchiha take all the blame?

But Obito felt that he needed to replenish his Sharingan. The Sharingan Uchiha Madara had left behind were gone.

Nagato was putting too much pressure on him, and Shisui was dangerous too. Without a trump card, he wasn't sure he could keep Shisui in check.

Izanagi was a very important jutsu for him.

"Then tell me. How can we work together to deal with the Uchiha?"

Obito asked Danzo.

Shisui was becoming a nuisance. His disobedience was a pain, and he might even turn on Obito.

So Obito decided to strike first and eliminate these unstable elements.

The Uchiha Clan too.

They'd all reunite in Infinite Tsukuyomi eventually. Death now was only a means to a better rebirth, so he felt no guilt about killing them.

Danzo froze. He hadn't expected this man to actually be interested.

"Hahahaha!"

Danzo couldn't help laughing.

He hadn't expected to get one last chance to contribute to Konoha after all.

Hiruzen, I'm definitely more suited to being Hokage than you!

The caravan leader who had struck a deal with Uchiha Gin ultimately followed through. For his first purchase, he bought two Guardian Gems for a total of forty million ryō, nearly emptying his coffers. He hadn't brought any gemstones with him this time, so he'd tried to buy them on credit. Uchiha Gin simply used Strongman Appraisal Jutsu on him, letting him experience what it felt like to be pregnant. After that, he became much more cooperative.

Naturally, he resented Uchiha Gin, but when Gin told him that he could only provide seven Guardian Gems in the short term—using the excuse that it took a month to make each one—and that their exclusive agreement would be void if the caravan leader didn't return to buy more within a month, the man stopped thinking about anything else. All he wanted was to get the money and buy up every last Guardian Gem.

He planned to improve his own standing first, then find a way to deal with Uchiha Gin later. For now, he would win his master's favor, then try to ingratiate himself with the daimyo of the Land of Fire. Once he became a noble, he believed he'd have the means to take on Uchiha Gin.

Before leaving, he also placed a large order for Blue Pills. That deal had gone through the Third Hokage, since the village collected taxes on external trade.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the order's value, he couldn't help looking surprised. Was this stuff really selling that well? He was tempted too, but the pills were made in the Uchiha Clan Compound, which was heavily guarded. The Anbu couldn't sneak in, and they could only confirm some of the ingredients by tracking the medicinal herbs the Uchiha had purchased.

"Has anyone in the clan had a mishap while undergoing Gene Completion?"

After getting the money, Uchiha Gin felt much more at ease. He could prepare the initial materials and start making Mystic Codes. At the same time, he asked Fugaku a question.

"No one's had any problems. Perhaps it's because they're all members of the clan who've awakened their Sharingan; they're highly adaptable. But none of them have gained Wood Release like I did."

Fugaku answered.

The arm where he'd injected the improved First Hokage Cells had turned completely white. He'd wrapped it in bandages, but he'd gained something from it too: Wood Release, along with the nature transformations for Earth Release and Water Release.

"Wood Release is just an ordinary Kekkei Genkai. Don't expect to gain the same power as the First Hokage. Still, clan members who've mastered the nature transformations for Earth Release and Water Release can try learning Wood Release, though the chances of success are low."

"Prioritize the clan members' safety. Have Itachi collect more detailed data to make sure ordinary clan members can undergo Gene Completion safely in the future. Also, assign him a few assistants. He really is getting a little tired."

Uchiha Gin said. He also felt a little guilty about how hard Itachi was working. What if he dropped dead from overwork? A talent like him needed to be nurtured sustainably. Giving him a few assistants would make it easier to squeeze out his true value.

Obito's Wood Release was just for show. Uchiha Gin figured Shisui had probably gained Wood Release too, but Gin wasn't all that interested in the jutsu.

Wood Release was powerful because of its user, Hashirama Senju, not because it was Wood Release.

"Mm. I've used Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu on every clan member who underwent Gene Completion, so they can't reveal the secret."

Fugaku said. He knew that this was a crucial moment for the Uchiha. After this, the Uchiha Clan would be transformed completely!

He'd also come to understand just how valuable Orochimaru was. Was this the true power of science?

So besides using Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu, he'd also had the clan members keep an eye on one another. They weren't allowed to reveal the secret for the time being, or even discuss it.

But the clan members who'd undergone Gene Completion couldn't hide the smiles on their faces. When some of the others who hadn't undergone it asked questions, they struggled to come up with excuses. They'd used every excuse imaginable, from "my wife's pregnant" to "the dog at home is pregnant."

The Anbu had noticed this too, but they couldn't make heads or tails of what the Uchiha Clan was up to. They reported the strange behavior, but nothing came of it.

"This was only the first round of Gene Completion. There may be another round in the future."

"You need to understand that the Uchiha Clan won't stop here. So broaden your horizons instead of letting a single village like Konoha limit your thinking."

Seeing how serious Fugaku was, Uchiha Gin couldn't help saying this.

Fugaku was only focused on Konoha and the Uchiha. He believed the Uchiha had nowhere else to live, so he kept backing down. But now Gin wanted him to understand that the Uchiha's future could be among the stars—and perhaps they'd even replace the Otsutsuki as world tree planters.

The next round of Gene Completion might use Uchiha Madara's genes, or the genes of Sasuke after he'd awakened the Eternal Mangekyo and used the First Hokage Cells.

But that was only one possibility. They'd still need to test it with the power of science.

"We can do another round of Gene Completion?"

Fugaku was shocked.

After just this one round, he felt completely transformed. How much potential was the Uchiha Clan hiding?

And he'd been absolutely right not to stop Uchiha Gin back then.

"Remember, put some pressure on Sasuke when you can, and praise Itachi in front of him often."

Uchiha Gin didn't explain. Instead, he assigned Fugaku a new task.

Fugaku didn't understand, but he still nodded.