Flower of the Sand

That night...

Namikaze Minato dragged Uchiha Gen away in a frantic rush toward Sunagakure, leaving him no time to even study the Spirit Transformation Technique he had just exchanged for!

Early morning...

Inside the Sunagakure conference room!

"So you're the brat, Uchiha Gen? How could you possibly know that I possess the One's Own Life Reincarnation technique?" Chiyo glared at Uchiha Gen with her narrowed eyes.

"Oh, Sasori told me," Uchiha Gen replied without missing a beat.

"What? Sasori? Hmph! Impossible! Even Sasori doesn't know I possess this technique!" Chiyo was shocked at first, then immediately dismissed Uchiha Gen's claim.

"Don't be so absolute, old lady. Sasori is the kind of man who could even kill the Third Kazekage; it's no surprise he'd have surveillance puppets planted around you," Uchiha Gen bluffed, spinning a wild tale.

"Hmm?"

"What?"

"Lord Third was actually...!"

"Sasori killed the Third Kazekage?"

The entire conference room erupted into chaos.

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could my grandson Sasori kill the Third Kazekage?" Chiyo denied it on the spot.

Ebizo opened his mouth to speak but hesitated.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, remained silent.

They hadn't considered this angle before, but now that Uchiha Gen had pointed it out, the timing of the Third Kazekage's disappearance perfectly matched Sasori's departure. Furthermore, Sasori certainly had plenty of opportunities to strike at the Third. But could the Third Kazekage really have fallen to Sasori? How old was Sasori back then?

"What do you mean, nonsense? When I ran into Sasori, he actually brought out a puppet made from the Third Kazekage! You can't fake that Iron Sand Technique, can you?" Uchiha Gen lied with a perfectly straight face.

"Ah! Made into a puppet?" Ebizo was stunned.

Chiyo, however, fell silent. A Human Puppet? Sasori, did you really go that far?

The Fourth Kazekage was equally shocked. Using the Third Kazekage as a Human Puppet? Was he really that deranged? At that moment, Rasa suddenly felt the seat beneath him grow quite hot.

"Since you all have nothing to say, I assume you realize I wasn't lying. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Uchiha Gen departed quietly, leaving the others to stare at one another in silence.

The rest was simple. Sunagakure arranged for a death-row prisoner, promising to treat his family well, and had Chiyo use the Puppet Manipulation Technique to control the prisoner into performing the One's Own Life Reincarnation. Then, Namikaze Minato brought Uzumaki Kushina over. The prisoner performed the technique on her, and Uzumaki Kushina was restored to full health on the spot. Seeing this, Minato readily signed the alliance treaty, leading to a happy ending.

"Hey, the beautiful lady over there—yes, you. Come here for a second." Uchiha Gen looked at the busty, scantily-clad Scorch Release ninja and beckoned her over.

"Hmm? An Uchiha from Konoha? Do you need something?" Pakura looked at the young man in front of her, puzzled. He was supposed to be part of the Konoha negotiation team, but why was he calling her over? They weren't even acquainted!

"Nothing much, just wanted to ask: do you have a boyfriend? If not, what do you think of me? I come from a prestigious clan, I'm handsome, strong, capable, and have no bad habits." Uchiha Gen had always been straightforward and never one to beat around the bush. In his past life, he was a programmer who had never dated before he died, never getting a single chance at practical experience. In this life, he refused to be a coward any longer—he'd rather die on a beauty's lap! He'd even take his chances with a swimsuit-clad Chiyo if he had to.

"Hmph, I don't. But even if I were looking, I would never date an Uchiha from Konoha!" Pakura was speechless. Was this guy crazy? Setting aside the lack of emotional foundation, their identities alone made it impossible. She was a Suna ninja; how could she possibly date someone from Konoha?

"Don't be so absolute about everything. Think about it: if we got together, it wouldn't just improve relations between Konoha and Sunagakure. If you're willing to have a few kids, then in a dozen years, they'll have kids, and their kids will have kids—the lineage will be endless! Before long, Sunagakure will have a powerful Uchiha clan, and our strength will increase by at least twenty percent. How about it? Want to consider it?" Uchiha Gen tempted her.

"Hmm?" Another Uchiha clan in Sunagakure? Could it really work like that? This... the temptation was quite strong! Pakura felt her resolve wavering.

"How about this? You pick someone else. We have plenty of beauties in Sunagakure; I'll personally pay to arrange a few for you?" Pakura said, fighting off the temptation and trying to hold onto her integrity.

"I want to date you, and you're offering to pay for me to go whoring?" Uchiha Gen looked at her with disdain.

"If you have other requests, just name them. If you really like my type, I can just have them use the Transformation Technique. I don't mind!" Pakura continued her sales pitch. She had no choice; the Uchiha name had been legendary for a thousand years. If Sunagakure could have an Uchiha clan...

"This is intolerable! Trying to get something for nothing? I'm usually the one doing the taking, and you want to take advantage of me? Take this—the ultimate divine technique of a man's dreams: Tsukuyomi!" Uchiha Gen immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Regarding Tsukuyomi, Uchiha Gen had never understood why so many people in his past life thought Uchiha Itachi was overusing it! In a sense, Tsukuyomi was absolutely the strongest ocular technique, bar none.

In the illusionary space, Pakura was bound to a cross, looking stunned. Why did he just attack out of nowhere? Even if the deal didn't go through, there was no need for hostility! This was Sunagakure, after all.

"What do you think you're doing? Aren't you afraid of causing a conflict between our villages by attacking me? Your Fourth Hokage is still in our village; if anything happens to me, none of you are getting out alive!" Pakura said, trying to remain calm.

"Heh, this is an illusionary space created by my ocular technique. Everything here is under my control. You're going to spend a pleasant 72 hours here. By the way, the sensations here are incredibly real. Some idiot once used this technique to inflict all sorts of inhumane torture on his enemies, but today, let me redeem the reputation of this technique. Don't worry, I'm not like that pervert!" As he spoke, Uchiha Gen began to unbuckle his pants.

"Hey, what are you doing? No, stop! Yamero!" Amidst Pakura's desperate screams, Uchiha Gen began the first practical experience of his two lives!

Over the long 72 hours, Uchiha Gen practiced every artistic tutorial he had watched in his past life! From the Awei Eighteen Styles to the forbidden One Thousand Years of Death, from teachers to neighbors, from trains to female bosses, from Suna prosecutors to Konoha guards—

72 hours in the illusionary space was only a split second in the outside world!

Uchiha Gen shivered in place, and Pakura collapsed to the ground, flushed and breathless.

Hmm? Tsukuyomi really is a divine skill. In the illusion, there's no need to worry about whether your kidneys can keep up—you're always rock hard.