Still, what Senshi said was true—being the Sukuna Jinchūriki, having the Three-Tails wouldn't really help Kabuto.
After pondering for a moment, Kabuto said to Senshi, "Lord Senshi, I'd like to hire you for four hundred million ryō to help me obtain two of Sukuna's fingers."
Both Kabuto and Orochimaru understood Senshi's rule: every deal had to be carried out as a formal mission commission.
```
[Commission Accepted!]
[Client: Yakushi Kabuto]
[Mission Goal: Help Yakushi Kabuto acquire two of Sukuna's fingers!]
[Payment: 400 million ryō]
[Mission Rank: S-rank]
[Mission Reward: 400,000 Employment Points!]
```
Once the mission prompt appeared in his mind, Senshi was delighted—right now, Employment Points were what he needed most. As for the Sukuna fingers, he had no use for them anyway, so selling them off piecemeal to Kabuto suited him perfectly.
When Kabuto issued the commission, Senshi immediately took out two of Sukuna's fingers and handed them over. Kabuto then gave Senshi three one-hundred-million-ryō checks plus a sealing scroll.
Inside that scroll were heaps of money. All combined, it only came to a bit over one hundred million ryō in cash. It meant Kabuto had essentially emptied his entire treasury just to get these Sukuna fingers. Who knew how long he'd have to save up before he could buy more.
After Senshi stowed the neatly-counted money, he turned to Orochimaru. "So, Snake Bro—what about you? Something you want to buy?"
Orochimaru thought for a moment and said, "I've made some headway researching the Blacklight Virus. I've developed a new strain that can make summoned beasts mutate and grow stronger, and once they finish mutating, the virus within them loses its infectious qualities."
Hearing that, Senshi, without holding back, praised him: "Snake Bro, not bad at all. You've already accomplished so much."
It truly was a high-value piece of research.
After Senshi's praise, Orochimaru sighed. "But this technology is far from perfect, which results in those mutated summoning beasts going berserk. They become extremely powerful, but a normal summoning contract can't keep them under control. Can you fix that?"
Senshi certainly could fix it—he had drawn quite a few Momotarō Dumplings from his system, just perfect for the job. But he still shook his head at Orochimaru and said, "Snake Bro, that's tough to handle. Blacklight is already some seriously advanced stuff. Once a summoning beast is powered up and mutates due to Blacklight, it goes completely berserk, and controlling a berserk beast is practically impossible."
When Senshi said that, Orochimaru's brows knitted together. He'd botched things this time by applying his research results (originally done with normal snakes) to Manda.
After boosting Manda, it turned into a two-headed snake with greatly increased power. But once mutated, Manda fell into a permanent rampage. If Orochimaru tried summoning it, it might just attack him first.
Hearing Senshi say the problem was practically unsolvable gave him a serious headache: Manda was an important summon, and if possible, Orochimaru wanted to "save" it.
Senshi, of course, had no idea how precious that summon might be to Orochimaru—otherwise he might have mentioned that Sasuke would eventually "feed" Manda to Deidara's final art.
But at first, Orochimaru felt the problem was tough. Quickly, however, his eyes flickered with insight, and he said, "It's not easy, but not necessarily impossible, right?"
At this, Senshi grinned slyly. "Exactly, Snake Bro—that's the point."
Orochimaru felt a wave of exasperation. Senshi had just fleeced Kabuto for four hundred million, and now he wanted to squeeze Orochimaru next. Orochimaru wasn't only hoping to solve Manda's predicament—he also intended to purchase more high-end goods. He couldn't blow too much on this one issue.
After weighing his options, Orochimaru asked, "So, what's the method for controlling a rampaging summon beast?"
Senshi casually replied, "There's a highly unusual item in the shinobi world that, when used on a rampaging summon beast, can bring it fully under control."
Orochimaru asked directly, "How much for that item?"
This time, Senshi didn't name a price. Instead he said, "What I just mentioned is the legendary Momotarō Dumpling. Used correctly, it can tame any summon beast—not only that, it can even tame Tailed Beasts, among other things."
After hearing that, Orochimaru gave Senshi a look.
Senshi: (O_O)???
(What's up with that look, Snake Bro?)
Orochimaru caught himself, coughed lightly, and said, "So, Lord Senshi, how do I get these Momotarō Dumplings?"
