Chapter 116: Misunderstanding

After Kisame posed his question, Itachi casually found somewhere to sit before speaking. "I left a long time ago," he said. "After that, every interaction you had with me was under a genjutsu."

When Itachi put it that way, Kisame couldn't help thinking of all kinds of bad possibilities.

During past missions, he often wound up utterly exhausted while Itachi never seemed tired at all. Could that too have been because Itachi had placed him under a genjutsu, so that whatever mission they were supposedly doing, Kisame was actually doing alone, while Itachi basically never had to fight?

What Kisame did not know was that in reality, they had never gone on missions. In order to deliver intelligence to Konoha, Itachi had cast genjutsu on Kisame to make him believe they were out on missions. Every time Kisame thought he was battling an enemy target, in truth he was just shadowboxing in the midst of illusions.

However, that truth was simply too cruel for an earnest, straightforward fellow like Kisame, so Itachi had no plans to tell him any of it.

Moreover, not only had Itachi made his escape early on this time, he had also found time for a quick trip back to Konoha.

Thinking about that brief return home left Itachi with mixed feelings. Thanks to Senshi's guidance, his blockheaded little brother was improving quickly—but there had been serious problems! As the saying goes, "like a teacher, like a student." Sasuke was already being led astray by Senshi. Sasuke and that Nine-Tails brat were so hooked on "mission-grinding" that they got fidgety and miserable if they went even one day without a mission!

To Itachi, it was obviously bad. And yet Sasuke's growth rate was so dazzling that he could only call it tempting. Even if Sasuke was being dragged off course by Senshi, Itachi no longer wanted Senshi to stop teaching him. Sasuke was fine for now, so Itachi could at last give his full attention to Kisame's case. Knowing Kisame as he did, there had to be something unusual behind Kisame's decision to move against him; perhaps a special reason, or maybe a misunderstanding.

Itachi was considering these things when Kisame muttered gloomily, "Itachi-san, Senshi's gone back to Amegakure..."

Itachi gave a small nod—he already knew that. He also knew that Senshi had formed a new team, plus had several standbys. There was no reason for alarm. So he just looked at Kisame and asked casually, "And then?"

Kisame looked as though the sky were falling. "Itachi-san, you're so clever. Yet up to now you still haven't figured out what's really going on?"

Itachi: (O_O)???

Itachi was baffled. Was there something he was supposed to have figured out?

Seeing how Itachi looked mystified, Kisame understood that Itachi-san had not grasped the dire truth—no wonder he'd dared to run off! So Kisame decided simply to explain everything from start to finish.

"Senshi's original partner was Kakuzu, remember?" he said. "Then Kakuzu went and broke away from Senshi's two-man team, picking Hidan to join him instead. From that moment on, fate's wheel began turning..."

Kisame laid out all the intel he had, plus his own speculation about Senshi, in a great rush to Uchiha Itachi, leaving Itachi speechless—gaping in astonishment.

Itachi: (O_O)???

Once Kisame finished, Itachi felt completely stunned. He even suspected Kisame might have suffered so many genjutsu illusions that his mind had snapped.

Granted, the data about Hidan and Kakuzu was mostly accurate, but the actual circumstances did not match Kisame's claims. Strictly speaking, Senshi wasn't some terrible demon. In many respects, he was a good person. The people he killed were criminals who deserved it. He turned the commission fees he earned from missions into funds for ninja academies and shelters, supporting many displaced who had nowhere else to live. Countless individuals throughout the ninja world owed their survival to Senshi's generosity. The children of Amegakure also had new chances at bright futures because of him. Thanks to Senshi, even the daily lives of Ame's citizens were far better. All of that demonstrated that Senshi was, at heart, a decent man—just ruthless in dealing with his team partners.

The real issue was that Kisame had over-interpreted Senshi's every action.

Itachi massaged his temples in minor frustration. Then he said, "Kisame, Senshi isn't who you think he is."

Those words almost made Kisame cry on the spot. So, if Senshi was not the person Kisame had imagined, that meant he might be even worse?

At that, Kisame wailed hopelessly, "Itachi-san, you've ruined both of us! If you hadn't run off alone back then, none of this would be happening! Not long ago I sought out Senshi—he spelled it out plainly: 'It's too late, nothing you can do.' He's sure to use some horrific method to torture us both… boo-hoo-hoo."

Itachi did not believe him. Kisame already had such a huge misunderstanding about Senshi. Why assume anything Kisame had concluded was correct?

