Chapter 27: How much for my Teammate?

"Sigh…"

"So many troubles in the Kirigakure nowadays.

Not only did the S-rank rogue Kisame appear, but also a mysterious, unbelievably powerful ninja has shown up in the village…"

Gonbee felt waves of powerlessness. Facing someone as formidable as Uzumaki Senshi, any desperate struggle on their part likely wouldn't amount to much.

At Gonbee's side, Chōjūrō gripped his Hiramekarei blade, his eyes (behind his glasses) full of an unprecedented heaviness. This young Kirigakure prodigy would never have anticipated the mission to take such a turn. Two enemies showed up today, each more frightening than the last! Kisame's strength was somewhat within reason, but Senshi's strength was off the charts—so extreme that Chōjūrō had no idea how anyone could possibly defeat him.

"Everybody, calm down—don't make any sudden moves!"

"This ninja is extremely dangerous; if we fight, it'll likely cost us lives—maybe all of ours."

Terumi Mei's voice carried over, warning Gonbee, Ao, and Chōjūrō not to take any reckless action. After halting them, she quickly shared what she knew about Uzumaki Senshi.

She had been assisting the elder Genji for some time, thereby receiving intel from multiple sources. Among that intel was information on the recent "task-maniac duo" in the black market—Senshi and Kakuzu—who had risen to fame.

Though it might not help much, Terumi Mei still gave her teammates a concise briefing:

"That man is a wandering ninja who's been making waves in the Ame's black market recently. His name is Uzumaki Senshi."

"Lately he's been sweeping through the black market in the Amegakure, accepting nearly every available commission. And he's never failed once. With his ultra-high efficiency and 100% success rate, he's caught the eye of numerous wealthy patrons."

"During his missions, he's clashed with several powerful ninjas—Kakuzu, Orochimaru, and even Kisame—and they all lost to him."

Hearing this, Senshi raised an eyebrow:

"Oh? My reputation's reached even the Land of Water now? It's just a small achievement—nothing worth praising."

He winked slyly at Terumi Mei, as if saying "You're in luck," then quipped:

"Hey there, beauty, just for that sweet talk, if you hire me, I'll give you a 10% discount!"

Who on earth was praising you!?

Chōjūrō's heart instantly sank to rock bottom. Encountering a ninja of this caliber—how could you possibly defeat him, even if you dug the First Mizukage out of the grave?

They had already witnessed how Senshi handled Kisame earlier. Kisame was totally outmatched, and from Senshi's relaxed demeanor, it was obvious he hadn't even given it his all.

Realizing how daunting Senshi was, Ao's face turned grim, and his voice trembled slightly:

"Terumi Mei, you should withdraw. Gonbee, Chōjūrō, and I will hold him off. You are the village's future—you can't afford to die here."

Though Ao spoke of "holding him off," he knew full well they had no way of truly stopping Senshi. He was an enemy they simply couldn't match; at best they could buy a little time.

While the group was mired in despair, Terumi Mei suddenly thought of something. She hurried forward and shouted:

"Lord Uzumaki Senshi! Actually, I do have a commission with a hefty reward. Perhaps you'd be interested?"

Senshi, who had been flipping through his stack of bounty forms and tallying data, instantly perked up upon hearing Terumi Mei say she had a job for him.

He had only been joking earlier, but there really was one?

In a moment, his entire attitude flipped 180 degrees. Before, he'd looked at Terumi Mei in the same way you'd appraise a bounty target. Now, his face radiated a sincere businesslike smile. Doing jobs? That's his specialty!

"Ahem…"

Clearing his throat, Senshi put on an air of professional seriousness:

"Please, go ahead—tell me the details."

Terumi Mei, stunned by how quickly he changed his tune, realized with amazement that this man was exactly as the intel described: as long as there was a commission, he'd take it—no matter the place or time. She half suspected that even if a great ninja war broke out, if Senshi took a mission, he'd finish that first before joining the fray.

But now was hardly the time for random thoughts—though she might have temporarily defused the threat by offering a mission, the man in front of them was still extremely dangerous.

