Freelancer in the Ninja World

Kakuzu's suggestion was promptly shot down.

Still poring over the mission slips, Senshi replied without looking up:

"No, I see that as an affront to the value of life itself!"

"And come on, Lord Kakuzu, after this month of nonstop work, haven't we reaped enormous rewards?"

"Whether it's the commissions we've earned or the growth in our ninjutsu, these are things the vast majority of shinobi can only dream of!"

Hearing that, Kakuzu snapped back:

"What I dream of is having at least one day of rest each week!"

Senshi just let out a great laugh:

"Ahahaha! So you do share my outlook after all, Lord Kakuzu—wonderful!"

Kakuzu nearly rose to slug him. Which ear of his heard that I agree with his nonsense? In truth, Senshi hadn't heard anything of the sort. He was simply strong-arming Kakuzu into "consensus." Having Kakuzu along made their mission runs twice as efficient, and Kakuzu was no match for him, so he could force his partner to comply.

While Senshi was thinking all this, Karin—who had just been bantering with him—had drifted off to sleep, leaning her head against his shoulder. After a brief hesitation, Senshi scooped her up in his arms. Out here in the wild, if she got sick, it'd be troublesome.

As the month drew to a close, a rather important event neared.

…

The Amegakure, High Tower.

This was one of Akatsuki's main bases, where monthly assemblies were usually held. Outside, the unending drizzle of Amegakure fell continuously. In reality, that ceaseless rain was a large-scale sensory technique; if any threat entered the village, Nagato would know.

Akatsuki members arrived one by one at the usual meeting spot. But this time, they didn't see Nagato—they saw "Pain." Nagato's body was weakening, forcing him to hide in the shadows and lead through these proxies.

Upon sighting Pain, Orochimaru's eyes flickered with intense curiosity. He'd never lost his interest in the Rinnegan, though its sheer difficulty to obtain made him bide his time. Nearby stood Uchiha Itachi, still cold and impassive, eyes never betraying his thoughts. Sasori was even more poker-faced—his real body was a puppet, so expressing emotions wasn't exactly his forte.

Zetsu arrived, scanning his surroundings, and finally fixed his gaze on Konan:

"Where's Nagato?"

Usually they'd see Nagato in a wheelchair, but he was absent this time. The others were likewise curious, so they all glanced at Konan after Zetsu's question. Konan's gaze swept across them, her tone utterly calm:

"Nagato will be training for a while. From now on, for the foreseeable future, he'll continue leading Akatsuki through him."

She then looked toward the body that once belonged to Yahiko. Her voice grew even quieter:

"You'll call him Pain."

At this, all eyes focused on Pain's form. He was eerily lifelike, riddled with black chakra rods. Through these rods and the Rinnegan, Nagato controlled his paths. Pain spoke then, his voice chilly and distant:

"You needn't concern yourselves with such trivial matters. Akatsuki's plans remain unchanged.

Our objective is still to gather abundant funds and then hunt down the Tailed Beasts to forge them into the ultimate weapon. The ninja world needs pain—only through suffering can it learn and grow."

Though Pain's voice wasn't the same as Nagato's, the speech pattern clearly was. The usual lines about "making the world feel pain" were there. But whether many in Akatsuki truly believed in that vision was another matter entirely.

"Where's Kakuzu? And the new recruit who's been working alongside him—why aren't they here?"

Pain's words had barely trailed off when Zetsu looked around again, obviously puzzled. Seeing that Kakuzu was missing, along with the newcomer assigned to him, Zetsu's curiosity sharpened.

Upon hearing the second question, several among them wore odd expressions. The Kakuzu two-man cell had long been nicknamed "the Death Duo." In the past, Kakuzu had led quite a few partners to their deaths. If his new partner was absent, chances were he was dead as well.

At first, Zetsu didn't connect the dots. After a moment, he realized—then his half-black, half-white face curved into a mischievous grin.

Just then, three figures arrived late: Uzumaki Senshi, Kakuzu, and Karin trailing behind. They were the last to show up. Karin, the "cute little mascot," clung close to Senshi, while Kakuzu dragged himself along in the rear, clearly exhausted. Seeing everyone already present, Senshi gave an apologetic smile:

"Sorry, sorry to keep you waiting! On the way here, we handled a few tasks, so we got delayed."

At his bright grin, many Akatsuki members looked surprised. They hadn't expected that after a month, a newcomer partnered with Kakuzu would still be alive. The "Death Duo" label was no joke. Over the years, Kakuzu had indeed caused the demise of more than one colleague. So surviving nearly a month alongside him spoke volumes about Senshi.

Nagato (through Pain) originally hadn't expected much from Senshi. Among all the members, only Uzumaki Senshi had demanded so many conditions for joining. But now, one month later, he was not only alive but had contributed greatly to the organization. In Nagato's mind, it must mean Senshi also bore a deep loathing for this rotten world—he seemed in a hurry to inflict "pain" upon it.

Konan's impression of Senshi, the newbie, wasn't bad. He reminded her somewhat of Yahiko in his spirited, carefree demeanor. Except Senshi was even more offbeat than Yahiko had been. Thinking of the intel she'd heard regarding his frenzied mission pace, Konan's cool, lovely face took on a faintly peculiar expression.

While others looked visibly surprised, Orochimaru was rather unperturbed. He mused inwardly:

"Someone like him wouldn't die so easily. His Lightning Release mastery alone is staggering. The other day, I had to use a Triple Rashōmon just to barely hold off one of his attacks."

Little did Orochimaru know that by now, Senshi had grown so much stronger that they couldn't even "play" together anymore. If they fought again, Senshi might use the Hell Stab: One-Finger Thrust to skewer him outright.

As for Sasori, he had no strong opinions about Senshi either way, only that if Senshi could survive a month with Kakuzu, he was qualified to remain in Akatsuki for the time being.

Not far away, Hoshigaki Kisame leaned toward Uchiha Itachi, speaking quietly:

"Hey, Itachi-san, what do you think of the newbie?"

Itachi paused. "That ninja, Uzumaki Senshi, is extremely formidable. According to what I've gathered, he easily destroyed two of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear masks. And on the night he joined, he displayed unbelievable Lightning Release talent—mastery as if he were a Tailed Beast made of chakra."

Since Senshi had never gone all-out in front of them, Itachi wasn't entirely sure of his upper limits. Kisame smiled broadly:

"Huh, hearing that, I'd like to spar with him to build camaraderie."

Kisame, of course, had yet to experience the sting of Hell Stab and remained blissfully unwary. Itachi might have added more but kept his silence. In truth, he considered Senshi another dangerous individual, one whose presence upped the danger level of Akatsuki as a whole. Acting secretly on Konoha's behalf, Itachi concluded he'd better keep an eye on the newcomer from the shadows, gathering information.

In reality, Senshi couldn't care less about destroying a village or triggering some war—he just wanted to "grind until invincible." But Itachi had no way of knowing that.

At last, a battered Kakuzu shuffled in, trailing behind Senshi's group. The Akatsuki members turned toward him. To their shock, he looked utterly transformed—massive dark rings under his eyes, slumped as though wrung dry.

Kakuzu looked thoroughly depleted, and it showed on his face. How could he not be tired, under such a partner's insane pace?

~~~

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