Chapter 37: The Serpent Appears
Damp.
Dark.
The air held the smell of a stinky, damp rag roasting on a radiator.
Zhang Jie pinched his nose and cautiously observed his surroundings. "Are we being a bit too bold, coming back here? What if we run into a Xenomorph? Just the two of us?"
Ren Arakawa glanced at Daniels, who was scouting ahead, then rolled his eyes at Zhang Jie. "Don't we still have the series' goddess of war, Daniels?"
Zhang Jie was confused. "Doesn't the mission require us to protect Daniels? And they still want us to take risks by bringing her along to search for the black water technology. Aren't you afraid that Devil Team will find us?"
"You still don't understand the most important part of a team battle." Ren Arakawa tapped the glass of his reincarnation watch. "Killing members of the opposing squad is the top priority. Protecting the female lead doesn't even come with a specific reward. It's not as effective as just focusing on killing people."
"As for protecting the female lead..." Ren Arakawa narrowed his eyes. "Both sides know that no matter which team the female lead is with, the other side will be very concerned for her safety. She might even become a liability."
"So, we might as well make use of the female lead to get more things done. There's no need to assign extra combat power to protect her. Besides, no one will harm her anyway."
Zhang Jie let out a sigh of relief. "Hearing you say that, does it mean we're actually the safest right now?"
"Not necessarily. Still remember those NPCs? For all we know, they've already become Xenomorphs by now. When that time comes, we'll have to rely on your marksmanship."
Zhang Jie swallowed hard and tightened his grip on the infinite-ammo Desert Eagle that Da Qiang had given him. "I've never used this gun before, but looking at the caliber... I'm not even sure if I'll be able to hold onto it after firing three consecutive shots. I'll die, won't I?"
"Then die." Ren Arakawa shrugged, completely unconcerned. "I don't know why you care so much about your own life. From the second you arrived in the Reincarnation Space, it's really just a matter of dying sooner or later. Don't get too attached; it's useless."
"I..." A memory flashed in Zhang Jie's eyes. "Er Niu explained that you can create a person from your memories at that sphere of light. I... I want to see her..."
Ren Arakawa knew Zhang Jie's personality well and didn't want to persuade him further. "Alright then. You'd better work hard and try to survive this team battle."
Just as he finished speaking, Daniels, the female lead, suddenly exclaimed from up ahead!
"Quick! You guys, come quick! Is... is this the Engineer's combat suit?"
***
"Do I really have to wear this to deliver the mission item?"
Uchiha Ren looked at his reflection in the mirror, dressed up as a geisha by Kakashi. He desperately wanted to ask him a few retaliatory questions: was Rin's hand smooth? Was it slippery after he thrust his Raikiri into it? Was Obito's eye blurry? And was his esteemed father's body holding up alright?
Kakashi's expression was stern. "As a ninja, you must naturally follow the mission arrangements! The client said that the scroll containing the mission item must be handed over to a young lady named Suzuko in the academy dormitory, all without anyone knowing. You must obey the order!"
"Why don't you go?"
Kakashi pointed to his mask. "No geisha would wear this!"
"Then can't you just take it off?"
Just as Kakashi was about to remove his mask, Uchiha Ren waved his hands frantically. "Never mind. I'll go, I'll go."
"Good. I'm counting on you!"
After watching Uchiha Ren leave, Kakashi finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
He hadn't even let out two laughs before the door to the room was pushed open. Uchiha Ren stared at Kakashi with his Sharingan. "Were you just laughing?"
"You must have misheard." Kakashi's face was stern. "I am a person who does not laugh frivolously."
Years of war had left many families shattered and their members dead, stripping them of any hope for survival.
Caught between the Leaf Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, the Land of Rice Paddies often served as a battlefield buffer zone, and as a result, its entertainment industry was particularly developed.
Anyone with a bit of spare money would choose to spend it.
After all, who knew whether tomorrow or war would come first?
The delivery point required by the mission was located in a large brothel in the middle of the entertainment street.
As Uchiha Ren walked down the street, many scruffy, bearded uncles whistled at him.
It had to be said...
His getup, combined with his "loli" age...
...was a source of lingering regret for many old men who were unsuccessful in their youth.
"Hey, little lady! Come have a drink with your big uncle!"
Uchiha Ren ignored the passerby blocking his way, dodged him with a flicker of his body, and headed straight for the dormitory behind the brothel.
This mission was C+. The goods were a box of valuable jewelry.
