There might not even be any gain.
And whether Samui would give it or not was another matter.
All of this was merely to… open a small crack.
Yes.
Just to open a crack.
Seiji understood very clearly that with his current identity and strength, he was not qualified to directly obtain something of high value from Kumogakure.
Rather than pushing too far, it was better to lower his posture and request something insignificant.
Using a D-rank ninjutsu as the bargaining chip would not make Samui feel threatened, nor would it raise her suspicions.
This was simply to test Samui's bottom line.
Seiji stood there quietly.
Behind him, the dim lights stretched his shadow across the floor.
"Until next time, Miss Samui."
He placed the scroll carefully into his ninja tool pouch, making sure no one would notice it, then turned to leave.
This matter…
was far from over.
This time it was only a D-rank technique.
Next time, the sincerity would have to be greater.
Enough to cause emotional fluctuations in his Sharingan.
Before leaving, Seiji also bought a portion of sushi from the shop.
Halfway along the road home, someone suddenly bumped into him.
Smack.
The sushi he was carrying fell to the ground.
"Sorry! I'm really sorry!"
The girl with slightly curly hair and a face still carrying a hint of baby fat apologized hurriedly.
"I… I'll pay for the sushi."
Kurenai Yuhi looked at the rice balls scattered across the ground and bowed apologetically to the person she had bumped into.
When she raised her head and saw who it was, she realized it was actually her classmate.
"Y-You're Seiji, right? I'm really sorry."
"It's fine, Kurenai."
Seiji shook his head.
The sushi had only been a cover in the first place.
He needed a reasonable excuse to enter the sushi shop.
If he went there and left without doing anything, it would look suspicious.
Last time he stayed there for quite a long time.
This time he had only been inside for a few minutes.
Buying sushi helped avoid drawing attention.
"No, I have to compensate you with the same sushi."
Kurenai insisted and tried to drag Seiji back to the shop.
"It's already late. They're closed."
"You bought it from the sushi shop on the street behind us?"
"Yes."
"No wonder… they always close early at night."
Kurenai lowered her head, not knowing what to do.
Earlier at the Ninja Academy, she had been thinking about asking Seiji about genjutsu, since he possessed the Sharingan.
Yet today she had ruined the sushi he bought.
Wasn't that basically offending him?
"You can compensate me with something else."
Seiji said calmly.
Kurenai's eyes lit up immediately.
She quickly agreed.
Ten minutes later, the two of them arrived at a restaurant.
Kurenai ordered several dishes with ease before handing the menu to Seiji.
When Seiji opened it, he saw it was filled with various fish dishes.
Most of them involved different ways of preparing octopus.
He casually ordered one dish and placed the menu aside.
Soon, the table was filled with food.
The dish with the largest portion was wasabi octopus.
According to the official databooks, Kurenai's favorite foods included shochu, vodka, and wasabi octopus, while the food she disliked the most was cake.
"Seiji… after an Uchiha awakens the Sharingan, their genjutsu ability becomes stronger, right?"
Kurenai asked after taking a bite of the wasabi octopus.
"There is some improvement, but the exact effect still depends on the individual's mastery."
Seiji replied while looking at her.
The Sharingan did provide a boost.
But the boost had its limits.
If the user was already a ninja skilled in genjutsu, then their Sharingan genjutsu would naturally become stronger.
For example, during the period of the databook Rin no Sho, Kakashi and Kurenai were compared.
Kurenai's Genjutsu stat was 10, while Kakashi—despite having a three-tomoe Sharingan—had a Genjutsu stat of 8.
Kakashi's Sharingan was far more powerful in copying abilities than in genjutsu.
"Then… Seiji, would you have time to practice genjutsu with me sometime?"
Kurenai's red eyes looked at him expectantly.
If what Seiji said was true, then her theory was completely correct.
As long as she worked hard enough, she could catch up to the Uchiha with the Sharingan and prove the strength of her father's genjutsu legacy.
"That's fine. But it will have to be later."
"Tomorrow I'll be sparring with Obito, and after school I still need to train my chakra control."
Seiji glanced at Kurenai.
She was very cute.
That was Seiji's evaluation.
But he actually preferred the future version of Kurenai, the one with the mature charm.
Such "beautiful things"…
would probably have their own unique flavor when tasted.
Seiji could feel a warm current slowly circulating within his left eye.
Of course, it was still too early for anything.
Practicing genjutsu with Kurenai was not a bad idea either.
Most Uchiha genjutsu relied heavily on the Sharingan itself.
Using other methods to cast genjutsu was actually rarer.
Yet the Yuhi clan still managed to become specialists in genjutsu despite the Uchiha's fame.
They definitely had some real skills.
"That's great!"
Kurenai closed her eyes happily, her smile forming crescent shapes.
In her heart, she felt that Seiji was a very approachable and kind person.
She even thought that perhaps people from the Land of Lightning were naturally easy to talk to.
She had no idea at all…
why Seiji had truly agreed to her request.
Deep inside the secret room of the sushi shop…
"Lord Samodo."
Samui spoke respectfully.
"Did Yotsuki Seiji come?"
Samodo asked.
"…He asked for a D-rank scroll."
Samui hesitated slightly before briefly recounting how Seiji obtained the Lightning Release: Iron Body scroll.
However, she did not repeat everything exactly.
Instead, she explained it lightly, saying Seiji simply seemed unsatisfied with the scroll he had been given.
She deliberately omitted the part where Seiji mentioned her words.
Her calm personality ensured her expression remained unchanged, as if she were simply reporting something ordinary.
"Very good."
"From now on, you will continue to interact with Yotsuki Seiji. Make sure to recruit him into Kumogakure."
Samodo nodded with satisfaction.
His attention focused on Seiji asking for the scroll.
It was best if Seiji wanted something.
Usually, when ninja first walked the path of becoming a ninja, they determined their combat style.
Once Seiji became accustomed to using Lightning Release techniques, he would naturally continue asking them for more.
The Uchiha clan had some Lightning Release techniques.
But they could not compare with Kumogakure, which was famous for them.
The Uchiha clan's true specialty was Fire Release.
Their clan symbol was the flame fan, representing those who wield flames.
"The Uchiha bloodline limit will definitely strengthen the village's foundation."
Samodo picked up a piece of sushi from the table in the secret room and swallowed it.
Once he obtained this achievement, would he still need to act as a spy everywhere?
Doing such exhausting work?
If it weren't for the chance to rise further within the village, he would never risk infiltrating Konoha like this.
One small mistake and he would become nothing more than a discarded pawn.
"Yes… and Lord Samodo…"
After a moment, Samui bit her lip.
It seemed better to clarify the truth.
(End of Chapter)