Although Reiki felt a strong urge to leave, he stayed put, knowing he couldn't afford to leave recklessly. If Kakuzu decided to turn on him, it could end here and now. He valued money, but not at the cost of his own life.
As Kakuzu pondered how to approach Reiki, a voice came from behind.
"You… have anything else to do here?"
"If not, you're free to go. But if you don't have any tasks lined up, perhaps you could take on one of mine," Reiki said as he began treating the ninjas who had been defeated by Kakuzu. Only one had died from having his heart torn out; the others were simply incapacitated. If left untreated, they would die, but Reiki wasn't about to let that happen just yet.
"Your mission?" Kakuzu was taken aback. To him, Reiki was just a medical ninja, albeit a peculiar one. He found it hard to believe that this boy could offer any task worth his time. How much could a mere chuunin afford?
"Exactly," Reiki continued. "We Konoha ninjas have missions to complete, and I'm sure the gold exchange has information on our missions. You have ways of knowing when Konoha shinobi are out on missions, don't you?"
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he listened. Every word made sense, but the way they connected left him puzzled.
"Can't follow?" Reiki asked, noticing Kakuzu's confusion.
"I understand… but I don't," Kakuzu muttered. "How do we price this?"
"It means I can hire you for interception or assassination based on mission ranks—Genin, Chuunin, Jonin—all for different rewards. And rest assured, I'll pay you more than the gold exchange rate," Reiki explained. "There's one condition: you bring me the target alive, not dead."
Kakuzu was silent for a moment. The idea intrigued him. He did have access to information about Konoha's ninjas and hired mercenaries, but this arrangement might limit his ability to accept other assassination jobs.
"Alright, I'm interested. But how do I contact you?" Kakuzu asked. Unlike the fixed locations at the gold exchange, Reiki wasn't stationed anywhere, and Kakuzu couldn't just show up at Konoha with his targets.
"Brother Minato, when's our next mission?" Reiki called out to Namikaze Minato.
"What?" Minato replied, puzzled. "After we get back, I'll rest for three days, then head out for another mission. Why?"
Reiki smirked. "Did you hear that?" he said, turning to Kakuzu. "About three days after we return to the village, we'll be heading out again. I'll give you specific contact details when the time comes. Until then, if you have targets, keep them on hold."
Reiki resumed treating the injured ninjas as Kakuzu, after considering for a moment, realized no one was paying him any attention. With a final look at Reiki, he disappeared into the forest, leaving the idea of their deal for later.
Within the hour, Reiki had treated all the injured ninjas.
"Why save us?" one of them asked, eyeing Reiki suspiciously. Their mission had been to take the heads of Konoha ninjas for bounty. Why would a Konoha ninja treat them?
"Save you?" Reiki snorted. "No, I'm not saving you. Brother Minato, they're all yours now."
Minato's lips curled into a smile as he tossed his kunai, marking the area for his Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Go!" One of the ninjas, sensing danger, used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
The other ninja hesitated for just a moment too long. In that instant, Minato appeared beside him, touching his body and applying the Flying Thunder God seal.
Minato disappeared in a flash and reappeared where the fleeing ninja was. The rest of the day was a nightmare for the captured ninjas.
By nightfall, the hired ninjas wished Reiki hadn't saved them at all. Minato, Choza, Kan, and Nozuki took turns using them for combat practice. Minato quickly escalated from handling two to four at a time. Choza and Kan, while not as quick, managed to take down their opponents in solo matches. And Nozuki, still a Chuunin, astounded everyone by holding her own against a Jonin.
Adding to their despair was Reiki, the perverted medical ninja who wouldn't let them die. No matter how injured they became, Reiki healed them enough for another round.
"Is it enough yet?" Choza asked, seeing the ashen faces of their opponents, who had lost all will to fight.
"Yeah, that's good," Minato nodded. "Rest up tonight. We'll head back to the village tomorrow."
"Understood," Reiki said with a smile, settling down.
Minato perched on a large branch, refining his chakra. With Kan on guard, the team could rest easy.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Minato made the call to abandon the hired ninjas and head back to the village. Some of these captives had affiliations with larger villages, and taking them back could spark diplomatic issues that weren't worth the trouble.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 450 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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