A-Rank Mission

[Ding! [Uchiha Fugaku]'s favorability has increased to 70 points. Randomly obtained 10 A-rank ninja fragments!]

"Draw!"

[Obtained A-rank ninja fragments: [Second Pillar (Susanoo)] ×5, [Second Pillar (Susanoo)] ×5]

"What the hell?!"

Uchiha Jun widened his eyes.

Ten fragments, and all of them are for the Skeleton Dog?!

Uchiha Fugaku, you really are a lucky charm!

[Current [Second Pillar (Susanoo)] fragments: 8+10=18/40]

"Still need 22 more!"

Uchiha Jun's hands were trembling with excitement.

With just 22 more fragments, he would possess Kage-level power!

He could even obtain a trial card for Sasuke if he gathered just two more fragments.

"Two pieces... tsk, if used cleverly, they could play a huge role!"

The air still held the acrid smell of gunpowder from the exploding tags, and the ground was littered with the corpses of over a dozen giant snakes, some of which were still twitching slightly.

Uchiha Jun thought to himself.

Sasuke in his Susanoo form was incomparable to the Sasuke of the Shippuden era.

He was so arrogant that he would even bestow an Amaterasu upon a stray dog on the side of the road.

Itachi had used his Mangekyo for over a decade, yet Sasuke had managed to blind his own in just a few days, charging into the Five Kage Summit single-handedly and fighting his way in and out.

As far as strength went, Uchiha Jun certainly acknowledged him.

It was just that since it was a trial card, he would need to time its activation perfectly.

After all, he couldn't just pull out two fragments right now, assemble a trial card, use a transformation jutsu to put on a disguise, and go around firing arrows into Danzo's lair.

"Tsk, Orochimaru... I'm afraid it won't be easy to get along with him in the future."

Returning the ninja sword to Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Jun headed back to his cave dwelling alone.

Along the way, he kept recalling the Orochimaru chakra he had sensed during the battle—it was a coldness that seeped into his very bones, making his hair stand on end as if he were being watched by a venomous snake.

"Regardless, I've officially latched onto the thigh of one of the Sannin now."

Uchiha Jun calculated silently.

At this point in time, the Third Shinobi World War was already drawing to a close; although Konoha held the advantage, the casualties remained heavy.

As an Uchiha, if he didn't "pay his respects" to the right people soon, there was no telling when he might be "privatized" by that old schemer Danzo.

Back in the cave, Uchiha Jun opened his panel to review the gains from this assessment.

[Ding! Mission completed: [Complete Orochimaru's Genin assessment]]

[Rewards obtained: 5,000,000 copper coins, 5 Ninja World Recruitment Scrolls, 5 random B-rank ninja fragments]

[Current copper coins: 7,000,000]

[Ninja World Recruitment Scrolls: 6]

[5 random B-rank ninja fragments: Obtained [Ino Yamanaka (Shippuden)] ×5]

[Ding! New mission unlocked: [First Mission]]

[Mission reward: 5 random A-rank ninja fragments, 3 Ninja World Recruitment Scrolls, 10,000,000 copper coins]

[Note: Complete 7 A-rank missions to claim the reward: "Uchiha Izuna (A)"]

Looking at the new mission that popped up on the panel, a sharp glint flashed in Uchiha Jun's eyes.

"I can get Uchiha Izuna just by completing seven A-rank missions?!"

That was Madara Uchiha's own younger brother, the pride of the Uchiha!

Although he was only an A-rank ninja, he was absolutely top-tier among them!

Combined with his chakra, he would definitely make these ninjas in the shinobi world taste what it was like to be torn apart by a veteran from the Warring States period!

"Wait..."

Uchiha Jun suddenly noticed a key piece of information—the mission reward mentioned "A-rank missions."

"Does that mean the upcoming first mission will be at least A-rank?"

Thinking of this, Uchiha Jun couldn't help but gasp.

What did an A-rank mission entail?

It meant that during the mission, there was a high probability of encountering enemies at the Jonin level!

For an ordinary Genin, an A-rank mission was a death warrant with a nine-in-ten chance of perishing.

However, for the current Uchiha Jun...

"Perfect, I'll test the combat effectiveness of [Sasuke Uchiha (Shippuden)]!"

A smirk tugged at the corners of Uchiha Jun's mouth, but he quickly reined it in.

