Chapter 76: Best use of Immortality...

Unexpectedly, Zetsu gently shook his head and said, "That won't work. For now, as far as the Akatsuki is concerned, Senshi Uzumaki is an indispensable piece. Moreover, only Nagato possesses the Rinnegan; we need his power. If we seize control of the organization in a way that causes him to withdraw his support, that would be a colossal loss."

As the hidden mastermind behind the "puppet gang," the very filial child of the ninja world, Zetsu had his own considerations. The so-called "Eye of the Moon" plan was something he had been using to fool Uchiha Madara and Obito. His only true objective was to revive his mother. For that, he was willing to sacrifice everything. He had been hidden away in the ninja world for a very long time, all to achieve this goal.

Now that he was on the verge of his mother's resurrection, there was no way he would allow Obito to delay matters. Senshi Uzumaki's efficiency in capturing Tailed Beasts was simply too high—he practically fired the first shot in the Akatsuki's Tailed Beast hunts. If not for Nagato's concerns about large-scale seizing of Tailed Beasts inciting the collective wrath of the Five Great Nations, they likely would have already gathered all nine Tailed Beasts' chakra for the Gedo Statue and begun the plan. Perhaps, in an even bolder scenario, Zetsu might have already seen his mother by now.

But Obito was still an important tool. Even if he must eventually die, he had to complete his role first. So Zetsu wanted to calm him down.

With that in mind, Zetsu added, "Don't worry—Nagato hasn't betrayed us, and we already have a way to keep Senshi in check. Madara said the Eye of the Moon plan will begin; no one can stand in his way!"

At the mention of Uchiha Madara, Obito's thoughts drifted to that frail old man he had encountered once. For a moment, Obito fell into silence. Madara, a name that once rivaled Hashirama, had truly shaken the ninja world. Even the image of his declining years remained intimidating. Obito understood the weight of that name. After all, why else would he rely so heavily on "Kamui" or on proclaiming, "I am Uchiha Madara"?

Snorting, Obito said coldly, "It had better be that way."

Zetsu said nothing further. He already knew that, a few days ago, Nagato had dispatched Orochimaru to the Kumogakure to capture a Tailed Beast. Moreover, via White Zetsu's surveillance of Orochimaru, Zetsu was well aware that Senshi had a hand in it. More importantly, in Zetsu's view, Orochimaru now had ample power to capture a Kumo Tailed Beast. Thus, this mission wasn't just an act of seizure; it was also a test—a probe of the Great Nations' tolerance. If the Five Great Nations didn't launch an immediate, decisive crackdown on Akatsuki, Nagato's "One Bag of Rice" plan would likely move into high gear.

Also, from his long years lurking since Madara's era, Zetsu knew that if only one or two Tailed Beasts were captured, the Five Great Nations wouldn't risk all-out war against Akatsuki right away. They had too many concerns—not just Akatsuki, but also the possibility of being stabbed in the back by other Great Nations. Only if most of the Tailed Beasts were captured—posing a true threat—would the Great Nations set aside their rivalries and unite against Akatsuki.

This had once been a major hurdle in the plan, but things had changed. With Senshi Uzumaki on their side, once he was fired up, gathering all the Tailed Beasts was practically a done deal. The bloated bureaucracies of the Five Great Nations might not be able to mount a proper counterattack in time. Akatsuki would succeed before the nations could do anything serious.

Even more importantly, Senshi was just too "useful"—much more so than Obito, who was prone to getting caught up in personal feelings and still hesitated about reclaiming his own Sharingan. But Senshi? He only cared about completing missions, with no interest in personal allegiances. Zetsu had heard many rumors about him "selling out" his comrades if the job demanded it. Such a person was ironically the most reliable to use.

Unlike Obito, who was always broke, Zetsu had his "cockroach" jutsu and could freely travel underground, collecting treasures hidden by the erosion of time. If he wanted to hire Senshi to hunt Tailed Beasts—or for other tasks—he could do so easily. Therefore, Zetsu completely disagreed with Obito's idea of cutting off Nagato and Senshi. On the contrary, in Zetsu's mind, as long as there was enough money, Senshi Uzumaki was the most dangerous and most useful weapon in the ninja world.

…

Meanwhile…

Dragging Hidan along, Senshi strolled into the black market. "Hey, Hidan, today I want you to grind missions with me. See, there's the black market up ahead. You just go over, accept all the bounties in your name, and then hire me to help complete them. Got it? I'm a generous guy. You're a newbie, but I won't rip you off—we'll split the rewards 50/50. Deal?"

He wasn't lying; Senshi didn't really care about the money itself, just the mission points from being "hired." So Hidan would get 50% of the cash reward, same as when Kakuzu first partnered with Senshi. Of course, to Senshi, it wasn't "ripping him off"—he called it "guiding Hidan toward mutual prosperity."

