Luckily, Senshi reacted quickly:
"No, not the butt—just extend your hand."
"Okay…"
Karin blinked her big, bright eyes, looking curious, not knowing what Senshi was about to do.
If it wasn't an injection, had she done something wrong and was about to be punished?
Before she could react, Senshi took out the "Arrow," pricked her hand with it.
"Oww—!"
Suddenly, a mysterious ripple emerged. Karin had officially awakened the Stand "Killer Queen," becoming a Stand User!
Because Karin was still a young girl, the Killer Queen Stand that she awakened was also a "child version." It stood at the same height as Karin, shaped like a pink-furred humanoid cat.
Although Senshi himself did not have a Stand (he wasn't a Stand User), through his "Mantra" he could basically sense the Stand's presence and form. In his view, the child-sized pink cat-person "Killer Queen" suited Karin perfectly. With her pink Susanoo to go with a pink cat-like Killer Queen, it was a perfect path to "max out the macho points" in its own quirky way.
Likewise, Karin's status screen might now look like this:
…
Name: Uzumaki Karin
Identity: Senshi's assistant / ninja / Stand User
…
If in the future Senshi found a suitably compatible "special trait learning disk" for Karin, she could take on a new role like a "yada-yada-type Pokémon." Or if Senshi drew some Pokémon that suited Karin, he could tell her, "Look, this is a Summoning Beast I discovered," thus adding a "Pokémon Trainer" identity for her. It wouldn't be surprising if she eventually became "a passerby cameo with great power."
While Senshi was figuring out how best to nurture Karin, he sat on a large stone in the forest clearing, checking the results of his recent gacha draw. Quickly scanning through the various rewards, Senshi saw none that would help Nagato right now. Was it Nagato's ill-fated destiny, or had Senshi's luck run dry?
In any case, it had been easy enough drawing the Yamata-no-Orochi fruit for Orochimaru back then, so Senshi was unwilling to accept defeat. He decided to re-check the system's inventory thoroughly. But after carefully reviewing everything in his storage, it appeared there truly was nothing that suited Nagato's situation. Worst case, he could feed Nagato a senzu bean to keep him from deteriorating for a while—but that would only be a patch job, not an actual fix. Konan had entrusted Senshi with truly solving Nagato's health issue, so giving him a senzu bean wouldn't count as the mission done. She wouldn't fork out more money just for that.
"Ugh, how troubling!"
At least with senzu beans on hand, Senshi could ensure Nagato didn't sink into a lethal state, thus avoiding total mission failure. He still had the big quest in Kumogakure to capture the Tailed Beasts, earning him more cash—and presumably another "hundred-draw" or two. If the system was not too stingy, four sets of hundred-pulls in total should be enough to get something that cures Nagato!
As Senshi pondered these assignments, Karin—newly minted Stand User—happily tinkered with her powers. Her Killer Queen Stand would tap an object, turning it into a bomb. Since Karin was still a child, she ran many little safety tests.
"Susanoo!"
Just before detonating a bomb, Karin activated her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, summoning her pink Susanoo around herself and Killer Queen. Only then did she announce, "Go for it!"
Fortunately, Killer Queen couldn't speak to question why she was so cautious. In Karin's view, bombs were as dangerous as explosive tags, so you needed safety measures! Plus she had a habit of summoning Susanoo for something as simple as preventing hot oil splashes when cooking, so messing with bombs definitely called for protective measures.
With her pink Susanoo shielding them, Killer Queen lifted its right hand, pressing the small detonator button on its second finger joint.
"Boom—!"
The rock, now turned into a bomb, flared with orange-red light and exploded violently. After a few trials, Karin became more confident in the ability. She got bolder, using Susanoo's giant arms to move a boulder over two meters wide, planning to lob it at the distant forest. She had the whimsical notion of copying Senshi's "famous moment," pointing to a swath of woodland and casually saying, "See that forest there?" then hurling an explosive and blowing the trees to kingdom come!
But before Karin and Killer Queen could carry out their mischief, Senshi intervened:
"Karin, don't be reckless. We need to head to the black market and find Hidan for more missions."
He could see perfectly well what Karin was about to do—chucking a giant boulder as a bomb into the forest would be extremely destructive, effectively turning her into a living cannon. Hearing him, Karin let out a small "aww," then dismissed Susanoo and dashed toward Senshi happily.
She latched onto his leg, rubbing her head affectionately, grinning:
"Senshi, you're the best! I love this new gift!"