The danger level wasn't high; it was just that the delivery location was complicated.
Plus, with Hatake Kakashi, a pillar of the Leaf Village, present, it was basically a freebie mission.
Once he got the mission payment, Uchiha Ren could scrape by for another month.
Arriving at the dormitory door, he rolled his eyes and formed Hand Seals with both hands.
"Poof!"
The smoke cleared, and a lifelike clone appeared.
It picked up a stone and threw it at the guard by the door!
*Smack!*
"Ouch! What was that!?"
The guard clutched his face and looked around. Finding no one nearby, he only saw a small figure at the doorway.
"Did you throw that?!"
The clone naturally couldn't speak, just staring blankly at the guard.
"Scram, scram! Get out of here! This is no place for you!"
*Smack!*
Another stone flew over!
"Ouch! You damn brat!"
The guard rushed forward in a rage. Just as he was about to grab Uchiha Ren's untransformed clone...
*Swoosh!*
With a flicker, Uchiha Ren chopped the guard on the back of the neck.
After dragging the guard into some nearby bushes, Uchiha Ren straightened his clothes and pushed open the dormitory door.
A geisha's dormitory wasn't much different from a regular girls' dorm.
It was noisy and filled with chatter.
Walking down the corridor, the geishas were all surprised to see Uchiha Ren.
"There are kids this young in this business now?"
"Business is getting harder and harder these days! How are we old hags supposed to compete with the young ones?"
"Then we'll just have to make up for it with technique!"
"Sigh! It's so unfair!"
Uchiha Ren walked with his head down, his face flushed, just wanting to finish the mission and return to the village as quickly as possible.
"This should be it."
Arriving at the door of a room with no lights on, Uchiha Ren stopped.
He pushed the door open and looked at the person lying on the bed, asking, "Miss Suzuko?"
"Mmm... yes. Put the thing beside my pillow."
The weak voice made Uchiha Ren pause for a moment, but he didn't hesitate. He took out the scroll and used the Summoning Jutsu on it.
The smoke cleared, and an inconspicuous black box appeared in Uchiha Ren's hand.
He offered the box forward and gently set it down.
"Well, Miss Suzuko, my mission is complete. Goodbye."
With that, Uchiha Ren turned, ready to leave the room filled with the scent of rouge and powder.
But just then, his pupils abruptly contracted. A mysterious power awakened deep within him; some dormant strength was aroused.
His heart began to pound violently!
In that instant, the black in his pupils was swiftly replaced by a brilliant crimson. Two curved tomoe hung within the red, granting him superhuman reflexes and judgment!
He reacted almost instinctively, his hands flying through Hand Seals!
The moment he completed the seals...
The "Miss Suzuko" on the bed moved!
Her neck stretched out in an inhuman manner, lunging like a venomous snake. Her mouth opened wide, revealing sharp fangs, and she shot straight for Uchiha Ren's shoulder!
"Poof!"
With a dull thud, 'Miss Suzuko's' fangs bit into a splintered log where Uchiha Ren had been standing.
The smoke cleared, and Uchiha Ren's figure appeared in a corner of the room. His gaze was cold, fixed intently on the creature before him.
The thing's body was contorted, and a malicious smile spread across its face. Its eyes revealed a thirst for power.
Its skin was a morbid, inhuman white, and its hair was long and greasy.
Its vertical pupils were characteristic of a snake.
The person before him was none other than that infamous rogue ninja of the ninja world, Orochimaru!
"I never thought a child could see through my disguise." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse as he slowly stood up from the bed.
As he moved, the clothes on his body slipped off, revealing a snake-like body covered in scales beneath.
"I didn't see through it..." A drop of cold sweat trickled down Uchiha Ren's forehead. "I just reacted quickly. As one of the Sannin, why are you here?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, a playful glint in his eyes. "Me? I'm just looking for interesting test subjects... and you, you've piqued my interest."
"My apologies for luring you out of the village this way..."
Orochimaru's forked tongue danced in the air. "Of course, I paid a considerable price for it. I had to issue thirteen missions to the Leaf Village before my old teacher, due to a shortage of manpower and with great reluctance, finally sent out Kakashi."
Orochimaru showed a look of regret. "It's a good thing I didn't become Hokage back then. Financial problems are such a headache."
With his Gene Lock active, Uchiha Ren's two-tomoe Sharingan locked onto Orochimaru, his hands clasped together!
"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru, for valuing me so highly..."
"Then let me thank you with this!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
(end of chapter)