Freelancer in the Ninja World

In response to the many requests and questions from the villagers, Konan gave her reply:

"The leader has now received treatment and begun resting to recuperate. After some time, he'll make a full recovery. As for the ninja who plotted to harm our leader and deliberately caused damage in Amegakure, our village will show no mercy!"

At that point, Konan changed the subject and went on, "Because we don't have enough ninjas in the village, these riots dragged on for quite a while. Even so, they were brought under control relatively quickly, and that was thanks to the support of all our villagers and the combined efforts of every ninja."

"Among them, the students of the ninja academy and the refugees from the shelter, led by the Uzumaki clan, stood out particularly in quelling the riots. The village will commend and reward them."

When Konan finished, many villagers and ninjas alike began nodding. Not long ago, whenever they were in trouble, it had been the elite academy students and ninja from the refugee shelter who had come to their aid.

Many people started speaking in turn:

"That's right! The academy's young heroes and the ninjas from the refugee shelter under the Uzumaki definitely deserve praise and rewards."

"I suggest we honor Uncle Uzumaki Tousen. On his own, he managed to capture over thirty mercenaries who were involved in the riot!"

"I propose we also reward Huayu from the ninja academy. At the very beginning, it was Huayu and her fellow students who organized the other student elites. Later, she also took part in putting down the riots and made great contributions to the village's peace!"

The villager who brought up Huayu was actually her uncle, which left Huayu—who was standing beside Raimon Yukika and Raimon Hayate—covering her face in embarrassment. After all, how mortifying for someone's own uncle to publicly campaign for them!

Raimon Hayate, on the other hand, muttered, "How come nobody mentioned me? I saved quite a few people in this riot, too."

Raimon Yukika swung her hand, smacking her younger brother on the head. "Quit bragging like that. You're acting ridiculous again."

Elsewhere, Uzumaki Musen stood with his arms folded, waiting for some kind of recognition. "Based on everything I did for the village this time, shouldn't I at least be made a candidate for Amekage?" he declared confidently.

Hearing that, Lanyu and Lanwu quietly stepped away from him. While Musen had indeed helped during the riots, he'd also created a lot of extra mess.

Not far away, there was a villager's house now pierced by a giant tree that broke through the roof and walls. It was entirely Musen's doing: in order to catch some participating mercenaries, he basically tore the house down.

Given that, it would be generous if Lord Senshi and Angel-sama didn't just treat him like a rioter; there he was, talking about running for Amekage!

Many villagers cast rather complicated looks at Musen. Yes, he had rescued them when they were in danger, but his Wood-Style was so overwhelmingly strong that the damage he inflicted while fighting rioters was hardly any less than the damage the rioters caused.

At that point, Konan and Senshi—standing on a raised platform—began speaking again. Konan had nearly finished what she intended to say, so this time was primarily for Senshi's announcement.

"In this riot, villagers and ninjas who made exceptional contributions will be recognized by the village. The specifics still need to be discussed by village leadership," Konan said. "But the ninja academy and the refugee shelter have always been managed by Senshi. So, Senshi, could you share with everyone how those students and ninjas will be rewarded?"

Senshi nodded in acknowledgment. Long ago, he had used his Mantra to grasp the details of the situation in every corner of the village. He knew that, during this sudden crisis, the academy students and the refugees under the Uzumaki clan really had stood out. He already had some ideas about how to commend them. After briefly gathering his thoughts, he said:

"For the ninja academy students and the refugee-shelter ninjas who made particularly outstanding contributions during this riot: anyone who isn't yet an Akatsuki reserve member will be promoted to Akatsuki reserve status. Those who are already Akatsuki reserve members will be promoted to probationary members of my mercenary group. After a period of observation and experience, so long as they meet the standards, they can become full members. Those who are already part of my mercenary group will receive other substantial rewards."

The entire crowd went wild with excitement. For the people of Amegakure, joining Senshi's mercenary group was an enormous honor in itself. His group was one of the prime pillars driving Amegakure's rapid growth.

Becoming a member required either having done a large number of missions for the village—thus making substantial contributions to its development—or possessing remarkable potential to do so in the future.

Consequently, group members weren't just recognized by Senshi and the Akatsuki leadership, but also respected by all the villagers and ninjas of Amegakure.

