Freelancer in the Ninja World

In one corner of Konoha's forest…

After Senshi returned with Karin, they came here.

This was the place where Sasuke practiced Lightning Release.

During the period that Senshi had been in Konoha, Sasuke was here under his instruction, training in Lightning Release.

Sasuke's talent for Lightning Release wasn't bad at all.

Even though he was just a kid, the Lightning Release technique Senshi taught him had already shown steady progress.

Of course, it could also be that the Lightning Release: Thunder Ball jutsu was too simple, so Sasuke picked it up quickly.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Ball!"

In the forest, Sasuke swiftly formed seals, his movements highly practiced.

"Zz! Zz! Zz! Zz!"

Golden lightning crackled, little arcs of golden electricity shimmering in the air before gradually forming three lightning orbs.

In such a short time, Sasuke had already brought Lightning Release: Thunder Ball to this level.

Senshi acknowledged both his diligence and talent.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The next instant, the three golden lightning orbs shot off, blasting the branches of a nearby large tree into splinters.

"Huff—"

After using that jutsu, Sasuke slowly let out a breath.

Gazing at the nearby branches he had blown away, he couldn't help recalling the day on the cliff when Senshi had used Lightning Release to destroy an entire forest.

His home tutor, Uzumaki Senshi, could annihilate a boundless stretch of woods with thunder.

Meanwhile, he could only use Lightning Release to blast off tree branches.

Sasuke was frustrated. He didn't know how long it would take for him to reach Senshi's level.

Not enough—far from enough. He needed even more hard work and training!

At that moment, though, Senshi placed his hand on Sasuke's head.

Since they were in the so-called "head-patting village," a little local custom was not to be forgotten.

"Sasuke, you're making good progress."

Hearing Senshi's praise made Sasuke a bit happy.

But then Senshi ruffled his hair into a bird's-nest again—instantly spoiling his mood.

From behind Senshi, Karin saw Sasuke's newly-messed-up hair and laughed gloatingly:

"Pfft pfft!"

But she was obviously celebrating too soon—because right then, Senshi reached out and patted her little head as well.

While rubbing Karin's head, Senshi said:

"Karin, you have to work hard too, all right?"

Karin immediately pushed his hand off her head in protest.

She had spent a decent amount of time making her hair neat and smooth and was not interested in going full bird's-nest again.

"Sasuke, that's enough training for today," Senshi said.

"I'll take you both to get some Good Taste Grilled food."

Sasuke hesitated but still nodded in agreement.

Since his clan was wiped out, he'd been living alone.

He hired Senshi to be his personal tutor and started training under him.

Now, having learned his first Lightning Release technique from Senshi, he found that Senshi's presence was overlapping with a memory in his mind.

Once upon a time, that person also cared for him and guided his training.

Yet now, that same man had become someone he absolutely had to kill.

But Sasuke didn't know that the Uchiha clan's tragedy was a tremendously complicated matter.

Though Uchiha Itachi did bear responsibility for the clan's downfall, of all the people Itachi might have let down in his life, Sasuke was not truly one of them.

While Sasuke was deep in thought, Senshi had already grabbed the two youngsters—Sasuke and Karin—one in each hand and hauled them to the door of the Good Taste Grilled shop.

After seating themselves, they ordered a bunch of items.

Before long, all sorts of aromatic and visually appealing dishes were laid out in front of them.

Staring at the mouthwatering spread, Karin's big eyes sparkled:

"I'm gonna dig in!"

With that, she started wolfing down the food at lightning speed.

Watching her, Sasuke's mouth twitched. She's so tiny—can she really eat all that?

Senshi glanced over at Sasuke, giving him a mild smile:

"We'd better eat, too—otherwise she'll finish it all."

Sasuke nodded:

"All right, then. I'll start, too."

Compared to Karin, Sasuke's eating style was much more polite.

After they finished eating lunch, Senshi took Sasuke and Karin to a small river in the village.

Judging by the surroundings, it seemed to be where Naruto had once tried fishing during his childhood.

But this time, Naruto wasn't there fishing.

