Freelancer in the Ninja World

Karin's worries were, of course, unnecessary.

With no Kage-level masters at all, how could this ragtag Kusagakure possibly handle Uzumaki Senshi as he was now?

Upon hearing Karin's concern, Senshi merely laughed:

"Let them go back and report—it's perfect for making the Kusagakure leaders panic."

"Once those high-ups gather to discuss a plan, we can round them all up in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, Kusagakure's political scene is a convoluted mess of factions."

"I don't even know who its upper echelon members are. If they don't cluster together somewhere, we'll waste time hunting them down individually."

That explanation left Kakuzu and Karin exchanging looks; neither had expected that the reason Senshi hadn't bothered to deal with the ninjas lying in ambush was precisely to herd the enemy leaders into one place.

…

Meanwhile, back in Kusagakure, the higher-ups were indeed on high alert. They'd previously received word that their "vital strategic asset"—Karin—had been snatched away by a shinobi from the Ame. And recently, that enemy had been brazenly flaunting the fact by openly keeping Karin at his side.

That was intolerable.

Boldly walking around with Karin as though nothing were wrong—that was clearly a gigantic slap in the face to Kusa. Even though corruption and chaos reigned inside Kusa, they were unanimous on one point: they had to eliminate the red-haired Ame ninja who had abducted Karin and reclaim their "critical strategic resource."

They couldn't afford to provoke Konoha or Kirigakure, but surely they could handle the Amegakure, right? It wasn't as if Hanzo the Salamander was still around to make them quake in their boots. Little did they know, after Hanzo's demise, the Ame had gone from being "merely tough" to downright "steel-walled"—not even a Kage-level ninja from the great nations could guarantee they'd escape unscathed if they caused trouble there.

Kusagakure conference room.

Village Chief Chiya, along with the elders and top figures from Kusa' various factions, had all convened. Chiya glanced at one of the village's masked Anbu.

"Repeat the intel we've gathered."

Wrapped tightly in bandages, that Kusa Anbu spoke in a neutral, toneless voice:

"The group we sent to retaliate against the Amegakure and bring back Karin has been annihilated."

"All twenty-two of our ninja are dead, including two jōnin in command. According to intel from our Anbu, it was the red-haired ninja who seized Karin that killed them."

"His name is Uzumaki Senshi, originally from the Amegakure, and in recent times he's been highly active on the Ame's black market. Right now, this ninja is headed straight for Kusagakure, bringing his companions and Karin with him."

As soon as they heard this, everyone in the room was shaken. Their supposed retaliation squad—two team-leading jōnin among them—had been wiped out?

Granted, a jōnin from a small village might be on the weaker side, perhaps more like elite chūnin level in a big village. But from Kusa' perspective, their own jōnin were still extremely formidable. For them to be wiped out like that wasn't because the Kusa shinobi were that incompetent, but because the opponent was far too strong.

All the top brass began talking at once:

"Is this intel accurate?"

"Just one Ame shinobi named Uzumaki Senshi killed our twenty-two ninja by himself?"

"Why is he coming to Kusagakure with Karin—turning himself in?"

"How many are with him? Who's assisting him?"

The meeting turned noisy. Only one individual—Mui—dressed in a dark-red cloak, remained calm. All he cared about was capturing a Tailed Beast to drain its massive chakra and unlock that damned ninja tool. Village matters didn't hold much interest for him. Still, he'd heard a few rumors about Uzumaki Senshi: apparently a ninja who risked his life for money, always off on a mission or en route to one. Capturing a Tailed Beast by himself would be tough—maybe he could collaborate with Senshi?

"Silence!"

The village chief, Chiya, called for order. Sweeping his gaze around the room, he waited for quiet before speaking again:

"The Anbu's intel is reliable. Our top priority is figuring out how to handle this enemy."

Kusagakure had nothing like Konoha's "Gate Guardians," Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, whose presence could even deter Pain from walking through the front gate. Chiya turned the question on the room. One of the village elders, wearing the same dark-red cloak as Mui, rose. A black-and-gold horse-themed mask concealed his face. This elder was Guima, an old-timer of high status in the village.

After scanning the assembly, Guima spoke in a low voice:

"If he was able to slaughter two of our leading jōnin plus twenty other ninja single-handedly, his power must be extraordinary. Even in a great village, someone like that would be close to Kage-level."