Moreover, besides the prestige, there were direct, tangible benefits. Lately, members of Senshi's group had been steadily "farming" missions in the village.

Along the way, they'd picked up all kinds of "mysterious scratch cards," something the villagers had heard rumors of. Though no one understood how these cards worked, everyone knew they were something extraordinary.

As a result, the entire plaza was full of joy. For people there, whether it was themselves, their children, or their friends joining the group, it was wonderful news.

Many had heard from Musen and the others about those mysterious scratch cards. So everyone realized that just by qualifying for Senshi's mercenary group, one practically had a foot in the door to becoming at least an elite jōnin—or an even more powerful ninja.

Some villagers and ninjas didn't fully grasp the group's benefits, but seeing the excitement on everyone else's faces, they quickly began asking around:

"Hey, brother! What's so special about joining Lord Senshi's mercenary group? Why's everyone suddenly so worked up?"

"No idea! Let's just share in the excitement first!"

"Right, hype it up now—then we can check with the ninja academy students. They'll definitely know."

"Huh? So none of you know? Let me give you a quick summary of what I've heard about joining Headmaster Senshi's mercenary group…"

Soon, that villager who did understand it was eagerly spreading the word. Having made this announcement, Senshi and Konan returned to Amegakure's conference room to discuss more details. Normally Nagato would have attended such meetings, but since he was still resting, the decisions fell to Senshi and Konan.

At the moment, Karin was also in the conference room—not to participate in high-level village matters but because she was curious who would be joining Akatsuki and Senshi's mercenary group.

After reading all the files compiled by the Anbu, Senshi and Konan quickly reached a conclusion. Konan turned to Senshi. "What do you think?"

Without hesitation, Senshi replied, "Sis Konan, everyone who helped maintain order in the village during this riot—whether villagers or ninjas—deserves a reward. The villagers will each receive a cash prize based on their contributions. As for the ninjas, depending on how much they contributed, they can join Akatsuki and my mercenary group, which will allow them better development so they can contribute even more to the village."

He said "contribute more to the village," but in practice, those ninjas' efforts would also bring Senshi more "points." Konan decided as well: give ordinary villagers cash, and give ninjas better benefits and training.

Konan immediately passed a document to Senshi. "Here's a list of the ninjas I'm proposing to place in Akatsuki and your mercenary group. Under each name is what they did for the village in this incident."

Naturally, what interested Senshi most was who would be joining his mercenary group as probationary or full-fledged members.

Whether a ninja could become a full member ultimately depended on the Bond Value. If the Bond Value wasn't high enough, they'd have to remain probationary, like Might Guy, Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten had done. Only after building up that bond could Senshi formally invite them into the group.

After reading the entire list Konan had nominated, Senshi took a quick look at the mercenary panel, then nodded. "Looks good, Sis Konan. This distribution makes sense."

Only a handful—such as Raimon Yukika, Raimon Hayate, and a few others—were slated to join as official members immediately.

Everyone else would join as probationary members. While that still counted them as part of the mercenary group, it was only nominal: they wouldn't get scratch cards. Once they built up enough Bond Value and made further contributions, Senshi could upgrade them to full members.

As for Uzumaki Musen and others, they were already part of his mercenary group, so in this incident they'd simply earn some money, perks, and other rewards. Senshi would also record their merits and hand out appropriate recognition in due time.

Previously, Amegakure had seemed plagued by misfortune while Tobi was coasting along. Now the tables had turned: Amegakure was out of chaos and moving on to reconstruction, and everything was trending in a positive direction.

Tobi, meanwhile, wasn't so lucky. After dealing with Gaara and then Yugito Nii—capturing both Jinchuriki successfully—he encountered something he couldn't figure out for the life of him: Why were the Tailed Beasts within Gaara and Yugito so shrunken that they couldn't be extracted?

In a forest outside Kumogakure, Tobi was at his wit's end.

"Damn it! What did these Jinchuriki do to their Tailed Beasts to make them this way? And both the Suna Jinchuriki and the Kumo Jinchuriki claim they have no idea about any changes at all. Even if I beat them to a pulp, they say nothing."

The more Tobi thought, the more his head ached. He'd assumed that snatching the Rinnegan would be the toughest part of his "Eye of the Moon" plan.

He never expected that, after successfully getting the Rinnegan, the Tailed Beasts themselves would present problem after problem.

