Hearing this, Orochimaru gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, but first, we need a laboratory and the necessary equipment. Chiba, you'll have to handle that."
"No problem. I'll take care of it as soon as possible," Chiba nodded.
Though Orochimaru didn't know where Chiba would get the money for such an endeavor, he understood that everyone had their own secrets, and he wasn't the type to pry unnecessarily.
After leaving Orochimaru's house, Chiba recalled what Kakuzu had said to him before.
Thinking about it, he changed direction.
Hokage Building - Mission Hall
The place was still the same, with familiar staff members attending to their duties.
Approaching the counter, Chiba asked, "Hello, are there any missions available that would allow me to leave the village?"
The staff member didn't question his request and immediately began flipping through the mission records.
After a moment, they placed a book in front of him and pointed at an entry.
"This mission fits your criteria. A group of bandits has been spotted between the capital and Konoha. Their numbers are small, so it's classified as a C-rank mission."
Chiba scanned the mission details. According to the report, the bandits were just a group of ordinary people—nothing too difficult.
"This will do. I'll take it."
"Alright. Please provide the names and number of people in your team for registration."
Chiba shook his head. "Chiba. Just me."
The staff member raised an eyebrow.
"You're Uchiha Chiba?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No," the staff member quickly replied, shaking his head. He was just surprised—only a handful of people had been promoted to Chūnin in the recent exams, and Chiba was among them. Not only that, he had ranked first.
A moment later, the staff handed him the mission documents.
The Next Day
After informing Uchiha Genka, Chiba left the village.
Since he had more than just the mission in mind, he didn't tell anyone where he was going.
Once he was beyond the watchful eyes of the guards, he leaped into the sky and headed in a completely different direction from the mission's destination.
Short Book Street
By the time Chiba arrived, the sun had already set.
The lively street was lined with gambling houses and entertainment establishments, all opening their doors to welcome customers.
Hostesses and waitresses stood at the entrances, calling out to passersby.
As he walked past one of the establishments, he couldn't help but notice the young women dressed in revealing outfits.
It's late at night, and they don't even have proper clothes... he thought, half-amused, half-sympathetic.
For a brief moment, he considered "helping" them—until he remembered his age.
Sigh... guess I'll have to wait a few more years.
As he wandered further, he recalled that this was the very place where Tsunade had first appeared in the anime.
However, the novelty quickly wore off. After grabbing a meal at a random restaurant, he booked a room at a nearby inn and called it a night.
The Next Morning
Chiba rose early and headed straight to his real objective.
Using his memory of past anime scenes, he searched for the public restroom in Short Book Street.
He wasn't there to use it, of course—he was looking for the hidden entrance to the underground money exchange.
Activating his Observation Haki, he quickly found what he was looking for.
Soon, he stood in front of a worn-out wooden door.
Seeing it in person made him feel strange—he had seen this very door in the anime, but now, standing before it in reality, he felt a sense of nostalgia mixed with amusement.
"These guys really do live like rats underground."
Without hesitation, he pushed the door open.
Squeak...
He stepped into a dark tunnel, only to be blocked by an iron gate.
Noticing a small square peephole in the gate, Chiba felt an unexpected sense of déjà vu.
It reminded him of his high school classroom back in his previous life. The front and back doors of his classroom had similar openings, allowing teachers to peek inside.
One time, he had dozed off during class and was caught by his teacher through that very hole. That incident had earned him a scolding in the office.
Shaking off the memory, he focused on the present.
A pair of eyes appeared in the peephole.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"I'm here to find someone," Chiba stated plainly.
"Wrong place. We don't offer that kind of service here."
Chiba scratched his head. He hadn't expected to be turned away so easily.
In the anime, the underground exchange wasn't shown in much detail, so he wasn't sure if he needed some sort of secret passphrase.
Just as he considered forcing his way in, he heard slow, deliberate footsteps behind him.
Tap. Tap. Tap...
Turning around, he saw a masked man in a gray robe emerging from the shadows.
"Kakuzu?"
The man stopped and tilted his head slightly.
"Uchiha Chiba? What are you doing here?"
Chiba smirked. "Looking for you, actually."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "Hmph. So you actually came here to find me."
Chiba shrugged. "Didn't you tell me before that if I ever needed you, I should come to the underground money exchange? Well, here I am."
Kakuzu glanced at the bundle in his hand, which was dripping with fresh liquid. The dim lighting made it hard to see the color, but the smell of blood was unmistakable.
"Are you here to cash in a bounty?" Chiba asked.
Kakuzu looked down at the package and nodded. "Yeah. I took a job in the Land of Fire and came here to collect the payment."
Chiba nodded approvingly. That's what I like to see—an employee who works without needing orders from his boss.
"Alright, why don't you finish your transaction first? Then we can talk."
Kakuzu didn't object. He stepped toward the iron door.
Then, to Chiba's shock, he said—
"Did you flush the toilet today?"
From the other side of the door, a voice responded—
"I already ate."
A second later, the iron gate slowly creaked open.
Chiba stood there, dumbfounded.
Seriously? That's the passphrase?
He had expected something mysterious or intimidating. Instead, it sounded like two people having the most bizarre conversation ever.
"Are all secret codes this disgusting now?"