Freelancer in Naruto

Musen and Lanyu stood in one corner of the black market, arguing until their faces were red.

Right as the two of them reached an impasse, Senshi's expression sharpened.

With his "Mantra," he sensed several presences converging on the bustling marketplace.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Senshi's mouth, hinting at deeper meaning. Among the newcomers, one individual moved lightly yet brimmed with confidence: Kurotsuchi, the future Fourth Tsuchikage.

Right behind her was a brawny man named Akatsuchi, famed as the "Unrivaled Might, the Shield of the Tsuchikage." Leading them up front was an even more heavyweight figure—Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and Kurotsuchi's father.

It was rumored that, under certain extreme conditions, he could even suppress the power of the Ten-Tails for a short period.

Seeing these three heavy hitters arrive together, Senshi's eyes lit up briefly, and he felt a surge of secret delight.

The real show was about to start. Another huge wave of employment points would soon be coming his way.

When Kitsuchi led Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi into the black market, an invisible aura seemed to silence everyone for half a second, before the crowd broke into an even louder clamor.

"Hey now, honesty is the best policy, and those legs? I like 'em!"

A scruffy-bearded mercenary leaning against the wall, a cup in hand, glanced at Kurotsuchi and let out a shameless whistle.

"Naruto? Where's Naruto? Why isn't he being cryptic?"

Raimon Hayate casually butted in, though clearly, Naruto wasn't around this black market at all, leaving him confused. His sister, Raimon Yukika, gave him a complicated look.

Is this goof really my little brother?

Why did it feel like he and Musen, that guy over there, were more like family? She cast a glance at Musen off in the distance, still arguing with Lanyu, then eyed her own carefree younger brother and couldn't help rolling her eyes inwardly.

She didn't have time for trivialities now, though—her gaze returned to the three high-ranking Iwagakure shinobi. A sly grin appeared on her pretty face.

Previously, only that little girl named Kurotsuchi had come to scout the black market, but now the village had sent three important figures, so it looked like they were coming clean to negotiate with Lord Senshi.

Not far away, Musen, Lanyu, and Lanwu also noticed Kitsuchi's arrival with his companions.

Lanyu narrowed her eyes, scanning the crowd with a flicker of calculation, then whispered, "From the look of this, Iwagakure can't hold out any longer. They've sent so many folks, likely hoping to have Lord Senshi sit down and discuss a deal."

Hearing that, Musen blinked in surprise, his eyes widening. "Discuss a deal? Then doesn't that mean we won't be able to just freely grind missions in the Land of Earth black market anymore?"

Lanwu rolled her eyes, sounding exasperated. "What, got your brains beaten silly with Wood Release? Why assume that if we can't get something by force outside negotiations, we'd do better at the table? Iwagakure can't do anything about us outside the table, so if they sit down to talk, it only means we'll end up getting even more out of them."

She folded her arms over her chest and curled her mouth in a faint smile. Musen scratched his head, not fully understanding but feeling Lanwu's words sounded really deep and probably on point.

While everyone debated, the three from Iwagakure wasted no time heading straight for Senshi's reception room.

That reception room wasn't large, with only a few rough maps tacked to the walls. Senshi lounged in the principal seat, posture relaxed yet radiating an invisible pressure.

Logically, Kitsuchi and his companions—being natives of Iwagakure—should've held the "home advantage."

But Senshi's familiarity with the black market far surpassed most people's. Actually, for Senshi, visiting a black market was like going home. He just loved black markets.

When the three spotted Senshi, they couldn't hide their initial flash of surprise. The man who was now recognized as the ninja world's strongest was younger than they'd imagined. Kitsuchi forced down the wave in his heart, took a deep breath, and respectfully pulled out a scroll, offering it up. "Lord Senshi, Lord Tsuchikage cordially invites you to Iwagakure to discuss a cooperative venture. Might I ask when you'd be free to depart?"

Senshi accepted it offhandedly and unrolled it. Most of it was just polite formalities. He gave it a glance, already understanding.