All the same, Itachi decided he had to walk Kisame step by step through the reality of Senshi. Kisame's too simple and honest to untangle it by himself.

Calmly, he began, "Kisame, truly, Senshi is a good—"

He never finished. Suddenly Kisame's eyes went wide with realization, and his voice trembled with excitement. "Itachi-san, I just got it! This Senshi tyrant has to be resisted! We must strike first. Between your genjutsu and my Water Style plus Samehada, we actually stand a chance! Better to fight back than sit here waiting to die!"

…??

At first Itachi thought Kisame had finally caught on. But with that pronouncement, he realized Kisame had "caught on" to an entirely wrong idea—so drastically that he was now plotting to fight Senshi? That was beyond bold; it bordered on insane. Senshi's power, albeit widely feared, was known truly by very few. But Itachi, as Senshi's partner for a short time, had personally glimpsed his Six Paths Mode. Already monstrous, if Senshi went Six Paths Mode, who in the world could withstand him? Kisame plus Itachi, or even them plus the whole Seven Ninja Swordsmen, wouldn't be nearly enough to prevail. In fact, Itachi couldn't think of any method that would topple a Six Paths–empowered Senshi.

Luckily, the pair did not need to fight Senshi in the first place.

So Itachi wasted no time trying to steer Kisame onto a safer track. "Kisame, you don't really need to worry. You simply don't understand Senshi well enough."

"Moreover, you can't beat Senshi with raw force. There's another way."

To Itachi's mind, Kisame's prejudice was deeply ingrained. You couldn't talk him out of it by praising Senshi's goodness. The best bet was to get Kisame dealing with Senshi in a more peaceful manner—maybe, ironically, by "taking advantage" of him.

Kisame: (O_O)???

Another way to handle Senshi—seriously? The man was terrifying, but Itachi seemed confident. Kisame asked, "Itachi-san, do you truly have some method to deal with him without fighting?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes. If your aim is for Senshi not to hurt you—to befriend him, even—then it's quite simple."

"Simple?" That was Senshi they were talking about! Kisame's gaze filled with doubt, prompting Itachi to reaffirm:

"If you want Senshi to do you no harm and actually form friendly ties, it's very doable. Did you ever hear about Senshi's relationship to Orochimaru?"

Kisame was perplexed. "Their relationship?"

"Orochimaru is called 'Snake Bro' by Senshi. Several times in public, Senshi has flat-out said that Orochimaru is like a cherished friend—almost a family member."

Kisame's expression changed dramatically. Orochimaru pulled that off?! He actually got on that well with someone as fearsome as Senshi? So if Kisame could manage the same, he'd never again have to fret about Senshi smashing down his door and killing him.

Eagerly, he asked, "How did Orochimaru do that?"

Itachi's lips curved slightly; Kisame was biting the lure. "Because Orochimaru is Senshi's client—he frequently hires Senshi for missions."

"A client??"

Seeing Kisame mulling it over, Itachi pressed on, "Kisame, think carefully. If you, like Orochimaru, regularly commissioned Senshi with huge bounties, wouldn't he treat you as a dear friend, a brother—maybe even call you 'Kisame Bro'?"

"Kisame Bro…!"

At the mere suggestion, Kisame's voice shook. Right… if Orochimaru could do it, why not him? He pictured Senshi quietly facing him, politely addressing him as "Kisame Bro," and the thrill of it left him trembling.

He drew a deep breath, half-lidding his eyes in delight. Even just imagining it felt amazing.

Brimming with excitement, Kisame turned to Itachi. "As expected of you, Itachi-san! Let's go— I'll immediately find Senshi to post a mission request!"

Kisame found this logic thoroughly convincing. The reports said Orochimaru had earned Senshi's attention and, indeed, got along fine. In that case, obviously Kisame would go do the same—he wanted to become "Kisame Bro," not cower as "little fish."

Ready to race off and hire Senshi, Kisame looked back—only to see Itachi strolling over to lie down on a bed across the room, presumably to rest. He said over his shoulder, "Kisame, commissioning Senshi can be extremely pricey. If you can't pay enough, you won't get any special camaraderie."

Because he was really in Akatsuki just to feed intel to Konoha, Itachi hadn't been chasing money. He and Kisame had almost nothing saved. Meanwhile, one big job with Senshi could easily start at 100 million ryo. How could they scrounge up that kind of funding?

