Freelancer in the Ninja World

At this point, Danzo was wrestling with two possibilities: should he fight Senshi head-on, or try to commission a mission from Senshi that would have him hand over Karin?

He didn't ponder it too deeply. After all, he had just given Orochimaru one billion ryō, and unlike the Sarutobi clan—who basically had wealth to rival a small nation—he wasn't rolling in money. Truth be told, once Sarutobi died, three thousand Sarutobi "troops" were still around, but after Danzo died, there was no "Shimura" group anywhere. When both families joined Konoha, they were lauded as great clans; but by now, calling Danzo's remaining resources even "the landlord's last bits of grain" would be overpraising him.

Hence, in simple terms, if Danzo was to get what he wanted, he would have to do it himself—grab it with his own two hands.

He also had another motive for taking action. Long ago, if Senshi hadn't meddled and injured his men, then Karin would have belonged to him—either working for the Anbu by now or serving as an intern in Orochimaru's lab. Danzo, of course, didn't realize that even without Senshi, a few of his Root men would never have been able to handle Kakuzu.

Having reasoned that far, Danzo stopped hesitating and decided he would make the first move against Senshi!

From what he'd gleaned, Senshi was strong, but Danzo considered himself the kind of ruthless man who'd once dared to plot against the "God of Shinobi," Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even years later, he would charge forward with only a kunai against a Susanoo; so facing some "mere mercenary," he naturally felt confident enough to strike. Karin's two Mangekyō Sharingan were as good as a giant lure to him. Now that he'd seen them, there was no turning back—he had to obtain them!

A man of decisive action, Danzo, his mind made up, immediately attacked.

"Hmm??"

Senshi was a bit surprised that Danzo would actually be the first to strike. But before he could do anything, Danzo had already made a move!

"Whoosh—"

A kunai instantly appeared in Danzo's hand. He still liked to open a fight with a kunai, just like how Naruto always liked using Multi-Shadow Clone at the start of his battles. While Danzo brandished the kunai and rushed in, Senshi had no intention of going easy on the "First Pot Hokage." In order to show the man proper "respect," Senshi decided to unleash a small but deadly finishing blow:

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

"Rooaaaar—!"

A thunderous dragon roar shattered the air, echoing through the forest.

"Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!"

In a split second, lightning flashed and boomed in a dazzling, violent swirl of electric arcs. A formidable thunder dragon, savage and dominating, took shape in the blink of an eye. A suffocating aura of destruction spread in all directions. Its sheer pressure enveloped Danzo completely.

Face to face with that thunder dragon, Danzo glanced at the kunai in his hand and seemed to have second thoughts. In the next instant, the destructive power of that draconic lightning slammed into him. Even a hardened man like Danzo couldn't hold back a bloodcurdling scream. Yet his screaming didn't last long—his body was carbonized almost immediately.

Super high-voltage lines in real life might carry a million volts; 60 million volts was roughly sixty times that. How could a mere mortal body stand it? In the ninja world, sure, some people might get "redeemed," but Danzo only got darker the more you looked at his deeds. Under the excuse of protecting the village, he'd done who knew how many immoral or self-serving acts. None of that mattered to Senshi. As far as he saw it, maybe if Danzo had at least offered him a job first, Senshi wouldn't have minded. But the man had set his sights on Karin right in front of him—Senshi wasn't about to show mercy.

Thanks to Senshi's Thunder Dragon, Danzo had basically no chance to fight back. After the single dragon strike turned him to dust, Senshi muttered,

"Today was supposed to be a good day—I was hoping to land a big mission. Who knew I'd get stuck dealing with this creep instead."

He was still annoyed. Earlier he'd run into Orochimaru and gotten duped, but couldn't do anything because Orochimaru was at least a paying client. Danzo, on the other hand, was being insolent, with no mission in hand. Not only that—he dared make a move on Karin, Senshi's assistant. The nerve!

Senshi's 60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon was a massive AOE jutsu, covering the sky like a storm. Unless you had something like Flying Thunder God, there was no dodging it. Danzo, having no such technique, was forcibly enveloped by the unstoppable lightning. His flesh was vaporized instantly.