Senshi still didn't reply straightforwardly; instead, he took out a Stone Mask, planning to bundle them together: three dumplings plus the Stone Mask for one billion ryō.
When Orochimaru caught sight of the mask, he frowned. "And what's this?"
In a jokingly cheerful tone, Senshi said, "Snake Bro, this is good stuff—supposedly the Stone Mask left behind by the Sage of Six Paths."
Upon hearing it was a relic of the Sage, Orochimaru and Kabuto both perked up with curiosity. If it truly belonged to the Sage, it was bound to be extraordinary. Still, Orochimaru asked skeptically, "Why haven't I heard anywhere that the Sage possessed such an artifact?"
At that, Senshi launched into a straight-faced, tall tale: "Snake Bro, there are many secrets in this world you don't know. And it's normal you've never heard of this. Let me explain: This Stone Mask is an evil shinobi tool that can transform an ordinary human into a sort of demonic 'vampire' creature. These 'vampires' possess terrifying physical prowess and can restore their youth by drinking blood."
Rattling on with a glib tongue, Senshi explained all the pros and cons of the Stone Mask. Orochimaru, upon hearing it all, fell silent.
The item's benefits and drawbacks were both quite stark: yes, it let an ordinary person achieve near-miraculous power, but they would no longer be able to act under sunlight unless further modified. Even so, it was incomplete and could be further researched.
Now the question remained: Stone Mask plus the Momotarō Dumplings—what was the total cost?
Senshi didn't leave him guessing and cut to the chase: "Snake Bro, here's the friendship price—one billion ryō for the Stone Mask. Plus I'll toss in three Momotarō Dumplings as a freebie. How's that sound?"
When Orochimaru heard "one billion," he nearly blacked out. A half-finished shinobi tool plus three dumplings for one billion ryō? Senshi could just rob him, but instead was orchestrating this elaborate "deal."
Orochimaru said nothing in agreement; the price was simply too high. True, he was raking in money swiftly these days, but there were still countless places to spend it. He refused to be this big a sucker.
Before Orochimaru could speak, however, Senshi added, "Snake Bro, I just did a quick calculation: business is business, friendship is friendship. At most, I'll give you one dumpling. Giving you three dumplings contradicts my business principles."
Orochimaru nearly spat out blood. He had already thought the earlier statement was outrageous, and now Senshi was reducing the free dumplings? This was beyond too much.
Putting on a serious face, Orochimaru argued, "Senshi, this isn't how you conduct business. One half-finished tool plus one dumpling—how could that be worth one billion ryō? Even with all three, it's absurdly, unreasonably high!"
Senshi listened calmly, then slowly displayed the Stone Mask and dumplings again. "Snake Bro, these items are top-tier. No one else in the entire ninja world has them but me. Not to mention: you still have no way of solving the Manda problem, right?"
That question Orochimaru did not answer. Not answering was an answer: if he had a solution, he wouldn't be asking Senshi for help in the first place. After a brief silence, Orochimaru stared at the Momotarō Dumplings and said, "So these dumplings really can tame a mutated, berserk Manda?"
Thumping his own chest, Senshi said, "Snake Bro, absolutely. Doesn't matter if it's Manda or anything else—if you manage to feed it to a Tailed Beast, you could even tame a Tailed Beast."
Orochimaru felt exasperated. He had zero reason to capture Tailed Beasts for fun, only for Senshi to resell them if the opportunity arose.
Plus the Blacklight research itself was brimming with possibilities. Right now, Manda merely gained a second head—who knew if it could reach three heads later? There was seemingly limitless potential combining Manda with Blacklight.
He'd just keep raising Manda. Having three dumplings, after all, meant three different summons could be safely mutated. And worst-case scenario, if they did go berserk, he could call Senshi again anyway.
With that realization, Orochimaru said resolutely, "Fine—a Stone Mask plus three dumplings for one billion ryō! If you only give me one dumpling, you aren't showing much sincerity in this deal."
He didn't push any further—based on previous experiences with Senshi, pushing harder just risked a bigger backlash. The original plan had indeed been Stone Mask plus three dumplings for one billion. Senshi had tried to shift that, but Orochimaru was unsure if Senshi would revert to that first proposal now.
"Deal!" Senshi promptly agreed, surprising Orochimaru immensely. Before the latter could protest, Senshi had already produced two additional dumplings for a total of three.
Orochimaru: (O_O)???
