A Letter from Orochimaru and an Invention Ahead of Its Time

"Is Little Yoru in there?"

"Lord Yoru is resting inside. You're not allowed to disturb him!"

"There's something I want his opinion on!"

"No!"

"What's all the racket? I'm grumpy when I wake up!"

Uchiha Yoru sat up and shouted.

"Haku, let my brother in!"

Haku obediently opened the Gate of Opening and let Uchiha Itachi inside.

"Little Yoru, did you hear? I've been made chief examiner for this year's Chunin Ninja Exams. Lord Hokage even gave me full authority over every part of the exam!" Uchiha Itachi said excitedly.

Being put in charge of the Chunin Ninja Exams was clearly a signal from the Hokage: he was beginning to delegate power.

Step by step, he was drawing Uchiha Itachi away from missions and putting him in charge of Konoha's affairs.

The Chunin Ninja Exams were an excellent opportunity for the nations to interact. Even the Kazekage would attend, and Uchiha Itachi had been assigned to accompany the Third Hokage.

Uchiha Itachi had to handle the event well, not only for the new generation of ninja, but also to satisfy Konoha's Jonin and elders.

"Oh."

Uchiha Yoru nodded.

"Aren't you happy?"

Uchiha Yoru seemed utterly indifferent.

Of course I'm happy! From now on, I'll be Konoha's spoiled young master. I could throw my weight around and no one would dare stop me. The Third Hokage dies after these exams anyway! If you don't take over, who will? But I can't let you get too excited. If I act unimpressed, maybe you'll lose some enthusiasm and bother me less!

"What do you think I should arrange?"

"I'd say make it as advantageous to Konoha as you can. As long as the ninja from the other countries don't notice, arrange whatever you want," Uchiha Yoru said.

"Wouldn't that be wrong?" Uchiha Itachi asked. He still believed in fairness, and he couldn't bring himself to cross that line.

"Just do it! Leak the questions or give our people hints. So what? It's our village's exam!" Uchiha Yoru didn't care in the slightest.

In Konoha, you either needed strength or cunning. If you had Hashirama's strength, you could slap Sarutobi dead, give Danzo a few more slaps, and take charge yourself.

Without the power to crush everyone, you had to learn from the Third Hokage: eliminate your rivals and play politics. Hadn't Itachi noticed that while Sarutobi was around, Danzo barely got a chance to shine? Even Yamato, who could use Wood Release, had been taken from him.

"These exams are our chance to show every country how strong we are. What's wrong with a few dirty tricks?"

Uchiha Itachi nodded gravely. How things turned out would depend on what he could manage.

After Uchiha Itachi left, Haku came over and thoughtfully brought Yoru breakfast.

He knelt beside Yoru and waited until he finished eating, then cleared the dishes, closed the door, and withdrew.

"This life is getting more decadent by the day!"

As Haku went about those tasks, notifications of increasing Lazy Points rang nonstop in Uchiha Yoru's head.

"Don't blame me, Haku. The system's just giving me too much!"

"A letter from Orochimaru?"

Uchiha Yoru watched a little white snake crawl toward him with something in its mouth.

Meet me at the usual place tonight!

"My Game Console is here!" Uchiha Yoru lit up at once.

What could be better than playing games?

Uchiha Yoru had no idea how people who traveled back to historical eras endured life without phones or computers.

Night crept in. A crescent moon hung overhead, and a light breeze stirred the trees, setting the leaves rustling.

Two figures appeared on Back Mountain.

"Orochimaru, where's my stuff?"

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Lord Yoru, let me show you what I've developed these past few days!"

That instantly piqued Uchiha Yoru's curiosity.

"Unseal the scroll!"

Smoke rose, then cleared.

Uchiha Yoru's eyes shone as he waited for his Game Console. He wasn't expecting a computer; Orochimaru hadn't had enough time for that.

"This..."

"These are the guns and bombs I developed!"

"This weapon can kill a Chunin outright. It could even kill a Jonin if they were caught off guard!"

"And this bomb has the power of dozens of Explosive Tags detonating at once!"

Uchiha Yoru's expression darkened sharply.

"This is what you came up with?"

"I asked you to advance technology, not weapons. Yes, weapons count as technology, but still!"

Orochimaru looked just as baffled.

"Do you realize what these can do? Even ordinary people could use them to kill ninja!"

"And? I want my Game Console!"

"I made one of those things you mentioned too!" Orochimaru took out a square little device.

Uchiha Yoru snatched it from him.

"Snake, Tetris, Sokoban... These bring back memories!"

"You care that much about those things?"

As far as Orochimaru was concerned, they were utterly useless.

The weapons he had created were what could change the Shinobi World.

"Destroy all of them. Those things will bring nothing but harm and disaster! What I want is technological progress," Uchiha Yoru said coldly.

He burned the weapons to ashes in a single blast of fire.

He had no desire to watch out for ninja taking potshots at him while he slept.

Uchiha Yoru needed Orochimaru to understand the benefits of technological progress, rather than spend every day inventing bizarre weapons.

Good thing he hadn't given Orochimaru the biology book. Otherwise, Orochimaru might already have cloned Mitsuki for him—or developed some kind of genetic weapon.

"System, is there a way to help Orochimaru understand how technology develops? Ideally enough for him to make a computer!"

"It will cost the host half his Lazy Points."

"Fine, do it!" Uchiha Yoru gritted his teeth. What he spent now would help him live an easier life later.

Following the system's instructions, Uchiha Yoru placed his hand on Orochimaru's shoulder.

A vision suddenly unfolded before Orochimaru's eyes... (Hundreds of thousands of words omitted!)

"Get it now? That's what I want!"

"I never imagined your origins were so unusual, Lord Yoru!"

Orochimaru stared at Uchiha Yoru, his gaze lingering on Yoru's head.

Living Corpse Reincarnation could transfer a soul, but it couldn't carry someone across worlds.

Orochimaru was no fool. He had done plenty of research into the forbidden subject of souls. Now he knew where Uchiha Yoru had come from. No wonder he was so "different"!

"Would you like to see it? A more prosperous, entirely new world?" Uchiha Yoru lowered his voice and painted Orochimaru a vision of it.

Orochimaru's thoughts seemed to drift toward that other world.

He was a madman, but also a scientist, forever seeking knowledge on the path to truth.

He wanted to see a world completely unlike this one.

"Complete the work I've given you, and you may get the chance."

Uchiha Yoru watched him.

Orochimaru trembled with excitement.

"Go on, then."

Uchiha Yoru waved him off, adding, "And don't forget the Konoha Crush Plan!"

Orochimaru turned to leave. As expected of Lord Yoru. He even knows about that. Another world... I can hardly wait to see it!

Uchiha Yoru let out a breath of relief as he watched Orochimaru go.

Anyone could make grand promises. He didn't even know whether he could return himself, but so what?

All that mattered was that Orochimaru believed him.

"I hope Orochimaru can recreate everything from Blue Star. It'll give me something to aim for—and a little way to remember home."