Senshi was taking Team Guy to do missions in the same black market where Kakashi's group was farming tasks, so before long, the two groups ran into each other.
However, Mūsen and the other five didn't team up with Kakashi's trio this time – they went off to a different black market instead. Senshi didn't give it a second thought. After all, once he returned to Amegakure, he could just use the Kāma's spatial teleportation to grab Karin's six fledglings one by one—plain and simple.
Casually, Senshi asked, "Kakashi, get any good pulls today?"
Kakashi answered respectfully, "Lord Senshi, I've been busy grinding missions all day and haven't scratched anything yet."
Naruto then cut in excitedly, "Sensei, I scratched off a carton of milk today! I tried it, and it tastes just like the milk at my house!"
Sasuke, looking exasperated, said, "Naruto, I told you already—just throw away that expired milk the moment you see it. You actually tasted it?"
Senshi: (O_O)???
A moment earlier, he'd been wondering what was strange about Naruto's comment, then Sasuke's explanation made it click—Naruto had actually scratched off expired milk and gone so far as to sample it! What kind of bizarre move was that?
But that wasn't the end of it.
Suddenly, Lee asked in confusion, "Wait, so that milk with the weird taste…we can't drink that?"
Senshi: (O_O)???
He was completely floored—there was someone even more clueless?
Kakashi and the others all turned to look at Lee, their eyes full of conflicting emotions.
Frowning, Neji asked, "Lee, do you never read the text on the card when you scratch?"
Rock Lee scratched his head, looking innocent. "I was on the road and didn't read what it said. When I saw I'd drawn a carton of milk, I just drank it right away. Well, it did taste a bit odd…"
Naruto burst out laughing. "Hahaha, Lee, you knew it tasted weird and still drank it? You're even dumber than me!"
Senshi threw Naruto a resigned glance, thinking, You two are equally hopeless—neither of you has a leg to stand on here, you're both top-class knuckleheads.
When Naruto finished laughing, he excitedly pulled out the stack of scratch-off cards he'd saved over the last few days. "How about we see who pulls the best reward?"
Sasuke said dismissively, "What a bore. Why bother?"
…but his actions said otherwise; he pulled out his own cards as well. He wasn't actually aiming to compete with Naruto—he was just curious about what he might get.
Kakashi had no plans to join the kids' contest, but he quietly took out his cards too, ready to scratch them. After all, unless someone was as strong as Karin—so strong they scarcely needed the scratch-offs—nobody would just let these cards pile up unused.
Neji and Tenten also fished out their scratch cards, preparing to join the "scratch-off contest."
Lee, excited like a child, immediately challenged Naruto and the others: "Naru-to, Sasu-ke, Neji! Let's see who scratches off the best prize! I definitely won't lose to you!"
Lee was becoming ever more convinced that even if he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, as long as he worked hard and had a bit of luck, he could surpass natural geniuses.
Hearing Lee throw down the gauntlet, Naruto got all fired up like an unleashed husky. "Lee, my scratch is definitely gonna be the best one! Let's do it!"
With that, he couldn't wait to start scratching. Lee refused to be outdone, rolling up his sleeves and diving into his cards, wearing a look that said "I absolutely won't lose!"
Off to the side, Might Guy didn't join the kids' little competition. Instead, he went straight to Kakashi, his face brimming with passion. "Kakashi, my eternal rival! Let's have our own burning-youth lottery battle!"
Kakashi: (O_O)???
He was at a loss for words—but he'd already scratched his first card while Guy was talking.
[Chakra 1/5 unit!]
Seeing that reward, Kakashi's eyes lit up, secretly pleased. As the card vanished, a surge of chakra flooded into his body. Everyone knew his total chakra was always his weak point, leaving him to avoid prolonged battles so he didn't run out. Now, though, the scratch card directly addressed that problem!
Witnessing Kakashi's prize, Guy laughed confidently. "Kakashi, looks like I'll win this time! With my luck, I'm sure I'll get something better!" After that, he boldly scratched his card:
[Expired Milk x1!]
Guy: (ΩДΩ)!!!
He froze, dumbfounded. What kind of reward is this? He'd scratched off lots of cards in the past, but never gotten such a "surprise." He couldn't help wondering if Naruto's and Lee's bad luck had rubbed off on him, seeing as those two had both pulled expired milk today.
While Guy and Kakashi were "fiercely competing," Naruto and the others finished revealing their results.
Pinching a crumpled little scrap of paper, Naruto frowned. "This is really weird, I got…an IOU?"
Senshi leaned in curiously, almost bursting out laughing—Naruto had drawn a debt slip from Tsunade! If Naruto could find her and collect on the debt, he could claim 100,000 ryō.
Naruto looked at Senshi, baffled. "Sensei, what's this thing even for?"