Hearing that, Kisame came back to reality—they were broke. So, quickly, he told Itachi, "Yes, you're right. Let's earn some money first. We'll start on that right away."

Itachi nodded, "All right, from tomorrow on, we'll take black-market jobs."

But Kisame shook his head. "Not tomorrow—now, right away! We can't waste a single minute!"

Itachi: (O_O)???

What's with that look of fervor? Weren't these just missions?

But Itachi tried again: "Kisame, you need proper rest to maintain fighting form."

Kisame refused outright. "Itachi-san, how can we squander precious mission time on pointless rest? In the hours we nap, who knows how many jobs we could complete, how much we could earn? Let's go now— not a second to lose!"

With that, before Itachi could decline, Kisame bent down, hoisted him up, and jogged for the black market. Itachi, lying helplessly across Kisame's shoulder, felt that familiar bobbing motion. Tears nearly sprang to his eyes.

Meanwhile, Nagato—monitoring the entire Amegakure with "Rain Tiger at Will"—suddenly noticed those two. He was stunned. Thought maybe he'd cast the jutsu incorrectly. After re-checking, no: it was real. The two "laid-back duo" of Akatsuki, Itachi and Kisame, voluntarily heading to do black-market missions?!

These two had always gone about tasks sluggishly, if forced at all. Given the choice, they'd lounge around "training themselves," never interested in money. Yet now they'd seemingly caught Senshi's "virus" and were raring to mission-grind. And Orochimaru, formerly holed up in his lab, had likewise started traveling the ninja world doing tasks. This was not the Akatsuki or Amegakure that Nagato had envisaged.

While he felt dazed, Konan opened the door. Seeing her not carrying anything, he exhaled in relief—only to watch her turn and call, "Bring it in."

Two of Senshi's wood clones entered lugging a large crate stuffed with documents.

She explained, "Nagato, these are the quarterlies from the organization and the Amegakure's Anbu, Security, Interrogation, the Kage's Office, the Academy, Refugee Care, and so on—a total of 1,600 or so files for you to go through and provide feedback, so they can do better next quarter."

Sixteen hundred more tasks? This was basically a death sentence. And those were merely the quarterlies; if it were the year-end, it might be over ten thousand pages needing his review. Could he possibly just return Senshi's "Super Ninja Serum?" He no longer wanted all this wonderful endurance if it meant indefinite deskwork…

Then Nagato spotted the paper bag the clones were carrying. "And that bag?" he asked.

Taking it, Konan calmly said, "Light bulbs. Figured if you're reading documents all night long, your lamp might burn out. Keep these on hand so if it breaks, you can replace it yourself and not get delayed."

Nagato: (O_O)???

They'd worried about the lamp giving out—but not his own physical exhaustion?! How many all-nighters was this?

He could only let out a sigh. Well, at least it was only four times a year. If it were every few days, he'd be done for.

Konan then added, "Start with these first, Nagato. The rest of the quarterlies aren't fully compiled; I'll go hurry them, then bring the rest."

With that, she and the wood clones departed, leaving Nagato on the verge of tears. To him, the "rain" of Amegakure was not literal rain—it was the grief of a beleaguered Kage.

…

At the Refugee Shelter in Amegakure…

Senshi showed up accompanied by Sasori and Karin, causing a huge stir. Word spread instantly that Senshi had returned. Had it not been for Senshi, many there would never have survived. Some would have starved, some exploited to death, some frozen in harsh nights. Their families, their children—none would remain.

Yet by Senshi's plan and under his funding, the new shelter was built and they all lived on, out of the cold and the hunger. Not only that, Senshi's ninja academy gave their children real hope for the future. He was their savior, virtually their rebirth parent, a blazing torch lighting up their lives.

So the moment Senshi arrived, all those displaced folks—who had now settled in, contributed to building the Ame, and started new lives—came flocking out. Wherever Senshi and Karin passed, throngs welcomed them, an atmosphere of bustling life reminiscent of unstoppable spring growth.

"Welcome, Lord Senshi! Welcome, Miss Karin the assistant!"

Seeing such warmth, Senshi nodded and waved in return. Then, with Sasori and Karin, he headed on toward the Uzumaki clan's settlement.

Crowds cheered and parted, voices of excitement getting louder.

"Lord Senshi, Miss Karin, we're so glad you came!"

"You must come more often, my lord!"

"Lord Senshi, how about a visit to the Tsuchigumo clan settlement here?"

Senshi: (O_O)???