Ōnoki wanted him to negotiate in Iwagakure. Ever since he and his mercenaries started crazily grinding missions in the Land of Earth black market, Iwagakure had been churned inside out. They'd tried holding on for a while but apparently couldn't anymore, so they had to compromise.

He tossed the scroll onto the table and lifted his eyes to Kitsuchi.

"Discussing cooperation is fine, but first let's see Iwagakure's sincerity. Tomorrow, I'll head over to Iwagakure and speak to the Tsuchikage face-to-face. I'd suggest you folks prepare well."

Kitsuchi heard this, and his throat tightened a bit as bitterness rose within him. If it had been some other ninja brazen enough to speak like that before him, he'd have hammered them with a Doton technique already, so they'd know their place.

But this man was Uzumaki Senshi—the strongest in the ninja world. All he could do was nod politely. "Understood, Lord Senshi. We'll head back to the village at once and get ready."

Senshi dipped his head slightly, tacitly agreeing. Though Kitsuchi disliked how overbearing Senshi was, the overall trip to the black market went well enough. Before arriving, Iwagakure's biggest worry was that Senshi might refuse all collaboration, since all the leverage was in his hands.

Fortunately, Senshi readily agreed to negotiate. That put Kitsuchi at ease a bit. He bid Senshi farewell, then led Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi away in haste, heading home to report to Ōnoki.

Once Kitsuchi's group left the black market, they hurried back to Iwagakure. Before long, the Tsuchikage's building was bustling with noise in its meeting room. The village's top echelons and key ninjas were all present—even the Two Jinchuriki, Rōshi of the Four-Tails and Han of the Five-Tails, had been summoned back in a hurry.

Ōnoki sat at the head seat, looking grave: "As for these talks with Senshi—call it cooperation if you like, but frankly, we're forced to negotiate. Tomorrow's engagement is a massive test for the village. Let's hear your thoughts."

Akatsuchi spoke up first. He stood, fixing a resolute gaze on Ōnoki. "Sensei, we're dealing with Senshi only because we have no choice. For the village's long-term interests, I believe we should be willing to compromise in several areas."

The moment he finished, a somewhat gruff voice rang out. Four-Tails Jinchuriki Rōshi lounged in his chair, lips twisted with scorn. "I'm against giving up our village's interests just to survive. No matter how strong Uzumaki Senshi is, are we Iwagakure just a bunch of pushovers? If you ask me, we should fight first and talk later. Tomorrow when he comes, Han and I will join forces with the Tsuchikage to teach him a lesson—let him realize Iwagakure isn't easy pickings!"

The second he said that, the meeting room's atmosphere froze solid. Ōnoki's eyes bulged like copper bells, Kurotsuchi stared wide-eyed, and even normally composed Han showed shock. Rōshi's words had stunned them all.

Going up against Uzumaki Senshi in a fight?

That was practically suicide. Everyone glanced around in dismay, all wondering the same thing: Has Rōshi's time wandering outside left him so clueless? If he knew anything at all about Senshi's power, he wouldn't say something so outlandish.

Kitsuchi immediately got up and contradicted him: "There's no way we can fight Lord Senshi! According to our info, even if the old Warring States duo—Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—teamed up, they might not beat him. All of us combined might not measure up to Hashirama and Madara, let alone taking on Senshi!"

"Tch!" Rōshi snorted, unconvinced. Constantly roaming away from the village, he wasn't adept at collecting intel. He was nothing like Jiraiya who specialized in that; he basically knew zero about the current state of the ninja world. In his mind, it was still the era of the Five Great Nations towering over all, so no matter how strong Senshi was, he figured he was just an uppity nobody.

Seeing the two men on the verge of clashing, and the room getting tenser, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, hastily stood up, attempting to mediate. "A big reputation doesn't come from nowhere. The fact that Uzumaki Senshi's name has resounded throughout the world isn't a fluke. If we don't need to, we'd best avoid clashing with him. Like Kitsuchi said, his power might well surpass Hashirama and Madara put together."

