Chapter 92: Senshi is in the building, yo-yo!

Senshi's words sent all the surrounding patrons [i.e., wealthy clients] into another frenzy!

If you submit a commission to the Black Market Hall, you'll be charged twice by them.

They charge a fee when you post a mission in the black market, and they also charge the mercenary a fee when the mercenary completes the job and receives the reward.

So you can imagine just how much the middleman makes!

So now all these patrons—beaming with excitement—prepared to hand over their mission details and rewards directly to Senshi.

In the ninja world, trust is the name of the game.

When commissioning other black-market mercenaries, the patrons require payment on delivery—settle the bill and be done with it.

But who is Senshi?

He's a legendary black-market mercenary with over 400 S-rank missions completed at a 100% success rate!

They could entrust him directly, handing over both the mission request and the full payment without worries. That is how deep their trust in him goes!

Standing beside Senshi, Karin was dumbfounded as she watched the many wealthy patrons hand her mission request forms with one hand and checks with the other.

Karin: o皿o???

Is that really how you accept mission commissions?

And it's so chaotic here—maybe she should deploy her pink Gundam to maintain order?

Because of Senshi's sudden move, the patrons grew even more excited, and the situation spiraled out of Azei's control.

Under normal circumstances, as staff members of the Black Market Hall—the black market's "turf"—their word is law.

But not this time. None of the patrons who'd come to post missions would listen to him.

Realizing the scene had gotten completely out of control, Mr. Bodoi, the black market manager, rushed out.

Mr. Bodoi was a pot-bellied man in a proper suit and tie. As soon as he appeared, he harshly scolded Azei.

Spittle flying everywhere, he scolded, "Azei, did lightning-style training fry your brain?"

"How could you treat Senshi-san the same as any other black-market mercenary? You've got five minutes to pack your things and get out of here!"

After a thorough berating, Bodoi turned to Senshi with a beaming smile and said:

"Hahaha, Senshi-san, I'm Bodoi, the black market manager. Feel free to pick any missions you like here in our black market. Anything you want—no matter how high the rank."

Yet now it was Senshi who wasn't pleased!

Is this some kind of joke?

Why should he go through the black market at all?

Before, he didn't go straight to potential clients because he wasn't well-known enough and had trouble building trust. Now that he's famous, his personal credibility stands higher than any black market's.

Under these circumstances, why bother posting through them? Going directly to the clients himself would mean even higher prices!

With that in mind, Senshi spoke in an even, unhurried tone: "Bodoi, even though I rarely come to the Land of Lightning, you must have heard of me. Your cousin's shipping company and I have quite a bit of business together. My personal reputation is not inferior to any black market out there."

Hearing this, Bodoi rubbed his hands, flashed a fawning grin, and said, "Senshi-san, I apologize deeply for everything that just happened!"

"By way of apology, if you accept missions here in our black market, not only will we waive your commission fee, but we'll also pay you an additional 10% of the mission's reward!"

His words made Senshi both wary and confused. Wary, because he felt like he'd seen this tactic before—something like how a store inflates a normal 9.9 purchase to 99, then pretends to offer a special discount at 69.9, claiming "we're selling at a loss!"

But Senshi quickly realized this was the ninja world, not some shady online marketplace. The guy in front of him wasn't some unscrupulous streamer peddling snake-oil.

So Senshi was taken aback: "Is it really such a great deal—just free money?"

While Senshi was thinking this, Karin stuck her head out from behind him, pushing her glasses up with a serious look and quietly muttered, "There's only one truth—he's plotting something!"

Senshi: (O_O)???

He couldn't help feeling she was channeling some "Conan" vibes…

Hearing Karin's words, Bodoi felt a twinge of alarm. Some ninja can indeed read minds. He wasn't sure if this red-haired young lady was capable of that—but from the look of things, probably not?

Besides, Bodoi's plan was indeed a scheme, but he wasn't worried about Senshi finding out.

