For the next month, Xuandou led a fairly leisurely life.
He handed all the administrative affairs of the Konoha Military Police Force over to Fugaku.
Even though Konoha's crime rate remained high, what did Fugaku being run off his feet have to do with him?
He either sought out Kurenai for some "in-depth exchanges" on genjutsu, which lasted well into the night.
Or he trained Pakura, slowly turning her into a competent secretary.
Yes, competent in every respect.
Occasionally, he also checked on Goumu Yanō's construction progress.
The empty lot in the clan compound had been fenced off, and clanging rang out from it all day long.
Passing Uchiha clan members craned their necks to look, curious about what was being built inside.
But the craftsmen were tight-lipped; whoever they asked simply shook their head.
That only made everyone more curious.
Xuandou offered no explanation, merely smiling as he said:
"Once it's finished, I guarantee it'll surprise you."
That day, Xuandou had just finished inspecting the construction site with Pakura.
Goumu Yanō had already said that the first building would be completed within the next few days.
The others would take a few days longer.
Xuandou began looking forward to it.
Xuandou was considering going home to continue "training" Pakura when someone suddenly appeared before him.
It was a female ninja who looked about Shisui's age, around twelve or thirteen.
She wore a black, form-fitting outfit with a fishnet bra underneath, hugging the curves of her newly developing figure.
A pair of pale legs extended beneath her short skirt, with ninja boots on her feet.
Her dark purple hair was tied in a high ponytail, her bangs covered half her face, and her visible eye held a hint of roguishness.
She planted both hands on her hips and raised her chin.
"Xuandou, my teacher wants to see you!"
The moment she finished speaking, the system's voice rang out in Xuandou's mind:
[Ding! Suitable female ninja for dual cultivation detected.] [Name: Mitaraishi Anko Kekkei Genkai: Cursed Seal of Heaven Strength: Chunin Overall rating: A]
Huh?
Xuandou froze for a moment.
Mitaraishi Anko?
Of course he knew this girl, Orochimaru's disciple, a dango-loving mature beauty in the original story.
But now... isn't she way too young?!
Looking at the little girl before him, who had yet to fully grow, he kept shaking his head inwardly.
At twelve, she would still be a middle school student on Blue Star.
Granted, in the Shinobi World, some went to war at twelve, and marrying and having children at that age was hardly uncommon.
But he had memories of Blue Star, after all. He still needed some boundaries.
Wait a couple of years. Let her grow up first.
"Your teacher... is Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin?"
Anko nodded.
Xuandou narrowed his eyes.
Orochimaru wanted to see him?
What was he after?
He thought it over. He now had the Mangekyō Sharingan, so even if Orochimaru had something underhanded in mind, he might not be able to do anything to him.
"All right, lead the way."
He wanted to see exactly what Orochimaru was up to, too.
Anko led Xuandou and Pakura out of the village.
The three traveled through the woods for half an hour before arriving at a familiar place-the Forest of Death.
Anko did not stop. She led them deep into the forest, finally coming to a halt before a massive, moss-covered rock.
She pressed a hand against the rock, and a gap suddenly opened in the ground, revealing stairs leading down.
"Please."
Xuandou glanced at the pitch-black entrance and stepped inside.
The staircase was long, and the farther down they went, the colder and gloomier it became.
Dim oil lamps burned at intervals along both sides of the passage, their flames flickering and stretching their shadows long.
An indescribable smell hung in the air, like medicinal chemicals, yet also like something rotting.
After they rounded a corner, the space before them suddenly opened up.
It was an enormous underground chamber, with recesses carved into all four walls, filled with glass jars of various sizes.
The dim yellow light shone on the jars, illuminating the things soaking inside:
Human arms, eyeballs, and organs he could not name floated up and down in pale green liquid.
Several iron beds stood in a corner, dark brown stains lingering on their surfaces.
Various tools hung on the walls-hooks, tweezers, and saws-gleaming coldly in the lamplight.
Xuandou's eyelid twitched, but he did not stop walking.
