Even when faced with such fierce questioning and reproach, Fugaku Uchiha, weak and lacking in resolve by nature, showed no anger on his calm, stern face.
"You're still too young. One day, you'll understand that what you're doing now is nothing but a dead end."
"The path you're taking has been walked before. But those people all met bad ends."
"I can't convince you, and you can't convince me."
"Then let me see how far your resolve can carry you."
Fugaku Uchiha drained his tea in one gulp, his conviction strengthening further, then left without looking back.
"Resolve, huh."
Hearing that word, Uchiha Kyu could not help but think of that great filial son, Uchiha Itachi. It seemed the word "resolve" had been passed down from Fugaku Uchiha. Like father, like son.
"Then we'll each rely on our own abilities."
Uchiha Kyu fixed his deep, aggressive gaze on Fugaku Uchiha's departing back.
"Kage."
"Your subordinate is here."
Uchiha Kage appeared before Uchiha Kyu in an instant, kneeling on one knee and looking up. The terrifying Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes glowed crimson.
"Has he arrived?"
Uchiha Kyu poured two more cups of hot tea and spoke casually.
"He has arrived." Uchiha Kage lowered his head respectfully.
"Kyu-kun, it's been a while."
A chilling voice, as sinister as a snake's, sounded from a corner of the courtyard.
An unknown venomous snake slowly opened its jaws in a grotesque manner, and Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Three Sannin, crawled out of its mouth covered in disgusting snake slime.
Uchiha Kyu instinctively frowned, then relaxed and sneered.
"I never expected Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Three Sannin, to come to me this way. The glory of the Legendary Sannin in the past, and now you can only visit in secret. How lamentable."
"Times have changed."
There was not a trace of anger on Orochimaru's pale face. Having long since been disappointed in his teacher, he now only wanted to achieve his dream by any means necessary.
"Sit."
Uchiha Kyu stared at Orochimaru and gestured for him to take a seat.
"It seems Kyu-kun is prepared to make a move."
Orochimaru's hoarse, chilling voice emerged from his mouth, while anticipation flickered in his snake-like eyes.
"I've already prepared the test subjects you wanted. Where's what I asked for?"
Uchiha Kyu smiled without answering, rhythmically tapping the wooden tea table with his fingers.
Making a deal with Orochimaru was dangerous.
But as long as their strength remained equal, Orochimaru would not easily betray his word.
Upon hearing that the test subjects he needed had been prepared, a rare smile appeared on Orochimaru's pale, colorless face, and he unconsciously licked his lips.
"Naturally, I prepared what Kyu-kun requested."
A venomous snake slowly slithered to Orochimaru's side and directly spat out a scroll from its mouth.
Orochimaru did not find it disgusting in the slightest. Chuckling, he placed the scroll, covered in snake slime, on the wooden table.
Uchiha Kyu stared at the scroll within arm's reach. His face twitched as if he wanted to say something, and he looked at Orochimaru speechlessly.
"I won't look at the scroll for now. Next time, please clean it first. I'm not a germaphobe, but you're about to turn me into one."
"Kage, have someone deliver the test subjects to Orochimaru immediately."
"As you command." Uchiha Kage respectfully lowered his head and vanished from the spot.
"Kyu-kun, I'm looking forward to what happens next."
Orochimaru took a sip of tea, then his entire body transformed into venomous snakes that scattered and vanished without a trace.
"You really are hard to kill."
Uchiha Kyu watched the venomous snakes gradually disappear into the corners of the courtyard. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes, which were as unfathomable as a deep pool.
Orochimaru was the sort of ruthless man who could outlive anyone in the Shinobi World, repeatedly escaping from the Death God's grasp.
Even Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, probably could not outlive Orochimaru.
Uchiha Kyu stared at his reflection in the teacup. His bewitching crimson Mangekyō Sharingan appeared in the tea.
Although he had not been in this Naruto World for long since transmigrating here, his strength had already reached a level ordinary people could never attain.
They said transmigrators came with cheat abilities, and Uchiha Kyu was naturally no exception.
With a thought, Uchiha Kyu opened his training progress panel and could easily see his cultivation progress.
[Three Body Technique: 100%] [Sharingan: 80%] [Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique: 100%] [Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation: 100%] [Lightning Style: Chidori: 100%] [Sharingan: Izanagi: 100%] [Sharingan: Izanami: 100%] ...
Whether it was the ordinary Three Body Technique or forbidden Sharingan techniques, he had effortlessly trained them all to a perfect progress rate of one hundred percent.
The progress bar completely eliminated the bottlenecks of training. Visible progress made cultivation no longer tedious, and every bit of effort became strength.
In a single year, Uchiha Kyu had risen from being Fugaku Uchiha's insignificant cousin to the vice-captain of the Uchiha Police Force, a peerless genius of the Uchiha Clan not seen in a century.
The radical younger generation of the Uchiha Clan regarded him as the target they would follow for life, an idol they admired and strove toward.
The radical core of the Uchiha Clan regarded him as the hope of restoring Uchiha glory.
This deal with Orochimaru was the beginning of his plan.
Those test subjects were no ordinary test subjects. He hoped Konoha's higher-ups liked this gift.
"Vice-captain, Orochimaru's people have successfully taken away those test subjects."
Uchiha Kage leaped down from the roof, knelt on one knee beside Uchiha Kyu, and respectfully lowered his head as he reported every detail of the transaction.
"Take the scroll and wash it clean."
"As you command."
Uchiha Kyu truly could not stand Orochimaru's way of conducting business. He could have held it in his hand or tucked it into his pocket, but he just had to put it in his stomach. So what if he had a stomach pouch space?
After Uchiha Kage returned the cleaned scroll, Uchiha Kyu finally opened it and examined the forbidden techniques within.
The ninjutsu described in it had all been copied from the Sealing Scroll privately kept by Konoha's higher-ups. The Sealing Scroll could also be called Senju Tobirama's exclusive collection of forbidden techniques.
Most of them had been created solely by Senju Tobirama. Whether the Shinobi World was peaceful or not depended on Senju Tobirama.
As the beloved disciple of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru had naturally read the Sealing Scroll plenty of times.
This deal with Orochimaru was for the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Five Elements Seal.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was a rare space-time ninjutsu. Uchiha Izuna had died to this technique back then. Uchiha Kyu had coveted it for a long time, and today, he had finally gotten his wish.
The Five Elements Seal was the sealing technique used to seal the Nine-Tails, and it even included the method for undoing the Five Elements Seal.
The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki was currently still Kushina Uzumaki, one of the surviving remnants of the Uzumaki Clan, which had been publicly exterminated.
Although the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had already taken office and extended a helping hand to the Uchiha Clan.
Only Uchiha Kyu himself knew that Minato Namikaze was like a dazzling meteor streaking across the night sky—brilliant but fleeting, destined for an early death.
Once Kushina Uzumaki became pregnant, it would mean that the Fourth Hokage and his wife would both perish after the birth.
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