I Guess I'll Have to Fall for the Trap!

Just as Retsuo was preparing to begin his deductions, Shinnō suddenly said, "Uchiha Clan boy, the reason I asked Lord Orochimaru to contact you is because I sensed your extraordinary nature when I used my secret technique. It's truly remarkable. Yuliu's constitution is somewhat special. She was separated from her parents immediately after birth, and as a baby, she was difficult to identify. I originally intended to use a secret technique to confirm her identity, but unexpectedly, the technique pointed to you. Your constitution is even more special than Yuliu's."

He spoke with exceptional composure, carrying a convincing force.

Orochimaru stood not far away, his snake-like pupils narrowed. His impression of Shinnō was far more than that of a Genius Scientist.

He had seen plenty of Genius Scientists, but not a single one who possessed Shinnō's bearing and grace in every gesture.

This was the air of someone who had occupied a position of power for a long time, deliberately pretending to be affable and approachable.

Hmm, he's very similar to Teacher Hiruzen...

That was strange. In the Shinobi World, it was understandable for a powerful individual to appear out of nowhere. Might Duy, the Eternal Genin of the Third Shinobi World War, had shocked the entire Shinobi World, as well as everyone within Konoha.

Orochimaru still remembered how shaken he had been at the time.

Shocking, but understandable.

However, it was absolutely impossible for someone in a position of power to appear out of nowhere. As the name suggested, a person in power needed countless subordinates to support them. How could that be possible without a massive faction? But how could a massive faction appear out of nowhere?

Interesting!

It seemed he could offer Shinnō even more courtesy. All of this had already been assigned a price by fate.

Retsuo noticed Orochimaru's expression. It was rather frightening, but unfortunately, Shinnō couldn't see it.

If it had been anyone else, Retsuo would have said goodbye immediately. Presumably, Orochimaru had no intention of forcing him. But Shinnō was different. He slowly nodded. "Grandpa, I won't have any problems, will I?"

Shinnō was a person with special abilities, an extremely high-end individual. Even in scientific research, he was probably on Orochimaru's level, possessing a certain uniqueness throughout the entire Shinobi World.

It was perfectly normal for someone like that to possess abilities he didn't know about.

Shinnō spread his arms and said emotionally, "I just heard Lord Orochimaru say that your secret technique can sense the hostility others hold toward you? Then there's no mistaking it. I'm conducting research into Spiritual Energy. Everyone who can be sensed by my secret technique is, uh... someone capable of containing other people's Spiritual Energy. It seems that's what your secret technique is detecting. There's no mistake."

As he spoke, he pointed at Yuliu in the baby carriage. "I said Yuliu's constitution was special because she, too, is capable of containing other people's Spiritual Energy. And you're even stronger than Yuliu in that regard."

Retsuo relaxed slightly. This level of discovery was still relatively safe for his Yin Release Barrier. Could he even turn around and make use of Shinnō? After all, his Yin Release Barrier also needed further development, while his own methods were honestly rather poor.

As for Shinnō, judging solely from his ability to detect people capable of containing other people's Spiritual Energy, his perception was extremely accurate!

He was very useful.

As they spoke, Shinnō looked agitated. With sincerity and urgency, he said, "Retsuo, join me in conducting this great research. This is research that could change the entire Shinobi World. Do you know what it means to contain other people's Spiritual Energy? It means the legend of the Sage of Six Paths may be true. Connecting people through Chakra and allowing them to understand one another is possible! It will be extremely difficult, but it is also a perfectly suitable goal for one's life."

"I refuse." Retsuo didn't hesitate. "My ideal is to become Hokage."

"Uh... During the time I'm staying in Konoha, could I ask Lord Retsuo to set aside some time to help me conduct research? In fact, I've been searching for a laboratory assistant for a long time. I've never seen anyone with a constitution like Lord Retsuo's."

Shinnō: Heh, that's called settling for second best. This way, I can make my arrangements without anyone noticing. Heh heh, this Uchiha Clan brat is still too green...

Uchiha Retsuo: Heh, then I'll just have to reluctantly fall for the trap...

"Sure. When do we start?"

At that moment, the stinging sensation on the Yin Release Barrier reached its peak.

Retsuo was delighted inwardly. Shinnō had spent so long talking simply because he wanted to make him the Zero-Tails Jinchuriki.

Such pure malice. He was definitely more suitable than Yuliu for raising the Zero-Tails.

Just what I wanted!

Retsuo had no interest whatsoever in the Zero-Tails or Dark Chakra, but he was interested in Shinnō's skills.

Shinnō's capabilities went far beyond the Zero-Tails. One shouldn't forget that he was also the leader of the Sky Ninja Village, completely overwhelming the entire Shinobi World in the field of "advanced equipment." Not to mention the flying Angkor Fortress, even those standard-issue flying devices were enough to leave Konoha in the dust.

This wasn't an opportunity one could encounter just anywhere, especially for Retsuo in his current state.

Over the past few days, he had constantly tried to develop his Yin Release Barrier, and had actually gotten close to a minor bottleneck. The key issue was that he had to work in secret and couldn't develop it openly, so his progress had been painfully slow.

Now, all he needed to do was prevent Shinnō from discovering the truth about the Yin Release Barrier.

He could even borrow Orochimaru's advanced equipment. This was the perfect time, while Shinnō and Orochimaru were still in their honeymoon phase. Nice!

Come to think of it, Orochimaru was the one person who hadn't shown the slightest hostility toward him. Even when they had first met in the small woods, the Yin Release Barrier hadn't sounded any alarm. To be fair, Retsuo had even wondered whether the alarm was malfunctioning at the time. He hadn't expected that Orochimaru genuinely harbored no malice.

That was a stark contrast to his long tongue and his expression.

Orochimaru wore an amused expression as he casually pulled out a pitch-black rod and handed it to Shinnō. "In that case, Mr. Shinnō, my mission is more or less complete. You may use my laboratory during these days. However, there's a device inside that can transmit Chakra between two ninjas. It's extremely precise, so you must make good use of it."

As he spoke, he stared at Shinnō's hands, as if there were something in his palms that interested him.

That subtle look also stirred something in Retsuo's heart, but Shinnō's expression remained unchanged.

He only clenched his hands tighter.

Another Monday. I'm here to collect votes as usual.