Really? The Tsuchigumo too? Quick mental check revealed it was just another clan using the same name, not the ones that famous for developing a Jutsu that can wipe out a village.."

Senshi didn't linger. He returned the people's friendly greetings while continuing onward, ultimately heading for the Uzumaki area. Some Uzumaki members rushed over, though they couldn't see him well through the crowd. A few kids managed to pop out but got pushed back in, losing sight. However, they realized from the direction Senshi was walking that he was probably visiting their settlement, so they felt even happier.

Meanwhile Senshi privately opened up his "task panel." A number of Uzumaki folks showed strong bonds with him. But some were 40-something genin, long past their prime for new endeavors; or just small kids like Haruko, four or five years old, obviously too little. He needed older kids with decent talent, strong synergy, and enough camaraderie.

He recalled three in particular. One was Uncle Takusen's nephew, the somewhat chuunibyou-ish Uzumaki Musen. The other two, newly arrived clan members named Uzumaki Runyu and Uzumaki Lanwu—a boy-girl pair who, together with Musen, formed a three-person team.

At the Uzumaki settlement, Uncle Takusen and that trio had no idea Senshi was coming. Musen, Runyu, and Lanwu were busy practicing their ninjutsu. Takusen, only a genin himself, was fretting that he lacked the skill to instruct these three especially gifted young people.

Though Amegakure had a ninja academy (with Senshi's wood-clones teaching special "Lightning Release" classes), staff was stretched too thin. The school only took children around age six—some gifted ones slightly younger. But Musen (14), Runyu (14), and Lanwu (13) were all past the normal age.

So for now, Takusen had to do what he could. But he was limited. He taught them basic Uzumaki sealing arts, leaving out anything powerful for fear of the clan's old tragedy repeating. After all, the Uzumaki's advanced sealing made them a target.

Thus Musen's trio could manage only basic techniques, good for restraining an already wounded foe. And that was it. He had no skill in Water or Earth Release for Musen, or Lightning for Runyu, or Water for Lanwu. So it was giving him headaches. But in the wake of Uzushio's destruction, it was a miracle the survivors had even basic skills left. Senshi's direct help had let them eat, stay warm, and have a safe place to live. Restoring the clan's full legacy of ninjutsu would be a long road indeed.

The three kids themselves felt differently from Takusen. They were already delighted just to have a place to live and time to train. Their gratitude for Senshi was no less than anyone's, possibly deeper. They recognized that without Senshi, they might have died somewhere, or lived on the run, malnourished and homeless. The ninja world outside Amegakure was vast and dangerous.

In personality, Musen was sunny and a bit chuunibyou. Runyu, calm and steady, reminiscent of Nagato. Lanwu, an innocent, quiet beauty like Konan.

As they kept practicing, a commotion arose in the distance. Takusen and the trio glanced that way. One glimpse, and they got excited. Both Musen and Takusen had met Senshi and Karin. Runyu and Lanwu had at least seen pictures. They realized at once that Senshi was indeed heading for the clan settlement, so all four dashed over in high spirits.

At that moment, Senshi and Karin halted in front of a local landmark—a pair of statues with overlarge heads. One statue showed Senshi holding a stack of mission papers as though checking a request; the other statue showed Karin clutching Senshi's leg.

Senshi thought it did Karin a disservice. They ought to have sculpted Karin standing with hands on her hips, maybe spouting some feisty remark. Karin herself frowned: the statue only had her hugging Senshi's leg, leaving out all her distinctive traits. Shouldn't they have her shown cooking some new dish?

Before Karin could fuss further, little Haruko came flying in like a whirlwind, leaping into a hug:

"Karin-nee-chan! You and Lord Senshi came to the Uzumaki settlement—yay!"

More children crowded around, hopping for joy. Meanwhile, many adult clan members gathered around Senshi. Some were so overwhelmed that tears spilled.

"Lord Senshi, welcome back!"

"Lord Senshi, please, this way—we'll prepare a banquet for you and Miss Karin, to give you a proper welcome!"

"Lord Senshi, I'll fetch you two something good to eat right now!"

Senshi simply waved a hand. "No need to fuss; we're all one big family. This time, I'm here to recruit some of our young clansmen into my mercenary corps. Could everyone gather here, please?"

Hearing that, Uncle Takusen and the others were thrilled. They hurried off to summon anyone still working. In truth, most Uzumaki were already nearby; those missing were off at the ninja academy, the refugee shelter, or other posts in the village's new production efforts.

~~~

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