Konoha Village.
Kakashi went through a lot of trouble before he finally found Senshi.
Because of Ame Shinobi's outstanding performance in the Chūnin Exams, both Senshi and Amegakure had become the focus of attention from all sides.
Senshi received a huge number of invitations and held talks with delegates from the Land of Lightning, Land of Rivers, Land of Birds, and the Land of Hot Water/Springs, laying a solid foundation for further cooperation with each side in the future.
When Senshi returned to the inn where everyone from Amegakure was staying, he ran into Kakashi outside.
Huh? What's Kakashi doing here, pacing back and forth? Does he have something he wants to discuss with me again?
With that doubt in mind, Senshi walked over to Kakashi.
At the same time, Kakashi, who had been pacing outside the inn across the street, also spotted Senshi.
He was overjoyed. Ever since receiving Lord Hokage's orders, he had already tried to find Senshi several times but was repeatedly told by the innkeeper that Senshi wasn't in his room.
Now Kakashi approaches very respectfully.
"Lord Senshi, Lord Hokage wants to discuss some cooperative matters with you. Could you please arrange some time as soon as possible to go to the Hokage's office and have a detailed talk with him?"
Senshi wasn't surprised by Kakashi's words—too many people had come to him for cooperation talks lately.
Besides, not long after he arrived in Konoha, he'd already cooperated with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Regarding the issue with Konohamaru, that was the second time he and Hiruzen Sarutobi had reached a collaboration.
Now that the Chūnin Exams were over, Hiruzen Sarutobi had a deeper understanding of him and Amegakure.
At this point, it made sense that Hiruzen Sarutobi was inviting him to discuss a partnership.
Senshi quickly nodded and said casually, "I happen to be free right now. Shall we head to the Hokage Building now?"
Kakashi was delighted. "If that's the case, all the better. Lord Hokage has been wanting a good chat with you for quite a while. This way, please."
While speaking, Kakashi gestured politely.
Senshi gave a slight nod, then headed together with Kakashi to the Hokage Building to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Inside the Hokage's office at the Hokage Building…
Hiruzen Sarutobi was seated behind his desk, lines of age etched into his face, exhaling one puff of smoke after another with a pensive expression.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door, and Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately perked up. A sharp gleam flashed in his clouded old eyes.
"Come in!"
Senshi pushed open the door and entered the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up at once and greeted him warmly. "Lord Senshi, you've finally come. I've had Kakashi run back and forth several times but never managed to find you."
Surprised by his words, Senshi then asked with a cheerful grin, "Old man, what can I do for you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face grew serious. He nodded and said, "Senshi, I'll get straight to the point. I'd like more Konoha shinobi to join your mercenary group!"
Senshi: (O_O)???
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words left Senshi momentarily at a loss.
He wants more Konoha shinobi to join my mercenary group?
This move of Hiruzen Sarutobi, practically hurrying to deliver me manpower, I really can't make sense of it.
But there's undeniably a real benefit in it for me. So of course I'm very interested in having a detailed discussion with Hiruzen Sarutobi about it.
After thinking it over, Senshi said, "Old man Sarutobi, so you already have a general understanding of my mercenary group? How many shinobi did you have in mind to join?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and spoke slowly. "I do have a certain amount of information on your mercenary group. From my perspective, your plans to expand your mercenary group don't conflict at all with Konoha's growth."
"If all goes well, Konoha and even some of our major clans could collaborate with you on this matter, Senshi."
He wasn't just drawing a big pie in the sky – this was genuinely profitable for both the higher-ups in Konoha and its major clans. Everyone would be happy to see it happen.
As long as Senshi's terms weren't too harsh, they could partner with him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words took Senshi by surprise.
What was the reason he's been pouring so much effort into taking in refugees in Amegakure and establishing a ninja academy there?
It was precisely so he could continuously send fresh blood to his mercenary group.
But all Ame shinobi need time to mature before they can truly join his mercenary group and start taking missions.
But Konoha is a different story. Backed by the Land of Fire—one of the Five Great Nations—it has abundant overall strength and a long history. The village is rich in resources, and there's a large pool of ready-made "hardworking shinobi" who can be put to use.
Letting Konoha's shinobi join his mercenary group… Who knows how many more employment points he could earn?
Previously he had never found a suitable opportunity. If he had been the one to propose it on his own, the Konoha higher-ups would likely have refused before he even got a chance to fully explain.
But now, everything's different. This time, it's the leader of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is personally making the proposal!
That means Senshi won't face any resistance if he goes on to recruit large numbers of Konoha ninja with sufficient "bond value" and decent abilities for his mercenary group.
Reflecting on this, Senshi couldn't help feeling that Konoha truly is a wonderful place—unexpected windfalls just dropped out of the sky.
