Freelancer in the Ninja World

Right at the moment Orochimaru was fiddling with the scroll—

[Congratulations, Host! The lottery system upgrade is complete!]

[Intermediate draws are now available! Each draw costs 1,000 Employment Points, with a minimum of 10 draws!]

Senshi's mind went blank for a moment.

"How much?! 1,000 points for a single draw?"

He had anticipated that the cost might go up after the upgrade, but he never expected it to jump tenfold. Quickly, he glanced at his balance:

[Employment Points: 15,231]

Let's try one pull and see how it goes.

[Deducting 10,000 Employment Points! Remaining balance: 5,231 points.]

[Drawing…]

[Congratulations! You've obtained…]

• 1 Pair of Sharingan

• Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse, a Kekkai Genkai)

• +10 Chakras

• +8 Physical Strength Units (labeled "Kai")

• x10 Lv80 "Surprise Apples"

• +6 Physical Strength Units (Kai)

• 1 Thunder Stone

• x100 Ichiraku Ramen

…

He'd drawn chakra again? In fact, after his chakra and body strength had both reached SSSS-level, he hadn't drawn any similar upgrades for a while. Apparently, you have to upgrade the system first before you can draw these again.

What's more, the odds of getting good items seemed significantly higher now: he even drew two Kekkai Genkai at once, plus two other strange items:

[Thunder Stone]: A mysterious stone containing "evolutionary power." When carried, it enhances lightning-type techniques.

[Lv80 Surprise Apple]: From what Senshi recalled, its flavor improved with the "surprised level"; the higher the "Lv" of shock or fright, the tastier it became.

One came from Toriko, and the other from Pokémon. He never expected that after the upgrade, he'd start drawing items from other worlds.

Before he could think more on the matter, Orochimaru finished his preparations. Black patterns crisscrossed the floor, stretching out in all directions—reminding Senshi of the "human transmutation circles" from Fullmetal Alchemist. Compared to the first time he saw Orochimaru's research seals, this one was clearly much larger and more complex.

Having laid everything out, Orochimaru turned to Senshi:

"Based on our long-term employment contract, you're obliged to cooperate with my research on your chakra. Now please follow the agreement: go sit in the center of the array and refine your chakra. I need to observe and study it."

Senshi heard this and didn't refuse. After all, it was a trivial matter. He soon went to the center, sat down, and began molding chakra. Orochimaru observed the readings from a nearby instrument, his expression impassive, but inside he was utterly shocked.

"What's going on? It hasn't even been that long since I last checked him—how has his chakra level increased so drastically?!"

He was taken aback: Senshi's total chakra now exceeded the maximum this array could even measure. If Kisame—famous for his "tailless Tailed Beast" level of chakra—knew how much Senshi had, he'd likely surrender his nickname on the spot. But Orochimaru's only concern was: How on earth had Senshi achieved such explosive growth?

Beyond that, Senshi's chakra "quality" had also soared. Anyone familiar with Tailed Beast chakra knows that all "equal amounts" of chakra are not the same. One unit of Ten-Tails' chakra far outstrips one unit of a common genin's. Yet Senshi's chakra was now, by far, the highest quality Orochimaru had ever observed. Add in that Senshi possessed an unbelievable affinity for Lightning Release, and Orochimaru couldn't help but wonder:

"Just how powerful is he at full strength these days? Even he might not know."

Finishing his observations, Orochimaru carefully recorded the data on a scroll, then opened his mouth—and a snake shot out, swallowing the scroll in one gulp. Senshi noticed and instantly recognized the infamous "Orochimaru spitting snakes, snakes spitting scrolls" scene. He couldn't help making fun of it in his head. Obviously, Orochimaru had no clue what Senshi was thinking.

After putting the scroll away, Orochimaru turned to Senshi.

"There's another matter I want to discuss."

Senshi rose, looking at Orochimaru.

"What is it?"

Orochimaru glanced at Karin and licked his lips.

"I need a pair of Sharingan."

He gazed at Karin's eyes with undisguised envy. Though his greatest wish was still the Rinnegan, he had seen with his own eyes how that was out of reach. Failing that, obtaining Sharingan would be the next best thing. For most people, acquiring a Sharingan is extremely difficult—just look at how Kumogakure tried to abduct a Hyūga clan princess for their Byakugan. But for Senshi, it shouldn't be much trouble. After all, he'd already transplanted a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan into Karin.

Realizing Orochimaru's aim, Senshi smirked in his mind.

"That's easy enough. Ten million ryō, and I can get you a pair right away."

It's just a pair of Sharingan, he thought. I literally just drew a set. Once Orochimaru issued the commission, Senshi could hand over a jar containing the eyes on the spot. Of course, in reality, he wouldn't do it that simply. He'd probably disappear for a few days to pretend it was a grand undertaking—so he could justify the reward.

But Senshi didn't expect Orochimaru to shake his head and clarify:

"Perhaps I didn't explain my requirements clearly. Let me be more specific."

"I don't only need a pair of Sharingan. I also need a living member of the Uchiha clan who's already awakened their eyes. Without an Uchiha's physique, normal people can't handle the chakra drain of Sharingan. Not everyone is like your Uzumaki clan, with massive chakra reserves. And I have no intention of turning into a Kakashi-like weakling after transplanting them."

For a second, Senshi was left speechless.

