Freelancer in the Ninja World

Kisame's injuries had completely healed by then, yet he still felt rather speechless about Senshi. Previously, that guy had gone at him so hard that if not for Samehada transferring him chakra and helping him heal, he might well have died right there in the Kirigakure.

And now, Senshi was acting as though nothing had happened—once again treating him as a partner for the next mission, as if it wasn't just recently that Senshi had nearly beaten him to death on the spot.

Afterward, with Karin in tow, Senshi headed back to the hot-spring inn where they were staying.

Inside the inn, Kakuzu was soaking comfortably in a hot spring, getting ready for bed.

"Ah! It's been ages since I last had a nice soak and then drifted off to sleep."

Looking extremely satisfied, Kakuzu lay down on his bed. He felt a bit of gratitude and pity for Kisame, guessing that Senshi must have been off "torturing" Kisame instead of bothering him. The thought made Kakuzu's pale-green eyes light up with a hint of amusement.

Once he got himself settled in, Kakuzu closed his eyes. For some reason, after shutting his eyes, he found himself peeking at the door one last time. Every time he got cozy, about to enjoy some decent rest, that "mission maniac" Senshi would come crashing in. Fortunately, Senshi was apparently busy tormenting Kisame this time, not showing up at the worst possible moment.

Thus, Kakuzu eased his entire body and shut his eyes, ready to slip into dreamland.

Bang—

Before the contentment and bliss could even fade, Senshi already performed his signature move: kicking the door wide open, then flickering in with a body-flicker to stand right by Kakuzu's bed, deftly reaching out to grab him.

Kakuzu's pale-green eyes snapped wide open! He could practically recite what Senshi would say next:

"Hey, Kaku! There's a new mission. Why're you sleeping? Get up and let's go!"

"Why waste your limited life on the meaningless act of sleeping?"

"Kaku! New mission's in—why're you still asleep?"

Senshi seized hold of Kakuzu, shaking him, all while parrotting the very lines Kakuzu had memorized. And as Kakuzu well knew, if he stubbornly refused to get up, Senshi would just sling him over his shoulder to carry him off to the mission.

"Sigh…"

Exhaling in resignation, Kakuzu asked:

"What about Kisame? Can't you team up with him instead?"

Senshi chuckled:

"He's coming, of course. We'll all head out on this mission together."

"Hmm?" Kakuzu grunted, instantly feeling better. At least now it wasn't only him being tormented by Senshi.

Despite not wanting to at all, Kakuzu left his comfy bed. Ever since embarking on the ninja path, he couldn't recall many times he'd slept peacefully. So was this his so-called "ninja way?" Kakuzu sighed inwardly.

Under Senshi's lead, the group of four soon made their way to the Kiri's black market. By now it was nighttime, so traveling under the stars left Karin feeling rather sleepy. But that wasn't a big issue—she soon dozed off on Senshi's back, drooling in a pleasant dream.

On the way, at an intersection, the Wood Clone brought Terumi Mei and the others—who had their chakra sealed—over to rejoin them.

In the main hall of the Kiri black market, the manager verified Terumi Mei's group's identities and confirmed that their chakras had been sealed. Then, pulling out a small card from his coat pocket, he handed it to Senshi.

"Bring them to the address shown on this card. Wait for the employer to pick them up, and you'll receive the commission."

Senshi took the card, studied it carefully, and nodded. The note indicated a valley just outside the Kirigakure, not far away. He double-checked the location and led everyone toward that valley.

"Hold on. Are we just going to barge right in there?" "What if it's a trap?" Ao asked. Having his chakra sealed made him feel very insecure.

Senshi shrugged:

"If it's a trap, you can always request a rescue mission. Then I'll help you get out."

Hearing that, Ao promptly shut his mouth. Another word or two, and he might lose everything.

So Senshi followed the route on the map, approaching that valley. Places like that were scattered around outside the Kiri. This one was where the Blood Mist shinobi had been told to meet and take the "targets," completing the transaction.

Leading the Blood Mist's forces here was Kondō Ryū, a jōnin of the Kiri with two swords strapped to his back, eyes never leaving the valley entrance.

