Chapter 7: The Iron-Boned Ninja Who Can Sell an Entire Village with a Single Mission

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Hearing how Shiki Uzumaki shamelessly boasted before him that his mission success rate was one hundred percent, Kakuzu felt an intense urge to bang his head hard against Shiki’s face. If it weren’t for Shiki’s interference, his last mission wouldn’t have failed.

Upon realizing that Kakuzu and Orochimaru were not there to hire him, Shiki’s smile vanished as he straightened up.

“Bah!”

Spitting contemptuously right in front of Kakuzu, Shiki sneered, “No job, no job—why are you blocking your old man’s way?”

He shook off Kakuzu’s right hand and casually wiped it on Orochimaru’s sleeve.

“What a waste of time!”

This action caused Orochimaru’s mouth to twitch several times.

“You bastard!”

He was almost tempted to draw his Kusanagi sword the next moment and pierce Shiki’s head through and through.

Kakuzu raised his hand, signaling Orochimaru to stay calm. Shiki was no trivial opponent to be trifled with; there was no need to escalate a conflict over such a minor issue.

Kakuzu turned to Shiki and said, “Though we have no mission to hire you for, …”

Unexpectedly, Shiki turned on his heel and walked away, clearly uninterested in listening. If there was no offer for employment, why waste time hanging around?

Time was mission!

Until he became powerful enough to fend off alien invasions and ensure survival, he prioritized mercenary missions, constantly grinding to grow stronger!

The mercenary system’s most incredible feature was its near-limitless capacity to develop ninjutsu. Many jutsus might not be high-ranking initially, but with the system’s continuous development and refinement, their power grew formidable.

Moreover, his chakra reserves and physical strength could be steadily enhanced. He felt that as long as he kept grinding, one day he might become an immortal sage—not like the sages of the Hidden Leaf, but something beyond.

As Shiki Uzumaki left with Karin, Kakuzu suddenly stepped in front of him again. Shiki stopped, his expression turning cold.

“Don’t take kindness for weakness, huh?”

Kakuzu glanced at the girl Karin was holding and said coldly, “You may go, but this little girl stays.”

“She’s nothing to do with your mission. She’s my target.”

Shiki tilted his head slightly and said, “Oh?”

The “oh” implied disbelief—how dare Kakuzu try to snatch someone from his grasp with such feeble skill?

Suddenly, blue electric sparks crackled around Shiki’s body. He was bathed in intense lightning chakra, poised to strike at any moment.

Without hesitation, Kakuzu stepped back swiftly to create distance, forming hand seals with both hands, ready to unleash ninjutsu!

Last time he encountered Shiki Uzumaki, his underestimation had cost him dearly. This time, once Shiki made a move, Kakuzu would give it his all.

“Swish—”

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Orochimaru’s hands rose instantly, preparing to form seals for a jutsu. Earlier, Shiki’s behavior had shown utter disregard for the renowned Three Ninja. Had Kakuzu not intervened, Orochimaru would have acted to teach Shiki a lesson.

In the Hidden Rain Village’s black market, the surrounding ninjas, witnessing the rising tension, immediately and without hesitation distanced themselves from the scene.

Ninjas who frequented the black market for years would know these two were formidable. Facing either alone was difficult; facing both simultaneously was dangerous even from the sidelines.

Shiki Uzumaki, a mercenary mission fanatic, was either executing a contract or on his way to pick one up. The most terrifying fact was that after all this time in the black market, his mission success rate was a perfect hundred percent.

No matter the mercenary job, he almost always completed it flawlessly.

The tension reached its peak. Many ninjas cautiously kept their distance, silently hoping for a resolution.

Unlike the others, Kakuzu’s gaze toward Shiki was laced with a new layer of wariness. Though his expression was hidden behind a mask, tumultuous thoughts surged within Kakuzu’s mind.

“How is this possible?”

“Only a few days have passed, yet his lightning chakra intensity has grown so much?”

Staring at the ready-to-strike Shiki, Kakuzu felt deep unease. Sensing the overwhelming lightning chakra emanating from Shiki, both Kakuzu and Orochimaru’s complexions shifted slightly.

