Some bonds are forged in blood—others… in sheer absurdity.
"A good person…"
Itachi's expression dimmed.
"Exactly."
Kamizuki Gen stood up with a grin, walked between Orochimaru and Itachi, and casually threw an arm around each of their shoulders.
"Snake-san, Itachi—let's become sworn brothers!"
"…Sworn brothers?"
Itachi blinked, completely stunned.
What kind of development was this?
By all logic—
shouldn't this be blackmail?
Expose his identity.
Exploit him.
Squeeze every last drop of value out of him?
"…Huh?"
Orochimaru's mouth opened slightly, equally confused.
This—
was not the show he had come to watch.
He had expected—
Gen to kill Itachi on the spot.
Then negotiate for the corpse.
The eyes.
Was this… really just a dinner party?
"Yeah, sworn brothers!" Gen laughed, patting Itachi heavily on the shoulder. "The three of us together are ridiculously strong. If we unite, no one in Akatsuki can bully us!"
"…But…"
Itachi didn't even know how to respond.
Who's bullying us?
Was he supposed to fall out with Gen now?
Impossible.
Not when Gen held his secret.
So—
he could only play along.
Beside him—
Orochimaru lowered his head silently.
Not out of thought—
but out of shame.
If this were anyone else—
their arm would already be gone for touching him like this.
He—
Orochimaru.
One of the Legendary Sannin.
Reduced to sitting here—
drinking milk—
playing sworn brother games with two kids.
If Tsunade and Jiraiya ever heard about this—
they'd mock him for life.
Gen laughed loudly.
"Whether you're a spy or not—what does it have to do with me? With Snake-san?"
"You can send whatever intel you want back to Konoha."
"I won't report you."
"Snake-san won't either, right?"
He gave Orochimaru's shoulder a firm pat.
Orochimaru paused—
then nodded.
"…Right."
Whether Itachi leaked information—
meant nothing to him.
As long as it didn't involve him.
Right now—
he just wanted to leave.
"…But…" Itachi hesitated, then steadied himself and asked seriously, "Gen… after this… can we leave?"
Gen blinked.
"Of course."
"What, you think I'm keeping you here overnight?"
At that—
Orochimaru lifted his head immediately.
His smile returned.
He truly didn't want to stay another second.
"Since you're both so eager," Gen clapped his hands, thinking aloud, "we won't go by age—that's boring. Let's rank by strength!"
He burst into laughter.
"Second brother! Third brother!"
Orochimaru and Itachi exchanged a glance.
Then—
sighed.
And played along.
"…Big brother. Second brother," Itachi said flatly.
"…Big brother. Third brother," Orochimaru followed.
"Big bro…"
"Third bro…"
…
…
After seeing off Orochimaru and Itachi—
both leaving with dark expressions—
a notification appeared in Gen's pitch-black world.
[Random Mission: Rain Trio]
[Description: To achieve greatness, one must have brothers from the same homeland who offer unwavering support. Even a god needs selfless teammates!]
[Requirement: Share drinks and form a sworn brotherhood with Orochimaru and Itachi in Amegakure. Both must verbally acknowledge the bond.]
[Completed]
[Reward:]
『Brotherhood』
『Passive — Shared Burden』
Bind two sworn brothers. Within 24 hours, freely draw upon their chakra without limit until they collapse. (∞ uses, refresh every 24 hours)
『Active — Take the Blade』
Transfer damage you receive onto your sworn brothers in portions until they die. (∞ uses, refresh every 24 hours)
System Evaluation: Brotherhood lives in the heart!
"Hahaha!"
Gen dropped onto the sofa, laughing.
"The three of us—now that's what I call brotherhood!"
[Bound Brother: Orochimaru]
[Bound Brother: Uchiha Itachi]
[Binding Complete]
If abilities had tiers—
Gen would rank this one at S.
It was absurdly overpowered.
Even if Orochimaru and Itachi weren't chakra monsters individually—
together—
they formed an excellent "battery."
This perfectly solved Gen's chakra shortage.
And the damage transfer—
meant he effectively had two extra lives.
Sure—
Itachi might not last long.
But Orochimaru?
Durable.
Hard to kill.
Practically the perfect shield.
Now—
even without All Things Equal off cooldown—
Gen felt confident facing a salamander head-on.
"Heh…"
He was just about to hum—
when a voice interrupted.
"Gen."
Itachi.
From the doorway.
Gen tilted his head.
"…Itachi? Why are you back? I told you, no need to stay the night—"
Cough cough cough!
Itachi covered his mouth, coughing violently.
His face pale.
He stood there—
staring straight at Gen.
"Have you… truly betrayed the village?"
He had waited until Orochimaru left—
then returned.
Just for this answer.
"…Does it matter?" Gen asked calmly.
"…It matters to me."
Gen walked closer.
Shook his head.
"Itachi… whether it's you or me—"
"No matter how we justify it…"
"What we've done…"
"Will one day become the evidence used to judge us."
"No."
Itachi shook his head firmly.
"I did it for the village."
Only when he said those words—
did he feel a fleeting sense of peace.
The same kind—
as when Gen cursed him earlier.
Gen smiled faintly.
"Itachi."
"You love the village…"
"But does the village love you?"
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