Because Naruto was the village's Jinchūriki—a very special status under Anbu surveillance—Senshi, for the time being, wasn't planning to make contact with him until he completed his tasks.

Sasuke was extremely diligent; after a simple break, he was already planning the rest of today's training.

"Hmm…"

Senshi saw Sasuke's expression and was somewhat taken aback.

He'd brought them to the riverside to fish, actually.

Of course, Karin might just spear-fish. With her Mangekyō Sharingan, she could aim precisely, guaranteed to hit every time.

Senshi was just about to take out fishing rods from his system storage when he casually spread his "Mantra" to scan the village.

Immediately, he noticed someone by the Memorial Stone in Konoha.

"Oh?"

As soon as Senshi realized who it was, a flash of delight crossed his eyes. Kakashi had finally returned!

Realizing that Kakashi was back in the village, Senshi said to Karin:

"Karin, you and Sasuke stay here to train a bit. I have some business to take care of."

After that, he activated his "tattoo" spatial jump, opening a dark red portal behind him.

Senshi didn't appear right next to Kakashi but rather behind a tree out of sight.

A swirling dark red hole emerged, and in the next second, Senshi materialized behind a masked man—Tobi—who had also come to that place for presumably the same reason: to pay respects at the Memorial Stone.

Of course, Tobi had no idea that Senshi was behind him.

He'd always liked using Kamui to show up behind people, giving them a scare. Now the tables were turned.

Before the Memorial Stone, Kakashi stood staring at names that held great significance for him.

Each time he returned from a mission, he had grown accustomed to visiting that place.

Out on missions, he would inevitably end other ninjas' lives. One day, perhaps his own life might be ended by some other ninja.

His father, Sakumo Hatake; his mentor, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and wife Kushina Uzumaki; as well as his best friends Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, all lay here.

Kakashi stood silently before the Memorial Stone, unaware that not far off, Tobi was watching him.

Nor did Tobi know that behind him, someone else—Senshi—was quietly observing him in turn.

When Senshi had scanned the village with Mind Net earlier, he not only found Kakashi but also spotted Tobi, that Kamui "Hidden Tears" man.

For Senshi, that was definitely a stroke of good fortune.

In Senshi's view, Tobi had committed numerous atrocities after Rin's death left him blackened. So Senshi thought it best to end Tobi's crimes.

But Tobi hadn't noticed Senshi behind him yet. Senshi—delighted to return the favor—spoke up:

"Hey, Tobi-kun. Why're you here?"

Tobi: "???"

Hearing Senshi's voice was like a death knell for Tobi.

He had never expected to run into Senshi inside Konoha.

Right away, he jolted in fright—nearly losing his footing in the tree.

Spinning around, he saw, sure enough, the person who'd haunted him—Uzumaki Senshi!

With cold sweat on his brow, Tobi stammered:

"U-Uzumaki Senshi, what are you doing here?"

He wore an internal expression of utter horror.

Senshi ignored Tobi's shock. He merely cast a glance at Kakashi in the distance, then asked Tobi:

"Thinking about revenge, are we?"

Tobi, behind the mask, grew even more wary and demanded:

"What are you trying to do? And why are you here?"

With a casual smile, Senshi replied:

"I'm here to help you, of course! Don't you want to kill Kakashi?"

He was indeed up to some scheme of "repurposing every resource," trying for a multi-layered job. Perhaps Tobi could be of last-minute use to him—

One job, two paydays. That kind of idea was sweet as honey.

If Tobi were to hire him to kill Kakashi, that'd be a big win!

Afterwards, Senshi could do good deeds, in the process quietly cleaning Tobi's sins. Perfect.

But Tobi sounded perplexed:

"Why would I kill Kakashi?"

Meanwhile, by the Memorial Stone, Kakashi wrapped up his moment of grief and left the area.

Seeing that, Tobi wasn't in the mood to talk to Senshi. He hopped down from the tree to leave.

But Senshi blocked him. Tobi's eyes flashed dangerously from under the mask.

Hearing Tobi's question, Senshi raised his brows:

"Huh??? You're just letting Kakashi go like that? He's the one who personally pierced Rin, right? Doesn't that make you want revenge?"

