On the training field at the Ninja Academy, Sasuke and Naruto were still locked in their high-level duel. But the Third Hokage's mood had become rather heavy.
He had been swamped by all sorts of problems lately.
First, the Forest of Death was mysteriously razed to the ground.
Then one billion ryō vanished from Konoha's treasury!
And as if that weren't enough, even Sasuke and Naruto had started showing strange developments!
Sasuke was the sole surviving Uchiha in Konoha, while Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son as well as the village's Nine-Tails jinchūriki. One way or another, nothing could be allowed to happen to these two. Yet a few days ago, the Ninja Academy sent word that both Sasuke and Naruto had reached the graduation standard. When he heard this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback.
It wasn't too surprising that Sasuke—already the Academy's genius—might have leaped forward in skill. But Naruto was the Academy's eternal dead-last; how could it be that he had already met the graduation requirement? That left Hiruzen puzzled. After all, Konoha's "dead-last" students were never simple. Jiraiya, Obito Uchiha, Might Guy, Naruto Uzumaki—each had turned into a formidable force as they grew. Even so, from the intel Hiruzen had at the moment, Naruto's sudden surge in ability looked extremely fishy, prompting him to come check in person.
And indeed, the school's teachers hadn't been exaggerating. Sasuke and Naruto had truly reached the standard for an early graduation—perhaps even far beyond it! This baffled the Third Hokage deeply.
And they hadn't even fought all-out. If they had, the so-called "The Professor" (Hiruzen himself) would have witnessed two new jutsu he'd never seen before—"Lightning Punch" and "Aura Sphere." It seemed he'd been too busy dealing with Danzō and had failed to keep an eye on Naruto. Curse that Danzō!
…
Amegakure, the Black Market.
After Orochimaru had obtained his "perfect vessel," Senshi had also found his "perfect partner"—Hidan. At present, Hidan had that "smoky-eye" look—his dark circles were even worse than Gaara's. During missions, Senshi had a policy of using Hidan's immortality as far as it could go—if he was truly immortal, then just "work him to death" again and again!
It was Hidan's first time suffering so much since acquiring his immortal body. He did enjoy pain—physical pain, that is—but not this kind of mental torment. He couldn't remember how many days it had been since he'd slept, forced to run endless missions alongside Senshi. He felt half-crazed.
On Senshi's back, Karin was hugging him like a little octopus, sound asleep. Seeing that, Hidan felt jealous. Staring at Karin, who slumbered away behind Senshi, Hidan groused angrily, "Why does she get to sleep?"
Senshi cast him a complicated look, yet didn't argue. He replied casually, "She's tired, obviously, so she's sleeping. Don't ask silly questions in the future."
Hidan promptly jammed his scythe into the ground. "I'm tired too!"
Hearing that, Senshi grinned and lifted a hand.
"Bzzz—!"
"Rumble—!"
A towering bolt of lightning slammed down, engulfing Hidan completely in crackling electricity. When it dissipated, Senshi glanced at the blackened Hidan. "Feeling awake now? That was a nice jolt, right?"
Hidan was left dumbfounded, thinking Senshi's even more brutal than the Jashinists themselves. Back in his cult days, not even they had used "electroshock therapy" to keep him awake!
With black smoke curling from his mouth, Hidan couldn't say a word, but Senshi didn't need him to speak—his meaning was obvious. Hidan was definitely wide awake now.
"Hahahaha! Good job, Perfect Partner. All charged up, yeah? Let's keep grinding more tasks to make up the time we've wasted!" Hidan wanted to die right there and then.
Not too far away, Kakuzu stood in a corner of the black market holding a thick stack of mission posters. His glowing green eyes squinted at the distant lightning flash, face dark. He recognized it as Senshi's lightning jutsu. He felt a wave of gloom as he recalled that Senshi saw Hidan as "the best partner." On the one hand, he felt indignant. On the other, he found it laughable—no way could Hidan be Senshi's perfect teammate.
Comparing their records:
Kakuzu had been "on the job" in the ninja world for sixty-odd years. Hidan couldn't compete.
Kakuzu had spent most of his life zealously doing missions; Hidan never cared.
Kakuzu's knowledge of every black market was unmatched. He'd been at this longer than most black markets existed, while Hidan hardly understood the black market at all.
