[Ding! [Uchiha Fugaku]'s favorability increased to 70 points. Randomly obtained 10 A-Rank Ninja Fragments!]
"Draw!"
[Obtained A-Rank Ninja Fragments: [Uchiha Sasuke (Susanoo)] ×5, [Uchiha Sasuke (Susanoo)] ×5]
"What the hell?!"
Uchiha Jun's eyes widened.
All 10 were Skeleton Dog?!
Uchiha Fugaku, you really were a lucky charm!
[Current [Uchiha Sasuke (Susanoo)] Fragments: 8+10=18/40]
"22 more!"
Uchiha Jun was so excited that his hands trembled.
Just 22 more, and he'd have Kage Level power!
And if he gathered another two fragments, he'd get a Sasuke trial card.
"Two fragments... Tch, if I use them cleverly, they could make a huge difference!"
The air still reeked of smoke from the Explosive Tags. More than a dozen giant snakes lay sprawled across the ground, some still twitching faintly.
Uchiha Jun thought to himself.
Sasuke in his Susanoo form was on a completely different level from the Naruto: Shippuden version.
He was so arrogant that he'd set Amaterasu on even a stray dog by the roadside.
Itachi had used the Mangekyo for over a decade, but you, Sasuke, went blind after just a few days. You charged into the Five Kage Summit alone and fought your way through the place seven times over.
When it came to strength, Uchiha Jun had to admit Sasuke was impressive.
But it was only a trial card, and he'd have to time its activation carefully.
He couldn't just conjure up two fragments now, complete the set for a trial card, use the Transformation Technique to disguise himself, and then shoot arrows into Danzo's hideout like a madman.
"Tch, Orochimaru... He probably won't be easy to deal with from now on."
After returning the Ninja Blade to Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Jun headed back to his cave alone.
As he walked, he kept thinking about the chakra he'd sensed from Orochimaru during the fight. It had felt cold to the bone, as if a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him, making his hair stand on end.
"Whatever happens, I've officially got one of the Sannin backing me now."
Uchiha Jun quietly weighed his options.
At this point in time, the Third Shinobi World War was nearing its end. Konoha had the upper hand, but its casualties were still severe.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, if he didn't find a patron soon, one day that old fox Danzo might just claim him as his property.
Back in the cave, Uchiha Jun opened his panel to check the rewards from the assessment.
[Ding! Mission completed: [Complete Orochimaru's Genin Assessment]] [Rewards: 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 (Naruto: Shippuden)] ×5] [Ding! New mission unlocked: [First Mission]] [Mission Rewards: 5 random A-Rank Ninja Fragments, 3 Ninja World Recruitment Scrolls, 10,000,000 Copper Coins] [Tip: Complete 7 A-Rank Missions to claim the reward: "Uchiha Izuna (A)"]
A glint flashed in Uchiha Jun's eyes as he read the new mission on the panel.
"Complete seven A-Rank Missions and I'll get Uchiha Izuna?!"
He was Uchiha Madara's younger brother, the pride of the Uchiha Clan!
Though he was only an A-Rank ninja, he was absolutely one of the best among them!
With his chakra, he'd make the shinobi of this world feel what it was like to be torn into by a seasoned veteran from the Warring States Period!
"Wait..."
Uchiha Jun suddenly noticed a key detail: the mission rewards mentioned an "A-Rank Mission."
"Does that mean my first mission will be at least A-Rank?"
The thought made Uchiha Jun draw a sharp breath.
What did an A-Rank Mission entail?
It meant he'd most likely face Jonin-level enemies during the mission!
For an ordinary Genin, an A-Rank Mission was practically a death sentence.
But for Uchiha Jun now...
"This is the perfect chance to test [Uchiha Sasuke (Naruto: Shippuden)] in a real fight!"
A smile tugged at Uchiha Jun's lips, but he quickly suppressed it.
No, he couldn't get carried away.