Swish—

A Blood Mist ninja flickered into view behind him, dropping to one knee to report:

"Lord Kondō, the targets are approaching!"

Kondō Ryū nodded slightly:

"How many came? Are Terumi Mei and the four of them truly captured?"

The reporting ninja stated:

"They came with four people—three capable shinobi and a young girl. Among the three shinobi, one is Kiri's own S-rank rogue Kisame.

The other two are Kakuzu—well-known in multiple black markets—and that newly famous Ame black-market shinobi, Uzumaki Senshi.

As for Terumi Mei's group of four, they have indeed fallen into their hands and had their chakra sealed."

Hearing this, Kondō Ryū felt fully reassured. He even let out a grin revealing shark-like teeth.

"So it's the Senshi–Kakuzu combo, huh? No wonder they're said to have a 100% success rate at missions. They so easily captured Terumi Mei's group. Bring them to me."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the ninja vanished via another flicker.

At the valley entrance, Senshi had already deployed his "Mantra" style perception, covering the entire area. He could sense every movement. He even discovered a "big fish" from the Blood Mist lurking about. But he wasn't in a hurry; he wanted to follow the trail all the way up the chain and take out the Blood Mist higher-ups in one swoop.

Swish—

A Blood Mist ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before Senshi.

"Lead the way,"

Senshi said, as though he'd anticipated the ninja's arrival all along. Surprised for a second, the man guided Senshi's party forward to meet Kondō Ryū. Watching from the valley, Kondō had also seen them and became more polite upon seeing Senshi's group.

Approaching Kakuzu, he handed over a box:

"Kaku, here's your commission fee. Have a count."

Senshi waved, calling out to Kakuzu. He was already accustomed to that routine: the job was taken under Kakuzu's name, then they split the proceeds fifty-fifty. Kakuzu couldn't quite understand why Senshi, that "shameless swindler," even needed him when Senshi was fully capable alone. But after counting the money twice, verifying no issues, Kakuzu felt a rush at the sight of so much cash—he'd get a decent share. His earlier annoyance at being rudely awakened vanished at once.

Meanwhile, Kondō Ryū and his subordinates checked on Terumi Mei's group, confirming they really had sealed chakras. Kondō decided to take them to the faction's base.

Around the Kirigakure lay numerous scattered islands, and the Blood Mist base was on one such island near the village. Once satisfied with the four's condition, Kondō brought them along.

Inside the Blood Mist hideout, Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki were awaiting good news from Kondō Ryū. In the Kiri, both the Hōzuki Clan and the Karatachi Clan were big families. The Hōzuki had produced the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu, and the Karatachi Clan had produced the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura.

Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki were both clan elders within the Kiri. But right now, the village was mostly in Elder Genji's hands, so these two had limited official influence. Additionally, they were staunch supporters of the Fourth Mizukage's "Blood Mist" policies—when Yagura was being controlled by Tobi, they had also been brainwashed into believing the Blood Mist approach represented the true "Will of Water," necessary for a strong Kirigakure. They saw Genji's people—Terumi Mei, Gonbee, Ao, Chōjūrō—as hindrances to the Kiri's revival. Thus they wanted to remove Genji's subordinates, even "the Lackey's Lackey," namely people like Chōjūrō.

They had great faith in Kondō Ryū's abilities. He was an elite jōnin, solid in both skill and reliability. Yet they had no clue Kondō would bring them a "new boss" today.

Soon enough, Kondō Ryū arrived at Karatachi Tachii's office.

"How did it go?"

Karatachi Tachii asked immediately upon seeing him.

Kondō Ryū gave a slight bow, speaking politely:

"Lord Tachii, everything went exceptionally well.

That ninja from the Ame is indeed formidable.

I've verified that Terumi Mei's four subordinates are who we thought—no mistakes. Their chakras are fully sealed. I've already brought them here. Shall I have them brought in for you and Elder Getsuki?"

Karatachi Tachii, overjoyed, exclaimed:

"Bring them!"

"Yes, sir!"

Kondō Ryū nodded and went out to make arrangements.

~~~

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