Senshi's words shocked Tobi.

Because not many people knew that detail, which meant Senshi's intelligence was insane.

Inside, Tobi felt a chill. On the surface, he maintained a cold front:

"You think something like that can affect me?

What exactly are you trying to do?"

Facing Tobi's interrogation, Senshi put on an innocent expression:

"I'm trying to help you! One word from you, and I'll handle Kakashi for you right away—and I'll only charge you a friendly rate. How about it?"

Hearing that, Tobi felt even more certain that Nagato's info was on point: Senshi was the type who would do anything for a mission or for money.

Other ninjas might betray their village for some reason. Senshi might simply do it because someone paid him.

Senshi's eager look, hoping Tobi would hire him, made Tobi declare a curt "Kamui!!" as he teleported away with no intention of sticking around.

As Tobi fled, Senshi shrugged helplessly.

He could go chase if he really wanted, maybe wait for Tobi in the Kamui dimension.

But the more pressing matter was that now Kakashi was back—and Senshi needed that Sharingan.

So he scanned again for Kakashi's location, invoked the Sakura-based space-time jump, and went to find him.

…

In a corner of Konoha's forest:

Leaving the Memorial Stone behind, Kakashi walked gloomily with shoulders drooping, head bowed, an eye hidden under his mask.

Suddenly, he sensed something and raised his gaze.

Not far from him, a dark red spatial vortex appeared. In the blink of an eye, a figure emerged: it was Senshi.

With interest, Senshi studied Hatake Kakashi—the genius ninja of Konoha.

The ninja world had many ninjas, but true geniuses were few. Hatake Kakashi was quite special.

No matter who he fought, he seemed able to go a few rounds, though whether he could win was another matter.

Senshi was a bit curious: if Kakashi fought him, could it be a fifty-fifty match?

While Senshi sized him up, Kakashi, full of caution, studied Senshi. In a serious tone, Kakashi spoke:

"Around twenty years old, red hair, wearing the black cloak with red clouds. You can create that dark red wormhole whenever you use your space-time ninjutsu… So you're Uzumaki Senshi—who's risen to fame lately around the black markets of Amegakure and Kusagakure?"

Senshi was surprised:

"Oh? You can figure all that out?"

It seemed Kakashi had quite a knack for intel. Indeed, Senshi thought, the rumored and famed "Copy Ninja" must have some real skill—he's also a disciple's disciple of Jiraiya, one of the "Three Sannin of Intelligence."

After stating Senshi's identity, Kakashi somberly continued:

"If you're blocking my path here, then am I your target?"

Faced with Kakashi's calm reasoning, Senshi was a bit taken aback:

"You deduced that as well?"

Between Tobi and Kakashi, the difference in analysis was stark. Tobi saw Senshi appear behind him and demanded what he wanted. Kakashi saw Senshi appear and deduced that he must be Senshi's mission target.

Kakashi gave a short explanation:

"You, Uzumaki Senshi—known as the 'Mission Terrorist,' the 'Grim Reaper of the Black Market.' You're always either on a mission or en route to one. If you showed up here, it's not hard to guess I'm probably your mission objective."

Senshi said, "Indeed" outwardly, but in his mind, he found it amusing:

"No wonder people call you a child prodigy—Chūnin at six, Jōnin at thirteen… That calm composure is truly impressive."

While Senshi spoke, Kakashi kept silent, remaining on high alert.

But Senshi hadn't come here just to chat—he went straight to the point:

"I'm here for your Sharingan. If you don't want unnecessary pain, do it yourself."

Kakashi was surprised. He never thought the reason Senshi was after him was purely for the Sharingan.

Then again, Senshi wasn't the first to covet it. Long ago, Danzo from Root had also been interested in that eye.

Knowing Senshi's motive, Kakashi lifted his headband.

He wasn't planning to hand over the Sharingan. He intended to fight Senshi, employing full force.

After all, with an opponent like Senshi, letting one's guard down for a moment would result in losing the Sharingan—or possibly losing one's life.

Revealing the Sharingan, Kakashi stared at Senshi, voice grave:

"From the intel I gathered, your specialty is Lightning Release. Coincidentally, Lightning Release is also what I excel at. It's rare to encounter such a strong Lightning Release user—here's my chance to test myself!"