So Bodoi just let out a hearty laugh and said, "Senshi-san, rest assured, there's absolutely no scheme here—only sincerity!"

"Also, you need some manpower to help sort through all those mission request forms, right? That happens to be what we do best here in the Black Market Hall."

Senshi gave it some thought. Indeed, so many diverse tasks, countless missions—it would overload poor Karin if he just threw them all at her. Even though Karin isn't clueless, she's certainly no brainy genius like the Nara clan.

So Senshi nodded. "Fine. The money doesn't really matter; I'm just worried there are too many tasks for my little assistant to handle. You understand, right?"

Hearing this, Karin immediately brightened. She grabbed onto Senshi's long legs, rubbing her face against him in delight.

Behind his glasses, Bodoi's eyes gleamed as he watched Karin cling to Senshi's thigh. Inwardly, he thought, "That little brat is so easy to fool—there's no way Uzumaki Senshi is actually doing this for that reason."

Outwardly, however, Bodoi kept smiling. "I understand completely!"

As Bodoi and Senshi were about to finalize their cooperation, Azei—who had remained silent for some time—finally spoke up in a daze. He hurriedly pulled Mr. Bodoi aside and whispered, "Bodoi-san, have you lost your mind? Waiving all commission fees and even subsidizing another 10%? That's a massive loss!"

Bodoi gave him a scornful look. "What do you know? Wait—why are you still standing here?"

Then Bodoi sneered, "Foolish Azei. Instead of practicing your lightning-style jutsu, you should be improving your intellect. Let me teach you something else!"

"Think about it. Last night we got over three hundred new patrons posting missions, many of whom are big clients who normally only give A-rank or S-rank commissions to Kumo. They've all come here because of Senshi-san!"

At first, Azei thought Mr. Bodoi had gone nuts. Now, after a moment of reflection, he started to see sense.

Exactly—one person's power is limited. Once Uzumaki Senshi picks his missions, all the remaining tasks end up feeding the black market's business.

By giving up just a little of that commission (10% for a few of Senshi's tasks), they secure countless more tasks posted through the black market. In other words, his celebrity effect is worth far more than a normal endorsement deal from some big-name company in the Land of Lightning.

At that moment, a blue-haired woman approached: Kayui, one of the Black Market Hall's receptionists.

She'd been standing close by, so she had overheard Bodoi and Azei's entire conversation. Now she sidled up to Mr. Bodoi with a fawning smile and said, "Boss, you really are brilliant! Azei could rack his brains all day and still wouldn't figure out such a plan!"

Kayui's words made Azei's face darken. He grumbled, "Kayui, Mr. Bodoi was talking to me. This has nothing to do with you."

Yet the blue-haired Kayui paid him no mind and continued praising Mr. Bodoi. "Bodoi-san, you're so wise! No wonder you're the Black Market Administrator!"

Satisfied, Bodoi—already quite pleased with his plan—became even more full of himself under Kayui's flattery. As his subordinates' compliments piled up, he seemed to slip into an almost giddy state.

He turned to Azei and spoke earnestly, "Azei, you need to look at the bigger picture. We're aiming for the sea of stars here! Being shortsighted is a deadly flaw."

He then glanced approvingly at Kayui and said,

"Kayui, you're an excellent Black Market receptionist. Keep shadowing me, keep your eyes open, and in time, you'll be able to handle big responsibilities on your own!"

"Now go call the rest of the staff. We need everyone to help categorize and register these missions."

Overjoyed by the praise, Kayui nodded vigorously. "Right away, Boss. I'll take your teachings to heart!"

She hurried off, calling over a group of Black Market receptionists. They quickly and methodically began sorting and registering missions by category.

In this area, they were indeed experts. It didn't take long before Kayui, Azei, and the others had all the tasks neatly sorted for the patrons who needed to post them.

But what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations—Bodoi's, Kayui's, and Azei's alike.