Unfortunately for Senshi, Hidan—who was basically penniless—didn't understand his good intentions. He cursed inwardly, "Are all these Akatsuki guys crazy? They go on about some 'great goal' to bring peace to the ninja world, but every one of them is obsessed with these bounty missions. Kakuzu wasn't too bad; at least he didn't force me. But this Senshi guy just dragged me along whether I wanted it or not!"

However, with Senshi's arm clamped like a vise around his neck, Hidan didn't dare curse aloud. Instead, he tried, "If it's just missions, can't you do them alone?"

Senshi shot him a fierce look, tightening his hold. "We're all buddies here. How could I keep the money-making all to myself? Of course I want to share it around. Didn't you see Kakuzu rush in to find me as soon as he could? I turned him down, giving you the opportunity because you're new. Plenty of people would kill to partner with me, y'know?"

Senshi spoke earnestly, as though "the joy of mission grinding" was some sacred faith he was sharing. Hidan, however, felt only confusion. "So why not go with Kakuzu, then? He's—"

But before he could finish, Senshi threw him a murderous glare, and Hidan swallowed his words, hastily correcting himself. "I mean, I don't need money. Why not let someone else enjoy this opportunity?"

He sounded righteous, like some selfless hero. But Senshi didn't give him a chance to refuse. With a sharp yank, he tightened his grip on Hidan's neck. Hidan's face started turning blue. Sure, Hidan was immortal, but he could still feel pain and the fear of suffocation.

"This is your chance to temper yourself and grow stronger," Senshi lectured. "Why are you newbies so ungrateful?"

Hidan couldn't reply—he was too busy trying not to pass out. Finally, he raised his hands in a sign of surrender. Senshi eased up. Hidan gasped for breath.

"Fine, I'll do tasks with you. Could you at least let go so I can accept a bounty and then formally hire you?"

Senshi nodded, releasing him. But the moment Senshi's hold slackened, Hidan grabbed his scythe and slashed furiously at Senshi, yelling:

"You think I'll just go along with your crap?! I hate everything about the black market! Die!"

Hidan expected to see blood or at least hear a groan. But instead…

CRACK!

His supposedly high-grade scythe shattered on impact, as if striking unbreakable metal.

"???!"

Hidan stared in bewilderment. This scythe was a prized weapon of the Jashin cult—how could it just snap off on the target's body? He hadn't sensed any visible chakra or defensive jutsu. Either this was an illusion, or Senshi's body was far tougher than any "high-grade" ninja tool.

But he had no time to think—Senshi's sinister laugh echoed in his ears, accompanied by the popping of his knuckles.

"Done with your swing? Heh…guess it's my turn now."

…

"Enough, enough! Senshi Bro, I'm sorry—please stop!"

Hidan's pained wails reverberated around the black market. Immortality was great, but Senshi's blows were as hard as steel—and while Hidan might not die, he still felt pain. Worse, each punch targeted a vital spot. And because Hidan was immortal, Senshi didn't bother holding back at all. Hidan couldn't break even a bit of Senshi's skin, so he had no counterattack.

He once got this undead body via experiments in Yugakure's Jashin cult, being the only success case. Even then, it was easier compared to what he was enduring now. Back then, after the experiments, he at least gained power. But this? All he was getting was endless suffering.

At last, Senshi paused, leaving Hidan bruised and trembling. "I'm someone who prefers to reason with people. If you still don't want to, I can keep teaching you 'logic.'"

Hidan gulped. "You…call that 'reason?'"

Senshi let lightning crackle around his palm, flashing a sadistic grin. "Oh, I have plenty more 'reasons' I can show you. Care to continue?"

Hidan was momentarily speechless. He'd had enough. Thoroughly cowed, he "willingly" consented to start doing bounties alongside Senshi. The setup was the same as before: Hidan would pick up the missions and formally hire Senshi, who would then help him complete them.

Only he never imagined the workload would be that intense. Hidan finally understood why Kakuzu used the word "grind" rather than just "do." This wasn't normal mission-taking; it was a marathon of mayhem. Hidan used to think Kakuzu's schedule was nuts—spending most of the day on jobs. But now he saw that Kakuzu was actually gentle compared to Senshi, practically an angel of mercy.

Under Senshi, there was no rest. None at all. From the moment he said "yes," it was: accept bounty, hire Senshi, complete bounty, collect reward, and repeat—endlessly, with no break.

Several days later, Senshi returned to Amegakure with Hidan in tow. By that time, Hidan was like a soulless husk, physically alive but mentally numb. Indeed, while his immortality kept him from dying, it did nothing for the damage to his psyche. Even the painful experiments that granted him immortality had been easier than this. Back then, at least, he'd gained something; now, all he had was emptiness.