No matter how you look at it, Hidan wasn't an ideal partner. So Kakuzu burned with resentment, but resolved to channel it into mission-grinding. "Just you wait, Senshi! You'll soon see who's the second-best mercenary in the ninja world—and who's truly your best partner!"
Senshi himself had no idea Kakuzu was right here in the black market. But it didn't matter. Kakuzu was a "self-propelled, excellent worker"—or "beast of burden," so to speak. Senshi didn't doubt his motivation or efficiency in taking commissions. He also knew that while people might question Kakuzu's powers, no one could doubt his hunger for money.
A short while later, Senshi noticed something strange: he started receiving continuous system prompts.
"Mercenary Corps member Kakuzu has completed a task. You've earned 200 Employment points!"
"Mercenary Corps member Kakuzu has completed a task. You've earned 500 Employment points!"
…
"Mercenary Corps member Kakuzu has completed a task. You've earned 100 Employment points!"
Senshi counted them—there were dozens. He was taken aback by how many missions Kakuzu had done. "Wow, Kakuzu's going all-out now? Not a word, and suddenly he finished a bunch all at once?" At once, Senshi felt both astonished and pleased. "Kakuzu's made progress indeed. He's graduated from 'Mission Maniac 1.0' to 'Mission Maniac 2.0!' The future looks bright!"
He started considering whether to give Kakuzu a boost—after all, Kakuzu was a core member of the mercenary corps now. Senshi did have an item that seemed tailor-made for him.
Just then, sheets of paper fluttered in from the distance. Before long, the lovely figure of Konan—though only a paper clone—appeared in front of Senshi. Her cool voice said evenly, "All the preparatory work you proposed is basically done. Refugees everywhere should be receiving news that the Land of Rain is offering them shelter. Of course, many small nations and the Five Great Nations will also catch wind of this."
Senshi wasn't worried about that. This wasn't a small-scale gesture but a massive move—Amegakure and the Land of Rain had begun wholeheartedly accepting refugees and building a fully staffed ninja academy. Of course the other nations would catch on fast. Konan's clone then continued, "The opening ceremony for the ninja academy is more or less ready. I was hoping you could come and deliver a speech as the principal."
Senshi nodded. "No problem. I'll head there now." At that, Konan's clone dispersed into dozens of paper butterflies.
As Konan anticipated, the rumors spread swiftly throughout the ninja world, like a hidden gust of wind. The many refugees learned that if they went to the Land of Rain, they'd receive help—food, shelter, and for eligible children, an academy education. And so people began pouring in. Those who arrived earliest found that Amegakure truly didn't lie; they settled in, were given temporary housing, and their kids were admitted to the new ninja academy. Where once Amegakure sealed itself off, it now appeared extremely active. Reactions from the other lands varied.
…
Land of Water, Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage's office, the elderly Genji and Terumi Mei were discussing Amegakure's new developments. Genji lapsed into a thoughtful silence upon hearing the news. Being so old, he found the village's administration a heavy burden, so he often asked Mei's opinion.
After a moment, Mei spoke: "Genji-sama, after we in Kirigakure opened up, now Amegakure has followed a similar path. That proves our plan of openness isn't wrong. We should further expand communications and cooperation with the outside."
He nodded slowly. "Kirigakure's situation isn't identical to Amegakure's. Still, I agree with your viewpoint, but changes must be made gradually…" Because the Kirigakure is bigger, many vested interests complicate reform. If they pivoted too abruptly, it could lead to backlash.
Even so, Mei couldn't help feeling a pang of envy for Senshi. In Amegakure—a smaller shinobi village—he could do whatever he wanted. She already knew that Senshi had proposed building a ninja academy and taking in refugees, with everything going smoothly. While she faced endless hurdles in the Kiri. Life was so unfair.
…
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had also received intelligence about the Amegakure's changes. Sturdy-faced Akatsuchi and the future "Leg-Kage," Kurotsuchi, were both standing by. Ōnoki studied the intel for a while, then gave a cold laugh: "They're just asking for trouble."
In his view, the Land of Rain was a small nation. Accepting so many refugees would prove unbelievably difficult, enough to cripple large countries—never mind a small one. When Akatsuchi asked, "Onoki-sama, is there something wrong with what they're doing?" he explained that Amegakure was biting off more than it could chew.
