Freelancer in the Ninja World

Kusagakure and Amegakure were both only mid-tier or small villages—so why should Kusa become Ame's vassal?

Other top figures in Kusa likewise shook their heads, unwilling to comply. They only came in person because Uzumaki Senshi was formidable and at least willing to talk. If negotiations fell through, Kusa might still be able to pay a steep price to kill him:

"Kusagakure won't bow down to anyone!"

"We'll never execute our own ninja!"

"We're open to sincere negotiation, not threats!"

"We're all prepared to go down together if necessary!"

Seeing their defiance, Senshi decided there was no point in continuing a fruitless debate. He simply raised an arm, pointing to a wooded area in the near distance, and asked:

"Do you see that open field?"

The Kusa elders exchanged puzzled glances. That place is obviously a forest. Why's he calling it a field?

As they looked, a violent surge of Lightning-chakra began radiating from Senshi.

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

In a flash, endless arcs of electric-blue light gathered before him.

"Roooaaar—!"

A dreadful dragon's roar pierced the air, as countless bolts of Lightning Release coalesced into an enormous thunder dragon.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Roaring with unimaginable power, it barreled through the distant forest. Trees and shrubs burst into splinters or scorched cinders. The once-lush grove was obliterated into a wasteland of ravines and charred debris.

Witnessing that, the Kusa officials instantly quieted. Even a Tailed Beast might manage such destruction at best. Those elders who had been shouting moments earlier all changed their tune:

"But on second thought…our village may indeed have done some things wrong."

"Those who harmed Karin and her mother must be severely punished, to preserve justice in Kusa!"

"Kusagakure doesn't have it easy; we should learn from Ame's path to resilience! Only under Ame's leadership can we hope to develop, despite the five great nations oppressing us!"

"We fully agree to Lord Senshi's terms!"

Faced with a "humanoid Tailed Beast" like Senshi, how could they dare object? Even someone as powerful as Mui said nothing. Of course, many of them were only yielding on the surface. Senshi's power was too fearsome, so they feigned submission while planning how to deal with him later.

It wasn't long before all those responsible for Karin's mother's death were brought outside her old home.

"On your knees!"

Kusa's elite jōnin Hatta Shin'ichi barked, wielding his blade. He'd been almost instantly overwhelmed by Senshi, so he cowered around him. But with these "bastards," he felt free to go all out. Lucky for him, he'd never been involved in abusing Karin's family.

Shuck, shuck!

As Shin'ichi's blade flashed repeatedly, heads rolled one after another. These ninja had overused Karin's mother's healing ability until she died far too young, all her chakra drained. Now that they fell here, the vengeance for Karin's mother was done. Watching from inside the house, Karin felt only sweet relief. She looked at Senshi, gratitude shining in her eyes. Inwardly she vowed she'd prove her worth someday—without him, she would surely have shared her mother's grim fate.

After avenging Karin's mother, Senshi glanced at Kakuzu, then turned to the Kusagakure chief:

"This man here once fought the 'God of Shinobi,' Hashirama Senju. He's Lord Kakuzu. For the matter of becoming Ame's vassal, you Kusa leaders can discuss it with him."

Kakuzu's expression stiffened—no escaping these negotiations now, it seemed. Upon hearing Senshi's introduction, Chiya grew solemn.

"I see…Lord Kakuzu, then, please come with us to the conference hall to discuss next steps."

Kakuzu didn't refuse, leaving with Kusa's upper echelon. Meanwhile, Mui remained behind, as earlier Senshi had mentioned wanting to "talk business" with him. Curious, Mui waited. Once the others were gone, Senshi approached him casually:

"Mui, you want to capture a Tailed Beast, right?"

Until now, Mui had stayed calm, but his face changed sharply at these words; tiny flames of Fire chakra danced in his hands. Indeed, he had that goal, but it was a secret—how did Senshi know?

Before Mui could act, Senshi went on:

"Kusagakure is loaded with stubborn old fools, and honestly, the majority of higher-ups here are just biding their time, hoping to backstab me later. I'm not about to waste my energy subduing every one of them individually. Let's cooperate. I'll help you capture a Tailed Beast—for a friendly fee, of course—and in return, you take total control over Kusa's leadership. You saw my power just now. And while capturing a Tailed Beast is tough, for me it's far from impossible."

In truth, for someone at Senshi's level, tackling a Tailed Beast wasn't all that hard, but obviously he wouldn't say so. One must "ask a high price and settle lower," after all. Besides, capturing a Tailed Beast ideally meant a long-term commission: these legendary "nuclear weapons" of the ninja world deserved the highest rank—and the best system rewards.

Mui fell silent, torn between shock, excitement, and caution. He wondered how Senshi knew he needed a Tailed Beast's chakra. Still, there was no doubt about Senshi's strength. But truly siding with Senshi against the Kusa elders?

He recalled how his attempts to approach that "Box of Ultimate Bliss" had been obstructed by these same entrenched old-timers.

"They really do need removing!" he thought. "Under them, Kusagakure is doomed to languish—no future at all!"

At last, Mui turned to Senshi:

"What do I need to do?"

Senshi smiled in satisfaction.

"You only need to do this…"

…

The Kusa leadership had no idea their sleepless night was about to begin.

…

"Bang—!"

At the village head's mansion, Senshi kicked in Chiya's door. Entering, he saw nobody in bed—Chiya had instantly fled through the window. The man was spooked. He thought they'd "stabilized" Senshi earlier, yet here he was, attacking again at night.

Making it to the rooftop, Chiya finally caught his breath—only to find Senshi and Mui already waiting. The one in his bedroom had just been a Wood Clone. Seeing the pair, Chiya was both shocked and furious.

"What do you two think you're doing? Mui… Are you trying to destroy Kusagakure?"

He got no further. With a mere point of Senshi's finger, a surge of lightning struck him, robbing him of any ability to move. Mui dashed up:

"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"

A fiery palm struck Chiya, releasing black crossed seal markings that spread across his body, sealing away all his chakra and leaving his fate entirely in Mui's hands. And that was only the start—every bigwig in Kusagakure would share a similar fate.

Elsewhere in the village, on another rooftop, a figure sped along—an elder named Guima, dressed in his dark-red cloak, black-and-yellow horse mask. Moments earlier, he'd received an urgent message from another elder, Guiniu, warning that Mui had betrayed them and was helping Senshi, the invader, seize control of Kusa's leadership.

"Damn it! I need to escape the village and seek refuge in Konoha!"

Guima poured every ounce of speed into his flight, though he still wasn't sure he could make it out safely. And indeed, he was right. Two figures flickered into sight, blocking his path. Glancing at them, Guima trembled in rage.

"Uzumaki Senshi! We already agreed to become the Ame's vassal—why attack us further? And Mui—you despicable traitor, helping an outsider seize our village leadership!"

But Senshi wasn't in the mood for discussion. He raised a hand:

"Lightning Finger!"

Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-zzzt!

A radiant blue arc zapped Guima, electric "snakes" dancing across him. The power gap was monumental; the elder had no chance to dodge and now lay paralyzed, muscles locked by crackling bolts.

"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"