In no time, Senshi had already materialized in front of the Root squad leader, a member of the Aburame judging by the i jar on his back. Before the Aburame could unleash his poisonous bugs, Senshi swung a hand chopping down with a burst of Lightning Release chakra:

  “Lightning Release: Horizontal Chop!”

  With a roar, the man flew like a kite with a sring, crashing hard to the ground.

  Ordinary Root operatives and meraries alike stood no ce. Senshi tore through them like a tiger among sheep, dispatg them swiftly. Mizunai watched the se, pupils trag in fear and shock. In his mind, Konoha shinobi—especially Danzo’s agents—were invincible. Had he not wit himself, he would never have believed Senshi could defeat them so effortlessly.

  Swoosh—

  A blur of motion, and Senshi was suddenly right before Mizunai, who stumbled ba arm.

  “W-what are you doing?!”

  Faced with Senshi’s horrifying strength, Mizunai trembled from head to toe, words tripping over his too his surprise, Senshi merely narrowed his eyes in a smile.

  “You met up with those Konoha ninjas—so that means my esission is finished, right?”

  Mizunai stared at that uling grin, chills creeping down his spine. He didn’t know why Senshi would bring that up at a time like this. He only khat his life was in Senshi’s hands and he didn’t dare argue. Nodding fervently, voice shaking, he said:

  “Y-yes… The escort job is…plete.”

  “So, the payment?” Senshi pressed.

  Mizunai frantically poio a carriage nearby.

  “The money I promised you is on that wagon—three huhousand ryō. It’s all there.”

  At his words, Senshi walked over to the carriage and found a heavy suitcase loaded with bills. The moment he picked it up, the system chimed in his head:

  [ission pleted!]

  [Reward: 300 ission Points]

  Carrying the hefty case, Senshi sloroached the rge trunk. With a loud creak, he lifted the lid. Ihe red-haired girl curled up like a frightened kitten—just as he’d suspected, it was indeed Karin.

  Do I take her along or not?

  He hesitated. inally, he just wao boost his strength via system missions without meddling too mu “” events, especially oied to major plotlines. But after thinking it over, having Karin around might be useful, and perhaps it wouldn’t ge the overarg narrative too drastically. Moreover, with his immense chakra reserves, a physique parable to the Raikage’s, and a det repertoire of jutsu, he’d have little trouble fending off Danzo’s Wind Release and shuriken—though the Akatsuki would still be a headache.

  Deg on the spot, he hoisted Karin over his shoulder and swiftly left.

  …

  Meanwhile, Kakuzu had quietly returned—but this time, he wasn’t alone. A pale-skinned, androgynous man in the same bck robe with red clouds followed at his side. Kakuzu hadn’t truly fled; he’d goo seek backup. And he had aken a loss like that quietly.

  That man’s skin was unnaturally white, his eyes as cold and narrow as a snake’s. There was no doubt: he was one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru.

  They raced through the forest at astonishing speed, the sery zipping past as though someone had hit fast-forward. Orochimaru hissed as they ran:

  “That wandering ninja…he’s that Uzumaki Senshi from the Ame, correct?”

  Ever sinessing the power of Nagato’s Rinnegan, Orochimaru had taken an i in the Uzumaki . He and Danzo had an agreement to acquire several Uzumaki survivors. Ninjas like Senshi, whurly took bck-market jobs, were few in number and well-known.

  Hearing Orochimaru’s question, Kakuzu nodded slightly, eyes flickering with cold anger.

  “Yes. It’s him—Uzumaki Senshi. I uimated him before. If not for his sudden interference, I would’ve pleted my mission.”

  Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in slight surprise:

  “You’re telling me you weren’t his match? Enough to warrant asking for my help?”

  Kakuzu quickly crified:

  “Not that I ’t beat him—only that the best move, givetlefield ditions, was to withdraw and regroup. One-on-one, I might need a long fight to decide a winner, and I wasn’t ied in a drawn-out battle. Two-ohough, we take him down quickly. The real goal here is that shipment, requested by the t. A voy that hire someone like him must be transp somethiremely valuable. If we mao seize it, our funding problems will be solved food while.”

  At the mention of “funding,” Orochimaru’s eyes glinted. In the Akatsuki, Kakuzu was the financial manager, always on the hunt for resources, while Orochimaru was ed by his experiments—money was definitely useful. He idly asked:

  “So, once we catch him, should we kill him?”

  Kakuzu answered without hesitation:

  “If possible, yes. That’ll stop him from interfering again. But if we ’t, driving him away is fine. Our focus is the voy’s goods, not him.”

  At that, Orochimaru houghtfully, psing into silence, likely scheming up some experimental ideas.

  After rag for a while, both of them stopped in unison, staring ily at the se ahead. The caravan’s wagons stood motionless in the middle of the road, the guards sprawled around on the ground. Even more surprising, among the fallen were several Konoha shinobi.

  “That’s…Root?”

  Orochimaru’s narrow eyes flicked over the se in mild surprise, while Kakuzu wore a fused frown of his own. However, he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, his gaze shifted quickly to the wagons.

  “Heh…”

  A low, uling chuckle escaped him—a rare sight for someone usually so grim. The reason for his delight was obvious: this erfect example of “the sandpiper and the cm fight; the fisherman profits.” Both the caravan’s guards and the Konoha ninjas y defeated, yet the wagons loaded with valuables remained.

  “Tsk…”

  Orochimaru’s slit pupils stricted. He’d expected a tough battle, but upon arrival, discovered that Senshi was o be seen.