Damp.
Dark.
The air carried the smell of a wet rag baked over a heater.
Zhang Jie pinched his nose and carefully scanned the surroundings. "Are we being too bold coming back here? What if we run into Xenomorphs? Just the two of us?"
Yujin looked at Daniels, who was scouting ahead, and gave Zhang Jie a sharp glance. "Don't forget, we've got our series' goddess warrior, Daniels, with us."
Zhang Jie frowned. "Isn't our mission to protect Daniels? And now you want us to risk it all to find Blackwater Tech with her? Aren't you afraid the so-called Devil Team will find us?"
"You still don't get what matters most in team battles," Yujin tapped the glass of his Reincarnation Watch. "The most important thing is killing the enemy squad members. Protecting the heroine? There's no real reward for that. It's better to just catch and kill."
Squinting, Yujin continued, "As for protecting the heroine, both sides know that wherever she is, the other side will care about her safety. Sometimes, she even becomes a burden."
"So it's better to use the heroine to our advantage, get more done, and not worry about sending extra forces to protect her. No one's going to hurt her anyway."
Zhang Jie exhaled in relief. "So… by that logic, we're actually the safest right now?"
"Not necessarily. Remember those NPCs? Who knows, some of them might have become Xenomorphs by now. You'll just have to rely on your shooting skills."
Zhang Jie swallowed hard, gripping the infinite-ammo Desert Eagle that Da Qiang had handed him. "I've never used this gun before. Judging by the caliber, after three shots in a row… I don't even know if I can hold it. I'll probably die."
"Then die," Yujin shrugged carelessly. "I don't get why you care so much about your life. The second you enter Lord God Space, death is inevitable sooner or later. Don't get attached—it's useless."
"I…" Zhang Jie's eyes flickered with memory. "Er Niu said that in the Lord God Space, you can recreate someone from your memories. I… I want to see her."
Yujin, knowing Zhang Jie's personality, didn't try to argue further. "Alright. Then do your best. Try to survive this team battle."
No sooner had he spoken than Daniels, the heroine ahead, suddenly cried out.
"Hurry! Come quick! Is… is this the engineer's combat suit?"
....
"Do I really have to wear this for the mission?"
Uchiha Yujin stared at himself in the mirror, dressed as a geisha by Kakashi, and felt a strong urge to ask him revenge-style questions—like whether Rin's touch was soft, whether Chidori would slip in smoothly, whether Obito's eyes were blurred, and whether his father was doing fine.
Kakashi's expression was serious. "As a ninja, you must obey mission orders. The client said the scroll containing the mission item must be delivered to Miss Kyoko at the geisha house without anyone noticing. You have to follow orders."
"Why don't you go instead?"
Kakashi pointed at his mask. "No geisha would ever wear this."
"Then can't you just take it off?"
Just as Kakashi was about to remove his mask, Uchiha Yujin quickly waved him off. "Forget it… fine, I'll do it myself."
"All right, I'm counting on you!"
After watching Uchiha Yujin leave, Kakashi finally couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter.
Before he could even finish a few laughs, the door swung open. Uchiha Yujin's Sharingan fixed on Kakashi. "Were you laughing?"
"You must have misheard," Kakashi said seriously. "I am not one to joke around."
Years of constant war had left many families destroyed, with little hope of survival.
The Land of Fields, caught between Konoha and Kumogakure, often served as a buffer zone for battles, and its entertainment industry was particularly developed.
Whenever people had some spare money, they would choose to indulge themselves.
After all, no one knew which would come first tomorrow—the war or death.
The delivery location for the mission was a large geisha house in the middle of the entertainment district.
Uchiha Yujin walked down the street, and several scruffy middle-aged men whistled at him.
Not gonna lie.
With his appearance and "loli" age, he attracted the kind of attention that frustrated many young men in their youth.
"Hey, little girl! Have a drink with me!"
Uchiha Yujin ignored the passerby blocking his way.
With a flash, he dodged and headed straight for the dorm behind the brothel.
This mission was rated C+, and the cargo was a box of valuable jewelry.