This time, it's a mutual "run to each other" between him and Konoha.
While Senshi silently contemplated all this and fell quiet, Hiruzen Sarutobi misunderstood.
He thought Senshi might not want to agree or felt it was difficult to cooperate with Konoha in this way.
Although Konoha has indeed produced many excellent shinobi, sometimes you still get someone like Rock Lee who can't learn ninjutsu at all, and Konoha can't do anything about that.
Whereas the scratch-off cards Senshi's mercenary group provides could allow even someone like Lee to instantly learn ninjutsu.
Under those circumstances, it wouldn't be strange if Senshi were unwilling to casually let other people join his mercenary group.
After all, how could such a wonderful opportunity just fall into someone else's lap?
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already thought about that possibility before inviting Senshi here to discuss the matter.
Without waiting for Senshi to refuse, he gave a hearty laugh and said, "Senshi my boy, I know that joining your mercenary group isn't easy! Even so, Konoha is approaching this with great sincerity. Why not consider offering us a quote, based on our longstanding friendship?"
Senshi: (O_O)???
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi say that, Senshi almost couldn't hold back his reaction!
So Konoha wants to send manpower to work in his mercenary group, and they're the ones who have to pay him? Old man Sarutobi, that's way too wild!
Paying to become labor is something that would move any capitalist to tears!
Though Senshi was momentarily taken aback by Hiruzen's tactic, he still deliberately frowned and said, "Old man Sarutobi, you're right. This isn't easy to pull off! You're aware that everyone in my mercenary group is an elite, right? Even Musen and his squad are at the bottom rung of my group!"
"Konoha wants to send their shinobi to join my mercenary group, so at minimum, they need to match the kind of strength Musen and his team possess, yes?"
Senshi wasn't really trying to make trouble for Hiruzen Sarutobi; rather, the question of whether someone can join his mercenary group is constrained by "bond value."
If Hiruzen Sarutobi wants a certain ninja to join the group and that person doesn't have enough bond value with Senshi, then Senshi would have to find ways to raise their bond value.
That means he must do some screening and only let those with a strong foundation in.
Once those ninja join the group, they can rely on earning scratch-off cards from missions to quickly grow stronger without him needing to teach them every little thing.
And such ninja, in turn, could generate the greatest profit for him.
So he was now letting Hiruzen Sarutobi know up front that Konoha should pick only the elite in their recruitment— plus, Senshi can also charge a certain fee.
In short, from his vantage point, once he and Hiruzen Sarutobi agree on the plan for recruiting, he'll be able to profit quite nicely—enjoying the best of both worlds.
But once Senshi finished expressing his position, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.
He gave Senshi a look, took a puff of his pipe again, and continued pondering.
In his opinion, the standard Senshi had set was a bit high.
Though Konoha does have quite a few ninja, and some of them are excellent, to meet the same standard as Musen and his teammates— who made it into the top eight of this year's Chūnin Exams— well, aside from Naruto and Sasuke, there's only Yakushi Kabuto at that level.
But Kabuto is currently engaged in important work for Konoha— assisting Orochimaru's research on the "Eternal Chakra Elixir." That research has huge strategic value; the sooner it matures, the better for Konoha. So they can't just send Kabuto off to join Senshi's mercenary group.
As for older ninjas, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't sure exactly what standard Senshi had in mind.
If someone like Kakashi were considered the minimum, then Konoha wouldn't have many to spare at that level. Kakashi is an elite Jōnin, one of the village's very best. Konoha doesn't have many ninjas of that caliber, and all are busy with critical missions. They can't all just go to Senshi's mercenary group to farm missions.
Realizing all that, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit stuck. It was like Senshi had just posed a challenging question for him that couldn't be resolved any time soon.
And yet, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was brooding over it, Senshi spoke again with a mischievous smile on his face. "Old man Sarutobi, as a rule, I don't accept weaklings into my mercenary group!"
He paused, then changed his tone. "But my friendship with Konoha is the rule!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: (O_O)???
Even though he'd already dealt with Senshi multiple times, Hiruzen Sarutobi was once again stunned by how "flexible" Senshi's rules were— and by just how shameless he could be.
Still, for Konoha, that was nothing but good news.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't waste time. He smiled and asked directly, "So, Senshi my boy, what exactly are you suggesting?"
Senshi put on a serious face. "Old man Sarutobi, as you're aware, my mercenary group only accepts elites, and once they join, they'll be trained to become even more exceptional— essentially the cream of the crop, the best among the best."
"So I can help Konoha cultivate a few elite ninjas first, so that they meet the threshold for my mercenary group. Then once they join it, with the advantage of my group's scratch-off cards, I believe those ninjas could progress by leaps and bounds!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: (⊙_⊙)???
Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi was exasperated—because Senshi had gone around in circles, and in the end, he was still talking about collecting fees.