…
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
The hole in the Raikage's office had already been patched up. The Fourth Raikage read over the intel on Amegakure, frowning in puzzlement. He simply could not figure out why that little village would take in countless refugees. "Yoyo! The Raikage's perplexed—what's Amegakure's pretext? Let the homeless be left or do we see them as guests?" Killer Bee freestyle-rapped at his side.
In the Raikage's eyes, Amegakure was tiny and already had plenty of its own problems. Taking in refugees meant piling on more trouble, a pointless burden. So for now, he'd just keep an eye on them. He was more concerned about reviving his father, the Third Raikage. If that succeeded, it'd be huge for him and for Kumogakure.
…
Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
Standing before an endless desert, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had also heard the news. The Land of Wind Daimyō had been slashing Suna's budget, forcing Rasa to use his Magnet Release to pan for gold in the desert to keep the village afloat—like "panning billions from desert dust." There was no way they could do what Amegakure was doing.
Mulling it over, Rasa guessed the Amegakure intended to build itself up by welcoming more residents and forging a more productive ninja academy—gathering more "money-earning ninjas." If they actually pulled it off, it could be of great benefit. Rasa was admittedly a bit envious.
…
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
Inside the Hokage's office, Konoha's "F3" (Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu) gathered yet again—a frequent occurrence these days. They had to thoroughly deal with the matter of Danzō's embezzling one billion ryō, and on top of that, the Amegakure now seemed to be up to something. Konoha, which had relatively solid intel, was baffled by Amegakure's behavior. Collecting refugees cost tremendous sums, with no short-term benefit—food, housing, management resources. Even the wealthy Land of Fire didn't do that.
They realized that in general, each country left refugees to fend for themselves; only in Land of Fire, they might find a way to blend in, but they wouldn't receive official help. True refugees often lived miserably—like Karin and her mother, who fled to Kusagakure after Uzushiogakure's downfall and ended up being used like "living healing potions." Karin's mother died young from exhausting her life force to heal others.
Hiruzen was pensive and felt that something about Amegakure's transformation smelled fishy. "Where there's strangeness, there's a catch." That closed-off, mysterious Amegakure had abruptly opened its doors and changed everything in the blink of an eye—he just couldn't figure out what was going on.
Just then, an Anbu ninja arrived to report: "Lord Hokage, in the last few days, after class at the Academy, Naruto has been going to the Uchiha district. Both Sasuke and Naruto have been training at the Uchiha compound." Hiruzen, who'd witnessed Sasuke and Naruto's progress, had asked for further investigation. But hearing that result only deepened his confusion. "They're alone? Only those two?"
The Anbu nodded. "Yes, Lord Hokage. Based on our findings, no one else has been teaching them. They're just training together every day in the Uchiha district." Hiruzen thought, "How can their progress be so great with only the two of them?"
At the same moment, in that Uchiha compound, Sasuke and Naruto were likewise puzzled—why had their teacher vanished all of a sudden? Fortunately, the Wood Clone of Senshi reappeared before long, so they asked eagerly, "Teacher Senshi, where did you go just now?"
Sasuke stared curiously at the clone. Wearing a faint smile, the clone answered, "A fly came snooping around just now. I hid to avoid causing trouble. No worries—carry on with your training." Even if Anbu or even the Third Hokage came, they might not detect a well-hidden Wood Clone.
…
At the gate of Amegakure's new Ninja Academy…
Konan and Kakuzu stood waiting. Kakuzu couldn't fathom why Senshi would lavish so much money on refugees and a new academy. But it wasn't his money, so he couldn't care less. Shortly after, Senshi arrived with Karin and Hidan in tow. Upon seeing Hidan's wretched appearance—scorched and zombified—both Konan and Kakuzu were stunned. Konan's expression softened in sympathy at Hidan's miserable state, not knowing what horrors he'd endured to end up like this.
Kakuzu's face darkened. He still firmly believed he was Senshi's best partner, not Hidan. But that hardly mattered—Senshi clearly knew how hard Kakuzu had been working. Indeed, Senshi had planned to give Kakuzu a gift. Now that they'd met, he might as well do it right away.
Approaching Kakuzu, Senshi grinned. "Kakuzu, well done. You sure knocked out a ton of missions lately."
"Hmph," Kakuzu snorted, inwardly surprised that Senshi seemed to know how busy he'd been. But Senshi didn't mind his cold attitude. Kakuzu was a key member of the corps, having earned him a lot of points these past few days. Senshi pulled out a suitable item for Kakuzu:
"Here, this belongs to you!" he said, handing Kakuzu a disk. It was a Skill TM for "Battle Armor," described as:
[Battle Armor: Protected by a sturdy shell, you won't have your vital points struck by the enemy's attacks.]
