Chapter 118: Trouble

Kakuzu: "?"

Although Lanyu had explained things quite clearly, after listening to him, Kakuzu still grew even more puzzled.

What's going on here? Why would Senshi have these three brats come find him?

He may have joined Senshi's mercenary group long ago, but Senshi never said what you're actually supposed to do once you join. Kakuzu had simply been going all out doing missions, and Senshi never complained. In fact, on two separate occasions, he gave Kakuzu two extremely powerful treasures.

The first treasure shored up Kakuzu's weaknesses, eliminating the inherent flaw in his Earth Grudge Fear secret technique.

The second treasure substantially strengthened his Earth Grudge Fear secret technique, granting him more ways to fight.

Could it be…

Could it be that Senshi believes he's done an excellent job, and is now entrusting him with these three seedlings—the very hope of the Uzumaki Clan? That's quite a hefty responsibility!

When Deidara learned why Musen and the other two had come, he flatly refused with a look of distaste. "Are you kidding me? I'm devoted to the pursuit of a more perfect art! How could I possibly get distracted and babysit these little brats along with you?"

He was already annoyed at having Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, on their team. In Deidara's view, even without Fū, he and Kakuzu could do just fine completing missions. Of course, that wasn't the real point. The main issue was that they couldn't afford to add three more kids to the team.

Fū, though also still quite young, immediately denounced Lord Senshi once she learned why Musen and the others had come.

"Lord Senshi is too much. He doesn't want to take care of the kids himself, so he foists them off on Lord Kakuzu. But Lord Kakuzu has his own things to do—where's he supposed to find the time to look after them?"

Upon hearing this, Musen was immediately displeased: "Heh heh heh! How could you talk that way about Lord Senshi? Besides, do you think we're just delicate little flowers that need coddling?"

Fū pursed her lips. "Aren't you?"

Musen had been waiting for exactly this opening. When he first got his Wood Style, he could only use a single Wood-Style Ninjutsu. But now, he could already perform a second one—and it had a big visual impact.

Learning this ninjutsu made Musen feel incredibly proud! After all, it was Lord Senshi's most frequently used technique!

With the corners of his mouth curving upward, Musen clapped his hands together and rapidly formed hand seals, announcing, "Wood Style: Wood Clone Technique!"

Crack-crack-crack-crack!

The moment his voice fell, numerous wooden tendrils sprouted from his body. In the blink of an eye, these wooden strands morphed into another "Musen."

"Wood Style!"

Kakuzu: (ΩДΩ)!!!

Fū: (ΩДΩ)!!!

Deidara: (ΩДΩ)!!!

Seeing what Musen was capable of, all three were astonished—Kakuzu especially. Everyone had always teased him about the time he tried to assassinate a Wood-Style user, Senju Hashirama. He never imagined this kid from the Uzumaki Clan, Musen, would actually possess the Wood-Style Kekkei Genkai!

Before long, Kakuzu realized that not only had Musen changed, but Uzumaki Lanyu and Uzumaki Lanwu were different, too.

"Storm Style: Laser Circus!"

"Ice Style: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!"

In order to prove to Deidara and Fū they weren't just children needing special care, Lanyu and Lanwu demonstrated their Kekkei Genkai as well. This time, Kakuzu and the other two were thoroughly stunned!

Kakuzu: (O_O)!!!

Fū: (O_O)!!!

Deidara: (O_O)!!!

None of them had anticipated that Musen, Lanyu, and Lanwu would all possess Kekkei Genkai! What made it even more surprising was that Kakuzu used to bring Fū and Deidara over to the Uzumaki Clan's settlement frequently, so they had a decent grasp of these three's abilities. While the trio was certainly impressive, they absolutely did not have Kekkei Genkai in the past!

Kakuzu couldn't help asking, "Musen, what's going on here?"

Looking rather smug, Musen replied, "Lord Senshi bestowed this power upon us!"

After hearing that, Kakuzu felt more certain than ever:

Indeed, Lord Senshi must truly trust him to entrust him with these young hopes of the Uzumaki Clan. Musen, Lanyu, and Lanwu were already the three most promising youngsters in the Uzumaki Clan; now each had received a Kekkei Genkai from Lord Senshi. It proved how deeply Lord Senshi trusted and valued him. Otherwise, there was no way he'd have them come to Kakuzu.