After thinking for a moment, he sighed and said, "Senshi, my boy, if I want you to train Guy's squad—Might Guy himself, plus Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten— so that they reach the level needed to join your mercenary group in short order, how much compensation would that require?"
Senshi didn't answer right away but started running the calculations in his head.
He had two possible approaches: one was to squeeze them for as much as possible in a one-off deal, the other was to go for a "slow and steady" approach.
After a quick analysis, Senshi decided not to make it just a one-time transaction.
Konoha's ninjas are numerous, and so are the major clans— all of them with solid financial resources— so there is potential for multiple long-term deals.
Besides, Konoha's ninjas are effectively "paying to work" for him in the mercenary group. He could well afford to give them something like a "friendship discount."
After careful thought, he decided to set it at ten million ryō per squad—a strategy of "small profit but high turnover."
So he raised one finger, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said, "Old man Sarutobi, since we're such good friends, I'll name a friendly price. This number should get it done!"
"Hiss—"
At Senshi's quote, Hiruzen Sarutobi gasped, eyes wide.
"One person, ten million ryō?"
From Hiruzen Sarutobi's perspective, that was quite steep.
He wanted as many of Konoha's ninjas as possible— including those from major clans like the Sarutobi clan— to join Senshi's mercenary group, receive scratch-off cards, and boost their power.
But at that price, he had to carefully reconsider.
Although Konoha and the Sarutobi clan are both well-funded, if the price for joining Senshi's mercenary group was low, he'd want to pick at least a hundred ninjas each from Konoha and the Sarutobi clan to send over.
But at ten million per head, two hundred people would be two billion ryō.
After a moment's silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought up a compromise: start small and send only a small number of ninjas into Senshi's mercenary group to test the waters.
From the information he had, joining Senshi's group had huge benefits.
Crucially, no matter how talented a ninja is, there's usually a limit to their time and innate potential.
Take Kakashi for instance— he reached his previous level, and increasing his total chakra further was extremely difficult.
But if one joins Senshi's mercenary group, all it takes is a single scratch-off card to possibly multiply one's chakra reserves in an instant!
With that in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a swift decision. "All right, Senshi my boy, let's settle it. Ten million it is. I'll pay you forty million so you can train Might Guy's team of four, and help them reach the entry standard for your mercenary group as quickly as possible."
Senshi: (O_O)???
He was momentarily taken aback. He had meant ten million per squad, but Hiruzen Sarutobi actually agreed to ten million per person. There was no way he could turn down that kind of money.
Since the old man was offering ten million for each individual, refusing would almost be an insult to Konoha's wealth.
Adopting a serious expression, Senshi nodded. "Old man Sarutobi, rest assured: if you leave Guy's four subordinates to me, I'll make sure their strength improves!"
Though Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the sting of the cost, he still pulled out four checks for ten million ryō each and handed them to Senshi.
"Senshi, my boy, then I'm counting on you. Please help them become part of your mercenary group as soon as possible."
[Mission Accepted!]
[Employer: Hiruzen Sarutobi]
[Goal: Provide training to Guy and his three students so that they can join your mercenary group!]
[Reward: 40 million ryō]
[Rank: S-level]
[Bonus: 40,000 Employment Points!]
Upon hearing the system prompt in his mind, Senshi's smile became even brighter.
There are many ninjas in Konoha and in the Sarutobi clan. This kind of money can be earned continuously.
Moreover, this model could be replicated in other hidden villages— potentially throughout the entire ninja world— genuinely achieving "small profit, high turnover."
Having accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi's commission, Senshi followed Kakashi to find Guy's squad.
Lately, Might Guy and Rock Lee had been completing tasks at the black market, and they even brought Neji and Tenten along.
However, that method of "power leveling" by doing black-market tasks seemed most effective only for Guy and Rock Lee.
Neji and Tenten had been pushing themselves to the limit every day but saw little progress.
At that moment, outside the black-market hall in the Land of Fire, Might Guy was resting with Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee.
While they were resting, Neji couldn't help but say to Guy, "Guy-sensei, based on my observation over the past few days and my own experience, it appears that this training method is only suitable for you and Lee."
"I think Tenten and I should probably go back to our former training methods. All this black-market mission work leaves us exhausted every day but without any clear progress."
When Neji finished, Tenten hurriedly agreed. "Yes, Guy-sensei, it doesn't seem suited for Neji and me."
Might Guy frowned deeply in thought.
"I learned about farming missions as a training method from Kakashi. He also said Naruto and Sasuke, and those six Ame ninjas, are training this way."
"That means it's definitely effective! So why don't you two keep trying a bit longer?"
Neji: o(╥﹏╥)o
Tenten: o(╥﹏╥)o
Neji felt exhausted in every possible way. This was exactly what he'd thought from the start.
