No one knew the Third Hokage's tricks better than Danzo.
From the day Teacher Tobirama died, Danzo had been watching the Third, witnessing his growth.
From a young man who took over in a crisis, he gradually transformed into a ruthless, kind-faced, evil-hearted hero of the ninja world. Even now that he was old and frail, he was not someone a mere Kusagakure Ninja could bully.
Danzo didn't know what the old man was thinking now, but he was definitely not as weak as he seemed on the surface.
However... Danzo had no interest in reminding the young punk in front of him. Besides, what this guy said wasn't wrong. At least until the Third made his move, this deal was profitable.
"You Kusagakure Ninja want to make a private deal with me?"
"Do you know how much I have to pay to do this under the Hokage's nose?"
Cold light flashed in Danzo's eyes, "And how much are you willing to pay?"
The masked Kusagakure Ninja smiled, "That depends on how much you can do."
Anyway, from the beginning, the Kusagakure Ninja hadn't planned on profiting from this. Danzo's resurgence in Konoha was itself Kusagakure Ninja's goal.
...
The Uchiha clan grounds.
"Wah wah wah..."
Inside a bedroom, a child's crying suddenly rang out.
Itachi, who was serving tea to his father and teacher in the living room, paused slightly, clearly drawn by the sound.
Fugaku nodded slightly when he saw this, "Go take care of your younger brother..." He paused, then added, "Hold him farther away."
Children's crying often happens for no reason, and it won't stop for a while.
After watching Itachi leave, Fugaku turned his gaze to Orochimaru, his eyes a little more eager, "I heard that Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan has been restored, why didn't you tell me?"
"This is not a big deal, just fulfilling our original agreement."
Orochimaru took a sip of hot tea and smiled calmly.
He was the one who had Shisui reveal the matter of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Anyway, judging from Shisui's attitude, he hadn't intended to keep it a secret.
The reason he personally urged it was naturally to cheer up Fugaku and increase his financial investment.
Yes, Orochimaru was running out of funds again.
The research in the past two years had yielded so many results thanks to the strong support of the Uchiha. If he had followed his usual fund-raising model, it would have taken at least three to five times longer.
But the preparation for new research consumed a huge amount of money.
Fortunately, the money hadn't disappeared, it had just turned into experimental equipment, existing in another form.
Orochimaru put down his tea cup and stared at Fugaku, smiling, "Restoring the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan is not a difficult thing, just a matter of time. Today, I came to you to talk about the thing we discussed last time."
The thing last time?
Fugaku frowned and thought for a moment, his eyes widening slightly, "Are you talking about… the surgery suitable for ordinary clan members?"
"That's right, this matter is already showing progress."
Orochimaru licked his lips, "It's just lacking a formal experiment."
"This is really great."
Fugaku was overjoyed, he really didn't expect this matter to progress so quickly, he thought it would take a year or two like Shisui's Mangekyo.
Obviously, the Fugaku Clan leader, who was about to be fleeced again, hadn't figured out what this meant.
Orochimaru didn't mind being clearer, "Fugaku Clan leader, the formal experiment still needs a lot of funds."
Mentioning money, Fugaku frowned immediately, "Didn't you just get a sum three months ago?"
Thirty or forty million ryo was not a small amount, enough to sell the Hokage's son's life.
"Scientific research is like training ninjas, it's never enough when you actually use it."
Orochimaru shook his head, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, inciting, "The money won't disappear, it's just changing into another form. Do you want it to stay in the warehouse like dead things, or use it effectively on the Uchiha clan members?"
"You need to know, this kind of body modification is better the sooner you do it."
Under Orochimaru's gaze, Fugaku's mouth went dry. He grabbed his tea cup and quickly took a sip to suppress the impulse in his heart.
Thirty or forty million ryo, the Uchiha could still take it out, but accumulating the family's wealth wasn't done in a day or two. Orochimaru wanted it too quickly and was asking for too much.
"Orochimaru-sama, how much will the formal experiment cost? And how much will it cost to perform the surgery on the clan members after it succeeds?"
"This..."
Orochimaru licked his lips, "I can't give you a specific number yet, but it should... not be much."
"Not much..."
Fugaku repeated, feeling heavy in his heart.
But before he could ask clearly, there was a knock on the door.
Fugaku frowned slightly, "What is it?"
The guard at the door reported, "Clan leader, the leader of the samurai from the Land of Iron has come to visit, saying they have important matters to discuss."
"The leader of the samurai?"
A surprised look flashed in Fugaku's eyes. He had heard about the Land of Iron, but in the ninja world, the rise and fall of small countries was normal. He had no intention of interfering, but he didn't expect the other party to come to his door.
After pondering for a moment, just as he was about to make up a reason to send them away, he saw Orochimaru give him a look.
"Let them in."
After the guard ninja left, Fugaku looked at Orochimaru, only to hear him smile, "These samurai are probably not here to see you, but to see me."
"Why is that?" Fugaku wondered, but Orochimaru smiled without saying a word.
Soon, Mifune arrived in the living room with two samurai.
When he saw that Orochimaru was also here, a hint of excitement flashed in Mifune's eyes. Although he quickly suppressed it, it didn't escape Fugaku's eyes.
"Orochimaru-sama, Fugaku Clan leader..."
Mifune greeted the two of them one by one. Behind him, the samurai Okisuke gnashed his teeth at this scene.
If the Land of Iron still existed, even if Orochimaru's strength was extraordinary, why would he, as the leader of the samurai, need to bow to these two people?
Mifune himself also had many feelings, but he wasn't Okisuke, and didn't show them on his face. After a few greetings, he went straight to the point, "Orochimaru-sama, I've heard in Konoha that you can perform physique enhancement surgery, greatly increasing the strength of ninjas. I wonder if this is true?"
Fugaku was enlightened when he heard this. Orochimaru's expression didn't change, "What if it is?"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Mifune's eyes, "Then can you perform the surgery on the samurai of my Land of Iron?"
"As long as you pay enough, this matter is easy to discuss. Anyway, you are not from Konoha, so you are not subject to any restrictions."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his smile suddenly turning cold,
"But you must know that this surgery has considerable risks. For example, if you yourself undergo surgery, it's almost certain you will die."
"Even so, do you still want to do it?"
Mifune hadn't expected Orochimaru to be so easy to talk to, and said decisively, "Of course."
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