And it was a different sort of challenge—Nagato's Rinnegan had a known location, but Tobi had no clue what was happening with the One-Tail or Two-Tails. Without knowing where the problem lay, he couldn't solve it.

So after lingering a bit outside Kumo, he decided to return to the Mountain Graveyard to consult with Zetsu about what to do next. Black Zetsu didn't know about Tobi's setbacks in Suna and Kumo. Lately, Black Zetsu hardly cared what Tobi was up to, and the two had stayed out of each other's way.

Upon returning again to the Mountain Graveyard, Black Zetsu had a huge sack of gold and silver. It wasn't that he had no competition in his line of work, but his so-called "colleagues" were far inferior, so he always came back loaded.

Given he had existed in the ninja world since his creation, he knew exactly where the aristocrats and wealthy had buried their treasure. Add to that his "Mayfly" technique—he could simply loot tombs and get away before anyone else even broke into them.

Soon, from a rock wall not far from Tobi, the pitcher-plant-like Zetsu emerged once more. Seeing Zetsu carrying yet another bursting sack, Tobi was too weary even to complain. He'd told Zetsu repeatedly to knock it off, but Zetsu never listened. No point in repeating it.

When Zetsu appeared, Tobi got straight to the topic: the bizarre issues with the Jinchuriki.

"Put that ragged sack down. Something really strange has happened, and I need to talk to you."

Zetsu shrugged. "Go ahead. This doesn't bother me. I'm not used to empty hands right now."

He'd been in the grave-robbing business for so long, it was second nature. Tobi could only feel exasperated but continued:

"Not long ago, I went after the Jinchuriki in Sunagakure. After I seriously injured him, I still couldn't get the Tailed Beast."

Zetsu, normally uninterested in Tobi's chatter, now looked surprised. "Why not?"

After all, Tobi was well aware of how to extract a Tailed Beast from a wounded Jinchuriki. Hearing Zetsu's question, Tobi paused, figuring out how best to describe Gaara's condition. Finally he said:

"That Jinchuriki in Suna is extremely peculiar. The One-Tail might be in his body, but then again, it might not be."

Zetsu: (O_O)???

He reflexively glanced at Tobi's head—he certainly didn't want anything going wrong with the Rinnegan inside Tobi. Fortunately, Tobi was indeed fine, and continued explaining:

"If a Jinchuriki lost their Tailed Beast, they'd definitely die. But since Suna Jinchuriki isn't dead, that means Shukaku must still be inside him. On the other hand, if the Tailed Beast really is in there, then I should have been able to extract it. Right now, the Jinchuriki is alive and well, but the Tailed Beast is so weak I can't extract it at all. What's going on?"

After Tobi finished, he stared at Zetsu, waiting for an answer. Zetsu: (O_O)???

He had no idea either and simply brushed it off: "I have no clue. But you shouldn't overthink it. Aren't there nine Tailed Beasts? Just go catch another one."

Tobi responded with exasperation, "I did that. After discovering Suna's Jinchuriki was problematic, I went after the one in Kumo. Guess what happened?"

Zetsu asked offhandedly, "What happened?"

Tobi spread his arms wide. "Turns out the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki is in nearly the same condition as Gaara. Basically identical!"

This time Zetsu couldn't help feeling astonished. One Jinchuriki having such an oddity might be a fluke, but now the second Tailed Beast was the same. Clearly, someone had done something to these Tailed Beasts. He began considering the possibilities. While Tobi had been holed up like a cave hermit, Zetsu's contact with the Akatsuki had never ceased, so he was privy to a lot of intel.

After a bit of thought, he recalled that Orochimaru had once taken on a mission to capture the Two-Tails.

If something had gone wrong with the Two-Tails, maybe Orochimaru was directly or indirectly involved. Though Orochimaru had all sorts of bizarre scientific research, it didn't seem like he could shrink the Two-Tails inside the Jinchuriki to that degree.

Possibly it was someone else linked to Orochimaru. And the only one who came to mind with enough power to do such a thing was Senshi.

Who else could have altered a Jinchuriki in this way? And not just the Two-Tails, but the One-Tail as well. That only reinforced the likelihood it was Senshi, since he had accepted a mission from them. He must have acted at some point.

