c147 The Abacus Jingles
Not long after, Zhu Rong descended from the skies with Orochimaru standing beside him.
"Hey, you finished off the enemy so quickly and even claimed the spoils."
"Xuan, your strength is hardly beneath mine anymore. Truly, heroes rise from the younger generation."
Uchiha Gen gave a faint smile and replied: "The waves of the new always drive the old forward. A good teacher produces capable disciples. Sensei, you should be proud."
"Hoho… proud, yes, but if I am surpassed, it will be shameful for me as your teacher."
"It seems I'll have to devote more time to improving myself as well."
Uchiha Gen only smiled, saying no more. He leapt lightly onto Zhu Rong's fiery dragon-like form.
"Zhu Rong, absorb the flames below, then head toward the lake."
"Yes, Master."
Zhu Rong stepped on the billowing fire-clouds and descended to a height where the heat waves no longer scorched. Opening his jaws, the flame-formed dragon began swallowing the inferno. The once-verdant trees were now blazing pillars, their firestreams rushing into the dragon's maw like ten thousand rivers flowing into the sea.
"Tsk, tsk… what a curious elemental being. It deserves further study."
Though Orochimaru had seen Zhu Rong before, his serpentine eyes still gleamed with fascination.
Zhu Rong shuddered with irritation at being treated like a specimen, but Orochimaru had expected the reaction and kept his footing steady.
"Hoho, I jest. Don't take offense."
"Snort!"
Zhu Rong growled but stopped shaking.
After absorbing the flames section by section, it took three minutes to leave behind only smoldering ash, rising smoke, and a blackened landscape.
From there, Zhu Rong flew over Red Moon Lake. In the lake's molten center, Uchiha Gen dismounted, bent down, and retrieved the charred corpse of a White Zetsu destroyed in the explosion.
"A pity he's dead. If he were alive, the research value would have been far higher," Orochimaru muttered.
"Even corpses have their uses," Gen replied. He pulled a sealing scroll from his ninja pouch and sealed White Zetsu's body inside.
Such scrolls were expensive; the greater the storage capacity, the higher the cost. Even the best were limited, unsuited for carrying bulk war supplies.
After finishing, Gen leapt back onto Zhu Rong, and they headed toward the Konoha camp.
Along the way, Gen studied the legendary Gunbai Uchiha the war fan that once belonged to Uchiha Madara. Nearing the camp, he spoke.
"Teacher, I'll personally deliver the report to Konoha. It's also time to return the clan's fan myself."
This treasured heirloom of the Uchiha clan was too precious to entrust to others. The clan itself didn't even know it was recovered; otherwise, they would have dispatched an elite escort.
He had originally intended to experiment on transferring the fan's reflective properties to Mubi, his sentient Kusanagi sword. But after a brief attempt, he abandoned the idea.
Not only was it impractical, but Gen discovered intricate seals woven into the Gunbai by Madara himself. These bindings prevented anyone but Madara from unleashing its true might.
In the manga, Obito could only reflect Naruto's Rasengan with the Gunbai. Yet in Madara's hands, it generated chakra shields and repelled tailed beast bombs turning the weapon into a near-exclusive tool of domination.
Breaking Madara's bindings would require enormous time and effort. Gen decided the reward was not worth the cost. Better to return it to the clan, boosting his reputation. Even if part of the credit went to Orochimaru, the benefits would still be great.
"Yes, but return quickly. There are experiments waiting at the base," Orochimaru urged.
"No problem. But I'll leave in two days."
"Why two days?"
"In two days, the Uchiha hold their monthly clan assembly."
Understanding dawned in Orochimaru's eyes, and he smirked. "Young one… you're quite calculating."
"No, not scheming. Just maximizing my gains," Gen answered with a light smile.
Haha—no schemes? Orochimaru thought. He wasn't fooled.
…
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure's Mizukage Building, Obito kept Yagura secluded in a hidden chamber to avoid exposure. To the villagers, the Fourth Mizukage's diligence seemed admirable, but they had no idea of the nightmare awaiting.
A spiraling vortex appeared in the chamber. Uchiha Obito stepped out, followed by Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
"Obito, what are you doing?" Black Zetsu's deep voice was sharp with accusation. "You lost Madara's fan."
Obito, unimpressed, sat casually on the bed. "I merely let it go. Why? What's it to you?"
Though masked in apathy, Black Zetsu seethed. Was this pawn mocking him? He restrained his fury, while White Zetsu tried to smooth things over.
"Obito must have had a reason, right?"
"Exactly," Obito said lazily. "I gave the fan as a gesture to draw Uchiha Gen into our fold. Besides, he's not easy prey."
"What, he's that strong?" White Zetsu blinked. "He only has a three-tomoe Sharingan. Fire Release and Wind Release are decent, but troublesome?"
"The real trouble," Obito replied, "is the flame-dragon Zhu Rong. That's not a typical summoning, it lacks flesh and blood. It's more like a flame itself awakened to sentience."
"What? Such a thing exists?" White Zetsu exclaimed.
"No wonder it devoured and controlled fire," Obito muttered. "And his Kusanagi sword too, it's alive. I heard it speak. Its name is Mubi. That sword blocked my genjutsu and even attacked on its own."
Black and White Zetsu exchanged stunned glances.
"A talking sword?"
"Unless it's Mangekyō power," Black Zetsu said cautiously.
"Unlikely. If he had Mangekyō, he'd have used it against me," Obito dismissed.
According to Gen, Orochimaru's help and his own talents created the sentience. Fire and blades had already gained intelligence; it might extend to other elements and weapons.
A terrifying ability. Unlike puppetry, these creations required no hand seals and attacked endlessly. Against ordinary shinobi, that was overwhelming.
"This reeks of Yang Release," Black Zetsu said darkly. "To give life to inanimate things… and from an Uchiha, a clan rooted in Yin."
Obito's tone sharpened. "That's why I'll try again to recruit him. But if he stays loyal to Konoha, we bide our time."
Black Zetsu agreed reluctantly. "Fine. But Obito, you're far too generous. Losing the fan, losing Zetsu troops… and you don't seek revenge?"
Obito's eyes glinted. "Hoho… who said I don't? I'll have Kirigakure's frontlines target Gen specifically. Let them test him and suffer for it."
…
Two days later, Uchiha Gen set out from the Land of Whirlpools. Instead of flying with Zhu Rong, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique, moving far faster. If chakra permitted, he could leap from battlefield to home in an instant.
With time to spare, he stopped at a nearby town. Battlefield life was harsh; paperwork, combat, soul-harvesting, and study left little room for pleasure. So he enjoyed hot springs, massages, sake, and song before heading back.
At Konoha's gates, he deliberately dirtied himself, made his eyes bloodshot, and wore exhaustion on his face. Children who cry are fed; those who suffer in silence are ignored. A shinobi had to act to ensure his sacrifices were seen.
With his frontline pass, Gen entered Konoha and headed straight to the Hokage's office to submit his report. The clan meeting had not yet fully gathered… but timing was everything.
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