The difference between a genius and an ordinary person is greater than that between a human and a dog.
Link had understood this for a long time. So, after successfully carrying out his three-step plan to meet and change Sasuke, he came up with a new idea—
[Custom-Made Sharingan]
As everyone knows, after the Second Hokage's research, he concluded that the Sharingan is an eye that reflects one's state of mind.
But the abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan tend to mirror one's personal experiences and character traits.
For example:
Obito watched Rin die at Kakashi's hands and yearned to destroy this world and create another, which led him to awaken Kamui.
Shisui wanted to erase the conflict between the village and his clan, so he awakened Kotoamatsukami, which could manipulate others. In the manga, he also intended to use this technique to change his clan's plan to rebel.
Itachi's Amaterasu represents pitch-black fire and unwavering will, while Tsukuyomi symbolizes an absolute, illusory control.
Sasuke inherited Amaterasu; and to protect Karin from its flames, he awakened Kagutsuchi to control them.
Although neither the manga nor the data books state it explicitly, one can roughly infer that the Mangekyō's abilities are closely tied to the user's experiences and resolve.
From that, Link devised his own Plan B.
He wasn't a natural genius. He had deliberately trained his chakra control from the moment he gained chakra, and combined with an adult's self-discipline from his previous life, he had barely reached jōnin-level standards in control. He knew best whether there was any further room for improvement.
Geniuses, on the other hand, can often reach a comparable level simply by growing over time, even without specialized training. Sakura spent three years learning under Tsunade, and her chakra control nearly matched her teacher's; but if Link were in her place, he didn't think he could do it.
Just learning Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld had held him back for months; Rasengan was even more grueling, making it nearly impossible to manage his daily life.
Now, forget about training in Flying Thunder God—he couldn't even understand the notes.
And how about other S-rank techniques like Edo Tensei and Dead Demon Consuming Seal? Or any of the countless secret arts requiring special bloodlines or innate talents?
Link didn't want to stop where he was. He'd climbed this high; he wanted more. He was no longer that same person who only cared about staying alive at the start.
He closed his eyes briefly to consider his plan, then opened them again.
[I can choose to live solely in the present, but Sasuke, as my precious "jewel"…]
…
The Next Day, Morning – Tanzaku Town
"Alright, I'm leaving the search to you three. If you don't find him, meet back at the hotel at noon."
Link glanced at the mission request slip. Their job was to track down the missing husband of a wealthy lady—he'd apparently disappeared while soliciting prostitutes in Tanzaku Town. It wasn't a tough mission, just time-consuming.
It was also the perfect chance for Link to retrieve some money he'd stashed in one of the local casinos.
"Got it," came the trio's reply in unison. The three siblings from Sunagakure took the target's photo and huddled together to plan their search routes.
Since reconciling during their last mission, the three had grown closer. Temari, presumably feeling guilty for having kept her distance from her little brother in the past, now used every free moment to take Gaara out and introduce him to a "normal" lifestyle.
As a result, they bothered Link much less often.
Kankurō, however, showed no such courtesy. Whenever he had free time, he would shamelessly show up, asking Link for help in maintaining his puppets.
Since Link didn't know much about puppets—and he had piles of them anyway—he initially thought it was no big deal to let the kid borrow some. After all, Kankurō was basically "one of them" now. As long as he didn't dismantle or destroy them, Link turned a blind eye if Kankurō learned a thing or two.
But when Kankurō's visits grew increasingly frequent, Link finally instituted a fee.
"You want to play with the puppets? Alright—pay up."
"These are masterpieces. They might even be the final works of their creators. Charging a hundred ryō just to lay a hand on them isn't unreasonable, right?"
That finally got Kankurō to back off.
"Let's see...that casino is…" After parting ways with the three siblings, Link headed to the district lined with gambling dens.
All he knew was that a certain casino held a deposit in an unregistered account, protected by a password. However, he didn't know which casino. Tanzaku Town might not have dozens of casinos, but there were at least a dozen or so.
No choice but to check them one by one.
"This way, little boy—sorry, but we don't allow minors inside." At his very first stop, he was turned away. The bunny girl welcoming guests at the door gave him a sweet smile and patted his head.
Link stepped back and pointed at the Konoha forehead protector tied to his arm. "I'm here on official mission business."
"Oh, pardon me, Ninja-sama," said the bunny girl, covering her mouth in surprise.
For some reason, Link found her tone a bit odd.
He took this chance to ask if the casino offered unregistered deposits.
Of course it did. In the Naruto world, there's no formal ID system, and some shinobi even use the Transformation Jutsu to hide their identities and indulge in gambling. Offering no-name membership cards and deposit services was basic practice.
Link used his status as a shinobi to test the password within the casino—no match. On to the next one.
He kept this up until evening, when he finally located the 500,000 ryō deposit. Getting it out, however, was a slight hassle.
The businessman who had made the deposit had specified that the money could only be withdrawn in the form of gambling chips—
probably intending to use them for some special "event" with his lover.
But for Link, that was less than ideal.
So there he was, standing by the street with a bag of chips in hand, wearing a blank expression. Since he was a minor, he couldn't drink or gamble in this world, either. If he weren't a ninja, the local thugs or gambling addicts would likely have already dragged him away.
He asked around at the casino entrance until he found someone to buy the chips at 95% of their face value. That seedy area was downright nauseating: the scent of lavender-scented softeners mixed with smoke, alcohol, vomit, and countless perfumes.
It was truly stomach-turning.
Link brought the money back to the hotel and took a thorough shower to wash away the smell. The three siblings from Sunagakure arrived soon afterward, having failed to find their target.
Tanzaku Town is huge, full of entertainment venues and hotels. There was no way to find the missing husband in just one day.
Luckily, Link had already accomplished his goal—he'd secured 500,000 ryō. Feeling generous, he treated the three siblings to a seafood hotpot.
"Link-sensei, did you strike it rich or something?" asked Temari from where she sat on a tatami mat, visibly surprised.
Their teacher was generally frugal—and had more than a bit of a greedy streak—so spending a large sum of money to treat them was quite out of character.
"Let's just say I did," Link replied casually between bites.
In truth, he was treating them because the three siblings might well return to Sunagakure after next month's Three-Nation Summit.
That was already under discussion at Konoha's highest levels—using a jinchūriki and the Kazekage's children to negotiate for greater leverage in the Land of Rivers.
Sigh. They were all just pawns, really.
~~~
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