[NTU] [ARC-11] Chapter : 144 (Patreon)

After a fruitless meeting, Toshiro narrowed his eyes as he watched Uchiha Homura follow his elder brother. The guy's growth had truly exceeded his expectations.

Based on his knowledge of Uchiha Hikitsune, he was not the eloquent type. Yet, in this meeting, he had rendered Elder Yinagi of the second branch speechless with his well-structured and logical arguments. He even presented a detailed plan and a backup plan.

Toshiro was convinced that Uchiha Homura had guided him. His style of orchestrating things from the background has been evident since childhood.

'But this is fine,' Toshiro thought. Since he had no interest in leading the clan into coups or becoming Hokage, having such a cunning person watch over things meant the clan would likely avoid major problems. Even if trouble arose, Toshiro was confident he could restore order.

For now, though...

"Kirishima, when Orochimaru defected, which direction did he go in?"

The key now is to leverage Orochimaru's resources and make plans for the future.

"Orochimaru? Toshiro, the Hokage didn’t ask our police forces to send anyone to arrest him! Why are you asking about Orochimaru’s whereabouts now? Are you planning something?"

"Don’t worry about it. Just tell me which direction he escaped in."

Ignoring his friend's skeptical gaze, Toshiro pressed on.

"He headed towards the northern border."

Kirishima, without much hesitation, answered his friend and captain.

"Wait!" Kirishima called as Toshiro turned to leave. "Well… Asuka and I… are planning to get married next month. When the time comes, I want you there for us."

Kirishima scratched his head, smiling.

Toshiro, momentarily stunned, replied, "You just turned 18 this year right? Are you getting married so early?"

Seeing Kirishima's silly smile, Toshiro was at a loss. These two, nearly the similar age as him, were choosing to marry so soon!

"I’ve turned 18 some time ago...and there’s a lot of pressure at home...so..."

Ryuuka, usually confident, spoke shyly and stammered.

"I see. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

With that, Toshiro headed towards Konoha's gate without looking back.

Members of the Uchiha clan, especially childhood sweethearts like Kirishima and Asaka, often married early. But if this happened, wouldn’t Mei-nee put him under even more pressure?

Thinking of Hana's soft, delicate body, the rich fragrance, and her mature charm, Toshiro couldn't help but reminisce.

Lost in thought, Toshiro, wearing a police force uniform, walked out of Konoha’s gate, ignoring the guards at the entrance.

Following the information given by Kirishima and tracing the signs of battle along the way, Toshiro advanced steadily. Before reaching the border of the Land of Fire, he encountered a despondent figure.

"Hey! Kakashi, you look terrible with that expression!"

Seeing a man standing there in a daze, Toshiro greeted him.

Kakashi was in his ANBU attire, but without his mask. Glancing at the mask split into two halves on the ground, Toshiro understood what had transpired, but he couldn’t resist teasing him.

"Toshiro! Why are you here?"

Surprised by Toshiro’s arrival, Kakashi asked.

"Well... the Sandaime Hokage is concerned about your safety, so he sent me to assist you and check on things."

Using the Sandaime Hokage as an excuse without hesitation, Toshiro crafted a quick lie.

"Is that so... Orochimaru is heading towards the border. If you're chasing him, he's not far ahead."

Kakashi didn’t question it further, believing that Toshiro was genuinely sent by the Hokage to pursue Orochimaru. At this point, he wasn’t the future strategist of Konoha and had no reason to doubt Toshiro's words. And he was too unnerved by Orochimaru at the moment.

"Do you need my assistance?"

Finally, Kakashi asked, showing some spirit despite his earlier defeat.

"Forget it... you're too weak! If you want to help, just summon Pakkun to assist me in tracking!"

Given Orochimaru's formidable strength, Kakashi would be of little help. Additionally, Toshiro couldn’t reveal too much about his true purpose for seeking Orochimaru.

He pondered why the Sandaime Hokage sent Kakashi to chase Orochimaru. Was it to test Kakashi's loyalty or to gauge Orochimaru's attitude toward the village?

'Those in high positions always have ulterior motives,' he thought.

"We meet again, Pakkun!"

"Toshiro, it's you!"

Seeing Toshiro, Pakkun wrinkled his nose, his dog face scrunching up in a very human-like manner.

"You've really become ridiculously strong!"

The nose, being its most vital organ, not only helps find prey but also judges the strength of targets. Pakkun had heard Toshiro was powerful enough to stand up to Kyuubi, but meeting him in person revealed it to be even more intimidating.

"People change, but Pakkun still looks so delicious!"

Toshiro picked up the brown puppy, examining it from head to toe.

'Hmm~ I wonder if this chakra-infused dog meat tastes better?' he mused.

"Kakashi!"

Seeing Toshiro's look, Pakkun instinctively tucked its tail between its legs. As an animal, its instincts told it Toshiro wasn’t joking. Being targeted by such a powerful guy, it sought Kakashi’s protection.

Had Kakashi not been there, Pakkun might have canceled the summoning on instinct.

"It's okay, Pakkun! Toshiro was just joking with you!"

