Freelancer in the Ninja World

Seeing this, Danzo couldn't help but feel sorry for all the other ninjas living in Senshi's era.

Unless Senshi died young like Hashirama, they'd never see their chance to rise.

What Danzo didn't know was that Senshi had already begun "playing with tattoos." Handled correctly, that ability would grant him eternal life.

But there was something else bothering Danzo:

Why could Senshi use Wood Release?

Danzo had clearly seen that just now, with a mere clap of his hands, Senshi instantly and smoothly produced seven Wood Clones. It was obvious that Senshi's skill with Wood Release was far beyond normal.

But this was Wood Release!

Danzo recalled how much trouble it took him back then to produce even one unexpected asset like Yamato. More recently, he'd just spent one billion ryō hiring Orochimaru to keep refining Hashirama's cells.

Now here was Senshi casually saying that Wood Release wasn't anything special and that he could use it, too.

Danzo was left flabbergasted. Wasn't Wood Release supposed to be exclusive to the Senju?

While Danzo brooded about this issue, Karin—who was perched on Senshi's back—was whooping it up.

"Awesome! The nasty old geezer finally got taught a lesson by Senshi this time!"

Feeling giddy, Karin turned cheerily to Senshi:

"Senshi! I've made up my mind! To thank you for protecting me, for caring about me, for looking after me, and for standing up for me, I'm going to cook something super tasty just for you!"

Senshi: "...???"

Hearing Karin's words, Senshi's heart gave a thump. The smile on his face vanished without a trace.

"Karin, why would you repay kindness with vengeance?"

His comment made Karin pause briefly before realization struck.

"Ugh..."

She'd already tried her absolute best to make something delicious!

"Senshi, that's so mean! How dare you belittle my cooking? I challenge you to a duel!"

With that, she spun her little fists like windmills.

Senshi sighed inwardly at the sight. Karin really does have that explosive temper—the same girl who once beat Suigetsu so hard his 'brains' nearly popped out.

Since she was attacking, Senshi naturally wouldn't just stand there. He casually reached out, mussing up her neatly styled red hair, turning it into a bird's nest on the spot.

"Heeey! That's awful!"

Having her hair messed up, Karin was so furious she almost discovered some new finishing move.

"Wait!"

From the corner of his eye, Senshi glimpsed something off to the side.

Senshi: "??"

"And what are you still doing here, meddling?"

As he spoke, Karin poked her head from over his shoulder, smirking triumphantly and making a silly face at Danzo.

After today's events, Danzo likely wouldn't want to lay another hand on her in his entire life. Killing is one thing, but repeatedly dying in agony—even if Danzo survived, Senshi had effectively "killed" him several times. There was no way he'd be free of psychological trauma.

You damn kid—if you didn't clarify the rules, how would I dare take action?

What if he had made a move, only for Senshi to say, "Your name's Danzo, so you've chosen the path of death"?

Regardless of his inward curses, Danzo let out a relieved breath.

"I'll take my leave, then."

With that, he vanished, body-flickering away like a frightened dog.

It really had been too dangerous! Without the Sage of Six Paths watching over him, he'd have been finished here.

Danzo fled at full speed, continuing for quite a distance without stopping. That life he almost lost could be considered "borrowed."

He'd only prepped for the possibility of confronting Orochimaru. Who'd have imagined that in this day's ninja world, practically no one could stand up to that blasted monk Senshi?

He finally halted after running a good long way, panting for breath. He had no idea Senshi had actually been merciful in his own way. According to Senshi, if other "Earthlings" were dropped into the ninja world, they would kill Danzo on day one—or, at latest, in the midgame.

But Senshi merely ripped him off once.

Danzo, of course, didn't appreciate that. He stood there, face dark as could be, glaring at the sky:

"Uzumaki Senshi! Today, I—"

Halfway through his outburst, a Wood Clone—lurking who-knows-where—suddenly appeared in front of him, smirking dangerously. Danzo's remaining words stuck in his throat. He had to force a change:

"…the weather sure is lovely!!!"

Finished, Senshi's Wood Clone snorted, saying nothing more.

Danzo eyed the Wood Clone with a blank face, but inwardly boiled with rage. In that moment, he fully realized:

Damn it! This so-called Wood Clone isn't here to protect me at all.

