Freelancer in the Ninja World

As he walked into the meeting hall, Kakuzu looked dazed—like he'd been utterly drained. Seeing him in such a state rendered everyone speechless.

Kakuzu had the Earth Grudge Fear technique; losing his head typically wouldn't pose much of a problem. But now he looked as if he were completely squeezed dry. What on earth had happened?!

Orochimaru couldn't resist poking fun when he saw Kakuzu:

"Kakuzu, what on earth has Uzumaki Senshi been doing to you? You look severely worn out—don't tell me Earth Grudge Fear has its limits?"

Kakuzu was in such a stupor he didn't even hear Orochimaru's jab. Without a word, he found a spot to sit and rest. Partnering with Senshi these past weeks had worn him down to a husk.

Once Senshi and Kakuzu arrived, Pain spoke calmly:

"During this period, the organization's revenue is ten times higher than before."

All of Akatsuki reacted with obvious surprise. It wasn't a mere 30–40% increase; it was tenfold—a 1000% jump in earnings!

Hoshigaki Kisame bared his rows of sharp teeth, sounding puzzled:

"Does that mean the organization has some new income source?"

Like a normal shinobi village, Akatsuki funded itself by taking a cut—fifty percent—of any commission its members completed. So Kisame naturally assumed some other revenue stream must have appeared.

Pain shook his head:

"No. The reason for such an increase is that Kakuzu and Uzumaki Senshi's duo has completed a massive number of commissions."

The entire group exchanged glances again. These two were acting almost beyond reason. Their efforts had pushed the organization's income up by a factor of ten—an incredible feat.

While everyone was still reeling, Pain continued:

"Recently, more and more people have been coming to the Amegakure for regular shinobi assignments, as well as posting requests on the black market."

"But the village's own ninja have been running into a serious issue—many of them can't get any jobs. A lot of ninja complain they can barely afford to eat."

Now that Nagato (through Pain) controlled the village, a more prosperous Amegakure would obviously benefit him. But in reality, it wasn't growing better at all. A village can't thrive on a handful of powerful shinobi alone—its mid- and lower-level ninja are the foundation of that "tower." They generate most of a village's wealth and, if they mature, become the next generation of elite shinobi or even mainstays. If those middling layers struggle to survive, they might desert. Should that happen, the village would be on the brink of collapse. Naturally, Nagato and Akatsuki didn't want that outcome.

Zetsu gaped:

"What do you mean? If more clients are bringing missions here, shouldn't that make it easier for the village's ninja to find work and help it develop?"

He couldn't grasp why an increase in requests meant local Ame ninja were getting fewer jobs. Once Zetsu spoke, Pain shot a displeased look at Uzumaki Senshi.

"Ask our new recruit about that."

Everyone's eyes turned to Senshi, who was off in a corner counting money. Startled by their looks, he gave an embarrassed laugh before answering sheepishly:

"I'm just doing my part for the organization!

I fully endorse Akatsuki's vision—continuously taking on commissions is my 'Way of the Ninja.'

Also, if any of you need a ninja for hire, just come to me—I'll give you a 5% discount! And if you have leads on clients who need to hire someone, pass them to me. Once I'm paid, I'll split off 5% to you!"

At first, Senshi seemed self-conscious. The more he spoke, though, the more earnest he became. Clearly, when it came to mission work, he was dead serious—no joke at all. Karin, meanwhile, could only facepalm. It was one thing for him to scoop up every outside commission, but now he was trying to do business with his own teammates as well.

All eyes shifted questioningly to Kakuzu. He sat in the corner, still looking half-dead. In Akatsuki, he was considered the "king of hustle." Yet somehow, Senshi had driven him to this state—just how outrageously driven was Senshi?

Zetsu glanced back and forth between the sprawled Kakuzu and the money-counting Senshi:

"Are you telling me Uzumaki Senshi's even more enthusiastic about missions than Kakuzu?"

Pain nodded seriously:

"Precisely. Based on the intel I have,

ever since Senshi joined, he's been working day and night without pause. He uses clones to handle lower- and mid-tier commissions."

"On top of that, he literally clears out the black market three times a day—morning, afternoon, and evening. So nearly every commission posted there ends up being snapped up by them."

"People in the black market call them the 'Mission Killing Machine.' Their record, as far as I know, was 171 jobs completed in a single day. That's why the Ame's mid- and lower-level ninja aren't getting any work."

When Pain finished, everyone looked at Senshi and Kakuzu in a mix of awe and disbelief. Were they even human, working nonstop like that for a whole month? And to maximize coverage, Senshi had even used Wood Clones.

Itachi had once used shadow clones to attend the Ninja Academy on his behalf, thinking that was as extreme as it got. Now he realized there was always a higher mountain. Senshi just smiled shyly.

"I'm only doing what I should for the organization."

Then he handed a money box to Karin:

"Karin, count the commission fees from earlier. We were in a rush to get to the meeting, so I didn't have time."

Karin nodded and deftly got to work. Meanwhile, Senshi took out a thick wad of mission slips—big as a dictionary. Kisame's jaw dropped as he stared, turning to Itachi.

"Ichi—Itachi-san, that's… all commission slips?"

The sight of those papers—maybe fifty or sixty in total—had Kisame's mind reeling. Under everyone's astonished gaze, Senshi began cutting the deck of mission slips like playing cards. Then—schwick—tree branches sprouted from him, forming Wood Clones. He gave one clone a mission slip to handle, and continued sorting through the rest.

"He…he just used Wood Release?!"

Orochimaru shot to his feet in alarm, inwardly in turmoil. Impossible…aside from the First Hokage, no one should be able to master Wood Release. And now this madman was sending a Wood Clone on a mission—even in the midst of a meeting! Everyone else was equally stunned. They glanced at Kakuzu with sympathetic eyes.

At last, Kakuzu snapped back to the real reason he'd come. He mustered his energy to speak:

"I'm in bad shape. For the next while, I shouldn't be going to the black market at all. The organization needs to reassign a partner to Senshi—or let him operate solo."

He fixed his gaze on Pain and Konan, hoping they'd switch his assignment. Continuing like this, he was going to end up as shattered as Zetsu's split form. Ideally, let Pain's Six Paths go along with Senshi—one side already dead, the other unstoppable. They'd be perfect for each other.

But the request to switch was denied. Under Kakuzu's pleading stare, Konan—her blue hair draped in the black-red cloud robe—shook her head.

In Akatsuki, Kakuzu once partnered with Orochimaru, but the results from pairing with Senshi were much better. Konan's cool voice explained:

"So far, you and Senshi make the most efficient pair. No one else here can match your—or his—mission speed. The two of you have done exceptionally these past weeks, boosting Akatsuki's revenue tenfold. We've never been so well-funded. If we keep gathering money at this pace, we can start the final plan sooner."

Her reasoning was sound, and Kakuzu had no rebuttal.

~~~

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