"You'll assist Toshiro in tracking Orochimaru. I won't be coming with you."

"No!"

Even though Pakkun knew Toshiro was likely joking, he was reluctant to accompany him. What if Toshiro’s hunger turned real?

In the forest, towering trees reached the clouds, their branches and leaves intertwined, blocking out the sky and sun. Each tree stood like an ancient guardian, silently overseeing this mysterious land.

A gloomy atmosphere permeated the forest, imparting an indescribable sense of oppression. The ground was wet underfoot. A breeze stirred the leaves, creating a rustling sound that seemed to whisper something, causing hearts to palpitate. Everything in this forest appeared strange and mysterious, invoking a sense of awe.

In the distance, a figure wearing a green ninja vest appeared at the edge of the line of sight, walking at a leisurely pace. His long hair flowed down naturally, and his body was slightly thin with sickly pale skin. A look of joy and relief occasionally flashed in his penetrating eyes. It was Orochimaru, who had just defected from Konoha.

He held his waist with one hand, blood staining the area. To an uninformed observer, he might have seemed like an unlucky man with a wound at his waist.

"Kukuku! Kakashi-kun, how dare you come after me!" Orochimaru taunted. "In that case, I don’t mind killing you… This is better than dying in some unknown corner. I will make good use of your body and the Sharingan in your eyes. Thank you for your contribution to my immortality. You should be honored!"

He turned and cast his gaze in the direction he had come from. Although Kakashi was the kid favored by the Third Hokage, a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, and White Fang’s son, Orochimaru thought it better to use him as experimental material rather than let him decay in obscurity.

"The target has been located! I’m leaving now!" Pakkun, having guided Toshiro to Orochimaru, hurriedly fled, fearing that Toshiro might decide to stew him. Pakkun vanished in a puff of white smoke after finding Orochimaru.

"I didn’t expect Orochimaru-senpai to be interested in the Uchiha bloodline as well. Isn't that quite a headache to my clan?" Toshiro said, appearing directly in front of Orochimaru with a playful expression.

"It’s you! I thought it was Kakashi who came here!" Orochimaru licked his lips and squinted at Toshiro, as if pondering the reason for his appearance. Was it on sensei’s command or another plan?

"It seems that the Sandaime Hokage still cares deeply for you, Senpai! Even when he could have captured or killed you, he only issued a moderate punishment and let you go. It’s truly a touching master-disciple relationship!" Toshiro remarked, not hesitating to rub salt into Orochimaru’s wounds after noticing the scars on his waist from an exploding tag.

"It’s different for us, Uchiha. If there were any betrayal from our side, your esteemed sensei probably wouldn’t let us off so easily!"

"Oh! It appears Toshiro wasn’t sent by Sarutobi-sensei to hunt me down. If that’s the case, what brings you here this time?" Orochimaru squinted his eyes, scrutinizing Toshiro. Despite the age difference being negligible between him and Kakashi, he was in no hurry to act.

The gap between the two was stark, and Orochimaru's current condition was far from ideal.

"I remember, six years ago, Orochimaru-senpai made a trade for several ninjutsu from me. That incident left a deep impression on me!" Toshiro said, pulling out a scroll and waving it at Orochimaru. "I worked tirelessly to catch up with you this time, hoping to make a deal before you leave Konoha completely!"

Ignoring Orochimaru's sour expression, Toshiro tossed the scroll to him and waited silently for his reaction.

"…"

"Toshiro-kun, you don’t think you can defeat me with some minor tricks like that idiot Kakashi, do you? That would be truly irritating…" Orochimaru said, not even bothering to ask what ninjutsu Toshiro wanted to exchange. He took out a sharp kunai and licked its edge, savoring the taste of blood still lingering on it. He also removed his left hand from his waist, his body tensing as if preparing for a big jutsu.

"Is Orochimaru-senpai preparing to use a summoning jutsu? I think you should consider the consequences of fighting me here! That’s not what a smart person like you would do," Toshiro warned, his eyes glowing red, an unsettling sight.

"This is… the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Orochimaru said, his gaze fixated on the intricate patterns in Toshiro’s eyes. Instead of showing wariness, he examined Toshiro with eagerness, even closing his eyes momentarily to sense Toshiro’s chakra.

"Toshiro-kun, you truly are talented, having awakened the legendary power! But I’m curious, what ninjutsu are you interested in?" Reluctantly tearing his gaze away, Orochimaru asked his question.

Seeing that Toshiro possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, Orochimaru acknowledged that he was indeed qualified to make this deal, especially given his own unfavorable situation. However, thoughts of his sensei and Danzo Shimura, who had been meticulously monitoring Uchiha's activities, crossed his mind. He wondered how they would react to this news—shock, disbelief, or fear?

The thought made him laugh uncontrollably.

"Is this guy’s mental state really this unstable?" Toshiro thought, feeling a headache coming on. He wondered if it was because Orochimaru had injected part of his soul into Anko’s body as a backup for his own rebirth. Orochimaru seemed somewhat weak, especially under the gaze of Toshiro’s new eyes, which made it even more apparent. But these issues were not Toshiro's concern.