It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

"Hey, hey, hey, don't pretend I don't exist! Dark secrets are best kept to yourselves!" Zhi Xue searched her memories and was surprised to find this scene actually existed. Even if it wasn't her, she shouldn't have revealed it so easily!

Seeing Zhixue rushing towards him, Zhishui used his height advantage to hold Zhixue's head down with one hand, preventing her from getting any closer.

"Haha, I can't help but chatter when I see Itachi, I almost forgot about you."

Stop Snow: ...

Shisui called Itachi here today not only to discuss the matter of the ANBU squad leader, but also to have Itachi help him develop the hidden potential in Shisui.

Yesterday, Shisui had witnessed firsthand Shisui's terrifyingly prodigious learning ability. Therefore, he wanted to invite Shichika to teach him some genjutsu (illusion techniques). Although he also knew genjutsu, he was proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and fire release. Even though he possessed the ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, he couldn't just gouge out his own eyes and give them to Shisui, could he?

The rest of the time, apart from the sounds of Shisui and Itachi chatting, was about Itachi helping Shisui train in illusion techniques. However, having lost the trial card, Shisui felt like she understood a lot of things Itachi was saying, but at the same time, she didn't quite understand them.

After nearly half an hour of arduous training, Itachi couldn't help but facepalm as he looked at Shiki, who was still completely bewildered even by a frog. Even without the Sharingan, she shouldn't be this bad.

Perhaps the talent that Zhishui mentioned is his area of ​​expertise. As for illusion magic, Zhixue's talent is hard to describe.

On the calm shore of the lake, Zhixue was fast asleep, hugging a pillow, beside a large rock. Zhishui, looking at the soundly sleeping Zhixue and the somewhat aggrieved Yidaqi, was speechless.

It seems like Zhi Xue wasn't as formidable as he was yesterday. Yesterday, he could learn anything instantly. Even his complex Body Flicker Technique was mastered in just a few minutes. But why is his genjutsu so lacking? Logically, 99% of Uchiha clan members with Sharingan should have excellent genjutsu talent.

Shisui and Itachi sat on the shore for a while, and Ichidoshiki, seeing Shisui still deep in thought, couldn't help but ask the question that had been on his mind.

"Shisui, what happened to Shisui?" One Against Seven knew that Shisui had always been a bottom-of-the-barrel student with almost no ninja talent. Shisui had given up on Shisui's ninja training years ago, so why the sudden change now…?

Shisui smiled gently when he heard Itachi's question.

"Itachi-kun, do you believe in geniuses who come late in life?"

Chapter 16, The Search Mission

After learning from Itachi that Shisui had very poor talent in illusion techniques, Shisui did not give up. Instead, he personally taught Shisui how to practice illusion techniques after he got off work in the evenings, and the result was very touching.

Left with no other choice, Shisui had to settle for letting Shisui continue training in ninjutsu and fire-style techniques, determined to make her an excellent ninja in close to mid-range combat. At the same time, Shisui did not neglect tactics either, often taking Shisui to the woods to train her physical fitness and individual tactics.

Although Shisui could clearly sense that Shisui's talent was significantly weaker than the first time, it was still much better than before. Shisui stopped hoping for more. That burst of talent was probably the result of years of accumulation; otherwise, such behavior couldn't be explained by common sense. However, what puzzled Shisui was that Shisui had been wearing that cumbersome, strange outfit for the past few days, which she couldn't take off, and she often said to him, "Do you also want to dance in the thunder?"

During her work, training, and daily routine at home over the past few days, Zhi Xue also received many items from the system's daily "slacking off" rewards, but most of them were not very useful, such as white stockings, small toys, remote-controlled drones, cameras, and some other miscellaneous items.

The only reward that could be considered good was a skill called "Sword Mastery LV.3", which allowed her to use swordsmanship more skillfully and enhanced Zhixue's close combat ability. This was much faster than what Zhishui taught her. However, upgrading to LV.4 required 98 taels of silver, which Zhixue didn't have at the moment.

"Sigh, another day of slacking off." Zhi Xue woke up in bed, looked at the calendar on the wall, and felt a sense of relief. Finally, finally, this difficult week was over. She didn't have to wear that shameful maid outfit anymore and endure all sorts of fiery stares. Although, she was almost used to it.

After washing up, Zhixue changed out of her pajamas into ninja attire, enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and then went to work carrying a spatial scroll.

However, after using her shadow clones to handle the work, Zhi Xue did not slack off until night as usual. Instead, she used her camouflage technique to sneak out of the guard post and ran towards the mission hall of the Hokage Building.

Even if you're going to open up, there has to be a limit. Although the Night of the Clan's Extinction is still two years away, you still need to make money and become stronger as soon as possible. If it weren't for the maid outfit, Zhi Xue probably would have enough money to upgrade her swordsmanship mastery.