But neither Han's nor Kitsuchi's urging could sway Rōshi's stubbornness. Scowling, he felt they were all being overly timid, but with Ōnoki and company unwilling to accept his plan, he had no choice but to keep quiet.

With such divided opinions, the meeting proceeded inefficiently, but after heated debate, they still managed to decide on certain negotiating principles—what they could yield on, and the lines they wouldn't cross.

…

Early the next morning, with the sun just illuminating the peaks around Iwagakure, Senshi arrived at the Tsuchikage's building's meeting room on schedule.

Accompanying him were members of his mercenary corps, each radiating a formidable presence. Iwagakure had all its higher-ups and key ninjas present, packing the room so tight one could wring tension from the air.

Senshi's gaze swept across the crowd, lighting up with satisfaction at seeing the village's two Jinchuriki in attendance. It saved him quite a bit of trouble. One of his key goals was capturing the Four- and Five-Tails, and before this he'd planned to rely on Deidara's intel to track them down.

He never expected they'd deliver themselves to him. Without letting it show, he silently placed space-time markings on them.

The Iwagakure shinobi looked at him grimly. Once he took his seat, Ōnoki took the lead, saying, "Lord Senshi, let us begin discussing our cooperation."

Senshi leaned back in his chair, speaking idly: "So what kind of cooperation is Iwagakure expecting?"

Ōnoki responded gravely, "For the sake of our ninjas' development, we have two demands: first, that you and your mercenaries only accept a limited number of assignments in the Land of Earth's black market; second, that we're allowed to have some of our ninja join your mercenary group."

That offer didn't surprise Senshi; the Kumo had proposed something similar once. Lifting his eyebrow, Senshi spoke calmly yet with an edge: "And what about Iwagakure's sincerity?"

As soon as he asked, Rōshi's face darkened, remembering how bottled up he felt yesterday. He'd love to jump up and shout, "Why be afraid? Let's just beat him!" But after reading up on Senshi's intel, he realized a head-on clash was foolish. Now he could only hold back, face reddening with frustration.

Ōnoki took a deep breath and outlined the results of the previous night's discussion:

"Iwagakure has decided to grant you and your mercenaries permission to accept missions from every black market in the Land of Earth, as well as from Iwagakure. Admittedly, you can forcibly grab missions now if you wish, but if we choose to resist you, we can make your life difficult. From the black market and from our village's mission center, you're allowed to take up to 50% of posted tasks. As long as you don't exceed that limit, we won't interfere."

Senshi's lips twitched slightly. He'd seen these negotiation tactics before—delaying, inching forward. Too bad Senshi wasn't the kind of mercenary who liked to drag things out.

"Lord Tsuchikage, you must understand that I, Uzumaki Senshi, am not fond of violence—I prefer to resolve violence. So let me suggest you folks rephrase what you just said."

Once he dropped those words, the conference room fell silent as a grave. Ōnoki's expression shifted, flickering with helplessness and hesitation. Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, Rōshi, and Han exchanged glances, all looking troubled.

Ōnoki took a deep breath and said, "Lord Senshi, Iwagakure has come to these negotiations in utmost good faith. We hope you'll demonstrate cooperation in return. We do have other options, you see; if these talks go nowhere, we may resort to more drastic measures to safeguard the village's interests."

Senshi's eyes glinted, and he picked up the subtext right away: either a mutual benefit, or a total fallout. He wasn't scared of a clash. At his strength, even if the entire village mobilized, they likely couldn't harm him.

But conflict wasn't his aim. He'd come here to glean as many mission commissions in the Land of Earth as possible, amassing huge employment points. Blowing up the Land of Earth didn't profit him at all.

He gave a slight smile, speaking lightly yet with hidden menace: "Lord Tsuchikage, you misunderstand. I'm not threatening you, just telling it like it is. You, better than anyone, understand how influential my mercenary corps is here. Instead of a confrontation, why not cooperate? That'd benefit us both."

"Yes, my group can scale back how many black market jobs we take in the Land of Earth, but Iwagakure must do more than just give us access. Even without your say-so, we can move freely among all the black markets. As you've likely noticed, wherever we show up, the paying clients show up, too. Iwagakure's own mission center is optional from our perspective."