Seeing that rapid acquiescence, Orochimaru suspected he was being scammed again. Yet these items really did have value. He honestly couldn't tell if he was benefiting or losing out. Anyway, with plenty of capital on hand, there was no need to keep haggling. Orochimaru took out ten 100-million-ryō checks and handed them over:
"Senshi, I'll hire you for one billion ryō to acquire the Stone Mask ninja tool and three Momotarō Dumplings for me."
```
[Commission Accepted!]
[Client: Orochimaru]
[Mission Objective: Help Orochimaru get the Stone Mask and three Momotarō Dumplings!]
[Payment: 1 billion ryō]
[Mission Rank: S-rank]
[Mission Bonus: 1 million Employment Points!]
```
When the system message appeared, Senshi beamed so widely that his face practically folded in half. He had burned all his accumulated Employment Points on the lottery before, but in this cyclical ninja world economy—Orochimaru squeezes old men, Senshi squeezes Orochimaru, and old men squeeze money from random folks—everything ends up as Senshi's Employment Points eventually.
Having paid, Orochimaru then heard Senshi casually ask, "Snake Bro, want me to show you exactly how to use these dumplings and the Stone Mask, or shall I send a Wood Clone to offer guidance?"
"Definitely don't need that!" Orochimaru refused outright. Although Karin wasn't here this time, he still recalled the "mental scar" from dealing with them. Karin and Senshi had dared to demand a "Tail Beast Storage Fee" before, so next they'd certainly demand a "Consulting Fee." He'd already shelled out a billion—no way was he paying extra.
With that refusal, Senshi only said, "Alright then, Snake Bro—research them well. I'm telling you, the stuff you got is absolutely top-notch. Don't mind spending a billion; you definitely came out on top!"
Closing the deal with Orochimaru and Kabuto, Senshi waved goodbye. "Snake Bro, Kabuto Bro, start saving again. I've got tons more goodies, and you can call me anytime once you've got the money. Later!"
He activated the space-time power of his "Kāma," disappearing from the Root base. Next stop: capturing the Seven-Tails and Eight-Tails.
Once Obito and Madara earned enough money, he'd sell them these Tailed Beasts at a huge profit.
Senshi had a hunch his Advanced Lottery feature was nearly unlocked, so piling up Employment Points was critical. The more Tailed Beasts on hand, the easier to rake in giant commissions.
First up: Fū and the Seven-Tails, since she was right here in Amegakure. Then Killer B and the Eight-Tails.
At that moment, in Amegakure, Fū was assisting Kakuzu in running the place. In contrast to Senshi's expansive web across the ninja world, Amegakure was basically Kakuzu's home base.
Ever since fleeing Taki, if not for Ame and joining Akatsuki, Kakuzu wouldn't have brushed shoulders with Senshi. Indeed, Amegakure was his "launchpad." With Nagato incapacitated, Kakuzu, as acting leader, had to keep the village going.
Though Kakuzu was buried in paperwork, Fū—unable to make high-level decisions—spent much of her time relatively carefree, mixing in black market missions for consistent training.
She was consequently stronger than ever, to the point she didn't rely on her Tailed Beast at all. Having gotten so many scratch-card rewards, her ninjutsu repertoire, chakra reserves, taijutsu, genjutsu, and raw physical strength soared dramatically. Now her normal combat abilities alone were formidable, Tailed Beast or not.
The one shortcoming: she lacked a Bloodline Limit. After some thought, she decided to see Senshi about purchasing one.
Working with Kakuzu meant she earned plenty of money with few places to spend it; using it to power up further was obviously a wise move. Concluding this, Fū promptly sought out Senshi.
Senshi was just scheming how to snatch the Seven-Tails when Fū turned up. Even though she was practically delivering herself to him, he wouldn't try extracting the Tailed Beast here in broad daylight. Out of curiosity, he asked why Kakuzu's assistant wasn't busy but instead had come to him.
Looking at Senshi, Fū bowed respectfully. "Lord Senshi, I'd like to buy a Bloodline Limit that suits me."
Senshi: (O_O)???
Hearing that, Senshi's grin spread wide. Fū was truly ambitious, openly asking to buy a Bloodline to strengthen herself. If only more of his "rookies" thought that way, Employment Point shortages would be a thing of the past. Approvingly, he said, "Fū, that's exactly right! Buying a Bloodline to improve yourself is the best choice. Any preference?"