It's clearly here to monitor my every move!

Danzo regretted everything. One moment's negligence had provoked a foe far beyond his abilities. He even started wondering how things might have gone if he'd just cooperated with Senshi—like a normal employer, hiring him for some mission.

Taking such a nasty tumble, Danzo had finally learned a measure of humility.

Of course, what Danzo couldn't know was that it wouldn't be long before he'd feel extremely lucky to have run into Senshi today!

…

Meanwhile, back in Amegakure…

A certain ninja arrived at the top floor of the Akatsuki tower. In a secure and hidden room, Nagato remained in his life-support apparatus, pondering.

Not long ago, he'd dispatched Kakuzu to recruit a new member. He wondered if things had gone smoothly. Based on his knowledge of Kakuzu, it shouldn't be an issue to bring that potential recruit back.

"Knock, knock, knock."

At that moment, someone rapped on Nagato's door. Nagato, in a calm voice:

"Konan, is that you? Has Kakuzu come back?"

There was no response from outside.

"Creak—"

Next second, the door opened. It wasn't Konan, but rather the masked man calling himself "Uchiha Madara."

Nagato: "???"

He was a bit taken aback. Usually, "Madara" would slip in without warning, using his space-time ninjutsu. So for him to appear by merely "walking" and even knock on the door was unusual.

Nagato quipped:

"That's a rare sight. Who'd have thought you'd bother knocking?"

From what he knew, the masked Uchiha had a peculiar habit: Even though he had limbs, he loved to pop out of nowhere and frighten people.

Hearing the remark, Tobi (Obito) under the mask looked sullen. He silently cursed:

"Damn that Uzumaki Senshi!"

If not for Senshi, Tobi wouldn't be walking around at all. But there was no alternative. Kamui's dimension was no longer safe, and he feared Senshi might have rigged traps inside—stepping in could be fatal. Life seldom goes as planned, and many worries can't be shared.

He mulled it over, then spoke in a low, severe tone:

"Nagato, Uzumaki Senshi is extremely dangerous. His existence threatens our plan. He must be eliminated as soon as possible!"

Nagato: "???"

Those words astonished Nagato. What nonsense is he spouting now? After thinking a moment, Nagato began defending Senshi:

"Since joining the organization, Senshi's been very cooperative. Amegakure is flourishing as well, though he sometimes acts a little silly. Why kill him now? You know, in the few months since he joined, Akatsuki's revenue has surpassed what we made in the last few years."

"If you want me to execute such a high-performing member, I'll need a clear and valid reason."

Nagato was more than satisfied with Senshi's contributions so far. Senshi did have clear flaws, but for the organization, his benefits far outweighed any drawbacks.

Nagato glanced at "Madara" with perplexity. Could "Madara" have fought Senshi—maybe even lost? Otherwise, why this sudden push to kill him?

Tobi's scarred face tensed up behind the mask. He could sense Nagato clearly had no intention of killing Senshi. That simply wouldn't do—Tobi's plan required Senshi gone.

"Uzumaki Senshi is unlike the other Akatsuki members. He's a bigger liability than asset to our mutual goal!"

Nagato cut him off:

"You mean more of an asset than a liability, right? Quit the empty words. I want real reasons."

He had no idea what might have transpired between this self-proclaimed Uchiha Madara and Senshi, but he had zero intention of going after Senshi now. He also hoped the masked man wouldn't do anything rash against him.

Tobi couldn't be convinced so easily. Indeed, the Uzumaki clan had always been adept at convincing others—like the future Naruto, who claimed not to be eloquent yet always ended up changing people's hearts, or the present top mercenary Senshi, whose barrage of "60 Million Volt Thunder Dragons" had forced even someone like Danzo to reflect on his mistakes. Nagato, alas, was not swayed.

Again Tobi insisted:

"Senshi is a highly unstable factor. Neither you nor I can fully control him. Why not just kill him?"

Stunned, Nagato paused. Senshi unstable? Impossible. Every mission Nagato assigned, Senshi handled flawlessly. Within Akatsuki, Senshi was the most reliable of all—perhaps more so than Nagato himself.

After a moment's silence, Nagato pressed:

"In which way is Senshi unstable? From the intel I have, he's the very model of reliability. He's taken on loads of missions big and small, but his completion rate remains 100%!"