Back at the training grounds, he'd switched templates at the last moment and used [Uchiha Sasuke (Naruto: Shippuden)]'s Sharingan to locate Orochimaru.
It had only been for an instant, but he had a feeling Orochimaru had noticed something.
That snake was too perceptive.
"I'll have to be even more careful on the next mission."
Uchiha Jun reminded himself, then began checking his gear.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Uchiha Jun cleared the E-Rank dungeon in the Abundance Chamber every day, building up a full ten million Copper Coins.
He really wanted to make a six-pull at Ninja Recruitment, but since he might soon face a major battle, he held back.
"I'll save them for now. I'll wait until I've completed my first mission and gotten those three Recruitment Scrolls."
At dawn on the third day, a small white snake slithered into the cave with a scroll in its mouth.
Uchiha Jun took the scroll and unrolled it. It held just one line:
"Meet at the entrance to Konoha at nine this morning. —Orochimaru"
"Finally."
Uchiha Jun took a deep breath and packed his ninja tools, Explosive Tags, soldier pills, and other supplies. At last, he slung over his back a Ninja Blade he'd taken from Uchiha Ryota.
Back at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Ryota had often mocked Uchiha Jun over his grades.
He'd even lumped Uchiha Jun together with Obito Uchiha as the "Konoha Twin Districts."
It was the same old Shinobi World tradition: bullying woven into every aspect of life.
He hadn't been able to do anything before his Golden Finger awakened, but things were different now.
Before he had to "eat beef," Uchiha Jun would at least make Uchiha Ryota and the others pay him back for it.
"Mofang!"
"Poof—"
Mofang leaped out of the smoke and sat down in front of Uchiha Jun.
"Jun, are we going on a mission?"
"Yeah. It's probably an A-Rank Mission." Uchiha Jun crouched and patted Mofang's head. "It could be dangerous. Are you scared?"
"Scared?"
Mofang flicked his tail, his dog face forming something like a mocking grin.
"What the hell would I be scared of? Don't forget my 'trait'!"
"True... Then can I stick dozens of Explosive Tags on you when you charge into them?"
"...I hate you."
As the boy and dog bickered, a hoarse voice came from outside the cave.
"Looks like you're ready."
Orochimaru had appeared at the cave entrance at some point. His golden, vertical-pupiled eyes studied Mofang with interest.
"A Summoning Animal? You have more secrets than I thought."
Uchiha Jun's alarm bells rang, but he kept a respectful expression.
"Lord Orochimaru, you flatter me. I only happened to obtain a Summoning Contract."
With that, he sent Mofang back to the Summoning Realm and stood up.
"Shall we go, Lord Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru asked no more questions. He turned and headed toward the village gate.
Uchiha Jun followed two meters behind him.
Orochimaru said nothing along the way, but as they neared the village gate, he suddenly asked, "How well do you know Uchiha Shisui?"
"Shisui?"
Uchiha Jun paused, then answered honestly. "We've only sparred once, but we got along well."
"How is Uchiha Shisui regarded within the clan?"
"Very well. He's a good person, loyal, warm, and strong. Many of the younger members of the clan look up to him."
"I see..."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
Yet Uchiha Jun sensed something unusual in their brief exchange.
At this point in time, Orochimaru had already begun experimenting on human subjects, and Uchiha Shisui was a promising young Uchiha with some renown...
"Could Orochimaru already be setting his sights on Shisui?"
The thought sent a chill down Uchiha Jun's spine.
Fortunately, while his talent was impressive, it wasn't quite on the same monstrous level as Shisui's.
More importantly, Uchiha Jun hadn't shown any talent with the Sharingan. He'd only displayed some aptitude for ninjutsu and Taijutsu.
Otherwise, he might have ended up on Orochimaru's operating table one day.
The two left Konoha through the main gate. Orochimaru took out a mission scroll and handed it to Uchiha Jun.
"This is an A-Rank Mission: escort confidential intelligence to the border of the Land of Fire and meet up with the Konoha reconnaissance team as they withdraw."