Don't be fooled by how casually Lord Senshi handed out Kekkei Genkai. In the ninja world, any Kekkei Genkai is exceptionally precious. This goes double for Wood Style. From the information Kakuzu had gathered, Konoha placed enormous importance on Wood Style. If Lord Senshi sent Musen to Konoha, they would be willing to go to any lengths to cultivate him into a Wood-Style ninja who wielded the Will of Fire with one hand and protected Konoha with the other.

Yet Lord Senshi had simply sent them directly to Kakuzu. That's trust! A profound trust in Kakuzu's abilities!

The notion that Lord Senshi was simply avoiding babysitting duties? Nonsense. Impossible!

Initially, Deidara was very reluctant to accept these three brats. Now, though, his opinion changed. Eyes lighting up, he stared at the three of them.

"Huh. I see a spark in you three that can help perfect my art! Sure, you're annoying brats, but if you want to come along on missions with us, I don't mind."

Meanwhile, Fū was completely confused. She had just heard and seen something unbelievable.

A Kekkei Genkai…could it really be gifted to someone like this? Back in Takigakure, her brother Shibuki definitely never said anything like that!

From the start, Kakuzu believed Senshi trusted him to train Musen and the other two.

Discovering they all possessed Kekkei Genkai only confirmed his theory. He resolved, then and there, to take them under his wing and make sure they all became strong, outstanding shinobi for Senshi's mercenary group and the Uzumaki Clan.

With that in mind, Kakuzu turned to the three. "Since Senshi wants it, from today on, it's up to me to teach you everything you need to know about being in our mercenary group."

After pondering Senshi's routine and his own, Kakuzu summed up the new members' duties in a few words.

"Once you're in the mercenary group, you only need to focus on three things—doing missions, doing missions, and doing missions! Remember: The more missions you complete, the more experience you gain, the faster you improve, and of course, the quicker you earn money!"

Uzumaki Musen: (O_O)???

Uzumaki Lanyu: (O_O)???

Uzumaki Lanwu: (O_O)???

They couldn't tell whether Kakuzu was precisely correct or just partly. But it sounded plausible, and it did match Lord Senshi's way of doing things—he was always out doing jobs, after all. So, starting today, under Kakuzu's guidance, would they also be working nonstop, day and night?

Realizing how much Senshi acknowledged and trusted him, Kakuzu felt unexpectedly cheerful. Without hesitation, he took Musen and the others to the black market in Amegakure.

With three more kids added in, Kakuzu had practically become a leader in charge of children. After all, Fū the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki was only around ten, while Musen and the other two were thirteen or fourteen. Even Deidara was still quite young. In the original timeline, he was only in his early twenties when he died, so he was clearly just a teenager now.

But Kakuzu gave no further thought to their ages. Instead, he mused on how awesome Senshi truly was, showing him so much trust and even getting rid of that troublesome Hidan. When Hidan was still in Amegakure, he constantly competed with Kakuzu for missions in a nasty way. But now that Hidan was gone, all the black-market jobs here would belong to Kakuzu!

Arriving at the black market's entrance, Kakuzu took a moment to comment to Musen and his friends, "You three picked the perfect time to show up. If you'd come any sooner, you wouldn't have landed a single job, meaning you couldn't have honed your skills."

Looking puzzled, Musen asked, "Why, Kakuzu-senpai?"

Before Kakuzu could reply, Fū cut in: "Because there's this really annoying guy who's always fighting us for work!"

Meanwhile, on the road to Kumogakure, Hidan felt like a fish swimming free in a river or a bird released into the open sky, finally unhindered. Carrying his blood-stained triple-bladed scythe, he strolled along happily.

"Hah! Lord Jashin is so wise! Going to Kumogakure to grind missions will finally free me from that obnoxious Kakuzu—and that pesky brat always tagging along with him. Truly worthy of praise, Lord Jashin!"

Kakuzu had been thinking much the same thing—until he entered the black market with Musen and the others. That's when he was stunned.

Inside, in front of the black-market clerk, stood two all-too-familiar faces: Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kisame, who had somehow slipped through the cracks of "proper moral education," was hammering on the clerk's counter and shouting, "Hand over every job you have!"

By his side, Itachi looked utterly worn out, as though he'd fallen into a predicament of his own making. Kisame, apparently, had become obsessed with farming missions, and thanks to his massive chakra reserve—he was called the "tailless tailed beast," after all—he simply couldn't stop.

