It was those same familiar bloodstains under the eyes.
Oda Sakunosuke's heart was very calm; his only thought was that it had appeared again, he even had the leisure to think that Ango would probably have another breakdown.
However, he cast his gaze toward the other's hair; the slightly long hair was smooth and silky, fluttering in waves with the breeze. Such flowing hair didn't quite look like the previous three Uchiha.
Author's Note:
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Chapter 17
In the end, Oda Sakunosuke could judge based on the activation level of the ability that this injured Uchiha's strength was likely slightly inferior to the previous two, but a bit stronger than the previous Uchiha Shisui.
What a terrifying clan. As Oda Sakunosuke lamented, he acted simultaneously; relying on the skills he had honed from dealing with so many injured members of the Uchiha Clan, he successfully brought this person, who was almost certainly an Uchiha, back home.
However, the injuries on this young Uchiha were quite severe. Once his body sensed that the surrounding environment was safe, he remained unconscious. If it hadn't been for the experience Oda Sakunosuke gained from saving so many Uchiha, he truly wouldn't have been able to handle this kind of problem.
Despite being busy for most of the night, Oda Sakunosuke woke up very early this morning, because he had to attend a job interview that Ango had helped him find.
He was previously just a low-level member of the Port Mafia and had never been involved in any major incidents. His range of skills was limited, making it relatively easy to clear his record, so he quickly obtained the opportunity to attend a job interview.
As for Dazai in the next room, even though the Port Mafia had no intention of pursuing him, his past experiences were so dark that he would still need a long time to cleanse his record.
After observing the patient's condition for a while before leaving, Oda Sakunosuke felt that he likely wouldn't wake up until noon, only then did he set off with peace of mind.
Upon stepping outside and seeing the house next door, Oda Sakunosuke thought about it for a moment, then ran back into Dazai's house. As soon as he opened the door to the room, he saw that the other was indeed still curled up in bed.
Dazai!" Oda Sakunosuke called out to wake Dazai Osamu. "Go back to sleep in a bit; I have something to tell you.
"?? What for?" Because he slept in the room next to Oda Sakunosuke, Dazai Osamu slept with extra peace of mind and very little vigilance; being woken up by Oda Sakunosuke left him feeling a bit dazed.
Oda Sakunosuke began to instruct Dazai Osamu, "Next time, don't use wire to pick the lock on my room. Even if you're going to do it, you should give me a heads-up first."
"Oh, anyway, didn't that Uchiha Shisui leave? It's fine now." Dazai Osamu said, his eyes half-closed with sleepiness.
"Another one came last night," Oda Sakunosuke said succinctly.
"Yeah, another one has arrived. What! Another one!" Upon hearing this, Dazai Osamu's eyes snapped wide open, his sleepiness vanished instantly, leaving his mind incredibly sharp. "?? Holy crap, it's back-to-back!" They aren't even letting Oda Sakunosuke get a moment of rest?
"He is still sleeping, so stop using wire to pick locks. Be careful, or you'll be killed for being suspected of having ulterior motives," Oda Sakunosuke cautioned once again.
"I know," Dazai Osamu said, collapsing back onto the bed in agony. How could these Uchiha guys all have such high combat power!
It was another sunny day, everyone at the Armed Detective Agency was busy with their own tasks; some were preoccupied with organizing files, while others were lounging on their desks, catching some sleep.
Looking at the brick-red door in front of him, Oda Sakunosuke took a breath and then raised his hand.
"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of knocking echoed.
A young man with dark golden hair opened the door, his handsome face filled with a serious expression.
"Hello, my name is Oda Sakunosuke, I am here for the interview," Oda Sakunosuke said politely.
Oh, I am Kunikida Doppo, a member of the Armed Detective Agency." Kunikida Doppo pushed up the glasses on his nose. "The President told me about your business yesterday. Please, follow me!
Kunikida Doppo stepped aside to let Oda Sakunosuke into the Agency, leading him through the corridor to see the President, Fukuzawa Yukichi.
Hearing the commotion, Fukuzawa Yukichi looked up and met Oda Sakunosuke's eyes.
The silver-haired middle-aged man appeared to be roughly the same age as Mori Ougai of the Port Mafia, but his temperament was entirely different. Draped in a black haori over a green kimono, he exuded an aura of majesty from head to toe.