Hearing that, Senshi couldn't help showing a strange expression:

Test your Lightning Release…against me?

Even the successive Raikage might not be able to measure up.

If the full mark for lightning skill was ten, Senshi's was at least twenty. No matter how gifted Kakashi was, facing the "God of Lightning Release" still left him no edge.

But from Kakashi's viewpoint, that was precisely the plan.

"Chidori!"

Facing Senshi, Kakashi gave his all.

He opened by using his strongest Lightning Release: Chidori.

"Zz! Zz! Zz! Zz!"

Piercing arcs of electric-blue energy danced around Kakashi's right hand.

Violent Lightning Release chakra was poured into it with all the speed he could muster.

Kakashi believed he might only get one chance in a fight with Senshi, so he went all out from the start.

"Hmm..."

Senshi noticed Kakashi's move and found it slightly amusing.

Attacking me with Lightning Release—he's serious?

Confronting Kakashi's charge, Senshi just used his Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability.

He turned his body intangible, so to speak—elementalizing himself.

"Boom!"

One strike from Chidori went right through Senshi's heart, but at that moment, Kakashi's face suddenly tensed!

The situation felt bizarre. Senshi hadn't dodged or blocked; he let Kakashi stab him. Sure enough, Kakashi's Chidori had pierced where Senshi's heart should be.

Yet his feeling was off—he hadn't pierced actual flesh.

On top of that, having his heart run through didn't harm Senshi at all. He still stood there smiling, no sign of injury.

Senshi shook his head, recalling something interesting. In the Fourth Shinobi War, the Second Mizukage had thoroughly "boot camped" the Allied Shinobi Forces. Maybe Senshi would give Kakashi a little "boot camp" as well.

"Kakashi, that won't work."

As soon as he spoke, he casually kicked Kakashi, sending him flying backward.

Kakashi twisted midair, flipping once, and managed to stabilize his stance. Staring at Senshi, he found the man's clothes and body completely unscathed.

Kakashi couldn't figure it out. Possibly Senshi possessed a jutsu akin to the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification. He had never heard of a technique letting body and clothing both transform.

But there wasn't time to dwell on that. If Senshi's intangible-like ability was truly unstoppable, this would be dire.

Kakashi's expression turned grave. He realized he might be facing the strongest enemy in his entire career.

Senshi gave a bored yawn, addressing Kakashi in a tone that sounded half scolding, half pitying:

"As the number-one genius in Konoha, your Lightning Release is only at this level? Or have you gotten complacent from all that talk about being 'Konoha's First Technician' and 'Copy Ninja Kakashi?'"

Kakashi's talent was undeniable. Even in a great village like Konoha, few could rival him.

But due to the burden of his Sharingan, plus mastering so many jutsu, he might've neglected refining his own specialty—particularly in the era before leading Team 7.

"Zz! Zz! Zz!"

Kakashi, unaffected by Senshi's mocking, kept carefully observing with the Sharingan.

After a moment, he made another attack:

"Chidori!"

Though Senshi was strong, Kakashi believed he had a sliver of a chance.

He attacked again, wanting to see if the intangible-like jutsu was truly invincible.

Relying on the Sharingan's dynamic vision, he launched at a speed faster than before, rushing to Senshi's front.

And then, the moment Kakashi brandished Chidori a second time, he was dumbfounded—

"Huh—?!"

Senshi hadn't even used space-time ninjutsu; he simply moved at an unimaginable speed, disappearing right before Kakashi's eyes.

Kakashi's pupils shrank sharply as he panicked inside:

"How is that possible?! What kind of speed is this?!"

He was well aware that an expert at Lightning Release might be terrifyingly fast. But Senshi's speed was beyond reason—Kakashi's Sharingan couldn't even track him.

First time, Senshi just stood still for Kakashi's strike; it achieved zero damage.

Second time, Kakashi attacked faster, but Senshi vanished before his eyes.

"This is bad!"

The instant that realization flashed through Kakashi's mind, it was already too late.

~~~

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