For most people, that might not be too helpful, because being slashed anywhere can be fatal. But for Kakuzu, it was perfect. His only real weakness was that all his hearts could be destroyed. In the original timeline, that was precisely how he died. With this, each heart would be protected, making him effectively "unkillable."
"What's this?" Kakuzu asked, peering skeptically at the thin disk. Senshi didn't bother explaining in detail—he simply used it on Kakuzu directly.
Crack—crack—crack—
A mysterious, powerful force flooded Kakuzu's body, wrapping each of his hearts in a fortress-like shield. Kakuzu jolted, wide-eyed, quickly realizing that this "barrier" was unbelievably tough. As long as his hearts stayed intact, he couldn't die. Now that they were so heavily protected, he was practically invincible!
He looked at Senshi, caught in a swirl of emotions. Senshi hadn't forgotten this longtime partner's contributions after all. Senshi, reading Kakuzu's expression, patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, Kakuzu. Keep it up."
Kakuzu was nearly moved enough to say, "So long as you don't abandon me, I'll work myself to the bone." But Senshi didn't require that kind of vow—he just needed Kakuzu to keep toiling away like an ox or horse, "the backbone of the corps."
A short distance away, families from Amegakure, Kusagakure, and other places were dropping off their kids at the new Ninja Academy. Spotting Senshi, many offered grateful bows. They understood that without Senshi, none of this would exist. It was his idea and his funds that built it.
"That must be Headmaster Senshi. Let's remember the face of our benefactor," said a middle-aged woman, holding a sickly child as she gazed toward him. Hearing her mother's words, the little one studied Senshi curiously, committing his face to memory.
Further off, a stern father with his wife and kids arrived at the school gates. "Tarō, once you're in this ninja school, study hard. Don't let Headmaster Senshi's kindness go to waste," he said. The boy nodded firmly, "Yes, Father! I understand!"
In small clusters, villagers watched the opening ceremony from a distance, whispering among themselves:
"We owe it to Lord Senshi that our lives in Amegakure are getting better."
"Yes indeed, Senshi got Amegakure and Kusagakure working together. It's helped us a lot."
"In Kusagakure, we also used to be chaotic. With Lord Senshi's assistance and Lord Mui's governance, the Kusa is getting better each day."
People felt hopeful. They looked forward to sending their own children here in the future.
Karin, standing beside Senshi, felt a surge of happiness at the sight. Senshi patted her head and asked, "Karin, would you like to attend the ninja school?" She immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No way! I want to stay with you!"
Smiling, Senshi didn't force her. Karin's skill was already high enough that she hardly needed lessons in an academy. After talking a bit, Konan's cool but pleasant voice rang out: "The opening ceremony is about to start. Let's go inside so you can give the principal's address."
Senshi nodded, "Got it." With Karin, he followed Konan into the academy building. This new school had been remodeled from older structures, so Senshi initially expected it to be crude. To his surprise, everything was well-equipped. He cast Konan a look. "Konan, you got these facilities done so fast? Your efficiency matches my own for missions."
He wanted to tease a smile out of the frosty beauty, who was so often cold as ice. Indeed, Konan's efficiency in setting up the academy and the refugee shelters was extraordinary—both tasks involved massive complexity. Yet she'd handled them swiftly. In response to Senshi's praise, she remained as remote as ever, her heart seemingly frozen. Senshi, not one to give up easily, pulled out a certain item from his system inventory: a scroll for "Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags," something like a special lure for Konan.
Konan's eyes did brighten slightly upon seeing it. Senshi had given her a gift like this before. Indeed, she paused only a moment before accepting it with a soft "Thank you." Though her voice was still icy, the distance between them seemed a bit less.
Once that small interlude passed, Senshi refocused on the main business. With the academy built, they still needed to keep track of the refugees. The more people that came, the more he could pick out truly talented kids and train them.
That would help Amegakure, help the Akatsuki, and help expand his mercenary corps. Eventually, Senshi also intended to instill something akin to an "Will of Rain" in this academy. But that raised a question—what exactly were those "Rain Ideals," (Will of Rain) anyway?
~~~
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