While Oda Sakunosuke was sizing up his opponent, Fukuzawa Yukichi was also sizing him up. The young man with reddish-brown hair possessed a steady aura; although he was not an ordinary person, Fukuzawa thought back to the experiences listed on the resume he had seen yesterday.
"Why do you want to join the Armed Detective Agency?" Fukuzawa Yukichi asked, looking Oda Sakunosuke straight in the eye with a calm expression.
"I need a salary," Oda Sakunosuke said with a hint of helplessness. Although his dream was to become a novelist, it was clear that, as someone who had just started writing novels, he needed a source of income.
Sakaguchi Ango understood Oda Sakunosuke's predicament and his formidable strength, so he took a long time before recommending the Armed Detective Agency, which operated in a gray area, to him.
The salary at the Port Mafia must be quite high, right?" Fukuzawa Yukichi said with some doubt. "Your strength seems very impressive.
"Because I am unwilling to kill," Oda Sakunosuke said candidly.
I see." Fukuzawa Yukichi's expression softened. He possessed immense strength, yet he still adhered to his principles. "Oda-kun, I have approved your application to join the Agency.
I hope to see your hard work at the Detective Agency in the future.
"I definitely will," Oda Sakunosuke said with certainty.
On a poster, a beautiful woman held a round fan that covered half of her face, standing beside her was a young man with the exact same face.
Looking at this picture, Senju Tobirama's usually expressionless, icy face cracked.
What he saw was that face, the one he could only see in his dreams at midnight—the face of his lifelong nemesis, Uchiha Izuna.
The other person's female attire seemed to pull him back to the past.
Senju Tobirama's gaze fell upon the words "Uchiha Izuna" at the very bottom of the poster, in the next second, his figure vanished.
Because the movie's release required promotional activities, Uchiha Izuna had been staying in an outside hotel for the past few days. Today, his eyelid had been twitching incessantly, as if foretelling the arrival of something.
Suddenly, he turned around to look at the person standing behind him.
With white hair, his handsome, cold face bore three red markings, his temperament was aloof, carrying the intimidation of one who had long held a position of authority.
“It really is you, Uchiha Izuna.” Senju Tobirama stared at the person before him, his mind churning with thoughts.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he still felt completely defenseless the moment he saw this person; fortunately, his long-standing expressionless mask could still hide his true feelings.
Uchiha Izuna felt quite calm in his heart. For some reason, he had always had the feeling that Senju Tobirama would also come here, seeing this person now gave him the sensation that his intuition had been correct.
“You actually still dare to show your face before me,” Uchiha Izuna said unhurriedly. “After everything you've done.”
"I am merely venting my anger." Senju Tobirama watched him with an almost greedy gaze.
Taking it out on that clan, taking it out on the brother who would die for you.
But he was the one who could be discarded.
Upon hearing these words, Uchiha Izuna suddenly unleashed the Mangekyou Sharingan against Senju Tobirama.
Subconsciously, Senju Tobirama wanted to close his eyes, but he suppressed the urge just as his eyelashes flickered, forcing himself to meet Uchiha Izuna's eyes and fall into the Sharingan's genjutsu.
Uchiha Izuna grabbed Senju Tobirama at the last moment before he fell to prevent him from crashing onto the ground. Looking at the man who had lost consciousness before his eyes with an unreadable expression, he finally decided to hide Senju Tobirama first, lest Madara-kun find him.
As expected of brothers, the first reaction both of them had upon seeing Senju Hashirama (Tobirama) was to hide him so that his younger brother (older brother) wouldn't find him.
With the matter concluded, Uchiha Izuna began to contemplate what to do next.
He couldn't say it directly; Madara-kun wouldn't do anything to him, but he would definitely beat Senju Tobirama to death.
As he thought about it, Uchiha Izuna suddenly remembered the words he had heard while drinking with Dazai Osamu a while ago.
“What is there to fear if my family doesn't agree!”
When the time comes, just find someone much worse than the person you like now and bring them home to make a scene. Once your family can't stand it anymore, you can pretend to be heartbroken and break up, then you can just bring the person you actually like home, right?
At that moment, as Uchiha Izuna pondered, he suddenly realized that the words he had heard that day weren't entirely without merit.