Kakuzu: (O_O)???

Seeing this, Kakuzu was dazed. Seriously? First Hidan leaves, and now these two show up to steal all his jobs? Couldn't he just get some peace and leisurely grind missions at the black market? The nerve! Could the ninja world get any more ridiculous?

Musen and the other two Uzumaki kids also stared, taken aback.

In their minds, "Kisame and Itachi truly are mainstays of the Akatsuki—look at their unwavering commitment to carrying out the Will of Rain! They come to the black market and try to pick up all the missions at once!"

But clearly, Kisame wasn't too familiar with the black market's rules. Over time, Nagato had revised those rules again and again to keep troublemakers like Senshi, Kakuzu, and Hidan under control. Now nobody could claim all the missions for themselves.

Hearing Kisame's demand, the black market clerk flipped through a logbook and said, "According to the boss's latest directive, you can only accept ten percent of the jobs here at a time. Either finish those first and come back for more, or submit a request to the boss to take on additional tasks. But keep in mind, the boss has stacks of paperwork to go through every day, so it might take two or three days for your request to be approved—if it's approved at all."

As soon as the clerk finished, Kisame yelled, "Fine, then give me ten percent, and give Itachi-san another ten percent!"

In truth, Kisame himself wasn't particularly interested in doing missions. He had no need to hire Senshi for anything. But he'd noticed that he wasn't feeling as vigorous as before; he needed more rest. Then again, extra money wouldn't hurt—he might eventually hire Senshi for medical treatment. After all, even the boss had been gravely ill once, but with Senshi's help, made a full recovery—and could now stay up three nights in a row crunching stacks of paperwork!

After Kisame and Itachi accepted their jobs, Kakuzu brought Deidara and the four kids over for their share of missions. Kakuzu, Deidara, and Fū could each take on a hefty batch of tasks, but Musen, Lanyu, and Lanwu were all new with no prior record in the black market, so each could only take a single D-rank mission. They'd have to return after completing it.

Musen was not pleased. "Darn it! Don't underestimate my bond with Lord Senshi! I'm destined to surpass even the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama! And all you give me is a single D-rank mission?!"

Hearing this, Lanyu and Lanwu both covered their faces, pretending not to know him. A mere genin, acting like he's on par with one of the Warring States Era's greatest ninjas? How embarrassing!

Kakuzu also chided him at this point, "Musen, don't waste your mission time complaining here. If you spend another minute grumbling, you could have finished that job by now."

Musen stiffened, then quickly said, "I understand, Kakuzu-senpai! I'll complete my mission right away!"

And off he dashed for the exit. There, he turned back to Lanyu and Lanwu and yelled, "You two aren't starting yet? Planning to throw in the towel already? Not that it matters—no matter how hard you try, I'll still beat you to finishing my mission!"

Lanwu felt utterly speechless. Who wanted to compete with that idiot? But she couldn't even think it through before Lanyu said, "Musen, you clearly know nothing about the speed of a Lightning-Style user."

The words had barely left his mouth when Lanyu disappeared in a flash, leaving Lanwu to lament internally, "They're both idiots."

Little did she know there was an even bigger pro among them. Kakuzu chuckled, "You two have no idea how fast a truly outstanding black-market ninja can clear missions. Since Senshi entrusted you to me, I'll give you a demonstration!"

Whoosh!

With a single Body Flicker, Kakuzu vanished.

"Wait for me, Lord Kakuzu!" cried Fū. Transparent wings, courtesy of the Seven-Tails, sprouted from her back, and she chased after him. Lanwu could only stare, dumbstruck. Was it really fine for Lord Senshi to put them under Kakuzu's care?

While Kakuzu's group started rapidly cranking out missions, Lord Senshi's mercenary interface began spamming notifications:

"Your mercenary group member Uzumaki Musen has completed a mission. You have received +10 employment points!"

"Your mercenary group member Uzumaki Lanyu has completed a mission. You have received +10 employment points!"

"Your mercenary group member Uzumaki Lanwu has completed a mission. You have received +10 employment points!"

Seeing these promising kids from the Uzumaki Clan also beginning to grind missions and earn employment points, Senshi couldn't help but praise Kakuzu.

"Incredible efficiency, Kakuzu! He got them started so quickly. Having them train under him was the right move!"