Stifling his laughter, Senshi put on a straight face. "Not much use for now. But once Lady Tsunade becomes Hokage, you can try taking that slip to the Hokage's office and see if you can get your money."
At that, Naruto's eyes shone. "Oh, so it's an IOU from a future Hokage, maybe? In that case, this is actually a pretty nice prize!" He tucked the slip away cautiously, all the while declaring, "I'm gonna be Hokage myself one day!"
Others might not have taken Naruto's comment seriously, but Senshi quietly nodded—he was well aware that Naruto definitely had it in him to become Hokage, so there was nothing wrong with that claim at all.
After Naruto was done, Sasuke's turn came:
[Wood Release Imitation Sharingan x1!]
Sasuke: (O_O)???
Staring at the text on the card, he was utterly confused. He knew about Wood Release—Sensei and Mūsen both possessed that powerful ability. As for the Sharingan, it was the Uchiha clan's hallmark. But "Wood Release Imitation Sharingan?" How did that make any sense?
Could Wood Release replicate the Sharingan? What kind of crossover was this?
Once the scratching was done, a small vial appeared in his hand, containing some fluid with a "Sharingan" bobbing inside. Upon closer inspection, Sasuke saw it wasn't a real Sharingan at all, but an "art piece" molded from Wood Release.
Sasuke: … …
He let out a helpless sigh. Little did he know he wasn't the first person to get such a "surprise"—Danzo had previously gotten a similar "gift" from Yamato.
Naruto sidled over to look at the bottle in Sasuke's hand and burst out laughing. "Haha, Sasuke, that's definitely worse than my prize!"
Sasuke ignored him, thinking privately: If you can't collect that IOU, it's no better than scrap.
When Sasuke refused to engage, Naruto turned to Neji, grinning widely. "Neji, what did you get?"
Neji, having been absorbed in watching, still hadn't scratched his. Spurred by Naruto's question, he finally did.
[Green Spandex Suit x1!]
In the next instant, he found himself holding a green bodysuit identical to Might Guy's and Lee's.
Neji: (O_O)???
He stared at the suit, frantically rejecting it in his mind: What the heck kind of reward is this?! I'm not wearing something like that!
Lee, by contrast, leapt up in excitement. "Neji! You finally got your own green jumpsuit! This is the symbol of youth!"
Neji quickly thrust the suit into Lee's hands. "Lee, I'm giving it to you. That style's really not my thing."
Lee took the suit, tears of gratitude in his eyes. "Neji, you really are a true friend!"
Neji managed a forced smile, feeling relieved. At least I got rid of it. Otherwise it'd just gather dust at home.
When Tenten's turn came, everyone's gaze fell on her. She felt a bit nervous, especially after seeing Neji get that "fashion nightmare." She took a deep breath and scratched.
[Shuriken x100!]
Tenten: (〃'▽'〃)
Seeing that, she almost jumped for joy—her luck was off the charts! Not only had she avoided the green jumpsuit, she'd scored 100 shuriken in one go, exactly what she needed.
Naruto and the group: (O_O)???
They were thoroughly stunned. Usually, whenever they pulled ninja tools, the quantity rarely broke two digits. Tenten had nabbed 100 shuriken outright. Her luck was practically unreal. Of course, they had no idea that for Tenten—someone who could randomly find a Sage-of-Six-Paths treasure while stepping outside—this was merely "a minor display."
After the scratching ended, Senshi cleared his throat and spoke to the group. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be on your own for these missions. I'll leave Wood Clones in various black markets across the Land of Fire—if something urgent happens, you can contact me through them. Tomorrow morning, I'll be taking Karin and the rest back to Amegakure."
Kakashi felt some regret upon hearing that. Although Team Guy had joined Senshi's mercenary group, Konoha still had a bunch of other shinobi waiting to "sign up." Granted, each one had to pay a ten-million-ryō training fee, but it was definitely worth it. Unfortunately, Senshi was about to return to Ame. If any more Konoha ninjas wanted to join, they wouldn't have a chance unless they personally traveled all the way to Ame to negotiate.
Naruto and his friends looked disappointed too. Even if Wood Clones remained to help, they still wanted to do tasks together with Senshi. Team Guy hadn't expected him to leave so soon either. Lee couldn't help asking, "Lord Senshi, can't you stay a bit longer?"
Senshi just smiled. "I've stayed in Konoha long enough this time. I need to go back and check on Ame. After I leave, keep working at those missions and raising your strength."
Everyone nodded in response, promising they'd do their best. Then Senshi and Kakashi's team parted ways with the black market, heading back to Konoha. With the day's tasks done, they needed rest before the next round of mission-farming. But from tomorrow onward, they'd have to rely on themselves, without Senshi "carrying" them.
