Freelancer in the Ninja World

Orochimaru found the whole situation amusing, while Kakuzu's mood resembled attending a funeral. He had no idea how Akatsuki's security measures could have slipped so badly that this was happening.

From atop the Amegakure tower, Nagato and Konan had long since noticed the four approaching figures. Nagato wouldn't have been surprised if it was Kakuzu bringing Uzumaki Senshi in. But seeing that Senshi was the one leading Kakuzu over left Nagato a bit puzzled.

Seated on the tower's edge, Nagato observed them for a while before asking casually,

"That's the famous Uzumaki Senshi from the black market, right?"

Senshi's name carried some weight in the underworld, so even Nagato had heard of him. Still, Nagato always felt that Senshi was not "their type," so he'd never considered recruiting him.

Konan nodded. She was equally curious about why Senshi had come to the tower in the first place.

"He seems very familiar with this area. It's like…he's specifically looking for us."

Nagato didn't seem too bothered. At least for now, in his eyes, Senshi wasn't a threat to be taken seriously. After discussing it briefly, Konan and Nagato heard approaching footsteps. Nagato looked over and saw Uzumaki Senshi, accompanied by a young red-haired girl.

That familiar color!

Someone had once told him that red hair was characteristic of the Uzumaki clan. Because of the wars, the Uzumaki clan had been scattered all over. It was quite rare to see three different people, each presumably of Uzumaki descent, all in the same area.

Nagato glanced briefly at Senshi, then turned to Kakuzu.

"What's going on?"

In a measured tone, Kakuzu replied,

"I believe Uzumaki Senshi is well suited to join the Akatsuki."

He didn't mention that Senshi first refused, then abruptly insisted on joining. In Kakuzu's mind, Senshi's train of thought back then must have been…abnormal. Still, as long as he was willing to do work for Akatsuki, that was good enough.

Nagato continued,

"What about his abilities?"

Kakuzu took a breath and answered,

"He's very strong. His success rate on black-market missions is one hundred percent—the only person in the Ame's black market with that record. Not long ago, during one of my own missions, we crossed paths and he destroyed two of my hearts."

Nagato and Konan had known Senshi was a decent ninja, but they hadn't realized just how formidable he truly was. For him to destroy two of Kakuzu's hearts and leave unscathed clearly put him at a level worthy of joining Akatsuki.

Nagato next turned his gaze toward Senshi.

"You wish to join Akatsuki? Why?"

Senshi answered without hesitation,

"Leader Nagato, I'm very happy to join. As for why—because Kakuzu-san invited me, so I've got to give him some face."

Hearing this, Kakuzu's face twitched slightly. Nagato and Konan remained impassive on the outside, though inwardly they were speechless. What kind of flimsy reason was that?

At least they didn't have any issues with Senshi's identity. He'd grown up in the Amegakure, only venturing out for his mercenary work; he had no real affiliation with other hidden villages. After a brief pause, Nagato nodded.

"You can join, but you'll have a probationary period. During that time, you and Kakuzu will operate as a two-man cell, and he'll be observing you. After the probation is over, we'll reveal some of Akatsuki's core information to you—"

Before Nagato could finish, Senshi interrupted:

"No problem. But I have a few conditions."

Nagato's eyes flickered slightly. Not just one condition but a few? Akatsuki had taken in plenty of strong ninja, but someone like Senshi…this was a first.

"Let's hear them."

Both Konan and Kakuzu, as well as Orochimaru and Karin, shifted their gazes to Senshi. The young man cleared his throat, then said:

1. "First, I want to join Akatsuki as a hired member."

2. "Second, I'll need a monthly salary. It doesn't have to be huge—100,000 ryō, about the standard pay for an A-rank mission. I think that's fair, considering I did take Kakuzu's two hearts in three seconds. My record speaks for itself."

Kakuzu was mortified that Senshi would lay it all out in front of everyone. But Senshi paid no mind to the awkwardness in the air and went on:

3. "Third, if the organization wants to assign me black-market missions, I'll only accept commission jobs."