Thinking that, Zetsu couldn't help smiling to himself:

"As expected of the black-market legend with a 100% success rate. He silently captured the One-Tail and Two-Tails right under everyone's noses!"

Zetsu had no idea how Senshi had created that weird phenomenon inside the Jinchuriki's body, but he was sure the Tailed Beasts must have been taken by Senshi. Then he mused:

"If One-Tail and Two-Tails have both been quietly seized by Senshi, maybe he's done the same with the rest. Giving him the task of saving Mother was the right call! He's way ahead of schedule!"

Zetsu felt genuinely delighted. Before meeting Senshi, he'd had an incredibly rough time—countless reincarnations of Indra who never lived up to expectations, thousands of years just to manage using Madara to obtain the Rinnegan.

But Senshi was different: in a ninja world that already had one set of Rinnegan, Senshi even arranged a spare pair just in case. That was professionalism! It was entirely possible Senshi had secretly gathered most of the Tailed Beasts. In other words, the prerequisites for saving his mother might be nearly complete in a very short time.

Hence, Tobi—just some sacrificial piece—no longer needed so much effort. They could leave him to his own devices, so long as he didn't mess things up. The more Zetsu thought about it, the happier he got, grinning ear to ear.

Tobi, noticing Zetsu's mysterious smile, grew uneasy. His expression turned grim, and his voice was cold. "What the hell are you smiling about? The Tailed Beasts are gone, yet you're still laughing?"

Zetsu reined in his smile and said calmly, "I just thought of something funny—definitely not related to our plan. Anyway, let's keep talking about the plan itself. Since the One-Tail and Two-Tails both have issues, why not go straight for the Three-Tails?"

Tobi: (O_O)???

He was at a loss for words. Pointing into the distance where the Gedo Statue stood, he grumbled, "Isn't the Three-Tails locked up in there already?"

Zetsu felt a bit embarrassed—he'd obviously been too dismissive. Quickly changing the subject, he said, "Then how about the Four-Tails or the Five-Tails? Or any of the others, really. There are plenty more Tailed Beasts, so no shortage of targets."

Tobi was furious. "What nonsense are you spouting now? Could you at least pay attention to our plan and outside intel? Senshi is currently on his way to capture the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. If I show up there, I'll be walking straight into his hands!"

When he finished, Tobi inwardly cursed at how useless his "teammate" was. Meanwhile, Zetsu thought, It's a good thing I gave up on Tobi long ago to collaborate with Senshi. If I had to rely on Tobi and Madara, we'd never resurrect Mother, even if Asura and Indra reincarnated a dozen more times.

Zetsu couldn't have cared less about Tobi's complaints and scolding. Feigning helplessness, he sighed and addressed Tobi as though giving heartfelt advice. "Tobi, you're the one Lord Madara chose to carry on his legacy. Snatching the Rinnegan and capturing the Tailed Beasts—those are your jobs, not really related to me. You need to put more heart into it. I can only assist from the sidelines, so you can't just rely on me. You have to rely on yourself."

He was playing his usual manipulative game. Obviously Madara and Tobi had been conned into this, laboring for Zetsu's cause without realizing it—but Tobi still had no idea.

After a moment's silence, Tobi acknowledged that the Eye of the Moon Plan was indeed primarily his own responsibility, and that Zetsu didn't exactly share his sense of purpose.

Nevertheless, Tobi said, "Though I'm Madara's successor and must direct the plan's progress, you should still wholeheartedly help me."

Zetsu answered with a sigh. "But anything I can do, White Zetsu can also manage, you know. Clinging to me is pointless. If you hate the sight of White Zetsu, find one and dye it black. Anyway, let's not get bogged down in those details. Just do your best, and I'll help you however I can."

With that, Zetsu hoisted the bulging sack and left without a backward glance. As soon as he was gone, a White Zetsu peered halfway out of the ground and chimed in, "Don't listen to Black Zetsu. He's always got a hammer in hand—everything looks like a nail to him. What's so great about black? White is the real MVP!"

Tobi could only look to the sky in speechless despair. Was there not a single reliable person on his side? He felt as though the entire world had abandoned him. Black Zetsu, White Zetsu—neither could be trusted.

…

In Amegakure's ninja academy, the students who distinguished themselves during the riots—those who helped rein in the chaos—had been granted early graduation to become official Akatsuki members.