No, I can't get cocky.

Back at the training ground, he had switched templates at the last second, using the Sharingan of [Sasuke Uchiha (Shippuden)] to glimpse Orochimaru's position.

Even though it was only for a fleeting moment, he had the distinct feeling that Orochimaru had sensed something.

That snake was far too sharp.

"I must be even more careful in the upcoming mission."

Uchiha Jun warned himself inwardly before beginning to check his gear.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, Uchiha Jun cleared the E-rank dungeons in the [Abundance Chamber] every day, accumulating a full ten million copper coins.

Although he was itching to head to [Ninja Recruitment] for a six-pull, he held back, considering the major battle he might soon face.

"I'll save them for now. I'll wait until I finish the first mission and get those three recruitment scrolls."

On the morning of the third day, a small white snake crawled into the cave with a scroll clamped in its jaws.

Uchiha Jun took the scroll and unfurled it. It contained only one line:

"Assemble at the gate of Konoha Village at nine o'clock in the morning. --Orochimaru"

"It's finally here."

Uchiha Jun took a deep breath, packed his ninja tool pouch, explosive tags, military rations, and other supplies, and finally strapped a ninja sword he had swiped from Uchiha Ryota onto his back.

Back at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Ryota had often mocked him for his grades.

He had even dubbed Uchiha Jun and Obito Uchiha the "Two Losers of Konoha."

He had inherited the ninja world's usual customs, integrating bullying culture into every aspect of life.

That was before the golden finger had awakened, but things were different now.

Before he "stopped eating beef," Uchiha Jun was determined to get some payback from Uchiha Ryota and his cronies.

"Mofang!"

"Poof—"

Mofang leaped out from the smoke and sat down in front of Uchiha Jun.

"Jun, are we heading out on a mission?"

"Yeah, probably an A-rank one." Uchiha Jun crouched down and patted Mofang's head. "It might be dangerous this time. Are you scared?"

"Scared?"

Mofang flicked his tail, his dog face contorting into an expression that looked suspiciously like a sneer.

"I'm not scared of anything. Don't forget my 'trait'!"

"Fair point... So, can I stick a few dozen explosive tags on you when you charge in?"

"...I hate you."

Just as the man and dog were bickering, a raspy voice drifted in from outside the cave.

"It seems you are prepared."

Orochimaru's figure appeared at the cave entrance, his golden slit pupils fixed on Mofang with keen interest.

"A summoning beast? It seems you have more secrets than I imagined."

Alarm bells rang in Uchiha Jun's mind, but he maintained a respectful expression.

"You flatter me, Lord Orochimaru. It is merely a summoning contract I obtained by chance."

With that, he sent Mofang back to the Summoning Realm and stood up.

"Let's go, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru didn't press the issue, turning and walking toward the village gate.

Uchiha Jun followed behind, keeping a distance of two meters.

Orochimaru remained silent for the duration of the walk, only speaking up as they neared the village gate: "What is your relationship with Uchiha Shisui?"

"Senior Shisui?"

Uchiha Jun was taken aback, then answered truthfully, "We've only sparred once. It's decent enough."

"How is Uchiha Shisui regarded within the clan?"

"Very highly. He has good character, is loyal, passionate, and strong. Many of the younger generation in the clan view him as someone to strive toward."

"Is that so..."

Orochimaru nodded slightly and said nothing more.

However, Uchiha Jun sensed something unusual behind this brief exchange.

At this point in time, Orochimaru had already begun his human experiments, and a Uchiha genius with a modest reputation like Uchiha Shisui...

Could it be that Orochimaru has already started setting his sights on Shisui?

Thinking of this, Uchiha Jun couldn't help but shudder.

Fortunately, while the talent he had displayed was outstanding, it hadn't reached the monstrous level of Shisui.

It was mainly because Uchiha Jun hadn't revealed any talent for the 'Sharingan,' possessing only some aptitude for ninjutsu and taijutsu.

Otherwise, there was no telling when he might end up on one of Orochimaru's operating tables.

The two walked out of the gates of Konoha Village, and Orochimaru took out a mission scroll, handing it to Uchiha Jun.

"This mission is A-rank—escort classified intelligence to the border of the Land of Fire and rendezvous with the retreating Konoha reconnaissance squad."