"Orochimaru, that's putting me in a tough spot. You know how many living Uchiha are left in the world? Exactly three!"

Counting on his fingers, he explained:

"We've got Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke. That's it."

"Obito's a Cyclops—only one eye. I assume you're not interested in him. Itachi's off-limits because he's part of Akatsuki, and I don't want to clash with the organization and ruin all my future missions. Plus, Sasuke's around Karin's age—a total little brat. What would you even do with him?"

Inwardly, Senshi couldn't help rolling his eyes at how Orochimaru had insulted Kakashi's stamina. For all people tease Kakashi about his low chakra, that never stopped him from using Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall and carving four dog heads into it. Maybe that was the last stubbornness of Copy Ninja Kakashi. If nothing else, he never actually collapsed from "overuse," not in any definitive sense.

As Senshi broke down these hidden pieces of intel, Orochimaru was left dumbfounded—yet again. He'd heard rumors here and there but not in such detail, and certainly not all tied together so neatly. He'd lost count of how often Senshi's uncanny intelligence network stunned him. No matter how secret the intel, Senshi always seems to know.

Intelligence gathering is part of a ninja's power, and Orochimaru realized all over again that Senshi was beyond compare in this department—though in his mind, he labeled Senshi's "brain circuit" as the only questionable point.

After regaining his composure, Orochimaru asked:

"So how exactly do you know all this?"

Senshi just gave a cryptic grin.

"Trade secret."

He certainly wasn't going to reveal that his intel came from a "system." Let Nagato or Orochimaru investigate all they want. Their conclusion would always be: This 'intelligence network' does not exist in the real world.

Seeing no way to pry it out of him, Orochimaru decided to make use of Senshi's mysterious intel-gathering services indirectly. He pondered for a moment and said:

"Tell me more about that cyclops then—Obito, was it?"

Truth be told, Orochimaru felt he had no choice. If Itachi was protected by the Akatsuki, and Sasuke was too young with underdeveloped Sharingan, Obito might be the only option left—even with a single eye.

Senshi felt a bit surprised by the question.

"Wait, you're really going for that cyclops? Forget it, Orochimaru. He only has one eye, so half the abilities are missing. A lot of Sharingan's powers won't work properly."

He wasn't lying. That was pretty much the reality. Shimura Danzo—arguably the man who had the most Sharingan—still couldn't use Susano'o effectively. The eyes mostly ended up as disposable tools for Izanagi or whatever else.

Orochimaru frowned as he mulled it over:

"Well, can't I just find another Sharingan somewhere to make it two? Aren't you the one who supposedly knows where to get them?"

After all, Orochimaru's knowledge of the Uchiha line wasn't very comprehensive. Senshi was momentarily dumbstruck by his idea and quipped:

"Ha. Wow, you're really something else. But it's no good. If it isn't the pair that originally belonged together, it won't offer the full potential. Many of the high-level Sharingan abilities wouldn't work. Obito and Danzo both had spares, and neither of them could develop Susanoo. The real point is, the pair of eyes need to be a matched set. Of course, there is a vanishingly small chance that Obito has a spare stored away somewhere and just never bothered to use it—but I doubt it."

Seeing Orochimaru's face darken, Senshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Though, come to think of it, I do know where Obito's other eye is."

At that, Orochimaru lit up, hope flashing across his features. Just when I thought all was lost, here's a glimmer of possibility.

If Obito could recover his missing eye, then he'd be a perfect host body with two intact Sharingan. And Orochimaru, being an old client of Senshi's, understood how things worked. He saw Senshi was silent after dropping that remark, so he cut to the chase:

"How much?"

Senshi let out a sly laugh.

"These eyes have abilities far beyond anything you can imagine. The other person who holds Obito's Sharingan is one of Konoha's top jōnin—an elite among elites—someone the village secretly grooms as a Hokage candidate. Taking his eye means going against the entire Konoha, which is huge. You're from there, so I don't have to explain its power. So yeah, this won't be easy. On top of that, Obito himself isn't some random nobody—he's allied with our leader Nagato. Making a move on him also puts us at odds with our organization. In short, one word for you: complicated. That's why we're talking at least… oh, 100 million ryō."

Orochimaru: "Wha—?!"

He was momentarily dazed by all that extra intel. So Obito, the kid who was the Fourth Hokage's student—someone he'd barely paid attention to—had not only survived, but also ended up cooperating with Nagato? How is that even possible?

A thousand questions ran through Orochimaru's mind. If Senshi's intel was true, it meant Obito was no mere "tail-ender" but someone who'd made it to Nagato's level in secret. Orochimaru couldn't begin to guess what had transpired to make that happen.

Still, he mulled it over. First: did he still want a perfect "Uchiha host body" at all? Yes, absolutely. He'd seen Uchiha Itachi's prowess; he knew how enormous a boost Sharingan could provide. The stronger he was, the more research he could do, and the fewer ninja could hamper him.

Second: if Senshi's intel was correct, only three legitimate Uchiha remained, ignoring the possibility of transplanting the Mangekyō from someone like Karin, who already had it from a transplant. She had vast chakra reserves from her Uzumaki lineage, making her a good "host," but Orochimaru would still have to get past Senshi to get her. And if he could get past Senshi, why stop at Karin—he could go after Senshi's body directly.

~~~

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