They passed through this area and along another corridor, finally reaching a room at the very back.
The room was somewhat brighter than outside, with more lamps burning on all four walls.
A man stood in the center.
He wore a grayish-white kimono with a purple rope belt around his waist, its collar wide open to reveal his pale chest.
His long black hair fell to his waist, and his complexion was almost sickly pale.
His face was exceptionally handsome, with long, narrow eyes and brows, and thin lips curved in something between a smile and no smile at all.
Most striking were his eyes: golden, slit pupils like a snake's, which sent chills down a person's back when he stared at them.
"Xuandou-kun, you came, just as I expected."
Orochimaru's voice was low and hoarse, with an indescribably effeminate quality.
Xuandou stopped before him, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
"Lord Orochimaru, I saw quite a few things on the way here. These experiments... are expressly forbidden in Konoha."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, his smile cold and utterly devoid of warmth.
"Mundane rules mean nothing to me. You're a clever man, Xuandou-kun. I believe you can understand."
Xuandou did not respond.
He did admire Orochimaru.
The man was intelligent and an excellent researcher, with many ideas far ahead of this era.
Strictly speaking, he was not a bad person either; many of his ideas simply were not permitted in this era.
But when dealing with someone like him, one had to stay constantly on guard against being bitten in return.
Not bothering to beat around the bush, he asked directly:
"What did you wish to see me about, Lord Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru stared at him, his golden slit pupils motionless.
"I'm very interested in the Uchiha's Sharingan. I'd like to study it."
Xuandou raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you know I'm the Uchiha Clan Head? Aren't you afraid I'll turn on you for saying that to my face?"
The smile at the corners of Orochimaru's mouth deepened.
"If someone as rigid as Fugaku were the clan head, I would simply abduct a few Uchiha in secret and study them at my leisure. But with you, I'm willing to try talking, and I believe you'll have your own ways."
Xuandou neither agreed nor disagreed.
Seeing this, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
His tongue was long and thin, like a snake's.
"Experiments can help us uncover the secrets of Kekkei Genkai. I can share my research results with you as well."
"How do I contact you?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
He took a scroll from his sleeve and tossed it to Xuandou.
Xuandou caught it and unrolled it, revealing a Summoning Technique formula.
He nodded and put the scroll away.
"All right, I'll be leaving, then."
With that, he turned and left with Pakura.
Standing in a corner, Anko watched Xuandou's back disappear at the end of the corridor.
She bit her lip, walked over to Orochimaru, and said softly:
"Teacher... I... I don't want to take part in these experiments anymore..."
Orochimaru turned his head, his golden slit pupils settling on her.
His gaze was icy, without any emotion.
Anko's back tingled, and all her hairs stood on end.
Before she could react, her neck suddenly grew hot.
Immediately afterward, that heat spread rapidly, like a searing branding iron pressed against her skin, like countless needles stabbing into her blood vessels.
"Aah!"
Anko's legs buckled, and she dropped straight to her knees.
Clutching her neck with both hands, she curled up like a shrimp, trembling all over.
Sweat burst out at once, streaming down her cheeks.
"No... don't... it hurts..."
She curled up on the ground, her teeth chattering. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out; she could only force broken syllables from her throat.
"Hot... so hot... Teacher... I was wrong..."
Orochimaru looked down at her, his expression utterly unchanged.
Only when Anko's struggles gradually weakened did he slowly speak:
"You are my most perfect experimental subject. So..."
He paused, bent down, and leaned close to Anko's ear.
"I don't want to hear those words again."
Meanwhile, it was already late at night when Xuandou returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound with Pakura.
Moonlight spilled over the stone-paved road, and everything around them was silent.
Xuandou had just placed his hand on Pakura's waist and had yet to do anything when a voice suddenly came from behind him:
"Lord Xuandou."
Shisui stepped out of the shadows and dropped to one knee.
Two people lay facedown on the ground beside him, their hands and feet bound, utterly motionless.
"These two tried to abduct Uchiha clan members just now. I caught them."