Hearing that, Mui, who was seated to one side, couldn't help but twitch internally. Were these people really so clueless about the outside world? A single jōnin from any of the five great villages could have handled that Kusa squad just as easily.

As Mui mused on that, Chiya's eyes shifted to him:

"Mui, what's your opinion?"

Mui shrugged:

"Find out why he's come to Kusagakure, then decide. We don't know his purpose yet."

His suggestion was instantly drowned out by other voices:

"Nonsense! He's already attacking our village. Why would he want a friendly discussion?"

"He killed twenty-two of our ninja—he must die here in Kusa!"

"Exactly! We have to kill him, or we'll hurt our village's reputation!"

"My subordinate, Hatta Shin'ichi, can take down Uzumaki Senshi!"

At the mention of his name, Hatta Shin'ichi—another Kusa jōnin—looked utterly baffled. Am I really that strong? Nobody told me… The meeting devolved into a jumble, but they still reached a basic consensus: if this Uzumaki Senshi dared murder their people and abduct Karin, they had to ensure he never left Kusagakure alive. They'd show the Ame that it was no longer the era of Hanzo the Salamander.

Chiya promptly issued orders:

"Hatta Shin'ichi, along with all jōnin not currently deployed, and the elite Anbu—everyone go stop the intruders!"

"Kill Uzumaki Senshi and whichever Ame shinobi is with him. Bring Karin back!"

At that, Hatta Shin'ichi and the other jōnin saluted and vanished.

…

At Kusagakure's entrance, Uzumaki Senshi strolled right in with Karin, showing no sign of caution.

"Let's go to your house first—pack up whatever you want to take. Then, once we leave, we can move your things back to the Amegakure."

Karin nodded obediently. The group of three headed to the small home she'd once shared with her mother. Immediately, Karin began collecting her meager belongings. She hadn't lived here for a while, and it seemed other ninja had ransacked the place in her absence—everything was scattered, the house turned upside down. Familiar sights in that room caused Karin's tears to flow silently as she tidied up.

Just then, Kusa ninja arrived outside under the leadership of elite jōnin Hatta Shin'ichi and the Anbu Captain. Sensing them, Karin grew anxious, rushing to the window to look. She saw Senshi, arms folded, speaking casually to Kakuzu:

"Oi, Kaku, why don't you do something for a change? Show a bit of effort. This is an assignment for both of us—don't just sit back the entire time."

At Senshi's words, Kakuzu calmly tossed three kunai in the air:

Swish, swish, swish!

They soared forth, instantly piercing the throats of three Kusa ninja. After punching cleanly through, they tore through three more behind them.

"W-what was that…?!"

The Kusa ninja froze in shock. Yet after a moment's stunned silence, they went on the offensive:

"Kill them!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"

As they rapidly formed seals, Senshi stomped one foot on the ground:

"Lightning Release: Earth Slide!"

Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt!

Streaks of bright blue electricity danced wildly across the earth, arcs snaking around at high speed. In the blink of an eye, the Kusa ninja were convulsing on the ground in droves. Only a small handful—like Hatta Shin'ichi—evaded with a body flicker.

"Lightning Finger!"

Senshi raised a single finger, discharging a lance of lightning that instantly bored through Hatta Shin'ichi's shoulder. Another flurry of beams followed, sending each Kusa "elite" crashing to the ground, twitching helplessly.

Looking at the still-breathing Anbu Captain, Senshi said:

"Gather all the top officials of Kusagakure and tell them to come here. I have a few words for them. Of course, if they'd rather not, I can always wipe out Kusagakure completely."

The Anbu Captain, pale with terror, scrambled off at once. Not long after, every major figure of Kusagakure arrived, having realized by now that these intruders were no mere jōnin.

Village Chief Chiya came too, clearly amazed by how young this "kage-level" ninja was. Trying to keep his voice steady, he asked:

"What business do you have in our village?"

Senshi held up three fingers:

"I'm here for three reasons:

1. I want Kusagakure to punish whoever caused Karin's mother's death.

2. From now on, Kusagakure is to become a vassal of the Amegakure.

3. Where's Mui? I'd like to discuss a certain deal with him."

On hearing that, Chiya flew into a rage:

"You…! That's going too far!"

~~~

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