Let's Cooperate, Orochimaru!

Miko, the Shrine Maiden, tidied her appearance,

then knelt and bowed her head, speaking sorrowfully:

"Please, my lord, save me."

Uchiha Genmei hadn't expected the Shrine Maiden to make such a move and hurriedly helped Miko up.

Looking rather lost, he asked:

"Hasn't every problem already been taken care of? Why are you saying this to me?"

The Shrine Maiden gathered her courage and looked into the young man's eyes, speaking frankly:

"It's no longer the same problem as before. I have no power now."

Her pale hands gripped her collar, as if she were nervous about something, squeezing so hard that her knuckles turned white.

She sighed.

"With Moryo's threat gone, I'm afraid that, as a female ruler, I won't fare well afterward."

"So now, I'm shamelessly begging you to save me."

"The problem is, shinobi can't just interfere in the affairs of a nation," Uchiha Genmei said, looking troubled. "Even if I save you, I can only protect you as you leave this place."

Miko smiled beguilingly.

"There's no need for such trouble. You need only make me one of God's Retainers."

"After all, as long as I return to the gods' service, I, the Shrine Maiden, will regain my powers."

The Shrine Maiden's explanation made a light bulb go off in Uchiha Genmei's mind.

He knew who to use the final slot on.

The plan he'd been hesitating over because Gabimaru hadn't been qualified enough could finally be put into action!

With that in mind,

he looked at the Shrine Maiden before him

and said solemnly:

"Then you must be prepared to accept that, from now on, your fate will be in my hands!"

The beautiful Shrine Maiden bowed gracefully.

She smiled radiantly.

"I would gladly accept."

"Then swear to serve me forever." The young man cut his wrist with a knife.

A low hum...

Under some mysterious force, blood dripped down and floated before the Shrine Maiden.

"From this day forward, you will be my only god!" Miko replied without hesitation, repeating the vow.

She understood all too well

the harsh reality she would face without her powers

after the shinobi returned home.

She cupped the blood in both hands and drank it all.

In that instant, her long-empty body greedily devoured the Natural Energy around her.

The Shrine Maiden let out an involuntary little moan.

Her face flushed, and she bit down on her lip, not wanting to make any more embarrassing sounds.

Suddenly,

blue-white flames burned in her eyes, and waves of Aura shimmered around her.

A moment later,

the young man watched quietly as the Shrine Maiden regained her powers,

waiting until she had composed herself before smiling.

He held out his hand.

"Then I look forward to working with you from now on, my Shrine Maiden."

Miko took the hand he offered, her expression solemn.

She answered the young man formally:

"Yes, my lord!"

Uchiha Genmei walked along at an easy pace.

After asking Jiraiya and Tsunade where to find the genius researcher,

he set off to look for Orochimaru.

Once he had a ruler as one of his retainers, he could fully set his plan in motion.

The Police Force

had received more and more offerings over the past two years.

Even after funding the entire clan's shinobi training and the Military Police Force's rapid expansion,

there was still money to spare.

They couldn't even spend it all!

He'd wanted to use Gabimaru's status as a lord to get the Uchiha into some business outside the village,

and put all that idle money to work.

But Gabimaru's influence wasn't enough,

and since he was in the Land of Lightning, there were some concerns.

So Genmei hadn't made up his mind.

Now the time was right.

He'd find Orochimaru, and as long as he agreed to the deal, it would all work out!

Before long,

he pushed open the door to the Library in the Land of Demons.

"Just as I thought, you're here, Orochimaru." Seeing Orochimaru at a desk,

reading a book intently, the young man greeted him.

The genius, as slippery as a snake,

put down his book and raised his eyes.

"Genmei? Did you have something important to discuss with me?"

Uchiha Genmei smiled faintly.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt you, but I do have a favor to ask."

He walked over and sat across from Orochimaru.

"I know you enjoy scientific research, so I'll get straight to the point."

"Let's cooperate, Orochimaru! I'll fund all your research projects, whatever they cost."

At that,

Orochimaru said nothing,

simply watching Uchiha Genmei.

But the gleam in his eyes made it clear

that he was very tempted.

He'd only just embarked on the path of research,

and had already discovered

that whether he was studying ninjutsu or the path to immortality, which had recently piqued his interest,

both required a huge amount of money!

The income from his missions was a mere drop in the bucket.

It went without saying how much an enormous investment from the person across from him would mean at this stage.

After thinking it over for a moment, he hesitated.

"You know my teacher has always been wary of your Uchiha."

"One hundred million ryo!"

"As the Hokage's disciple, I'm also aiming to become Hokage!"

"Three hundred million ryo!"

"Don't underestimate me, Genmei. As a shinobi with lofty ambitions, I—"

Before he could finish,

the young man said:

"Five hundred million ryo every quarter! Not every year!"

That stopped

Orochimaru from saying another word.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Genmei!"

Seeing Orochimaru agree, Uchiha Genmei chuckled to himself.

Did he think Genmei didn't know how short on money researchers were?

Back in his previous life, their tricks for getting funding had practically become punchlines.

As long as he offered enough money, surely Orochimaru would cave and bend over backward for a few coins.

Though he'd agreed to work with the young man across from him,

Orochimaru still asked cautiously:

"You're investing so much in me. Do you have any other demands, Genmei?"

He was also worried

that the other party's demands might be outrageous.

Now that money had clouded his judgment,

perhaps he'd agreed too quickly and made an unwise decision.

"Don't worry. I don't have any unreasonable demands." Seeing the look on Orochimaru's face, Uchiha Genmei knew he was worrying about this and that.

He patiently explained:

"I'm not asking you to overthink it. While you're researching the power of ninjutsu, you'll also need to work on the projects I assign you."

The young man's reassuring words

clearly put Orochimaru at ease. He asked outright, "What projects?"

"Don't worry, they're just consumer products. You'll only need to put in a little effort."

"Consumer products? What does the Uchiha want with those?" Orochimaru asked, puzzled.

The young man shook his head without explaining further.

He stood up and spoke slowly.

"You'll find out in time. I won't keep you from your books any longer."

After saying his goodbyes,

he turned and headed for the door.

Orochimaru didn't mind. If Genmei didn't want to say, so be it.

As long as he fulfilled his patron's demands,

he could finally get many of his research projects underway.

Time flew by.

It had been more than five years since he returned from the Land of Demons.

By then,

Uchiha Genmei was sitting in the department head's office.

Holding the financial report for Starry Bird Corporation in his hands,

he sighed:

"Orochimaru really is so useful."

Just as he was about to examine it closely for any problems,

the sound of the door opening made him look up.

He saw a familiar figure.

He smiled faintly.

"Is that you, Hikari?"