After the bounty station manager carefully examined the bodies, Shinju successfully received a payment of 135 million!
When the manager handed over that massive note, Shinju's eyes went wide!
(´◊ω◊｀)
This was way more than he'd earn playing bodyguard for a daimyo!
After pocketing the note, Shinju turned and asked,
"By the way, you only need their bodies, right? The clothes and accessories they had—can I take those?"
The manager nodded.
Shinju quickly went back inside, stripped the cloaks off the two, and also slipped the rings from their fingers.
Once he was done, Shinju, fully satisfied, left with Naruto and Yugito.
...
Walking down the streets of the Land of Demons, Yugito felt like she was in some kind of dream.
First she was ambushed by Akatsuki. She thought she was in control of the fight, but ended up on the losing end... Then, out of nowhere, the legendary prodigy from Konoha appeared, struck down the two Akatsuki monsters with overwhelming power, and saved her.
Yugito turned, staring blankly at Shinju's flawless profile.
Could this guy really be the answer from heaven to make up for her twenty years of being single?!
Noticing Yugito's odd expression, Shinju asked,
"Do I have something on my face?"
Yugito said, "No, just... your skin looks a little dry."
Shinju nodded.
"Yeah, I guess so. Always being out on missions, facing the wind and sun—dry skin's normal."
Then, suddenly, Shinju leaned closer, studying her skin carefully.
At such close range, Yugito could even feel the warmth of his breath!
His fresh, youthful scent lingered at her nose, and her heart started pounding wildly...
(´つヮ⊂︎)
Are all Konoha brats this forward?!
After a long look, Shinju said,
"Your skin's actually really good. What kind of skincare do you use?"
Yugito: "....."
...
Land of Lightning.
The ruins where Shinju had fought Kakuzu and Hidan.
From underground, Zetsu emerged.
Glancing over the wreckage, he sighed.
"The Two-Tails capture failed... and the immortal duo actually died at that boy's hands..."
...
Somewhere in the Land of Water, at one of Orochimaru's hideouts.
At this moment, Orochimaru, his hands purple and black, lay weakly on a hospital bed.
Kabuto was beside him, adjusting various instruments.
On the day Orochimaru fled Konoha, the Third Hokage had pursued him relentlessly.
They fought a brutal battle.
In the end, though Orochimaru barely managed to escape with his life, the Third Hokage sealed both of his arms with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal!
With his arms ruined, Orochimaru couldn't conduct experiments, couldn't perform ninjutsu, and couldn't even move his arms freely!
It was worse than death!
Lying on the operating table, Orochimaru cursed in pain and fury,
"Damn that old man! Even in dying, he had to drag me down with him!"
"This body's arms are useless now. Kabuto, I'll need a new vessel!"
"How's Sasuke?"
Kabuto replied, "He still only has the three-tomoe. Opening the Mangekyō Sharingan is extremely difficult..."
Orochimaru sighed.
"Sasuke is indeed a rare genius, but... he still falls short."
Kabuto, with a trace of jealousy, asked,
"Orochimaru-sama still can't let go of Shinju, can you?"
In the base, aside from ninjutsu, Shinju was the name Orochimaru mentioned most often.
His desire for Shinju's body had already reached an obsession!
"That perfect body... how could I possibly give it up so easily—"
Before he could finish, agony shot through Orochimaru's arms!
The pain was so great that even someone with his willpower couldn't help but cry out!
When the wave of pain finally passed, Orochimaru panted heavily, his face pale.
"We have to perform Living Corpse Reincarnation as soon as possible."
"If it comes down to it... bring me that woman. Her kekkei genkai will do."
Kabuto nodded immediately.
"Understood."
...
Land of Lightning, the Raikage's office.
Shinju, with Yugito and Naruto, knocked and entered.
Last time he had secretly placed a Flying Thunder God seal in the corner of the Raikage's office, just to make travel easier.
But after what happened in Sunagakure, he didn't dare recklessly teleport straight into another Kage's office.
Besides, Shinju could already sense the hostility Kumogakure had toward him. It wasn't time yet to expose that hidden seal.
When the Raikage saw Yugito safe and sound before him, his face broke into a huge grin.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you, Shinju. You're truly remarkable."
As he spoke, his massive right hand moved to clap Shinju on the shoulder.
Shinju casually sidestepped.
"Heh, Kumogakure and Konoha are allies. Helping an ally is only natural."
"Raikage-sama, about the reward we discussed earlier..."
A, still in high spirits, waved his hand.
A ninja attendant stepped forward, presenting a tray piled with money.
Having just received over a hundred million, Shinju wasn't fazed in the slightest by the tens of millions before him.
He calmly collected the notes and nodded in thanks.
The Raikage waved.
"This time, thanks to you two boys, Kumogakure and Konoha's alliance has been greatly strengthened. On behalf of Kumogakure's leadership, I award you both the Peace Medal of Kumogakure."
He handed over two exquisitely crafted medals.
Shinju knew this was just surface-level showmanship meant for Konoha's eyes, but he smiled and accepted them anyway.
After some brief polite words, Shinju added,
"Akatsuki won't give up collecting Tailed Beasts. Kumogakure's two jinchūriki should remain cautious."
The Raikage nodded solemnly.
Afterward, Shinju left Kumogakure with Naruto.
On the road, Shinju pulled out a thick stack of notes and handed it to Naruto.
"Here, take it. (o´Д`o)ノ"
Naruto: ⊙▽⊙
Even though Shinju gave it so casually, Naruto knew this stack had to be worth at least tens of millions!
Officially, they had done the mission together, but in reality, Naruto hadn't contributed at all to the fight...
"Just take it. Between us, no need to be formal."
Seeing Naruto hesitate, Shinju simply shoved the money into his hands.
Naruto, touched, nodded and accepted it.
Under the setting sun, the two walked side by side, their shadows stretched long.
"So where are we going next?" Naruto asked.
Shinju fell silent.
Truthfully, he hadn't thought that far ahead...
After a moment, he pulled out three rings from nowhere.
They bore the characters "North," "Sphere," and "Three," belonging to Kakuzu, Sasori, and Hidan.
Shinju spoke.
"First, let's go ask Killer B about Tailed Beast training."
"After that, we'll head to Amegakure."
"Last time we returned to Konoha, Tsunade-sensei mentioned Jiraiya-sensei went there to gather intel."
"If we go, maybe we can help him out."
Naruto nodded.
"Alright, wherever you go, I'll follow. ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)"
Just then, as they were talking, the three rings in Shinju's hand suddenly emitted a strange chakra!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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