The danger level wasn't high; it was just that the delivery location was complicated.
And with Konoha's technician, Hatake Kakashi, on his side, it was basically an easy job.
Once he collected the mission reward, Uchiha Yujin could survive comfortably for another month.
At the dorm entrance, he rolled his eyes and formed hand seals.
"Bang!"
As the smoke cleared, a lifelike clone appeared!
He picked up a stone and threw it at the guard by the door.
"Smack!"
"Oi! What's that!?"
The guard covered his face and looked around.
Seeing no one nearby except for a small kid at the door, he shouted,
"Was that you who threw it?!"
The clone, of course, couldn't speak, just stared blankly at the guard.
"Get out, get out! This isn't your place!"
"Smack!"
Another stone flew over.
"Damn brat!"
The guard ran forward, ready to grab Uchiha Yujin's unaltered clone.
Whoosh!
With a flash, Uchiha Yujin appeared and struck the guard's neck with a hand blade!
He dragged the guard into the nearby bushes, fixed his clothes, and pushed open the dorm door.
The geisha dorm looked no different from a normal girls' dorm.
It was noisy, full of chatter and commotion.
In the corridor, the old geishas were all surprised when they saw Uchiha Yujin.
"A child this young working in this line?"
"Business is getting harder these days! How can our old, yellowed faces compete with these youngsters?"
"Then we can only make up with skill!"
"Oh my! How shameless!"
Uchiha Yujin blushed and kept his head down, only wanting to complete his task and return to the village.
"This should be the place."
He stopped at the door of a room with the lights off.
Pushing the door open, he looked at the person lying on the bed and asked, "Miss Kyoko?"
"Yes, I put the things by my pillow."
The weak voice made Uchiha Yujin pause for a moment, but he didn't hesitate. He took out a scroll and used the summoning technique. Smoke cleared, revealing an unremarkable black box in his hands.
He handed the box forward and gently placed it down.
"Then, Miss Kyoko, my task is complete. Goodbye."
With that, Uchiha Yujin turned to leave the room filled with the scent of cosmetics.
At that moment, his pupils suddenly contracted. A strange power awakened deep within him, a dormant force stirred! His heart pounded violently!
In an instant, the black in his eyes was replaced by a vivid red, with two curved tomoe within it, granting him extraordinary reflexes and judgment!
He reacted almost instinctively, forming hand seals rapidly!
The moment his seals were complete, the "Miss Kyoko" on the bed moved!
Her neck stretched unnaturally, like a snake striking with terrifying speed. She opened her mouth, revealing sharp fangs, lunging straight at Uchiha Yujin's shoulder!
Bang!
With a muffled crash, the spot where Uchiha Yujin had stood was empty, leaving only a splintered piece of wood behind!
As the smoke cleared, Uchiha Yujin appeared in the corner of the room. His gaze was cold and fixed on the figure in front of him.
The creature's body twisted, a wicked smile on its face, eyes burning with a desire for power.
Its skin was an unnatural, sickly white, and its long hair greasy. Vertical pupils marked it as snake-like.
The person before him was none other than the infamous rogue ninja of the shinobi world, Orochimaru.
"I didn't expect a child to see through my disguise," Orochimaru's hoarse voice said as he slowly rose from the bed.
His clothes slid off with his movements, revealing the snake-like body covered in scales beneath.
"I didn't see through it," Uchiha Yujin said, a cold drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. "I was just reacting quickly. As one of the Sannin, why are you here?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Me? I'm just looking for interesting test subjects… and you caught my attention."
"Apologies for luring you out of the village like this."
Orochimaru's snake tongue flicked through the air. "Of course, I paid a price as well. I assigned thirteen missions to Konoha, and my teacher, short on manpower, had no choice but to send Kakashi."
Orochimaru's expression grew reflective. "Good thing I wasn't Hokage at the time. Financial issues are such a headache."
Uchiha Yujin, with his Genetic Lock unlocked, fixed his Two Tomoe Sharingan on Orochimaru, hands clasped together.
"Thank you for valuing me so highly, Lord Orochimaru."
"Then let me show my gratitude with this!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
*********
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