He thought happily, "From now on, whenever new, promising members of the Uzumaki Clan come along, or when the younger children grow old enough, I can invite them all to join and dump them on Kakuzu to be trained—then just sit back and watch. How convenient!"

He couldn't hold back a grin. He realized that before long, he wouldn't even need to do anything himself. He'd just watch his employment points climb. That prospect alone made him eager for more new recruits to fill his mercenary group. Not just from the Uzumaki Clan either—any promising rookies were welcome. If they needed training, he'd hand them over to Kakuzu. Once the group was large enough, he'd be raking in employment points every moment of the day—and with enough employment points, he'd have all the power-ups he could ask for. Just the thought of it was exhilarating!

Meanwhile, as Kakuzu led his new team of "kids" on a mission spree, Mei Terumi—who had already waited many days in Amegakure—finally signed a cooperative treaty between the two villages alongside Konan and Tendo Pain in the leader's office.

After confirming there were no issues with the treaty, Mei set the document down and got right to business. "I have no objections to any of the articles in our two-village agreement. However, I believe the Akatsuki branch in Kirigakure must be run by one of your core members. Kirigakure is, after all, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. If someone truly capable doesn't oversee the Akatsuki's affairs there, I fear your branch won't get off the ground. Wouldn't you agree?"

Hearing this, Tendo Pain and Konan both nodded. Kirigakure was one of the Five Great Villages, and there'd certainly be many complications. In such circumstances, sending a strong, high-ranking member of the organization to Kirigakure for support was indeed the logical move.

As Konan and Tendo Pain pondered, Mei Terumi casually remarked, "In that case, I think Senshi would be an excellent choice."

When she said that, Tendo Pain and Konan both gave polite, thoughtful nods—but they weren't actually agreeing with Mei. They were busy figuring out whom to assign. Noticing them nod, Mei kept a neutral expression, but deep down she was thrilled. Could it really be that easy? With both the boss and the "angel" of Amegakure nodding, there couldn't possibly be any hurdles, right?

But, naturally, if it seems nothing will go wrong, that just means the trouble hasn't started yet.

After a moment's consideration, Konan decided on the most suitable candidate: Hoshigaki Kisame. Lately, Kisame and Itachi had been lurking around the village instead of going out on missions, and they'd never been that enthusiastic to begin with. This time, Konan would assign them to run the Kirigakure branch. Given Kisame was originally from Kiri, it made perfect sense for them to set up shop there.

Konan jotted down a few lines on a sheet of paper, folded it with her paper ninjutsu, and Tendo Pain—meaning Nagato behind him—immediately realized she didn't know yet that Kisame and Itachi had changed. The two "lazy enthusiasts" had actually gone off to the black market to farm missions. Because so many troublemakers had caused chaos there, Nagato had revised the black market rules multiple times to keep these tireless "mission machines" under control.

He was about to speak through Tendo Pain when Konan released her paper crane to summon them. Itachi and Kisame arrived in no time—but Kisame wasn't there to accept any assignment. He started complaining the moment he saw Pain and Konan. "Pain, Konan, Kakuzu is completely out of line! Now that there's a cap on how many tasks one ninja can pick each time, that bastard brings five extra people so he can snatch up even more missions! We only have ten core Akatsuki members total, yet he's taking six at once to the black-market mission desk! You've got to do something about him—like this, that jerk and his brats leave me and Itachi-san with nothing to do!"

Konan: (O_O)???

What on earth?! Kisame and Itachi are in some kind of mission-stealing showdown with Kakuzu now? Kakuzu is trying to pick up even more commissions by bringing five people at once? How had it come to this?

Tendo Pain could only press a hand to his face in exasperation. He was fully aware of everything that had been happening, but how did Akatsuki and Amegakure end up like this? Even normally calm people like Kisame and Itachi were now clamoring to hog black-market missions! What more was there to say?

At last, Konan had some inkling of just how much trouble these "maniacs" were causing. Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Mei Terumi's lips curved in a faintly triumphant smile. She could guess the reason for all this: the influence of staying around Senshi too long. Mei remembered how, after one trip to Amegakure with Senshi, Chojiro had practically sprinted for the black market the moment they got back to Kirigakure, as if addicted to doing missions. He acted like he couldn't stand going even one day without taking a job!

~~~

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