Under the astonished gaze of all present, Senshi activated his Rumble-Rumble Fruit power with a technique called "Inazuma" right away.

"Crack!!"

"Zzt! Zzt! Zzt! Zzt!"

A massive lightning bolt, more than a meter thick, crashed down from the heavens, instantly recharging Hidan to full power!

After forcibly zapping his "mission buddy" awake, Senshi turned to Hidan: "Hidan, we've been traveling this whole time, and you're still sleeping? Hurry up and get to work for me!"

Hidan, forcefully brought to his senses by Senshi's lightning, immediately switched into "work mode," albeit in a half-dead, lethargic way. He looked at an empty spot in the distance and said, "Hey! Hand over all the missions here to Lord Hidan!"

Bodoi: (⊙_⊙)???

Kayui: (⊙_⊙)???

Azei: (⊙_⊙)???

And things only got weirder. After Hidan yelled that, he again reacted as though someone had responded. He pulled out a handful of imaginary something from his chest pocket and slammed it down on a nonexistent table:

"Hey! All missions complete! Now hand over the reward to Lord Hidan!"

Bodoi: (O_O)???

Kayui: (O_O)???

Azei: (O_O)???

Seeing this, Senshi quickly summoned another thick bolt of lightning—again a meter wide—and blasted it onto Hidan.

Boom!

That jolt made Hidan switch lines again. He cleared his throat, expression blank, and repeated, "Hey! Hand over all the missions here to Lord Hidan!"

Senshi turned to everyone with an apologetic grin. "Sorry about that, bit of a mix-up. That's the line he's supposed to say!"

"This guy is my mission buddy, Hidan. Just give all the sorted tasks to him."

As the saying goes, only kids make choices—Senshi was taking all the missions!

Behind him, Karin peeked her head out and, looking at Hidan still smoking from the lightning, whispered, "Is that what happens if you don't work enthusiastically?"

Senshi immediately corrected her. He pulled Karin over and said, "Karin, what do you mean 'what happens if you don't work'? This is a benefit for him."

"Look at Hidan. He's been half-dead these past few days. After I charge him with lightning, he's suddenly energized, right? Every thunderbolt is like a refresh—no downside at all. It's good for him!"

Hidan: I'm so grateful, sure…

…

Inside the Raikage's Office in the Kumogakure:

The A-B brothers—A (the Fourth Raikage) and B (Killer Bee)—were covered in bandages and looked utterly battered. After a grueling fight, Orochimaru still got away!

Initially, Orochimaru had come to the Kumo to pull a scam, costing them one billion ryo. They then paid another hundred million to commission Senshi to capture Orochimaru. Senshi did bring Orochimaru back, but that snake refused to return their money and fled once more!

All told, the Kumogakure, which was already 1 billion ryo in debt, was now down a total of 1.1 billion. Their finances, already in bad shape, sank even deeper.

Sitting behind his desk, the Fourth Raikage grew angrier the more he thought about it. Finally, he let out a furious roar and slammed his fist onto the desk:

"Arrgh! This is driving me crazy!"

BAM!!

With that blow, the desk's HP instantly dropped by a hundred million—totally obliterated.

Clatter, clatter…

Its legs and bits of wood scattered everywhere.

This sight immediately roused Killer Bee's musical inspiration:

"Yo! What did the desk do wrong, big bro, why'd you do it so wrong?"

"We're down eleven hundred million ryo, how can the Kumo go on, yo-yo!"

But this time, Killer Bee's rap did nothing to cool the Fourth Raikage's wrath. The Raikage pressed his fists together and shouted, "Bee, we can't just let this go!"

Killer Bee made a couple of rap gestures. "Yo! So what's the plan? Let's hear it and get it done."

"That Orochimaru sure is sly. We can't just let this one slide," he rapped.

But Bee was basically barking up the wrong tree, because if the Raikage had a solution, he wouldn't have just smashed his desk.

Before A could respond, Omoi burst into the office, panting like mad.

