Chapter 84: Debts You Owe, Even If You Have to Crawl, You Must Repay!
"How's your body holding up?"
Uchiha Takashi first inquired about Yamakawa Koji.
The latter had undergone a second heart transplant, and although it contained his own blood, making it seem as if it had 'naturally evolved' over countless years, he wanted to ensure there were no issues.
"Very good..."
Upon hearing the question, the now-bald Yamakawa Koji could no longer maintain his silent persona and spoke up, unable to hide his excitement.
In short, things were looking great!
With two hearts, every aspect of his body was continuously improving.
Especially in terms of strength and stamina, which had increased several times over.
In fact, he had been rigorously training in taijutsu recently to better leverage his physical advantages.
Of course, there were downsides too.
Food!
His appetite had also increased significantly.
However, compared to the benefits, this was hardly an issue.
After all, as a ninja, even if food was scarce, he could hunt to fill his stomach.
"I see..."
After listening, Uchiha Takashi realized he had indeed mastered a powerful modification technique.
The second heart!
However, this technique was merely the starting point of the 'Path to Godhood.'
It's not that Uchiha Takashi didn't want to perform the subsequent surgeries.
He lacked money and time!
He only had one crucial material at hand; otherwise, there wouldn't even be a possibility for future surgeries.
For now, it had to be put on hold.
Uchiha Takashi looked at Hyuga Aotsuki, signaling her to report her status.
"No change at all, I must have hit a bottleneck!"
Hyuga Aotsuki responded.
This was evident from her vision range still being four kilometers, with no increase whatsoever.
"Is that so!"
Uchiha Takashi was noncommittal.
Indeed, reality isn't like anime; you can't just leap to the Tenseigan.
Completing the gene sequence only means there's a chance to achieve the Tenseigan, not that it happens instantly.
It requires time, training, and growth.
Of course, if he could get the genes from those on the moon and the large Tenseigan they fused, he could naturally skip the fetal stage and enter the final form of the Tenseigan.
Without that, it would have to be a gradual process.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
At least there won't be any side effects from skyrocketing to the top, as evidenced by a certain red-haired man's fate (Nagato: Just give out my ID number, thanks).
"In three days, I'll be taking on our team's first mission from Orochimaru!"
Uchiha Takashi announced the upcoming plan.
He didn't notice one thing.
When referring to Orochimaru, he didn't add 'Lord' as he used to, even in private.
However, now that he was a 'Sage,' his mindset had transformed.
The two had different reactions to this news.
"No matter what Uchiha Takashi-kun does, I'll support you!"
Hyuga Aotsuki's attitude was gentle, her tone firm, not caring what the mission was, even if it meant wiping out the Hyuga clan, she wouldn't hesitate for a second.
"Great, finally a chance to take action!"
Yamakawa Koji was excitedly stretching his body.
Having gained such power, he hadn't had the opportunity to use it, which naturally left him a bit frustrated.
Now that there was a chance to showcase his strength, how could he not be thrilled?
"Help me gather some information over the next few days... I'll have a gift for you both!"
Chapter 84: Debts You Incurred Must Be Repaid, Even If You Have to Kneel to Do It!
Uchiha Takashi suddenly assigned a task to the two of them. He himself had no free time for the next three days, as he needed to focus entirely on researching the A-rank Fire Release technique, "Fire Armor Avatar."
"Yes!" The two nodded in unison.
After giving them their instructions, Uchiha Takashi unfurled the scroll of ninjutsu.
Orochimaru had already removed the seal in advance; otherwise, even if someone else got their hands on it, they wouldn't be able to see its contents.
The densely packed characters and diagrams were enough to trigger anyone's trypophobia.
Those who think a ninjutsu consists of just a few hundred words and a chakra meridian diagram are definitely outsiders.
Because on a ninjutsu scroll, there are also annotations, insights, and taboos from the practitioner... and so on.
These are the key!
They can save you years of detours and reduce risks.
And even without these, the difficulty of mastering an A-rank ninjutsu is incredibly high. It's not unusual for an elite Jonin to take years to master it, and some can't master it at all.
For someone like "Naruto" to master the A-rank Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu in less than half an hour is purely protagonist-level cheating.
Though Uchiha Takashi isn't the protagonist and doesn't have cheats, he can still achieve similar feats.
First is the Clarity Potion! With this, even Orochimaru can't match him in terms of learning.
Then there's the Natural Energy Potion.
Made from the sacred Fusang tree, this potion enhances his talent in Fire Release.
I, Uchiha Takashi, don't cheat! It's all thanks to my hard work... and potions.
Gulp!
A bottle of Clarity Potion went down.
Uchiha Takashi's eyes turned into high-speed cameras, recording everything on the ninjutsu scroll, while his brain analyzed and digested it at the fastest speed.
If it were just about learning this A-rank forbidden ninjutsu, Uchiha Takashi wouldn't need three days given his current conditions.
But if he wanted to use it as a template to create a similar Sage Art, even with the Clarity Potion, three days might not be enough.
Time passed in busyness.
Three days later! Uchiha Takashi, looking exhausted, rubbed his temples as he entered the main tent.
Today, he was here to return the ninjutsu scroll and also to receive a mission.
Debts must be repaid! Orochimaru had given him rewards far exceeding his contributions, so naturally, he had to repay the contributions he owed. This mission was to repay that debt.
"This is the mission!"
Orochimaru tossed a mission scroll to Uchiha Takashi.
The mission content was incredibly simple.
Escort a team coming from the Land of Wind to the Land of Fire, ensuring they arrive safely and that the goods are not lost.
Doesn't the mission sound simple?
But it made Uchiha Takashi's scalp tingle.
Because the mission location was in the Land of Wind, within the territory of the Sand Village.
In the past, it might not have been a big deal, but now it's at least an S-rank mission.
Uchiha Takashi was currently just a "Chunin," and such a high-level mission shouldn't it be assigned to the purple-haired youth beside him, Mitokado Shihiro, Orochimaru's right-hand man?
"Yes!"
Despite his doubts, Uchiha Takashi accepted the mission without hesitation.
Because he had no choice.
In terms of strength, he could indeed compete with the opponent, but in terms of status, he was just a Chunin.
If he showed any sign of disobedience... just look at what happened to White Fang.
His status and strength were above the Sannin.
And yet, he was gone just like that.
Unless Uchiha Takashi wanted to give up the resources of Konoha and sever all ties, he couldn't refuse such a "normal" mission.
"Oh, by the way, there will be several teams assisting you on this mission!"
Orochimaru added just before Uchiha Takashi left.
Damn! Uchiha Takashi cursed inwardly.
He was mentally prepared for a difficult mission, given the excessive rewards he had received before, but he hadn't expected it to be this challenging.
But now, he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off. The debts he incurred... he had to repay them, even if he had to kneel to do it.
Soon, Uchiha Takashi met the teams assigned to carry out the mission.
(End of Chapter)