Early the next morning, Senshi accepted an escort job and told the caravan to stop near Konoha. Next, he used the Kāma's spatial transmission to grab Karin's six little companions one by one.
When Karin arrived—hands on hips, cheeks puffed out—she complained, "Senshi, I was about to pick up another mission. Why'd you drag me away?"
Senshi reached out and ruffled her hair. "Karin, we're heading back to Ame. We'll come back to the Land of Fire's black markets to farm missions another time."
Hearing this, Karin nodded. They really had been away a while; she wanted to return and check on Ame too.
Next, Senshi pulled Mūsen over—only to find that Mūsen seemed to have followed in Karin's footsteps, with a little box in his pocket crammed full of scratch-off cards.
Senshi said to him wryly, "Mūsen, you're copying Karin now? Hoarding scratch cards too?"
Mūsen glanced at the small box in his pocket and replied seriously, "Lord Senshi, this was a well-thought-out decision. I heard from Naruto and Sasuke that you once taught them, 'Concealing your strength is the greatest way to win.' These scratch cards grant me instant power once scratched, so I'm planning to keep them as a trump card, using them one by one when it really counts!"
Senshi: "…(O_O)??"
He was left speechless. Indeed, those words had come from him once, but he'd only been messing with Naruto and Sasuke. It never occurred to him they'd pass it on to Mūsen, who would take it so seriously.
Seeing Mūsen so earnest, Senshi felt a headache coming on. Still, it wasn't a big deal—Mūsen said he'd scratch them gradually, not do some crazy "100-in-a-row" spree like Karin might.
Slightly relieved, Senshi continued using Kāma to grab Lanyu, Lanwu, plus the siblings Yukika and Hayate.
When they all arrived, they looked around in confusion. Raimon Hayate peered about warily, asking in a hush, "Headmaster, did something happen in Konoha? Are we secretly fleeing? If someone has to stay and cover our retreat, I can do it!"
Senshi: (⊙_⊙)???
He stared, internally complaining, What's with the weird thought process each of these kids has?
Before he could say anything, Yukika bopped her brother on the head, exasperated. "If you can't say anything worthwhile, keep your mouth shut! Like Headmaster would stir up trouble in Konoha? Even if he did, he sure wouldn't need to run away!"
Compared to Mūsen and Hayate, Yukika, Lanyu, and Lanwu were far more normal. Lanyu glanced at the caravan not far away and calmly asked, "Lord Senshi, so we're heading back to Ame now?"
Senshi nodded. "Yep." Then he clapped his hands. "Wood Release: Wood Clone!"
The moment he finished, a bunch of Wood Clones sprouted from the ground—a rather grand sight.
He told them, "Whatever mission requests you haven't finished yet, hand them over to my Wood Clones. We're returning to Ame now. We can always come back to the black markets in the Land of Fire later."
Karin and the group handed in their mission papers to the Wood Clones. Finally, they all boarded the last two wagons of the caravan, starting the trek back to Ame.
With Ame's rapid development and its growing alliance, trade between Konoha and Ame had become increasingly frequent. This caravan knew the route like the back of their hand, moving quickly—clearly led by well-seasoned veterans.
Meanwhile, in a dim underground space, Zetsu—looking like a pitcher plant—was ambling slowly forward. Half black and half white, his body resembled a walking Oreo cookie, extremely distinctive. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were still chattering to each other.
Black Zetsu was the "child" of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, while White Zetsu's origin was more complicated: they were ancient humans who had fallen victim to the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Madara had always believed Black Zetsu was the product of his own consciousness upon awakening the Rinnegan and that White Zetsu was a bio-creation grown from Hashirama's cells, naïvely convinced they would always be loyal to him as their "creator."
But that wasn't reality: White Zetsu answered to Black, and Black had been using Madara all along.
Right then, White Zetsu teased, "It's about time, huh? We should go find that guy now, right?"
Black Zetsu replied firmly, "Yes. Everything's ready. Time to go see that lord. But watch yourself—don't blab anything reckless when we meet him and ruin it."
White Zetsu let out a snort. "I'm not in the mood for talking anyway!"
As they spoke, their pitcher-plant body merged slowly into the rock. They were heading to see "that lord," who was none other than Senshi.
At the same time, along the main road from Konoha to Ame, the caravan Senshi was escorting was traveling swiftly. They'd already left Konoha some distance behind, making for the border of the Land of Fire.
After moving along for a while, Karin suddenly frowned and said to Senshi, "Senshi, there's someone following us!"
Yukika and Hayate, riding in the same wagon with Senshi, were shocked. Who would dare trail the Headmaster?
But after Karin said that, Senshi remained casual. "Ignore him. Let's see what he's up to."