Senshi patted her head, leading her off to the black market. He cast a sidelong glance at the "child version" of Killer Queen, musing privately about how to incorporate "Muda Muda" or "Ora Ora" combos in the future…
…
At Amegakure's black market…
Senshi had been busy lately, so he hadn't come in person to check on Hidan. But that didn't stop his Wood Clone from doing so. Hidan was a great partner but needed "training," so to speak, meaning no rest from missions. The moment they entered the black market, Senshi turned to Karin casually:
"It's been a while since we've seen my beloved buddy and perfect partner, Hidan the Handsome!
I truly miss all those mission-filled days with him."
Karin laughed softly:
"He definitely doesn't miss you at all!"
True enough. Even someone with immortality might go insane under 007-level mission shifts. Once they spotted Hidan, they saw his eye-bags looked even worse than before.
"Why do his dark circles look so heavy?" Senshi murmured, his voice tinged with confusion. He walked up, asking: "Hidan, what're you doing here?"
Hidan, standing like a statue, gazed woodenly at him and raised a hand:
"Gimme…all the commission forms. I want all the missions in this place!"
Senshi: (O_O)?
Karin: (O_O)?
Senshi was stunned.
Has Hidan turned robotic?
He waved a hand in front of Hidan's face. Hidan first didn't respond, then after a few seconds:
"Heh, I've finished all the commissions. Pay me now!"
He rummaged in his robe for a handful of empty air, handing it to Senshi.
Senshi: Σ(ﾟДﾟ;)!?
Seeing Hidan's condition, both Senshi and Karin were speechless.
"Yikes," thought Senshi. "He's broken!
If the entire Jashin cult had multiple immortal believers, I'd try switching him for a fresh one. But there's only him!"
He couldn't tell if his mission intensity had driven Hidan nuts, or if maybe it wasn't enough. Perhaps Hidan was stuck at a "plateau." If they ramped up the intensity even further, he might break down and then "re-form." He'd become an even more perfect partner, but Senshi was in a hurry to get to Kumogakure and do tasks. He could give Hidan a chance to "break and rebuild" later.
But with Hidan in this crazy state, it was no good taking him to Kumogakure. So Senshi decided to try normal methods to rouse him. If that failed, he'd resort to electric therapy.
Karin eyed Hidan pityingly:
"Senshi, he looks kinda miserable…"
Senshi spoke calmly:
"Karin, this is the price of growth. Hidan may look bad right now, but he's gained huge improvements these past few days. Once he snaps out of it, he'll thank me!"
For a brief moment, Senshi wondered if he'd been too harsh on Hidan. But after one second of reflection, he decided he'd done nothing wrong. The high-intensity missions had drastically powered Hidan up. Too bad it didn't fully break him so that he could ascend to the next tier. He'd handle that later.
Right now, he needed to finalize a mission in Kumogakure. Senshi also recalled how Hidan tried to "evangelize" Jashin in the past. Letting him roam free in the Amegakure would cause trouble with Nagato, so Senshi had kept him busy. It was effectively saving lives.
Senshi felt rather proud. Meanwhile, Karin tapped him:
"He's fallen asleep standing up!"
Turning around, Senshi saw that Hidan was indeed asleep on his feet, body stiff upright.
Senshi: "(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ???**
Oh dear—he was so sleep-deprived that he'd dozed off mid-stance.
"All right," said Senshi, "this means he probably never really slept during tasks. I guess I should pick up a commission from the black market. We'll take Hidan with us on a client escort mission. Sure, I can teleport directly to Kumogakure using my powers, but I can't forsake old traditions. Who knows what side tasks we might do along the way?"
After receiving the escort mission, Senshi swiftly found the client, then turned back and kicked Hidan's leg:
"Hidan, wake up. It's a waste to spend such precious time sleeping when you could be—doing missions!"
A few kicks later, Hidan stirred woozily. Then in his arrogant, repetitive voice:
"Hey, hand over all the commission forms—I'll take all the missions here!"
Senshi could only laugh in exasperation.
"Good grief, a walking loop indeed."
Hidan rummaged in his chest, retrieving phantom "paperwork" and slamming it on a nonexistent table.
"Look, I finished every task. Pay up!"
Senshi ignored the "ghost role-play." No question about it, Hidan needed thorough recharging and perhaps therapy to snap out of his trance. Meanwhile, Senshi would proceed with the escort job. They could treat Hidan on the way.
…
In a certain corner of the Amegakure black market…
A pair of green, glowing eyes secretly watched them. The owner of these eyes was Kakuzu.
He was furious:
"Damn it! That spot's supposed to be mine!