His remarks made Ōnoki's face grow even gloomier. He couldn't refute it because that was precisely what had happened. After a short pause, he asked, "So what are your terms?"

Senshi already had them in mind and answered without hesitation:

"First, Iwagakure must give me and my corps official permission to accept missions from within your village, without interference, and the number of missions can be negotiated. Second, the village must hire me as a mission advisor, giving me certain decision-making authority over mission-related matters. Third, if any Iwa-nin wishes to join my corps, that can be arranged, but they must pay a training fee—and I won't guarantee they'll actually qualify."

Those three points made the air in the meeting room instantly heavier. Ōnoki's frown deepened, an angry glint crossing his gaze.

Senshi wanted to farm missions openly in Iwagakure's mission center without paying anything back; on top of that, he demanded Iwagakure hire him at a high price as a advisor, and if their ninjas sought to join his group, they'd have to cough up a steep training fee—still with no guarantee.

This was practically robbery, and no one in Iwagakure could accept it.

Shaking his head, Ōnoki said gravely, "Lord Senshi, these conditions are too harsh. Iwagakure came here in good faith, yet you're refusing to make any comparable concessions. Frankly, it's disappointing."

But Senshi didn't bat an eye, staring calmly at Ōnoki. "Lord Tsuchikage, I'll say it again: I'm not afraid of a fight, but I'd rather solve our issues peacefully. Think it over a bit more."

At that, Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, and the others fell into deep thought. They knew well Senshi's fearsome reputation and had scoured all possible intel on him. After a moment, Ōnoki at last replied, "We can authorize you and your men to accept missions in Iwagakure and throughout the Land of Earth, but we'll need more detailed negotiation. Hiring you as an advisor with partial authority is doable, too. However, if our ninjas undergo your training to join your corps, we need a full guarantee that, if they pass your training, they can join."

This was a compromise from Ōnoki, already stepping far back from Senshi's initial demands. He was even thinking: if he joined Senshi's corps personally, might he, as a Kage-level fighter, climb higher still? What a rare chance to buy "power." Of course, as the Tsuchikage, he couldn't really join, but if others in the village did and became stronger, that would greatly benefit Iwagakure overall.

Senshi nodded as he listened. Those terms weren't outrageous, but he knew it wasn't purely up to him who joined—any hopeful needed enough "bond value" with him. For instance, someone like Ōnoki himself would likely never earn that bond if they lived a thousand years.

After a moment of thought, Senshi said, "If my corps and I are operating in Iwagakure and the Land of Earth, we'll do our best not to disrupt your village. But hiring me as a mission advisor will cost three hundred million ryō. As for training those Iwa-nin who want to join my corps—one hundred million per ninja, but no guarantees they'll make the cut."

Hearing that, Ōnoki's expression darkened on the spot. "Lord Senshi, from what we've heard, the going rate to hire you as an advisor for a village is usually around one hundred million. Charging three hundred million is excessive. And one hundred million in training fees, with no guarantee of acceptance? That's far too steep."

Senshi's lips twisted into a teasing grin. "Tsuchikage-ossan, that was back then—this is now. Market price these days is three hundred million, so don't think it's too high. It'll only go higher later. The training fees, same logic. Still, I can make a tiny concession: if you pay for one ninja's training but they fail to qualify, you can pick a second ninja to train for free. It's basically two for one, so effectively fifty million each. And of course, if your first ninja does succeed, well, the return for Iwagakure is beyond mere money."

Ōnoki and Kitsuchi exchanged glances, once again lost in thought. Senshi's demands remained strong, but compared to him monopolizing missions or going to war with Iwagakure, it was at least a workable deal. The risk, though, was that if they sent 20 candidates and all failed, that'd be a wasted billion.

After some back-and-forth, Ōnoki said heavily, "Lord Senshi, at this point we can settle on a preliminary framework. But the specifics will require internal discussion on our part. Let's consider this the end of the first round of talks; we'll hold a second round later today—agreed?"

