Konoha Ninja Shop System

"Ahem, what exactly is your hobby again? Could you tell me one more time?" Kakuzu picked at his ear, clearly thinking he had misheard the strange answer.

"My hobby? Well, it's peeping into the women's bathhouse!" Jiraiya repeated proudly.

Kakuzu blinked, confused, and then shook his head as if trying to clear the fog in his mind. "That's what I thought I heard before. But... how could your hobby be peeping into the women's bathhouse?" His voice trailed off, and he suddenly stopped talking.

Damn, this guy's real hobby is spying on women while they bathe? Kakuzu's expression darkened with suspicion. Somehow, he felt Jiraiya wasn't entirely honest about himself.

But then Kakuzu sighed and leaned back. In the ninja world, where mercenary groups like Akatsuki operated, individual strength was the ultimate priority. As long as someone was strong, a few quirks could be overlooked.

"So tell me — just how strong are you? Akatsuki only recruits elites. No fools allowed. If you're not powerful enough, then you can just turn around and leave. I don't have time to waste," Kakuzu said coldly.

Ever since Akatsuki had posted the recruitment notice in the newspaper, several people had come by to audition for the group. But unfortunately, none had proven strong enough to qualify. Not a single one passed Kakuzu's rigorous interview.

Jiraiya smiled, unfazed. "I think I'm pretty strong."

Kakuzu was about to respond when a small mechanical voice interrupted. "Sir Kakuzu, this is Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin from Konoha. During the war with Hanzo of the Salamander in the Second Great Ninja War, he was personally recognized by Hanzo and granted the title 'Sannin of Konoha.' For reference, Orochimaru is also one of the Sannin," 007 explained, his robotic voice steady and formal.

Kakuzu immediately perked up. "So you and Orochimaru were comrades before?"

Kakuzu had been busy making money all over the world during that war and hadn't kept up with all the details of the ninja conflicts.

"Yes. The reason I came to Akatsuki this time is to find Orochimaru," Jiraiya said simply.

"Oh? So your real purpose here isn't to join Akatsuki, but to look for Orochimaru?" Kakuzu's interest sharpened.

Suddenly, a soft "squeaky squeaky" sound caught Jiraiya's attention. He glanced sideways and caught 007 winking at him.

007 looked almost tearful. Jiraiya's such a terrible teammate! Didn't I explicitly tell him that if Kakuzu asks, just say you're here for an interview? Now Jiraiya had clearly forgotten that instruction. 007 hoped Jiraiya would catch his subtle eye signal.

"007, what's with all the winking? Why are you blinking at me so much?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.

"..." 007 remained silent, its mechanical face emotionless.

Kakuzu looked meaningfully at 007 and casually asked, "How much are you charging 007 to help find Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya blurted out without thinking, "Two million ryo! It's really expensive..." Suddenly realizing he had spoken out of turn, he looked at 007 awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that…"

007 covered its face with its mechanical hands in frustration. It was obvious Jiraiya had tricked it on purpose, and now 007 was plotting a little revenge for being cheated out of money.

"Who put money inside my body?!" 007 exclaimed indignantly.

Then, with surprising speed, 007 extracted a scroll from within its own mechanical frame and handed it to Kakuzu. "Lord Kakuzu, someone secretly hid two million ryo inside me. This is simply outrageous!"

Kakuzu took the scroll and chuckled. "Indeed, it's abominable. Luckily, you found it in time, or the consequences could have been disastrous."

"Lord Kakuzu is right!" 007 agreed with a pained expression.

Damn it! I had just earned that money with great difficulty, and now it's gone before I even had a chance to spend it. 007's mind reeled, unable to hide its disappointment.

Jiraiya almost laughed at 007's pitiful look, feeling genuinely happy for once. He knew 007 was right — this was all a game between them. He had long suspected that 007 was looking for any excuse to mess with him.

"Since you're strong enough, you're qualified to join Akatsuki. But before that, let's talk about salary and benefits," Kakuzu said, tapping his fingers on the table with a slight smile. "We offer a monthly salary plus commissions for completed missions. Is 100,000 ryo per month acceptable?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Kakuzu? One hundred thousand ryo?!"

He couldn't believe his ears. The reward for a typical C-rank mission was between 30,000 and 50,000 ryo, so the Akatsuki's salary was barely the equivalent of two such missions.

"You're treating me like a slave," Jiraiya said, half-joking, half-serious.

Kakuzu's smile faltered. "Ahem. Don't get too excited. The salary is negotiable. How about 500,000 ryo a month, and we split the mission rewards 50-50?"

"That's better," Jiraiya nodded. But immediately, a new thought struck him. Wait, why should I join Akatsuki and split my mission rewards?

He suddenly remembered why he came to the Rain Country — to find Orochimaru, not to join Akatsuki.

"I'm sorry, but I'm used to being independent and don't like restrictions. I don't plan to join Akatsuki," Jiraiya said firmly.

Kakuzu's eyes gleamed as he quickly countered, "How about 800,000 ryo per month?"

Jiraiya remained unmoved.

Kakuzu gritted his teeth. "One million ryo then!" he blurted out like it was a massive concession.

He knew Konan had once said new members received five million per month, with 20% of mission shares going to the organization. But Kakuzu's version was far more stingy — only one million, and the cut split evenly 50-50.

Thank goodness the organization had trouble finding new recruits, or Kakuzu might have embezzled even more.

Jiraiya sighed and tried to explain again. "Actually, I came to the Rain Shinobi Village specifically to find Orochimaru."

Seeing Jiraiya's clear lack of interest in joining Akatsuki, Kakuzu snorted coldly. "You can't just meet Akatsuki members whenever you want, you know."

Suddenly, black tentacles sprouted from behind Kakuzu's back. Nanorobots in his body began gathering into the tentacles, which quickly transformed into shining silver-white appendages.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected Kakuzu's expression to change so quickly. He immediately sensed danger emanating from the strange tentacles.

"Alright, I'm willing to pay one million ryo if you lead me to Orochimaru," Jiraiya said cautiously.

Hearing that, Kakuzu hesitated. "Orochimaru is my closest friend in Akatsuki... How could I betray him for such a small amount?"

"Two million?" Jiraiya offered.

"You know, Orochimaru is my best friend in this organization. If you want my help, you'll have to pay more!" Kakuzu insisted.

007 was speechless.

"Three million!" Jiraiya raised his offer.

"Deal!" Kakuzu quickly withdrew the Earth Wrath tentacles back into his body and shook Jiraiya's hand enthusiastically. "Mr. Jiraiya, you're truly generous!"

Jiraiya had completed hundreds of S-rank missions over his career, so this amount was just pocket change to him. He was also a bestselling author, and his accumulated wealth was vast and mysterious.

Taking a scroll from his pouch, Jiraiya handed it to Kakuzu. Kakuzu smiled. "Mr. Jiraiya, I will take you to Orochimaru now. Please follow me."

pàtreøn (Gk31)