Yet—lo and behold—"smoke but no injuries." Moments after being destroyed, Danzo reappeared without the slightest scratch! And then he even started mocking Senshi:

"As per the intel I had, you do indeed have remarkable skill in Lightning Release—far above average. But even that level of jutsu is useless against me."

Though Danzo kept up that fearless talk, in his heart he was deeply shaken. "Uzumaki Senshi… The rumors of his monstrous Lightning Release aren't exaggerated at all." Meanwhile, Karin, who did have an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan but wasn't an Uchiha by blood, had no clue about the forbidden jutsu Danzo had just used. Seeing him completely unhurt after taking that giant Thunder Dragon, she was stunned. It was her first time watching someone tank Senshi's lightning and come away looking fine!

But Senshi, for his part, knew all too well about the Sharingan's "secret moves" and had intelligence about Danzo. Danzo's attempt to feign invincibility was basically someone from the past trying to show off in front of an expert. He'd planned to intimidate Senshi with his super-casual "You can't kill me" act, only to find Senshi unimpressed. Senshi actually just shook his head:

"If you're this weak, all the extra lives in the world won't help you."

As Senshi spoke, he raised his hand again, obviously preparing another Thunder Dragon. With his monstrous chakra reserves, he could spam that technique all day. Danzo then heard a phrase he didn't even comprehend:

"I can do this all day!"

He'd intended to put on a show of being impervious, but Senshi was already about to unleash the same jutsu again:

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

Before Danzo could respond, another colossal lightning dragon crashed down upon him, scaring him out of his wits.

"How can this be possible? That level of Lightning Release—it shouldn't be cast so casually!"

Senshi just eyed him with a mocking grin. "For me, 'that level of Lightning Release' is quite casual. I can cast even stronger ones if I want."

"Impossible!" Danzo spat back.

"At best you can cast it twice, then you'll be drained. After that, you'll face my wrath!"

He firmly believed no one but the First Hokage had such monstrous chakra. Even an outstanding genius, or someone called the "God of Shinobi," would be exhausted after two or three uses. But Senshi's only answer was another furious lightning dragon. Soon Danzo realized that was the third consecutive time he'd been blasted, each time re-spawning thanks to his Izanagi. As the pattern continued, Senshi's strength showed no sign of waning, while Danzo's "stash" of Sharingan on his right arm dwindled alarmingly, each lost eye corresponding to one usage of Izanagi.

And each strike also brought unimaginable pain: though he could "deny death" with Izanagi, the intense agony of being incinerated was not negated. Over and over, he was forced to endure being blown to ash. The forest around them was obliterated by the first thunder dragon. After repeated blasts, the area had turned into a massive crater. Danzo stood in that deep crater, his heart brimming with dread, each time emerging "unharmed," only to suffer the next wave.

"No… This can't be! Am I trapped in a genjutsu?"

Finally, fear gripped him entirely. He had no desire to "die" again and again. He recalled certain Root intel about Uzumaki Senshi: at last he decided to swallow his pride and try one last resort. Right before Senshi could fire off yet another thunder dragon, Danzo collapsed to his knees, shouting loudly:

"Wait! Spare me! I—I have a mission! Don't kill me—I have a mission for you!"

With no other choice, he pinned his hopes on Senshi's obsession with missions. Senshi paused the next attack. Danzo fell heavily on the ground, breathing harshly. Only one Sharingan was left on his arm. Observing that Senshi had halted, Danzo let out an inward sigh of relief. He had survived, albeit battered and traumatized by repeatedly dying.

Up above on higher ground, Senshi stood and gazed coolly at Danzo in the pit. A mocking contempt edged his face. Sure enough, Danzo was the type who needed a thorough thrashing to behave. Indeed, if Danzo had first offered a mission or two, Senshi wouldn't have had to do this. But not only did he not provide a job—he even tried to snatch Senshi's assistant, Karin, on the spot. Outrageous!

Senshi raised an eyebrow, half-smiling dangerously.

"Oh? So you no longer want Karin?"

Danzo promptly shook his head so hard it left afterimages:

"No, no way—I don't want her anymore!"

~~~

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