Sneaking into the mission hall, Zhi Xue tossed her camouflage cloth aside, straightened her clothes, and went inside through the door.

There weren't many ninjas here at the moment, because ninja missions usually take a long time, ranging from half a day to more than a month. And it was only a little past 8 o'clock now, so even if ninjas came to accept mission requests, they would have already finished them in the morning.

"Uncle, give me a C-rank mission!"

The ninja on the mission platform put down the book in his hand, looked at the cute and handsome kid in front of him, and asked, "Kid, where are your leader and teammates?"

"I don't have a team leader, it's just me."

"Just you alone..." Looking at Zhixue's clear and expectant eyes, the uncle scratched his head with some difficulty. If there is only one genin and no one to team up with, the rules only allow him to accept the safest D-rank missions. C-rank missions require at least three genin or chunin to lead the team.

"There aren't any C-level missions for now. How about we check out some D-level missions? The difference between the two isn't that big." The uncle took several yellow-card missions off the wall and placed them on the table.

Zhi Xue glanced at the yellow cards on the table. The tasks—cleaning, chasing wild boars, dredging waterways, and harvesting wheat—were not only unexciting, but the rewards were also pitifully small; none exceeded 2.

"Uncle, don't you have a task with a higher reward?"

"Yes, there are, but a young girl like you isn't suited for this."

"What? There's something I'm not suited for? Let me see." Zhi Xue was a little angry when she heard the uncle in front of her say that she couldn't do it. She asked the uncle to take out the task, but when she saw that the task was to unclog the sewers, her momentum instantly deflated.

Well... this is indeed a tough job, and it's also smelly. A beautiful young woman in the prime of her life shouldn't do this.

Looking at the 5 bounty, Zhi Xue swallowed hard. Although the bounty was a lot, it wasn't appropriate.

"Uncle, can't you make an exception and let me take on a C-level mission? Please?" Zhi Xue used her shameless special skill "acting cute," leaning against the counter, her bright, sparkling eyes radiating a unique charm.

"Ah..." Seeing such a pretty and cute little girl trying to charm him, the uncle blushed slightly and scratched his head. But rules are rules. Besides, judging from this kid's appearance, she probably hasn't been a ninja for long, and participating in a C-rank mission with its inherent risks could result in serious injury or even death.

"No, rules are rules. If you really want to complete the mission, you need two genin to team up with you or find a chunin to lead the team."

Stop Snow: ...

Sigh, it still doesn't work, huh?

Zhi Xue sighed, but just as she was about to give up, a hunched old man carrying a large pot on his back came into the mission hall. The uncle was also surprised when he saw the old man.

"It's Lord Kosuke. Is there anything you need here?"

Zhi Xue turned to look at the old man. Kosuke? That name sounds familiar; she thinks she's heard of him before. (The protagonist hasn't finished watching Naruto.)

"Ah, no need to call me sir. I'm just a genin. I'm here because my pot broke a few days ago, and I need to do some missions to get a better new one." Maruhoshi Kosuke took the large pot off his back, patted it, and the dust that came off made Shiyuki cough several times.

The pot Kosuke needed wasn't an ordinary cooking pot; it had to be made using a special chakra-conducting metal essence, making it incredibly expensive. Otherwise, it wouldn't be in the mission hall. However, it was quite a spectacle that a veteran like him would even accept a mission.

"Ahem, old man, could you please consider that there are people next to you?" Zhi Xue fanned the air around her and coughed as she spoke.

"Huh, this kid looks a bit like someone?" At first, Kosuke didn't pay attention to Shiki, but when he saw Shiki's cute yet somewhat familiar appearance, Kosuke seemed to recall an Uchiha clan member. Although he wasn't in the same class as him when they were young, he admired him for his fiery and sincere will of fire.

Could this kid be a descendant of Uchiha Kagami?

(The author hasn't watched Naruto in a long time, so the timeline of this book may be slightly different. Please bear with me.)

Chapter 17, Orochimaru's Defection

In the mission hall, Kosuke Maruhoshi received a blue card from the old man. The mission marked on it was a B-rank quest, and the bounty should be enough to buy a new pot.

Zhi Xue curiously tiptoed closer to Gu Jie, and felt dejected after seeing that the mission was Rank B.

"Hey, old man, we're both Konoha genin, why are you treating us differently? I'm a genin too..." Zhi Xue thought to herself, an old genin nearing seventy can take on B-rank missions all by himself, so why is she, a young woman in her prime, only able to do D-rank missions like planting trees and finding small animals? Even a C-rank mission would be fine...

……

Back of Konoha...

This is a vast forest, located behind the imposing Hokage Rock of Konoha. In this lush and vibrant forest, besides the various small animals that live here (the fierce beasts have all been wiped out by the ninjas), there are many unknown secrets.