After all, they were no longer in their original world, so he only needed to deal with Madara-kun.
As for the candidate, Uchiha Izuna went through everyone he had met here, his requirements gradually took shape.
First, this person had to be sufficiently outstanding, with strong individual capabilities and a sharp mind, so they wouldn't be easily taken out by Madara-kun; second, this person had to have certain flaws in their character or emotions, so that it would be easier for him to find an excuse to break up.
Thinking about it this way, a figure gradually emerged in Uchiha Izuna's mind.
It is said that during his period of filming movies abroad, Mori Ougai schemed against Oda Sakunosuke, though in the end, he failed and instead ended up benefiting Madara-kun. Furthermore, he had once heard gossip about Mori Ougai from Dazai Osamu, claiming that his hunting range consisted of young girls under the age of twelve.
His strength and intellect are both formidable, which is why he could become the leader of the Port Mafia; plus, he is a pedophile. Excellent, the man perfectly meets his requirements.
Hmm, it's decided, Mori-san!
Author's Note:
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Chapter 18
"It just so happens there's a case over at Kunikida's, your job for today is to investigate it." Fukuzawa Yukichi assigned the recruitment test case, which had been decided upon yesterday, to Oda Sakunosuke.
I'm sorry, I have something to do today." Oda Sakunosuke hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I might not be able to make it this afternoon.
Taking time off on the very first day at the agency?
Fukuzawa Yukichi almost doubted his own hearing. Even if he was introduced by an acquaintance, he couldn't be this willful!
“I found an injured person at my doorstep yesterday, he hadn't woken up from last night until just before I left. I wanted to go back and check on his condition,” Oda Sakunosuke explained somewhat shyly. Although he had no experience with a regular job, he also knew that taking time off on his first day wasn't ideal.
"Why not send him to the hospital?" Fukuzawa Yukichi asked.
“The injuries on his body are not suitable for a hospital visit.” Oda Sakunosuke sighed softly. He didn't know what was going on with those people surnamed Uchiha; the fresh wounds showed no clear cause, but the old scars bore the marks of weapons. If the hospital staff were to misunderstand and call the police, it wouldn't be good.
"Then go ahead," Fukuzawa Yukichi nodded, his aura becoming even more gentle.
Fortunately, the Armed Detective Agency was no ordinary company, President Fukuzawa was truly reasonable, so Oda Sakunosuke breathed a sigh of relief.
“By the way, when you handle cases, call Ranpo to go with you.” Based on the conversation, Fukuzawa Yukichi had a general understanding of Oda Sakunosuke's personality and felt he could assign him to be Edogawa Ranpo's partner, so that he could look after Ranpo. “His full name is Edogawa Ranpo, you two will be partners from now on. His ability is very strong, but his personality might be a bit childish, so I hope you can keep an eye on him.”
"I'll keep that in mind." Taking care of a child was nothing; Oda Sakunosuke stated that this was his specialty.
Immediately following that, the members of the Armed Detective Agency witnessed Oda Sakunosuke's incredibly high level of childcare—cough, I mean, his skill at taking care of people.
Under Oda Sakunosuke's care, Ranpo-san was looked after with such meticulous attention to detail that one couldn't help but exclaim that he was essentially a "male mother."
Taking care of Ranpo-san was much like taking care of his good friend Dazai Osamu; perhaps this feeling was what Ango meant by taking care of a son. As Oda Sakunosuke continued his tasks, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander in that direction.
Edogawa Ranpo took one look at Oda Sakunosuke's expression and knew exactly what he was thinking, his face darkening. "Hey, I'm not your son!"
"Ranpo-san is truly amazing; you know exactly what I'm thinking," Oda Sakunosuke comforted him skillfully.
"Hmph!" Edogawa Ranpo covered his slightly flushed face with his beret.
Having finished the morning's work, Oda Sakunosuke said goodbye to everyone at the Armed Detective Agency. Although they had only spent half a day together, these new colleagues were very kind, getting along with them had been very pleasant.
Oda Sakunosuke slowed his pace as he reached the intersection, because he saw Dazai Osamu peeking and snooping through the cracks in his door and windows.
“Dazai, what are you doing?” Oda Sakunosuke asked after watching him in silence for a while.
It was a relief that Dazai had taken his words before leaving to heart, hadn't just used wire to pick the lock.