Even Nagato found that incredible—no matter how strong a ninja, it's supposedly impossible to handle so many jobs without ever messing up. Yet Senshi never slipped up. Having said that, Nagato added with a faint smile:

"Relax, 'Uchiha Madara.' I know Uzumaki Senshi well. He may be short on money, but he's extremely steady—very dependable!"

If anything, Tobi felt even less at ease after that. Wordlessly, he raged inwardly:

"Damn it, you're all money grabbers!"

"If I don't eliminate that ticking time bomb Senshi, how am I supposed to enact the Eye of the Moon Plan?"

Although Tobi had set the Akatsuki's rise in motion from the shadows, ultimately it was Nagato who decided policy. Tobi could only influence him, not command him. There was no doubt—Nagato was truly the leader. Only Nagato controlled the group's finances. Senshi had joined and continuously done missions only because Nagato had hired him, and indeed, he and Nagato shared the same blood. Tobi needed no imagination to see that if he ever clashed with Nagato, Senshi "the wild card" would side with Nagato.

Originally, Tobi planned to dispose of Nagato and Konan near the final stages of his Moon Eye Plan. Nagato and Konan were powerful but lacked cunning; everything had gone smoothly until the sudden appearance of Uzumaki Senshi. If Tobi wanted to continue toward the plan's final phase, he first had to handle Senshi. Yet just days before, Tobi had realized Senshi was more than he could cope with—Senshi could enter and exit Kamui's dimension freely, denying Tobi his best trump card. Tobi no longer dared step inside, fearing Senshi might be waiting.

Ever since that confrontation, Tobi had been pondering how to kill Senshi, concluding that only Nagato's power—specifically the Rinnegan—could possibly do it. But again, matters weren't going his way. Nagato, typically easy to manipulate, refused to budge this time.

Tobi was stumped:

"Nagato, have you thought about it? You can hire Senshi to work for Akatsuki, but anyone else could also hire him and aim him at us."

This was no idle worry. From Nagato's own intel, Senshi really might do that if the price was right. Nagato considered it briefly. After only a short time, he responded:

"Even if I wanted to fight Senshi, I might not be able to win."

He spoke mildly. Senshi's main area of activity was the Amegakure black market and surrounding territory, all under Nagato's watch. Other people might be clueless as to Senshi's level, but Nagato had a perfect view. Even if he hadn't witnessed Senshi's missions firsthand, the sheer speed of his completions told Nagato plenty. Nagato wasn't a fool—he'd calculated that even the Six Paths of Pain together might not easily prevail. Senshi hadn't harmed the organization. Why pick a fight with him over a nonexistent threat, especially given that as a top-tier lightning user with insane speed plus a space-time teleport, Senshi could vanish on a whim? Enraging him would only earn them a formidable enemy. That made zero sense.

Tobi didn't realize that, unlike him, Nagato did have his own calculations. Unless forced, Nagato would never choose to fight Senshi. After some thought, Nagato gave Tobi a piece of information:

"So far, nobody's seen Senshi use his full power. No one knows exactly how strong he is at 100%. My advice: drop any idea of moving against him, or you'll be the one in trouble."

Hearing that, Tobi bristled.

What nonsense? The Rinnegan is legendary—how could Senshi possibly stand against it?

"Hmph! Nagato, you're just making excuses because you don't want to move against him!"

Nagato shook his head gravely:

"They are not excuses."

All of the data he had suggested that if "Madara" wanted to investigate, he could easily confirm it. But Tobi lacked the proper understanding of Senshi; otherwise he wouldn't be making such a ridiculous demand.

After hearing Tobi rant for ages, Nagato remained as immovable as a boulder, leaving Tobi increasingly anxious:

"If we won't kill him, then at least drive him out of the organization! If not, our plan will fail!"

Still unhurried, Nagato shook his head:

"Unless he does something that endangers Akatsuki, I won't take action. I can't go after him just because you tell me to."

Finally, Tobi lost his patience:

"Enough, Nagato! Must you insist on doing it your way?!"

Nagato too was angered. In a cold tone, he declared:

"Uchiha Madara! I'm the leader. I decide how to handle him!"

"Nagato, you'll regret this!"

With those words, Tobi stormed off in fury, slamming the door behind him.

"BANG!"

~~~

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