"Raikage-sama, Sensei, bad news—there's a huge problem at the commission center!"

Anger flared on the Raikage's face. "Omoi! Calm down. What's going on?"

Gasping for breath, Omoi explained, "Raikage-sama, Sensei, a bunch of clients at the commission center are giving up on contracting the Kumo to do their missions."

"Almost everyone has withdrawn their missions! Especially those who were issuing high-level missions—A-rank or S-rank."

The Fourth Raikage: (O_O)???

Killer Bee: (O_O)???

…

The finances of the Kumogakure rely primarily on two sources:

1. Allocations from the Land of Lightning's treasury. The daimyo typically provides just enough to keep the village running and meet wartime requirements.

2. Commissions earned when the village's ninja complete paid missions, from which the village takes a cut. Since the daimyo's funding barely covers the basics, the village relies on a steady stream of tasks to develop further.

Right now, the Kumo still needs a stable supply of commissions. If its mission center collapses, many of the village's projects will have to stop for lack of funds.

Led by the Fourth Raikage, Bee, Darui, and the others rushed to the commission center. Normally, it's packed with clients coming and going. But now it was practically deserted. The few patrons who were there were actually withdrawing their missions once they got some particular news.

Seeing how vacant the place had become, the Raikage's brow furrowed into the shape of the character "川."

He caught up to a well-dressed, refined man just as he was about to leave. This was a regular client named Naka, often seen in the Kumogakure.

The Raikage stopped him. "Naka-san, where are you going?"

Given that the Raikage was all bandaged up, Naka didn't recognize him at first. Once he realized it was the Raikage, he greeted him politely: "Oh, Raikage-sama. I have an urgent mission, so I'm heading to the black market."

Raikage frowned. "Since it's urgent, why not just post it here? Why bother with the black market?"

Then he asked a second question: "Are the other clients leaving for the same reason—heading to the black market?"

Naka gave a courteous nod and answered, "Yes, Raikage-sama. Most people are on their way to the black market. Especially those with high-level tasks.

"I've heard that a super-powerful mercenary—someone who even beat the Raikage—is taking missions there. His name is Uzumaki Senshi, and he's accepting a large number of jobs right now in the black market."

"A ninja so powerful he can defeat the Raikage, at a normal mercenary's price—that's not a deal anyone would pass up."

Naka did not spell it out quite so bluntly, but it was clear: if the same price can hire a 'Kage-level' ninja, who wouldn't switch?

So he simply said, "Raikage-sama, I'm pressed for time and my mission is very difficult, so I plan to go to the black market and find that legendary mercenary, Uzumaki Senshi. Please excuse me."

With that, Naka slipped away into the departing crowd.

Watching the once-bustling commission center grow emptier by the minute, the Raikage was left speechless.

It turned out that, after his battle with Senshi, the village's entire mission system was now taking a big hit. If he had known this would happen, maybe he wouldn't have confronted Senshi yesterday.

But it was too late for regrets. He had to figure out how to save the situation.

The Fourth Raikage looked at Darui and the others. "What can we do? If all the clients run off, how will our Kumo ninjas make a living?"

Darui and the rest fell silent. This problem was tricky. With Orochimaru growing so strong and now this new wildcard, Senshi, there was little the Kumogakure could do.

After a moment, Darui was the first to speak. "Senshi's usual territory is in places like the Amegakure or Kusa. Maybe he just came to the Land of Lightning for a single job. Once that's done, he might move on."

"That's right," Samui chimed in. "Given how far the Ame is from here, he probably won't settle in the Kumo. He's likely only here temporarily, so once he finishes his tasks, he'll naturally leave."

Their reasoning offered a bit of comfort, though it was hardly reassuring to do nothing but wait. Yet with a ninja as powerful as Senshi, there wasn't much else the Kumo could do.

The A-B brothers let out a collective sigh.

The Fourth Raikage could only say, "Let's hope so…"

~~~

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