Terumi Mei glanced at Kisame in the distance—he was healing himself by channeling chakra through Samehada, and then said uncertainly:

"I want to hire you for 8 million ryō to capture the S-rank rogue Kisame on behalf of the Kirigakure. Would you consider it?"

She spoke with some apprehension, eyeing Uzumaki Senshi. This mission might sound silly, she thought, but with the Kiri's current need, it was worth a try. Judging from their outfits, Senshi and Kisame appeared to be from the same organization, but they had just fought each other. Moreover, the intel said that "He'll accept almost anything if the pay is right."

Yet something unexpected happened.

[New Commission Detected!]

[Client: Terumi Mei]

[Objective: Help Kirigakure capture the S-rank rogue Kisame!]

[Reward: 8 million ryō]

[Difficulty: S-rank]

[Task Bonus: 8,000 Commission Points]

Eight million? Senshi felt quite displeased. Seriously? These folks couldn't even handle Kisame together and they only offer 8 million? That's not even as high as Chōjūrō's bounty.

The enthusiasm on Senshi's face vanished at once.

"You see my attire and his, right?"

Slinging an arm around Kisame's neck, he patted Kisame's chest:

"This here is Hoshigaki Kisame, an S-rank rogue ninja, otherwise known as the tailless Tailed Beast. He's got top-tier water style that can flood a desert with a lake. Extremely formidable.

He's my reliable partner, with whom I share excellent teamwork. You want me to catch him? For only 8 million? Who do you think you're short-changing here?!"

Terumi Mei pointed from Kisame to Senshi, her face blank with shock.

"He… with you… is a partner? A reliable partner with 'perfect teamwork?'"

But just a moment ago, you were beating him half to death… Of course, she didn't dare say that out loud.

Kisame, feeling awkward at being half-embraced, tried shifting away. But he also felt that iron grip on his neck and thought better of it.

"Ahem!"

As if realizing how odd his words sounded, Senshi coughed lightly:

"However, I do take my jobs seriously. If you insist, it's not impossible. Let's discuss further."

At first, when she thought Senshi might refuse outright, Terumi Mei's heart had nearly stopped. But hearing he wasn't turning it down, just requesting more money because Kisame was his partner, bizarre as it sounded, at least averted the immediate crisis.

Raising the price was no problem for Terumi Mei:

"Understood! No issue there!"

She nodded decisively. In that moment, Terumi Mei contemplated: So could the Kiri basically hire him long-term… pay him to do missions for us?

If he alone could do what even the entire Kiri ANBU might fail at—like subduing Kisame with only a few moves—then using part of the ANBU budget to keep him on retainer might be well worth it.

As soon as Terumi Mei agreed to raise the sum, Senshi glanced at Kisame beside him.

"???"

A chill coursed through Kisame. He realized Senshi wasn't joking at all; the look in Senshi's eyes told him plainly that Senshi was truly considering trading him in for money!

Struck by disbelief, Kisame blurted:

"You can't actually plan to trade me for a bounty, right?"

Senshi answered nonchalantly:

"Why not?"

He acted like selling off an Akatsuki colleague was a completely matter-of-fact practice. Kisame felt goosebumps:

"Our organization wouldn't allow that. If you hand me over for money, how will you explain yourself when you go back?"

Senshi waved a hand dismissively:

"Psh, no trouble at all. Kakuzu's killed off loads of teammates and never had an issue."

Those brutally frank words made Kisame's back run cold. In Kakuzu's case, it was sub-partners dying on missions, not being sold out… he thought.

Senshi touched his chin, scrutinizing Kisame as if judging a piece of merchandise while pondering pros and cons. He recalled that in the original storyline, Orochimaru once ambushed Itachi and ended up being chased down. Which implied that selling out a comrade might indeed lead to repercussions…

Kisame felt increasingly uneasy beneath Senshi's appraisal-like stare but dared not make any sudden moves. His life was quite literally in Senshi's hands at the moment. Meanwhile, Senshi wrestled with a dilemma:

Akatsuki still had the Tailed Beast capture tasks to exploit—eight more after the one they were about to do. Each Tailed Beast alone might net at least a 10 million or more. Possibly the total dwarfed anything the Kiri would pay for Kisame. Let's not forget a Jinchūriki plus a Tailed Beast could go for far more…

~~~

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