Without hesitation, Fū replied, "As long as it isn't a Wood Release!"
She'd heard rumors that Wood Release often made users a bit . . . dull. Observing that every Wood-Style user aside from Senshi himself acted somewhat "off," she was wary of turning "wooden" too.
Of course, it was just her personal assumption. Still, to be safe, she vetoed Wood Release entirely.
After that small condition, Senshi touched his chin. "Alright, I'll grant you the Crystal Release Bloodline."
"Crystal Release? Is it strong?" Fū was unfamiliar with it. She didn't recall anyone in the village who used it.
Senshi gave her a big thumbs-up, boasting: "Very strong! Snake Bro's top recommended Bloodline!"
(Crystal Release is used by Guren in canon, one of Orochimaru's potential vessel candidates, so calling it Orochimaru-approved wasn't completely baseless.)
Fū thought briefly, then asked, "So, Lord Senshi, how many ryō does it cost to get Crystal Release?"
If this were giving it to someone outside his circle, Senshi might have named a ridiculous price. But Fū was part of his mercenary group; every bit she leveled up would yield more Employment Points in the future.
So he'd charge only one hundred million ryō as a token sum. Yes, that's still a lot, but no outsider could buy a Bloodline so cheaply.
So Senshi told Fū casually, "One hundred million ryō to acquire Crystal Release."
Hearing the figure, Fū exhaled in relief. A hundred million was doable given how long she'd been saving. She nodded resolutely: "Lord Senshi, then I'll hire you for one hundred million. Please give me Crystal Release."
```
[Commission Accepted!]
[Client: Fū]
[Mission Objective: Grant Fū the Crystal Release Bloodline Limit!]
[Payment: 100 million ryō]
[Mission Rank: S-rank]
[Mission Bonus: 100,000 Employment Points!]
```
Seeing the bright anticipation on her face, Senshi reached out and lightly tapped her forehead, an Itachi-style poke (without paying him royalties).
Channeling the power into her, Senshi conferred the Crystal Release Bloodline. Instantly Fū felt the transformation, gaining full knowledge of how to wield Crystal Release. Realizing how versatile it was—equally good at offense, defense, and various applications—Fū leapt about Senshi's office in delight.
"Hurray! Now I've got a super-strong Bloodline too!"
After cheering for a while, she earnestly handed Senshi a single 100-million-ryō check. "Lord Senshi, thank you for granting me the Crystal Release."
Senshi accepted it happily and quipped, "Much obliged. Next time you want to get stronger, just come see me. I've got plenty more goodies—Crystal Release is only the appetizer."
Fū: (O_O)???
That statement made her big eyes sparkle. Under Kakuzu, she made money quickly, and she had nothing else to spend it on.
Putting it toward strengthening herself was the obvious choice. So from that moment on, Fū resolved to grind missions even harder. A virtuous cycle indeed!
As Senshi noted her determined gaze, he knew yet another ninja had stepped onto that endless road of "power-ups." Having acquired Crystal Release, Fū left his office. Senshi wouldn't wrest the Tailed Beast from her just yet; he'd do it quietly at night.
Fū, meanwhile, left the principal's office brimming with excitement, eager to test out her new Release. She soon found that she'd truly profited—Crystal Release was incredibly practical, able to attack, defend, restrain foes, and even assist traveling. Spending a while practicing in the Academy training yard, she quickly formed seals and invoked a jutsu:
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Scale Dragon Technique!"
"Roooar—!"
A reverberating dragon's roar echoed as a giant red crystal dragon rose from beneath Fū, lifting her into the air. This giant crystal dragon could fight or ferry her around. Fū dramatically soared out of the Academy on the dragon's head, drawing envious stares from dozens of young ninja.
A flurry of chatter broke out among the kids:
"Whoa, that's awesome! Who'd say no to riding a crystal dragon? But what's that jutsu called?"
"Once class ends, let's ask sensei if we can learn that, otherwise what's even the point of other jutsu!"
"Don't bother. Lady Fū obviously just went to see Principal Senshi and 'topped up her account.' She never showed anything like that before."
"What do you mean, 'top up'? The principal can grant Bloodlines or jutsu to others, but you probably need to pay up to get them, right?"
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!
Please check the 2 New Naruto Fanfic out Now!!!
— Part Time Teacher in Konoha
— Absolute Justice in Naruto