While they were still quite a distance from being core Akatsuki members or official members of Senshi's mercenary group, merely achieving official Akatsuki status was exhilarating for them.

As for Raimon Yukika, Raimon Hayate, and Huayu, they were even more thrilled. Following in Mikiko's footsteps, the three of them joined Headmaster Senshi's mercenary group as official members.

When Huayu became a full-fledged member, the village's older, long-established citizens were visibly relieved. Strictly speaking, she was the only one truly born and raised in Amegakure.

The other ninjas who had joined Senshi's group were all either refugees or immigrants—even Mikiko's family hadn't lived in Amegakure that long. Only Huayu's family had been there for generations.

Of course, with the rapid development of Amegakure these days, people no longer drew lines between "natives," "immigrants," and "refugees." Still, many were glad to see a native's success in the village's newfound prosperity.

Huayu herself had no idea that her joining Senshi's group had eased the minds of so many neighbors. At present, she, Yukika, and Hayate were a three-person squad assisting with reconstruction and interrogation of the rioters.

Meanwhile, Karin had two "tagalongs" in tow: Mikiko and Haruko. Karin and Mikiko had joined Senshi's mercenary group some time ago. As for Haruko, her standout performance during the riots—plus a sufficient Bond Value—had earned her membership, too.

Walking through the streets together, Haruko couldn't help asking, "Karin-nee, why do we fixate on taking courier-type missions so much? The village clearly has all sorts of other tasks."

Mikiko nodded in agreement. "Assistant Karin, the village suffered a lot of damage. Maybe we should be helping rebuild?"

Karin had been waiting for them to ask. She promptly pulled a small box out of her Kamui space, showing them the scratch cards she'd been hoarding. "Look, I have 200 scratch cards right here! I'm a pro at mission grinding. The more missions we do, the bigger our contribution to the village, and the more scratch cards we earn. With them, we can quickly become stronger, handle tougher missions, and so on. So isn't it obvious you two should follow my lead on this?"

Haruko, simple-minded as she was, bobbed her head at once. "Yes, absolutely! You're right, Karin-nee! You're the expert!" She was already hooked.

Mikiko, however, just sighed: ╮(╯▽╰)╭

She knew full well Karin was highly capable, not to mention in command of powerful space-time ninjutsu. That gave her a huge advantage for courier tasks. Kamui let her go anywhere in a flash.

But Mikiko and Haruko had no such ability. If they accepted courier assignments, they'd literally have to run around on foot.

And even if Karin ferried them around and split the commission with them, they'd just be dead weight to her. Ideally, they'd persuade Karin to accept some village-reconstruction jobs instead.

While Mikiko was mulling this over, Karin muttered gloomily, "Ugh, lousy timing. Seems like we won't get any decent courier jobs for a while. Don't move from here; I'll head to the leader and see if he has a job for us."

Hearing that, Mikiko and Haruko both straightened, looking respectful. Their previous village leader had been the "Demi-God" Hanzo.

Now their leader was no mere "Demi-God," but practically a "God." So far, only Angel-sama, Lord Senshi, and Assistant Karin seemed able to meet with him face-to-face. The two of them waited in place, watching Karin set off to find the leader and request a mission.

In Nagato's hospital room, he was resting upright in bed. When Karin arrived, he sensed her presence immediately. She smiled brightly upon seeing him. "Heehee, Leader, do you have any missions you need me for?"

Nagato, who had been fine a moment ago, felt a pang in his chest. He recalled how last time, just one cup of water from Karin had cost him half a million ryo in courier fees. Of course that still stung. He forced a small smile, speaking calmly. "Karin… I'm in no condition to handle any village matters. I just need to rest, so I don't have any missions for you right now."

Slapping her thigh, Karin exclaimed, "What? You need water? Just wait—I'll grab my two teammates and fetch the sweetest springwater from Takigakure's Great Waterfall for you!"

It took Nagato a second to realize what she meant. Not only was Karin not alone, but she'd come as part of a three-person squad. And she didn't plan to get water from somewhere in the village, but actually run off to Takigakure to collect springwater from its great falls. That was outrageous—imagine how much she'd charge!

Though Nagato wasn't exactly short of funds, he nevertheless stopped Karin at once. "Karin! Hang on. Let me give you a different mission…"

~~~

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