Da da da…

Deep within this peaceful forest, behind a moss-covered gate lies a winding path. The dark and silent trail leads to an extremely spacious area, where enormous nutrient tanks are filled with nutrient solution and dozens of children whose fates are unknown.

However, a few kilometers away, an old man in armor appeared here with dozens of secret agents.

"Orochimaru, you've still chosen this path..."

In the secluded laboratory, Orochimaru sighed as he looked at yet another nutrient chamber where the uncontrolled Hashirama cells had caused the experimental subject to die.

"Although children's bodies are suitable for the transplantation of Hashirama cells, their physical strength is too poor. Even with sufficient nutrition, they cannot withstand the powerful cells. After the transplant, not one out of 100 children survived. It's truly a powerful force."

While Orochimaru was organizing his materials and preparing to borrow some more children and pocket money from Danzo, a small gray snake slithered in from the corner of the wall, crawled along his feet, and reached Orochimaru's ear.

"What!?"

Upon hearing the message from the little snake, Orochimaru's expression changed drastically. He then used Fire Release to burn the documents in his hand to ashes. Afterward, he picked up the katana beside him and put some important items into a spatial scroll before leaving. However, as he reached the door, a sudden light startled Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in black armor, stormed in with several masked ANBU members.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru with a somewhat complicated expression in his cloudy eyes.

"Orochimaru, although you are my disciple, human experimentation is something that Konoha strictly prohibited years ago. Have you considered the consequences of what you've done?!"

"Hehehe, Sarutobi-sensei, you know me. What is this little thing compared to my pursuit of truth? Besides, Sarutobi-sensei, are you... really going to kill me?" Orochimaru smiled, his hands forming a hand seal. A fierce gust of wind rose from the center, accompanied by violent vibrations of the air, shattering all the glass instruments in the laboratory, spilling precious medicine all over the floor, and the chandelier hanging from the ceiling gradually cracked into pieces.

The surrounding Anbu members were so shocked that their chakra stopped flowing, and they collapsed to the ground, including Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Orochimaru even managed to slip past Hiruzen Sarutobi through that gap.

"Lord Hokage, what are you doing..." Kakashi of the Anbu was dumbfounded as he watched Orochimaru leave.

The Hokage is so strong, how could he possibly be fooled by such petty tricks?

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not affected for too long. When Orochimaru passed by him, he could have instantly summoned Enma to give this unreliable disciple a set of cage + fire combos with explosive damage. In such a narrow passage, the hit rate was almost 100%. However, at that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated again.

According to Konoha's laws, even if Orochimaru was his disciple, it was still a capital offense. But could he really watch his disciple, whom he had trained for so many years, die? Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know.

After a short period of recovery, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and addressed the surrounding Anbu members.

“It was my fault this time. I failed to stop him, but Orochimaru possesses dangerous forbidden techniques, data, and a lot of important information about Konoha. We absolutely cannot let him escape Konoha’s control this time! Kakashi, once you and Team 6 have recovered, immediately follow Orochimaru’s trail. Once I have gathered the ninjas, we will go after him right away.”

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

……

After Orochimaru defected, many ninjas were mobilized that very day to hunt him down. Numerous ninjas walked the streets and rooftops, exuding a murderous aura and displaying a terrifying presence.

After mobilizing the ninja pursuit force, Kosuke Maruboshi, who was still in the mission hall, was also personally dispatched by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Seeing Maruhoshi Kosuke being escorted away by the Anbu, Shiyuki scratched her head in confusion.

I have a feeling this old genin has some kind of powerful background. He's definitely different from ordinary genin like her.

Since there were only D-level missions available, Zhixue could only choose the best option among the less capable and accepted a short-distance transport convoy to a nearby village market before leaving.

However, Zhixue was slightly surprised when she saw the large number of ninjas mobilized outside.

What happened?

"Have you heard? Orochimaru, the Hokage's disciple, has defected."

"What? That's the Hokage's disciple! Why did he defect? ​​Isn't it good to be famous and powerful in Konoha?"

"I don't know. The reason for the defection is unclear. My friends in the Dark Division are also acting mysteriously, as if they don't want me to talk about it."

Zhi Xue raised an eyebrow upon hearing the rumors circulating nearby.

Oh, so Snake hasn't defected after all. But it's good that he left, otherwise he might have stolen a child to experiment on. She wouldn't feel safe walking alone at night. Although, given her reputation as a loser, Snake probably wouldn't even look at her.

call out!

Several shadowy figures from the Dark Guard darted across the rooftop, and Zhi Xue glanced curiously in that direction before being slapped twice with her fingers.

"Oh dear! What are you doing here?" Zhi Xue said to Zhi Shui with a resentful look, rubbing her slightly red forehead.

"That's what I should be asking you. Weren't you in the guard post? How did you get out?" Shisui took off his mask and said with a hint of reproach.