How can that halfhearted slacker Hidan be the so-called perfect partner? Hmph, I'll show everyone who's the real #2 mission-devourer in the ninja world! Only the genuine #2 can be Senshi's 'ultimate partner!'"
With that, Kakuzu stomped into the black market hall:
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
He slammed his hand on the counter near the manager.
"Where are the missions? Hand them all over!
I'm taking every single one!"
Because Kakuzu concluded Senshi didn't call on him lately simply because he hadn't done enough tasks. If he hammered out a monstrous volume of missions, he believed, Senshi would realize who was the true perfect partner.
…
Konoha
Sasuke and Naruto had begun their "mission spree." Being only Academy-level, they could take only D-rank missions, which typically paid 5,000 to 50,000 ryō. Once the job was done, the village took a 50% cut. They could divide the rest among themselves in whichever way—Senshi didn't care. The employment points were based on the total commission amount, not how it was split.
Spurred by Senshi's reward system, Naruto and Sasuke both wanted to quickly earn two million ryō. Once they hit that threshold, Senshi-sensei would award them a "lucky draw." That might result in something akin to Thunder Punch or Aura Sphere…maybe even something better.
On a Konoha street, Naruto was running about with a mission slip, calling to Sasuke (who was off to the side):
"Sasuke, I'm about to start my 4th D-rank mission. Bet you're still on your 3rd, huh?"
Sasuke gave a mirthless chuckle.
"Hmph, dobe. Ten minutes ago, I already started my 4th mission."
Naruto's eyes popped:
"Agh, you beat me to it?! Let's see who finishes first, then!"
Sasuke shrugged.
"No need. Obviously, I'll get done before you."
Naruto retorted hotly,
"Don't be so sure! Now that I've got experience from the last mission, this time I'll definitely come out on top!"
Sasuke snorted: "Are you forgetting my own improvements?"
Naruto: "I'm not losing! Dattebayo!"
Sasuke: "Hn."
It was D-rank mission mania. Meanwhile, Kakashi, who was "observing them," felt his head spin. These two kids were unbelievably enthusiastic about tasks. From morning to midday, they kept going nonstop. Another hour, Sasuke wrapped up his 4th job, Naruto right behind him. They each turned in the results. Kakashi planned to have them stop for lunch. Then he was taken aback to see Naruto snatch a bento, wave, and dash off:
"Kakashi-sensei, aren't you going to eat? I'm heading to my 5th mission while I eat lunch!"
Kakashi: "Naruto…what're you doing?"
Naruto blinked guilelessly: "I'm multi-tasking—doing my 5th mission and having lunch. Why?"
Kakashi was speechless. Huh?
Even more surprising was Sasuke's approach from the other direction. Kakashi felt relieved—maybe Sasuke was normal enough to eat lunch with him. But when he invited Sasuke to lunch, Sasuke shook his head:
"No need. I already took a soldier pill. No point wasting precious mission time just eating."
Kakashi: (⊙_⊙)?
He was slack-jawed. These kids… Who on earth raised them to be like this? Missions, missions, missions, to the point they skip lunch?
Nevertheless, Naruto glimpsed the soldier pill in Sasuke's hand, cursing,
"Darn, I should've thought of that—didn't need to stop to eat!"
He inhaled the remaining portion of his bento in seconds, then darted off to keep up with Sasuke. Kakashi could only stand there, feeling overwhelmed:
This unstoppable obsession with tasks is…familiar? Where is it coming from?
He'd gleaned nothing so far except that the kids' behavior was bizarre. From dawn to dusk, they relentlessly hammered D-rank missions. Were tasks really that appealing?
By day's end, Naruto still looked bursting with energy, waving goodbye:
"Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke and I are heading home. See you tomorrow!"
Kakashi lamely waved back. The two boys lived together at Sasuke's place now, so they went off that way each evening. Naruto liked staying there—it was bigger, with better living conditions, and even the instant noodles tasted better than they did at his own little apartment. Sasuke sure is good at this stuff, he mused.
With his hands behind his head, Naruto grinned,
"Sasuke, yet again no winner, no loser, huh."
Sasuke snorted,
"Tch, so what if we both did 14 D-rank missions today? My completion times were definitely quicker than yours."
Naruto pouted, "That's 'cause I wasted time eating a bento. You took a soldier pill! Next time, I won't lose."
Sasuke shook his head faintly, "Smart planning is part of strength."
Naruto didn't bother arguing further, hurrying over to Senshi's Wood Clone who'd been tailing them quietly:
"Senshi-sensei, today Sasuke and I each finished 14 D-rank missions!"
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!