4. "Lastly, she stays with me."

Senshi lightly patted Karin's shoulder to indicate he wanted her by his side.

The main reason he only asked for 100,000 was because he knew his demands might come across as too much. Asking for more money could backfire. As for the "commission only" requirement, it was because of the system:

The black market basically deals in two job types: bounties and commissions.

Bounty missions typically involve killing someone or stealing something with no questions asked. The client sets a reward, the ninja completes the job, and collects the bounty through the black market.

Commission jobs range from menial tasks like cleaning or tracking down lost pets, up to high-level duties like guarding a daimyo.

Most ninja didn't care about the difference, but for Senshi it mattered a great deal. His "Ultimate Mercenary System" only recognized commission jobs. Any other kind of mission yielded no system rewards.

At first glance, his demands seemed excessive. Nagato paused, clearly pondering, then said flatly,

"No."

To Nagato, Senshi had the strength to join, but these conditions were too unorthodox. Akatsuki tasks tended to be very dangerous. Having Karin tagging along would be a liability. Sure, you could leave her at a safehouse during high-risk missions, so that wasn't the real problem.

The real sticking point was that Senshi insisted on joining as a hired hand. Akatsuki had grand, almost sacred objectives, so secrecy and unity were paramount. Letting someone join on a mercenary basis seemed entirely too unstable.

After Nagato spoke, Kakuzu paused a moment, then said,

"Let him in. For a wandering ninja like him, Akatsuki is an excellent place to settle. I believe, given time, he'll change his perspective."

Since Senshi would be paired with Kakuzu, Nagato had to consider Kakuzu's input. After a bit more thought, Nagato nodded:

"For the time being, Uzumaki Senshi will act as your partner. If you have no objections, he can spend this probationary period with you."

Nagato trusted Kakuzu because if any partner turned out to be problematic, Kakuzu would simply kill them. Orochimaru, on the other hand, just smirked:

"I wonder how long this rookie will last."

Once Nagato officially approved Senshi's membership in Akatsuki, the system prompt finally sounded in Senshi's head:

[You have joined Akatsuki and accepted a long-term commission!]

[System Reward #1: One SUPER DRAW]

Hearing that, Senshi's eyes lit up, and he instantly pulled up his system panel.

"Draw!"

He couldn't care less about the so-called "death squad." All he wanted was this Super Draw from the system.

[Drawing Super Reward…]

[Congratulations! You've obtained an SSS-rank reward:

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Naruto World Adaption)!]

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit?!

Glancing at its info, Senshi couldn't stop grinning:

[Name: Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Naruto-Adaptive)]

[Rank: SSS]

[Origin: A rare treasure from the One Piece world, now adapted for the ninja world with negative side effects removed]

[Development Level: D]

[Current Unlocked Abilities:]

• Mantra (Observation): Sense every disturbance within a certain radius

• Lightning Finger: Release lightning from your fingertips to attack

• Lightning Teleportation: Transform into electricity, moving through electric fields or conductive materials

• Thunderbolt (Inazuma): Turn an arm into lightning to form a massive thunder pillar, striking targets within your Mantra range

• Lightning Form: Become pure lightning, generating light and heat to negate all physical attacks

• Discharge: 360-degree omnidirectional lightning barrage, hitting everything in range

None of the others in Akatsuki knew what Senshi was doing. They just saw him suddenly break into a suspicious grin, which quickly grew wider and more unsettling. Konan, Nagato, Kakuzu, Orochimaru—everyone was a bit taken aback by the eerie pleasure on his face.

Karin, likewise, was baffled. Senshi was already an oddball for wanting to bring a young girl on missions and only accepting commission jobs. But now he'd started cackling out of nowhere, his grin getting bigger by the second, looking downright abnormal. Even Nagato's gaze grew more serious.

This team is getting harder and harder to manage…

~~~

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