"We're finally done…?" he muttered, trudging along behind Senshi like the walking dead.

Senshi ignored him. Honestly, Hidan had proven to be quite useful—although he'd become quieter and quieter, that only improved efficiency. Thanks to his immortality, Senshi didn't have to worry about his condition. They just kept grinding missions without pause.

Senshi smacked his lips thoughtfully. He probably would have stayed out even longer if he didn't worry about leaving Karin alone (what if she tried practicing Susanoo-based cooking and accidentally blew up the whole village?). He wanted to quickly see how she was doing.

Reaching home, Senshi opened the door to find Karin boredly practicing Mystical Palm Technique on a fish, presumably to sharpen her healing skills. He nodded in approval: though he still hadn't stumbled upon that rumored deep-pocketed "big client," starting early was good.

Noticing Senshi's return, Karin dropped the fish—still wriggling—and ran over.

"Senshi, where did you go? You didn't even say a word before leaving!"

She looked annoyed, a pout forming on her lips. Senshi patted her head and yawned. "I had some urgent work, sorry. Next time I'll let you know."

At that, Karin's expression softened. Then she noticed the utterly dejected Hidan trailing behind him and asked curiously, "Who's this?"

Senshi clapped Hidan on the shoulder. "This is Hidan, a new member of Akatsuki. Don't underestimate him—maybe one day he and I will be the best of partners."

Hidan didn't dare talk back. He wanted nothing more than to run far, far away. But all he managed was a half-hearted smile that looked worse than crying. "H-hello," he stammered.

Karin responded politely, "Hi, I'm Karin Uzumaki." She eyed him with curiosity. In all her time with Senshi, she'd never seen him praise anyone so highly. So she figured this Hidan must have some remarkable skill. In her mind, even Hidan's "half-dead" face took on the aura of some mysterious shinobi.

However, Senshi soon clapped his hands, cutting their introduction short. "All right, let's grab some good food and celebrate our new partner's arrival!"

Karin cheered up at the mention of a feast. As for Hidan, he was absolutely overjoyed. Anything that wasn't grinding missions was heaven.

Dinner took quite a while, not because Senshi demanded some extravagant spread, but because Hidan ate unbearably slow. Possibly relishing his first real break in days, he savored every mouthful as if tasting the greatest delicacies, his face practically glowing with relief. That only made Karin more intrigued.

…

At the same time, in a high tower in Amegakure…

Nagato and Konan sat in silence. After some time, Konan finally spoke up. "Nagato, do you think Senshi's proposals are feasible?"

Nagato paused. He recalled the grand "blueprints" Senshi had painted. Yes, he was well aware Senshi had his own motives, but the idea itself held great appeal.

After thinking it over, he murmured, "Regardless of what Senshi's personal agenda is, moving forward with this would be beneficial. Sheltering refugees and founding a ninja academy benefits both the organization and the Land of Rain. In the short term, it's also beneficial for the whole ninja world—giving those displaced people a place to go, so they don't have to suffer out there. War orphans would have a way to learn and survive, avoiding bitter memories."

Konan glanced at him sympathetically. She could see Nagato was recalling their own tragic past. She comforted him, "But a ninja academy, by nature, trains ninjas. In the short run, it's kind to orphans, but eventually they'll become combatants—people who take lives on the battlefield. Hatred will only spread, continuing the cycle we seek to end. The chain of hatred doesn't break; it just grows, leading to future wars. Only our plan can truly end that cycle and bring permanent peace."

Nagato nodded. "True, but I still think we should proceed. One, it helps keep Senshi at ease; two, it's ultimately a positive development. The organization doesn't have to spend anything since Senshi's footing the bill, and it might be a favor we can call in later."

Konan agreed. After a few moments, she remembered something and asked, "What about Uchiha Madara—still no contact?"

Nagato shook his head. "I've tried every previous method we had, but nothing works. I'm not sure if he's deliberately keeping quiet or if something happened."

Konan frowned, worried. "Did he just vanish completely? Could he be plotting something in secret? He was the 'Demon of the Ninja World'—it's concerning."

Nagato sighed. "I doubt it. Our overarching goals should still be aligned. He wouldn't sabotage our main objective until it's complete. But…he did come to me once, urging me to deal with Senshi, and I refused. After that, he never showed up again."

Konan found that perplexing. Would a figure like Uchiha Madara really go into hiding just because of such a minor dispute? "Could he be mad at us?" she mused aloud.

She couldn't imagine such a legendary figure being so petty. But then again, this was the ninja world—anything was possible. "Think maybe he's run into trouble?"

Nagato thought it over and shook his head again. "I can't imagine what could be so major that he couldn't handle it. But there's no way for us to verify any of this right now."

So, with no clues and no way to reach him, all they could do was keep their doubts bottled up.

~~~

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