Xuan Yu and the Uchiha Clan weren't closely tied to each other.
He was just an ordinary civilian in the Uchiha Clan, and a war orphan at that.
His parents had died in the fighting not long after he was born.
On top of that, he had no talent for being a ninja, and the Uchiha Clan was at odds with all the major clans in the Leaf Village.
So being a member of the Uchiha Clan hadn't brought him any benefits. If anything, it had caused him plenty of trouble.
The Uchiha he remembered most vividly was a little girl named Uchiha Izumi.
Izumi had once helped him out.
But she had helped many Uchiha civilians, and there was a good chance she'd long since forgotten someone like him.
Besides, Uchiha Izumi had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan before she turned thirteen. She was a genius through and through.
Meanwhile, at eighteen, Xuan Yu still hadn't awakened even One Tomoe. He was nothing but an unlucky waste of space, so Izumi had no reason to remember him.
Still, Xuan Yu felt that his strength was improving at an astonishing rate.
He might not be able to change the fate of the entire Uchiha Clan, but he could at least change the fate of certain people.
When the time came, rescuing Izumi would be no problem.
Granny Cat was a trustworthy elder, but Xuan Yu had no intention of telling her about these plans.
After finishing his meal, Xuan Yu left Granny Cat's Weapon Shop and headed off to meet Kakuzi.
At a Black Market near Kusagakure, Kakuzi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when Xuan Yu finally showed up.
He'd been worried that Xuan Yu might keep the entire commission for himself.
He could always consider killing Xuan Yu afterward to recover his losses, but killing him would be no easy task—and even if he succeeded, there was no guarantee he'd get the money back.
So it was best if Xuan Yu didn't pull any tricks and simply split the money as they'd agreed.
When Xuan Yu saw Kakuzi, he greeted him with a grin.
Truthfully, Xuan Yu had very much wanted to pocket the twenty million ryō that should have gone to Kakuzi. But Kakuzi was an extremely useful tool to him, and Xuan Yu couldn't bring himself to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
So the moment they met, before Kakuzi could say a word, Xuan Yu pulled out a check for twenty million ryō and handed it over.
"Kakuzi, those two targets brought in forty million ryō in total. Here's your twenty million."
Xuan Yu's straightforwardness took Kakuzi by surprise.
He'd considered all sorts of possibilities, but he'd never expected Xuan Yu to hand over the twenty million ryō without a fuss.
After receiving the twenty million ryō he was owed, Kakuzi took half of the commission he'd received for turning in the bounties at the Bounty Exchange and handed it to Xuan Yu.
Their roles in this operation had been clear from the start: Xuan Yu drew fire from the perimeter while Kakuzi carried out the decapitation strike.
Xuan Yu had done his part, and the mission had gone very smoothly. He deserved half the commission.
"The other nobodies brought in nine million ryō in total. Here's your four and a half million," Kakuzi said, handing over another check.
Xuan Yu's mood immediately improved as he took the money.
He put away the check, slung an arm around Kakuzi's neck, and said with a grin, "Kakuzi, when are we going after the next job? At this rate, we'd have to try pretty hard not to get rich!"
Kakuzi wasn't as excited as Xuan Yu. He replied coolly, "Let's rest at the inn here in the Black Market and gather some information. We'll see if there are any suitable jobs."
Xuan Yu didn't like that answer one bit.
He immediately corrected him. "Kakuzi, that's not how you should look at it! What makes a job unsuitable? If there's a job, there's a commission, so no job is unsuitable! Besides, you can't turn your back on money."
Kakuzi had no way to refute Xuan Yu's crooked logic, because he felt there was some truth to it.
Even so, he stood his ground. "You have a point, but we still need to gather information about the jobs. Our time is limited, so we should prioritize high-value targets instead of wasting it on nobodies."
Xuan Yu chuckled to himself. Kakuzi, that may be true for you, but not for me. You can only handle one job at a time with your real body, but I have the incredible Chakra Clone technique. I can take on a bunch of jobs at once.
Kakuzi knew a little about Xuan Yu's abilities.
But what he didn't know was that Xuan Yu could use Chakra Clones to take on multiple jobs at once.
By then, Kakuzi had already led Xuan Yu into an inn.
At the front desk, Kakuzi said coldly, "One single room."
Before the clerk could finish registering him, Xuan Yu cut in. "That's not right! We need a double room."
Then he turned to Kakuzi and said matter-of-factly, "Kakuzi, we should save where we can and spend where we should. Sharing a single room is way too stingy. We should at least get a double room, right?"
Kakuzi: (O_O)???
Kakuzi froze on the spot.
He'd only booked a single room because he intended to stay in it alone!
He quickly stopped the clerk from registering them, then frowned at Xuan Yu. "Why do you insist on sharing a room with me?"
Xuan Yu answered as though it were obvious. "If I get my own room, wouldn't that be a waste of money?"
Kakuzi: (O_O)???
You little brat!
Kakuzi was truly at a loss for words this time.
When he was paying for the room, Xuan Yu had told him to save where they could and spend where they should, and not to be too stingy.
But when it was Xuan Yu's turn to pay for a room himself, suddenly it was a waste of money!
Kakuzi couldn't be bothered arguing with Xuan Yu over something like this. He turned to the clerk and said firmly, "Just book one single room. Ignore him."
Kakuzi didn't believe for a second that Xuan Yu would actually squeeze into one bed with him just to save a little money.
The manager at the front desk glanced at them, then registered the room as Kakuzi had requested.
After checking in, Kakuzi ignored Xuan Yu and headed straight for his room.
When he reached the door at the far right of the second floor, he couldn't help feeling a little smug.
After going back and forth with Xuan Yu for so long, he'd finally managed to win a small victory.
In good spirits, he took out his key and opened the door.
But the moment it swung open, his spirits plummeted!
Xuan Yu was sitting lazily on the bed. He looked at Kakuzi with undisguised disdain and said, "Kakuzi, didn't I tell you to get a double room at the very least? This is going to be so uncomfortable. And besides, there's no way two people could sleep in that bed. You'll have to sleep on the floor."
Kakuzi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and headed downstairs to book another single room.
He was completely defeated by that little trickster, Xuan Yu.
How much could an inn room possibly cost?
And yet Xuan Yu was still being so petty, insisting on sharing a room with him!
After Kakuzi left, grinding his teeth, Xuan Yu turned to the window with a grin and said, "Snake Bro, you're up to something with Kakuzi, aren't you? You even came all the way to stake out his door."
As soon as Xuan Yu finished speaking, Orochimaru slid out of the shadow cast by the wall beside the window.
He stared at Xuan Yu and gave a sinister smile. "You have quite impressive sensing abilities. Do you have a Sensing Physique, or some other special ability like it?"
Xuan Yu shook his head and pointed to the roof across the street. "I have a Chakra Clone up there, keeping watch over everything around my real body in real time."
If someone were plotting against him right now,
Xuan Yu could always say, "What makes you think the one lying in bed is my real body?"
Before you continue