In fact, Senshi had noticed someone tailing them quite some time ago. What he didn't know was precisely what Zetsu wanted by following so closely.
…
In the distant trees, Zetsu was lurking stealthily, unaware that Senshi and Karin had spotted him the moment he showed himself. He'd spent quite a while observing in the woods, finally resolving to approach Senshi to discuss a "big mission."
Slipping toward the caravan, Zetsu's movements were already pinned by Karin's Mind's Eye of the Kagura. She immediately warned, "Senshi, that guy's coming closer!"
Senshi nodded lazily. "Don't worry, I saw him ages ago."
While he looked completely at ease, Yukika and Hayate felt tense. They glanced left and right and still didn't see or sense anything off. Just as they were eyeing the area in wary confusion, a half-black-half-white figure covered in a pitcher-plant-like shell stuck half of itself through the wagon wall.
Yukika: (O_O)???
Hayate: (O_O)???
Though they lived in Ame, they'd never seen such a "bizarre species." Karin, though, only watched the odd figure curiously.
Senshi remained slouched against the wagon side, making a sarcastic comment, "Yo, isn't this Zetsu? What do you need from me? Don't tell me you want me to rescue your mother?"
Zetsu: (O_O)???
He froze, stunned. He'd prepared a whole spiel to request a mission from Senshi, yet before he could speak, Senshi guessed it outright. And more importantly, no one else was supposed to know about this – not even the Sage of Six Paths or Uchiha Madara.
Zetsu marveled inwardly, Senshi's intelligence was insane! The entire ninja world is transparent to him!
But once he got over the shock, a gleeful feeling rose— the stronger Senshi was, the better Zetsu's odds of saving his mother. So he chuckled. "As expected of Lord Senshi; nothing gets by you. Yes, that's exactly why I came."
Senshi: (O_O)???
He had only been joking, never thinking Zetsu would be dead serious. Senshi said, half-laughing, "Zetsu-kun, I was just tossing out a comment. You really mean it?"
Seeing Senshi's playful tone, Zetsu felt uneasy. Even if Senshi had extraordinary methods, saving his mother wouldn't be easy. He couldn't help asking, "Lord Senshi… does that even mean you aren't fully confident about this task?"
Senshi perked up. "Zetsu-kun, you must know how difficult this mission is, right? More importantly, do you have enough money to hire me for it?"
Zetsu exhaled a little in relief. A minute ago, he'd worried that maybe even Senshi couldn't do it, which would mean real trouble. But it sounded like the real question wasn't Senshi's capability but whether Zetsu had enough money. Compared to being outright impossible, having to pay more was hardly a problem—worst case, he just needed to gather even more treasure.
Of course, Senshi had no clue about all the sums Zetsu might have. From his perspective, there was no way Zetsu had that much money for such an "ultimate mission."
While Senshi was thinking that, Zetsu spoke again, now in a respectful tone: "Lord Senshi, might we speak in private?"
Saving his mother was no trivial matter; he wouldn't want too many people finding out. Plus, the treasure he'd painstakingly collected wasn't right here—Senshi needed to see it himself. Zetsu also didn't know how much it might be worth.
Senshi: (O_O)???
This formal request had him momentarily at a loss. So he really does have a plan to talk to me about this mission? He was intrigued by how prepared Zetsu was and how much he could pay.
So Senshi nodded and told Karin and the others, "I'll leave one Wood Clone behind with the caravan. You guys keep going with them while I step aside with Zetsu to discuss a job."
Karin and the Raimon siblings nodded agreeably. Senshi left a Wood Clone, then followed Zetsu off. Zetsu was still thinking about how to get Senshi deep below the Mountain Graveyard quickly, when he witnessed something that shocked him:
Zetsu: (O_O)???
He was dumbfounded—Senshi was performing the Hiding in Surface Technique, sinking leisurely into the ground!
Zetsu gaped, "Lord Senshi, you… you can do Hiding in Surface, too?"
Senshi slipped farther into the earth as he answered, "Yep. Let's go. Lead the way."
He'd known the jutsu forever, just never bothered using it. At his words, Zetsu hurriedly cast Hiding in Surface and sank underground, guiding Senshi swiftly through the depths. Not long afterward, they arrived in a huge subterranean cavern.
Protruding from the rock wall, Zetsu and Senshi peered into the vast empty space. Senshi glanced around casually, quipping, "Zetsu-kun, where have you dragged me now?"
Zetsu chuckled. "Lord Senshi, this is my secret base. But if the commission is high enough, are you truly able to rescue my mother?"
Senshi shrugged. "The mission itself isn't too big a deal, but can you really afford it?"
Hearing that, Zetsu was delighted, quickly gesturing, "This way, Lord Senshi. I've prepared a lot of treasure to pay you."
~~~
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