"Sure," Senshi replied easily, silently thinking, Man, this old Ōnoki is so methodical. He's a good Tsuchikage but a real pain to negotiate with. In comparison, the Mizukage or the Raikage were far more straightforward.

While Senshi's negotiations with Iwagakure were going pretty smoothly, Black Zetsu's efforts to gather wealth hit a snag.

For quite a while, he'd just been cruising along, with Obito unable to rein him in. Now it was different—Obito had resurrected Madara, so to keep the plan on track, Obito had to keep up appearances and continue deceiving Madara. Once Black Zetsu heard Madara wanted to see him, he rushed right over.

In the huge underground chamber of the Mountain Graveyard, Black Zetsu emerged from a rock wall. The second he appeared, Madara and Obito cornered him for a triple interrogation.

Madara started bluntly, "What have you been doing lately?"

Zetsu thought briefly. "Mainly two things: first, traveling the ninja world collecting intel. Second, while collecting intel, I pick up resources along the way if they seem useful. The ninja world's advancing super fast now—if we don't collect intel diligently, we'll end up blind-sided. And as for gathering resources, sometimes it's handy, and it doesn't take much extra effort."

Hearing that, Madara and Obito both looked pensive. There wasn't anything obviously wrong with Zetsu's explanation. He didn't have much combat power, so intel-gathering and salvage work were about all he could do. Actually, that salvage ability, which had been useless before, turned out to be extremely useful now.

So Madara said, "Zetsu, you've done well. Leave intel-gathering to White Zetsu from now on. Your job will be specifically to look for treasure buried underground."

Black Zetsu: (O_O)???

What the heck?!

All that gold and silver was supposed to be for his mother's resurrection fees! Sure, there was still a lot he hadn't collected and stashed in his secret vault yet, but that was only a matter of time. Why should any of it go to Madara? And for all he knew, Madara and Obito might become sacrifices themselves. Spending money on them would be a total waste.

Black Zetsu paused, then said, "I only happen on valuables by chance while gathering intel—I don't find treasure buried deep underground every time. Plus, the underground environment is complicated. Looking for buried treasure is harder than stuff on the surface. Honestly, I'd recommend against it."

He was basically implying: "Madara, that's too deep a pool for you—let me handle it."

Madara snorted. "Just follow my orders. Don't worry about anything else."

In other words, "Don't offer suggestions, Zetsu."

Since Madara made his stance clear, Black Zetsu obviously wouldn't contradict him head-on. Plus, fooling Madara over such a matter was easy. He just had to take Madara to all the places he'd already scoured clean, letting Madara see how all that "underground treasure" was basically impossible to find.

At this point, Madara and Obito had no clue how complicated "grave-robbing" could be. In their minds, many tombs had priceless funeral goods. If they just rummaged through a few, they'd have the money they needed.

Madara was a man of action, so realizing that, he said, "Take us to some nearby tombs—we'll see how it looks."

Black Zetsu nodded. "Sure. I know the area well." With that, he led Madara and Obito off to a burial site in some desolate mountains. Reaching a lonely spot, Madara asked casually, "There's a tomb beneath us?"

Black Zetsu nodded. "Yes."

Madara smiled. "Go down and bring up whatever valuables are in there."

Obeying, Black Zetsu slipped into the ground. Madara and Obito both looked expectant—maybe they'd hit pay dirt on their very first venture. Black Zetsu soon popped back up, lugging a big chest. That made Madara and Obito quite happy: a promising start!

Madara eagerly opened the chest, only to be stunned. Inside, it wasn't completely empty, but it only contained some copper coins and cheap grave goods. Altogether, it might not even fetch ten thousand ryō—less than any random black market job.

Madara frowned. "There's nothing else of value in that tomb?"

Black Zetsu shook his head. "It looks like grave robbers cleaned this place out ages ago. This chest is all that was left."

Hearing that, Madara kicked over the chest. "Let's go check the next tomb. No way they're all like this!"

~~~

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