He had initially stayed silent when he realized there might be problems.
But after enduring for a few days, it was clear this wasn't going to work for him and Tenten.
Just then, Kakashi arrived with Senshi.
Seeing Might Guy, Kakashi immediately called out, "Guy, I need to talk to you."
Guy, having just been worrying about his students, immediately snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Kakashi's voice and then broke into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha, Kakashi, have you come to the black market to train by farming missions, too?"
"The method you showed me is very useful. Lee and I have made remarkable progress these past few days!"
"Kakashi, let's have another match to set our youth on fire. This time, I'm going to beat you for sure!"
Kakashi shook his head. "Guy, wait a sec, there's something I need—"
But Might Guy didn't let him finish. Charged with enthusiasm, he leapt at Kakashi in an attack.
"All my life, Kakashi, you've been my rival! Let me see how much progress you've made!"
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Originally, Kakashi wanted to deliver the Third Hokage's orders to Guy. Yet Guy wouldn't even give him a chance to speak. That powerful "Leaf Whirlwind" was already sweeping in at high speed.
Shwip!
Faced with Guy's lightning-fast kick, Kakashi instantly withdrew, effortlessly dodging it.
"Huh?"
Guy was momentarily startled by Kakashi's swift response— then grew all the more exhilarated.
He could tell that in the time since they last fought, Kakashi's strength had increased.
That made him happy for two reasons: first, because he and Kakashi are good friends; second, because Kakashi is his eternal rival.
Without hesitating, Guy launched a second attack!
"Leaf's Great Whirlwind!"
This time, he spun like a fierce green cyclone, striking with extreme power.
Thanks to his recent efforts, Guy had made some progress of his own.
Compared to his initial attack, the speed here was nearly double.
Based on past experience, Kakashi at this point would usually use some kind of defensive ninjutsu to block him and then follow up with an offensive technique.
But Guy was soon dumbfounded, as Kakashi did something completely different from any fight they'd ever had.
When Guy's body spun midair, coming down with a ferocious kick, Kakashi once again dodged— using his formidable observation skills and taijutsu.
Kakashi's speed was incredible, as if he had instantly judged how Guy would attack the moment it began.
Thus, Guy's powerful blow struck nothing but air. Kakashi's real body was already on Guy's right.
At first, Kakashi just wanted to pass on the Hokage's instructions.
But he understood that Guy would never stop unless they had a real fight.
So he simply went all-out.
He was going to let Guy see that before joining Senshi's mercenary group, merely "farming missions" wouldn't yield major results.
Guy, meanwhile, grew more and more excited as they fought.
He realized Kakashi wasn't just a bit stronger than before; he'd gained a large amount of strength!
Over the years, they'd done countless contests. While Guy's win rate was low, in actual combat they had always been close.
But now, he doesn't dare claim that anymore.
And Guy was absolutely right: even with the fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan, Kakashi previously wasn't that far out of Guy's league.
But with a few days in Senshi's mercenary group and a bunch of scratch-off cards, Kakashi's total chakra, cell vitality, taijutsu skill, battle techniques, and ninjutsu repertoire had all grown.
Each improvement alone might not have been dramatic, but combining them gave Kakashi a significant lead.
In the midst of the fierce battle, Neji and Tenten were watching intently from the sidelines.
Rock Lee was beside himself with excitement, cheering at the top of his lungs for Guy.
"Guy-sensei, you can do it! This time, you'll definitely triumph! Because that's the spirit of youth!"
Hearing this, Guy spared a moment in the clash to give Lee a thumbs-up, flashing a big grin. "Lee, our youth must burn brightly without regrets!"
Lee nodded firmly. "Yes, Guy-sensei! I'll follow your example and push my youth to the limit!"
Lee's encouragement seemed to give Guy some extra energy.
He unleashed a flurry of fierce attacks against Kakashi like a howling storm.
But despite his onslaught, it still couldn't achieve the desired effect.
No matter how he attacked, Kakashi was able to counter or evade.
Guy's expression showed increasing astonishment.
Inside, Guy thought, "Kakashi truly is a genius of Konoha! It's only been a while since we last fought, and his progress is so huge. If I don't use the Eight Gates and fight recklessly, I'm basically no match at this point!"
And just as Guy was having that thought, the scene that completely threw him off came to pass.
He saw arcs of bright blue electricity suddenly dance all over Kakashi's body.
"Lightning Release Armor!"
In Guy's utterly dumbfounded stare, Kakashi activated the Lightning Release Armor taijutsu technique!
Guy could only watch as Kakashi, cloaked in crackling lightning, bore down on him.
What?! Kakashi can use the Lightning Release armor now?
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— You can Read the Fanfic until Completion! This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!