Kakuzu studied Shiki intently, rapidly strategizing.

This guy was extremely dangerous! The bounty on this mission wasn’t high. It seemed unwise to fight such a perilous opponent for so little reward.

Furthermore, a brilliant idea surfaced in Kakuzu’s mind. Shiki was infamous in the black market for his obsession with missions and his unusual fixation on rewards.

If so, perhaps they truly shared common ground.

Why not invite Shiki to join the Akatsuki?

With this thought, Kakuzu cleared his throat.

“Shiki Uzumaki, I recognize your strength. Interested in joining Akatsuki?”

“Once in the organization, completing assigned missions guarantees a handsome monthly salary.”

Shiki rolled his eyes and, pulling Karin along as he left, casually retorted, “What small or big organization? No interest. Don’t come bother me while I’m grinding missions!”

Money held little meaning for him. He already earned more than he could spend from missions. What was the point of accumulating wealth? Strength was the foundation of existence.

However, something entirely unexpected happened!

[Long-Term Mercenary Mission Discovered!]
[Client: Kakuzu]
[Mission Objective: Kakuzu, on behalf of Akatsuki, acknowledges your strength.]
[Mission Reward: Upon acceptance, receive one Super Lottery draw! During long-term mission settlements, mercenary points earned will be doubled!]

Shiki had intended to ignore Kakuzu and Orochimaru but as soon as he took a step, the system bombarded him with notifications!

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Upon seeing the rewards offered by the system, Shiki was utterly stunned!

Damn, a Super Lottery? That was incredibly overpowered—a guaranteed SSS-rank reward lottery.

His talent, Heavenly Thunder, was the result of such a Super Lottery when he first bonded with the system’s newbie gift pack. It instantly boosted his affinity for lightning chakra to S-rank and greatly increased his chance of drawing lightning ninjutsu, hence its immense strength.

Now, he had a second Super Lottery?

Not to mention the mercenary points from this so-called long-term mission would be doubled upon settlement!

Who could resist that?

Without hesitation, Shiki spun a perfect 180-degree turn on the spot, beaming as he strode up to Kakuzu and grasped his hands firmly.

“Kaku-bro, you’re my bro now! Please, let me join Akatsuki!”

Worried Kakuzu might change his mind, Shiki winked and patted Kakuzu’s shoulder.

The dramatic reversal left Karin, Kakuzu, and Orochimaru dumbfounded.

Karin rubbed her forehead, utterly speechless at Shiki’s antics, unsure what to say.

Kakuzu and Orochimaru’s confusion and shock were no less profound.

Kakuzu couldn’t help but scrutinize Shiki once more.

Shiki was unpredictable and whimsical, his thought process unconventional and impossible to fathom by normal standards.

His abilities were exceptional, making him a standout even within Akatsuki.

Moreover, his “iron-willed ninja who’d sell out his village for a mission” personality suited Akatsuki perfectly.

Now that Shiki actively sought to join, it was definitely more advantageous than not.

After a brief hesitation, Kakuzu said, “Follow me. I’ll take you to meet the leader.”

Orochimaru had no objections to Kakuzu’s decision; he had his own plans and little interest in other matters.

Previously, Kakuzu worried Shiki might refuse to join Akatsuki. To him, the organization needed talents like Shiki now more than ever.

Still, Kakuzu felt some unease.

Akatsuki was notoriously secretive; its bases were unknown to outsiders, and the leader was almost entirely anonymous.

Yet Shiki was astonishingly knowledgeable. Not only did he know the leader was Nagato, but he also knew Akatsuki’s nearby base was the Hidden Rain Village’s high tower.

At this moment, Shiki confidently led the bewildered Karin toward the Hidden Rain Village high tower.

Kakuzu couldn’t help but wonder: was he a member of Akatsuki, or was Shiki?

Did Akatsuki hold any secrets for Shiki at all?

The answer was a resounding no.

Shiki knew everything Kakuzu knew about Akatsuki—and even things Kakuzu did not.

When Orochimaru witnessed this, a look of keen interest appeared in his eyes.

The notoriously mysterious Akatsuki held no secrets in Shiki Uzumaki’s eyes.