Chapter 111: Volume 3 - Chapter 12: Mizukage for Hire

Seeing what just happened, Jiraiya and Orochimaru—still tangled up with the Kirigakure ninja—finally let out a sigh of relief.

That guy's strength was insane.

Two moves, and he'd taken down a village leader.

Tsunade glanced at Reiji. Though she tried to play it cool, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up as she muttered,

"This guy, always acting cool... Seriously~"

At the same time, the Kirigakure ninja were terrified, their scalps tingling as fear crushed their will to fight.

It was horrifying. A moment ago, they'd been full of confidence, and now they were petrified.

That wasn't just any opponent—he'd just taken down the Third Mizukage, the head of one of the Five Great Nations!

Was he even human?

Suddenly, the pale-faced Third Mizukage, teeth clenched, snapped his eyes open and roared,

"You bastard, is Konoha declaring war?!"

Reiji just shrugged, unconcerned. He gave the Mizukage's cheek a light pat and chuckled.

"Do you even qualify?

Know your place—you're just a prisoner, kid."

Then he looked up at the remaining Kirigakure ninja, paused for a moment, and said,

"Alright then. Fifty million ryo to ransom your Third Mizukage.

If you don't pay up, I'll come to your village and take it myself."

At those words, the Third Mizukage, pinned beneath Reiji, weakly cried out,

"Pay him! Pay him the money!"

Hearing their leader speak, the Kirigakure ninja had no choice but to nod stiffly.

Satisfied, Reiji grinned. Lightning crackled around his hand as he suddenly pressed it against the Mizukage's severed leg.

With a sizzle, smoke rose into the air.

The searing pain sent the Mizukage's body into violent spasms, and a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the cave.

But the bleeding stopped.

"I'll give you one day. Alright, get going," he said lazily.

With that, the Kirigakure ninja exchanged glances and quickly withdrew.

The cave fell silent. Aside from Tsunade's team, only the Kirigakure Missing-nin remained, cowering in a corner.

The once-untouchable Third Mizukage was now pinned down like a joke. Their entire worldview had been shattered.

Then, the leader of the three—Gohara—suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing deeply in a flawless dogeza.

"Please, sir! Help us!"

Reiji turned to look at the man groveling without a shred of pride and coldly shook his head.

"No. You're the bad guys."

Hearing that, Gohara's body jolted, and his head drooped even lower.

"My lord... we didn't have a choice!

The Third shut the village off from the world, cut all external communication, and kept stirring up conflict between the clans.

He even sent assassins to eliminate the most gifted kids in the village.

We... we just couldn't take it anymore. That's why we resorted to kidnapping someone from the Uzumaki Clan!"

Despite Gohara's desperate cries, Reiji kept shaking his head.

"No. That's your mess. It has nothing to do with me."

The Land of Water was treacherous, and without solid preparation, he had no intention of getting involved.

Forget the Bloody Mist era under the Fourth Mizukage—even the Third's isolationist rule was strange enough on its own.

He even suspected that some unnameable force was hiding in the shadows, secretly manipulating the country.

Rin's death in the Third Great War had always seemed a little too convenient.

Only sweet, oblivious Obito hadn't noticed anything.

Reiji, born a spy, was used to biding his time.

More importantly, he'd always done his best to avoid any direct conflict with the freaks from the Uchiha clan.

Those eyes were seriously unnerving. Susanoo was manageable, and Tsukuyomi wasn't a big deal.

Even Itachi's blade-through-the-gut Genjutsu? Reiji figured he could handle that.

Getting stabbed? Come on, that's nothing to be scared of~

Amaterasu? Also manageable—he had a gut feeling he was pretty fire-resistant.

Everyone else might be blinded, and he'd just lose a layer of skin.

But Kotoamatsukami? That totally unfair mind-control technique? That was what really worried him.

Of course, that all depended on whether Kitty showed up for work.

If Kitty happened to be off that day—out on a spring trip or something—then facing a Genjutsu user would be game over for him!

So yeah, Reiji had no interest in cleaning up Kirigakure's mess anytime soon.

But when the timing was right, he'd definitely swoop in for a piece of the action.

After all, he still had a deal to make with Lord Madara.

After coldly brushing off the Kirigakure Missing-nin, Reiji turned to the stunned trio of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade and gave his orders.

"Take the kidnapped kids back to the village and wait for me there for a day. I'll give you a cut of the profits when I get back."

"???"

"A cut of the profits?"

Jiraiya froze for a moment. Then, his eyes flared with rage. He pointed at Reiji and shouted,

"You bastard! You're Reiji Sakuhō!"

He lunged forward without hesitation, grabbing Reiji by the collar.

"You piece of shit! Only you would say something like 'a cut of the profits.'

And you! You damn bastard—you stabbed me! You actually stabbed me!

I'm gonna kill you!"

Orochimaru and Tsunade looked on, completely speechless.

Reiji was caught off guard. That bastard Jiraiya might be reckless most of the time, but now and then, his instincts were freakishly sharp!

Jiraiya had him by the neck and was shaking him like a rag doll. Reiji, now thoroughly pissed, grabbed Jiraiya's collar in return.

Smoke billowed as the two of them tumbled around, brawling on the ground just like the old days—complete chaos.

"Damn you, Reiji! You dare hit me with a sneak attack!" Jiraiya, sporting two fresh black eyes, shouted in fury and clapped his hands together.

"Sage Mode—activate!"

A second later, the newly invincible Jiraiya charged back into the fight.

Reiji wasn't having it.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor—activate!"

With a roar, he dove back in.

The two of them rolled around like wild animals, looking more like drunken thugs than elite ninja.

"Take this—Frog Fist!"

"Hah? Lazy Stab! Fourfold Finger Thrust!"

Watching the ground shake and rocks fly from their absurd fight, the Third Mizukage—still lying on the ground—swallowed hard.

Are all Konoha brats this terrifying?

Meanwhile, Tsunade's face had turned completely dark.

This was humiliating. Absolutely humiliating!

She marched forward, chakra gathering in her fist.

BANG! BANG!

Two loud smacks echoed through the cave.

Jiraiya and Reiji immediately crouched to the side, clutching the massive lumps on their heads, staring wide-eyed at Tsunade's smoking fist in terror.

Holy crap—is this woman a paladin or something? Why does she hit like it's pure, unfiltered real damage?

Seeing that, the Kirigakure Missing-nin instinctively huddled together, shrinking into the corner of the cave wall.

Those two guys were already scary enough—but that woman? She was straight-up terrifying!