Part Time Employee in Konoha

Chapter 3: Where's mah money?

How important is it to secure this position?

In his previous life, Akihara Kagura never had the opportunity to obtain such a position!

According to the customs and relationships of his past life, if Orochimaru offered to help Akihara Kagura secure a position, Akihara Kagura would have to visit and present gifts during festivals and holidays...

For Akihara Kagura in this life, the position in the Konoha still holds great significance. Akihara Kagura can use this to integrate into the world's most powerful ninjas!

Konoha is the center of this world.

As long as Akihara Kagura enters Konoha, he will always be able to know the direction of this world and even influence the future of this world!

Moreover...

The system has also refreshed new tasks.

[System Prompt]: [New work task, go to Konoha to find Orochimaru's ally Shimura Danzo, learn Wood Release Technique, and monitor Orochimaru's ally, Shimura Danzo.]

This work task has no time limit.

The work tasks issued by the system are derived from higher-ups and have never specified completion times, making one feel this task may never end...

However...

This is exactly what makes Akihara Kagura vigilant.

If one simply follows the routine, one could be bogged down in work for a lifetime; only by taking initiative can one break free from a job with an unknown deadline.

Ssssss...

Suddenly, the sound of a snake crawling came out.

A small white snake suddenly wriggled out from the bushes, affectionately clinging to Orochimaru's leg, looking very attached.

Orochimaru bent down, spread his hand, and the little white snake spit out a scroll into Orochimaru's palm.

The scroll looked even larger than the small white snake's body, making it hard to imagine how it swallowed the scroll.

But...

After all, it's the ninja world...

Such strange things are quite common.

Orochimaru opened the scroll in his hand, looked at the text, and his mouth showed a sneer, as if he saw some interesting news.

Strictly speaking...

This is a sternly worded questioning letter.

A questioning from Shimura Danzo.

When Orochimaru was still in Konoha, Shimura Danzo had always been secretly funding and supporting his human experimentation project with Wood Release, even helping to find subjects for the experiment;

Of course.

Such investment is definitely expecting a return.

Orochimaru had also reciprocated Shimura Danzo, sending a successfully experimented Wood Release ninja to Danzo, giving him hope for the success of the project.

After all, the investors need to see some results...

Despite the fact that the Wood Release ninja was far from as perfect as Akihara Kagura, that glimmer of hope made Shimura Danzo believe in the prospects of the Wood Release human experiment research...

The Wood Release experiment...

It's quite promising and will definitely succeed! Even though Orochimaru has now defected from the Konoha, Danzo is not afraid of the risks of being discovered collaborating with a rogue ninja and continues to painstakingly fund Orochimaru's research...

But...

Investors are always expecting a return on their investment.

The messages from Danzo are almost entirely filled with his questions.

Where's my money?

Where did you spend my money?

Have your experimental projects yielded any new results in these years?

Towards the end of this scroll, Danzo finally mentioned one thing: the previously unsuccessful Wood Release test subject, had been discovered by the Third Hokage and taken directly into the Anbu under the Hokage Commands, and hoping that Orochimaru could help cultivate another Wood Release ninja.

Similarly.

Danzo also mentioned a request for a meeting.

After all, it's been several years since Orochimaru defected from the Konoha, and he's long been out of Danzo's surveillance. This investor also wants to check on the progress of Orochimaru's project.

"Hehe..."

Orochimaru ignored the questions on the scroll, looking at the last request made with a light smile on his face.

"This really couldn't be more coincidental."

"Just... also consider it a settlement for him."

"What?"

Akihara Kagura looked at Orochimaru in surprise.

Is there something his boss would hide from him?

"Nothing."

Orochimaru smiled and looked at Akihara Kagura, gently stroking his hair and said affectionately, "Someone will come to pick you up soon... Before that, I'll teach you how to release a curse mark."

"What curse mark?"

"The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."

Orochimaru said casually.

The name of this curse mark sounds somewhat terrifying, yet its effect is rather poor, not frightening at all.

This is a sealing curse mark created by Shimura Danzo, mainly used on his subordinates to prevent them from leaking his information.

By implanting the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal under someone's tongue, anyone cursed will trigger the curse mark if they attempt to speak about Shimura Danzo, rendering them unable to speak or even immobilize their body.

Orochimaru intends for Akihara Kagura to go to the Konoha and join Shimura Danzo for another purpose: to act as his undercover agent. Kagura is to send messages to Orochimaru from time to time, obviously without being restrained by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

In addition to the method of lifting the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, Orochimaru reminisced about his hometown in front of Kagura, letting him know a bit about the stories of Konoha.

"My teacher..."

"The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen..."

"He has ruled Konoha for decades..."

"Perhaps because he's grown old, Teacher has become somewhat lenient...even when facing those who may endanger the Konoha..."

"..."

Young Akihara Kagura raised his eyebrows.

He knew quite a few secrets about the people of Konoha.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was perceived as lenient, thought to be a kind-hearted old man, because someone else was playing the ruthless part.

The Konoha is the strongest organization in the ninja world, and it can't always be in the sunlight; naturally, it also needs some shady figures to deal with the darkness and secrecy.

Without a doubt.

Shimura Danzo was one of those figures.

Akihara Kagura wanted to understand more stories about his future boss.

Akihara Kagura quietly listened to Orochimaru's recollection about Sarutobi Hiruzen and curiously asked, "What about Lord Danzo, whom Lord Orochimaru asked me to seek out? What kind of person is he? Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"Danzo, huh?"

Orochimaru's smile grew thicker, and he sinisterly said, "Danzo... is the shadow lurking behind the Third Hokage."

"The life of a ninja is dark."

"The Hokage is the source of the ninja's darkness..."

"Yet, humans always like to glorify themselves... My Teacher liked to appear bright and approachable... and needed someone to handle some of the darkness for him..."

"hehehehe..."

Orochimaru laughed somewhat proudly, as if pleased to have found something dishonorable about the Third Hokage, and continued to mock, "My Teacher has always been so hypocritical, not wanting people to know that he has been tainted by darkness. The Wood Release human experiments with almost a 100% fatality rate were first proposed by him... but his will was too weak... unable to bear the cost of the experiments' continuous failures..."

Young Akihara Kagura felt like he wanted to clean his ears out.

Why does Orochimaru always have to mention his teacher whenever he talks about Konoha?

It's been several years since he defected from Konoha, and yet Orochimaru still mocks and scoffs at the Third Hokage. Isn't it just because he wasn't made the Hokage of the village? Isn't it just because he was driven out of his hometown?

Wasn't it Orochimaru himself who was at fault to begin with?

Now...

All I want to hear is Lord Danzo's story!