Mui wanted to draw a Tailed Beast's chakra in order to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
And as for Pain, he never specified whether he needed a plump, well-fed Tailed Beast or a malnourished Tailed Beast.
Neither Pain nor Konan could possibly anticipate just how "toxic" Uzumaki Senshi could be!
After spending a stretch of time alongside him, Kakuzu had become severely sleep-deprived and malnourished, his body in a bad state. That was bad enough, but now—
They were supposed to capture a Tailed Beast, yet Senshi might even starve the Tailed Beast!
Both Kisame and Kakuzu exhaled in relief when they heard Senshi speak.
They had been very worried that this "brother" of theirs would get carried away, go off feasting, and forget the assignment from their organization. They were even more worried that he might get blinded by a woman's charms, and then they'd have to report to Pain:
"This is a big problem! Our pal Senshi got caught up in lust and can't be trusted."
Luckily, the worst never happened—Senshi was perfectly clear-headed, bursting with confidence. Other than being slightly torn about whether or not to attend the banquet, he hadn't slacked off at all in his dedication to the mission!
Clapping Kisame's shoulder, Senshi said:
"Lead the way. There's a very large lake around the Kirigakure. Our target's lurking there."
Kisame: "???"
Kakuzu: "???"
Terumi Mei: "???"
And Gonbee's trio: "???"
With just one offhand line, Senshi threw six people into utter confusion.
Kisame really wanted to say, Dude, do you actually not even know where the Three-Tails is? You boasted to Pain you knew there was a lone Tailed Beast around here that you could easily reel in.
Kisame's lips twitched, and he couldn't resist speaking:
"Near the Kiri, there's basically nothing but lakes. I can take you to whichever sort of lake you want, but out of all those lakes, I've got no idea which one has our target."
Senshi grew annoyed: "Then what good are you?"
In his squad, nobody could just loaf around!
- Karin's role in the group was support, scouting, emotional pick-me-up, plus serving as a human adding machine for counting money.
- Kakuzu was the "century-old establishment and golden brand" at the black market, helping them accept missions. If necessary, he could be a secondary "DPS," plus the secondary money-counter.
- Kisame, however, didn't even know which particular lake among those near the Kiri held the Three-Tails; did that mean he was of no use?
…
Meanwhile:
Swish-swish-swish…
Kondō No led a team of Blood Mist shinobi, repeatedly using the Body Flicker Technique to rush along.
As they traveled, one of the ninjas, sounding anxious, piped up:
"Lord Kondō No, are we really doing this? If the Three-Tails goes on a rampage, the village will suffer too!"
Kondō No shot him a cold look:
"Our faction's influence in the village is continuously weakening. So… I'd rather make a misstep than do nothing at all. We'll provoke the Three-Tails into rampaging. Once Genji and the others are powerless to handle its rage, we'll appear, use our secret arts to subdue the beast, and return it to the lake. Then, once again, the Blood Mist shinobi shall be heroes who saved the village. In the Kirigakure, only the Blood Mist can act as saviors!"
All of Kondō No's conversation with these Blood Mist shinobi fell under Uzumaki Senshi's "Mantra."
He realized that even combined, Hōzuki Getsuki, Kokū Tachii, and Kondō Ryū didn't have the knack for scheming that Kondō No had.
The man's spur-of-the-moment plan was on a wholly different level from those three spinning tops.
Truly splendid, no further words needed!
This was Uzumaki Senshi's evaluation of Kondō No:
"The Kirigakure, with a talent like him, will always keep me busy with new missions."
Kondō No spontaneously produced such a big drama—just imagine what he could do with proper planning. The village's fresh wave of chaos would definitely yield fresh commissions.
Noting Kondō No's scheme, Senshi offhandedly said to the people around him:
"Come with me—I know where our target is now.
Everything is going according to plan!"
Kisame and the others all exchanged looks.
"What do you mean 'according to plan'? This is definitely off script!"
All of them were sure that Senshi had no real idea where the Three-Tails was.
Kisame and Terumi Mei's group immediately followed Senshi, flickering along at high speed.
Kisame's side needed to capture the Three-Tails; Terumi Mei and her allies wanted to keep an eye on them, to see what they were up to.
After traveling for a while, they spotted Kondō No and his subordinates.
Senshi's voice rang out to the group:
"Kondō No's team plans to use a secret technique to push the Three-Tails into a frenzy and wreck the village. Terumi Mei, do you want to handle them yourselves, or hire me?"
By now, Senshi was more and more adept at "double-dipping" or even "triple-dipping."
Given that Tailed Beasts were the ultimate weapons of the Great Nations, anything to do with them was always a huge deal.
While rushing onward, Terumi Mei asked in a panic:
"Is there still time to stop them?"
Senshi shook his head:
"Looks like it's too late."
Elsewhere, Kondō No's four-man group reached a giant lake's surface.
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
They molded chakra at their feet, standing firmly on the water, then quickly formed hand seals in unison and slammed their hands onto the lake:
Boom!
The entire lake trembled at that moment.
Soon, a fearsome, violent aura began surging from the depths up toward the surface.
A vicious grin spread across Kondō No's face:
"The show's about to start—let's go!"
With that, he and his three companions disappeared via Body Flicker.
What had been a serene lake, tranquil for who knew how long, was now roiling and boiling.
Crash—
Splaaash!
Wave after wave pounded the shoreline. It was as if the lake had turned into a goblet of wine in someone's shaking hand.
Rumble…
Even the earth began to quake with a deep roar.
Next moment, a savage aura erupted skyward from the lakebed.
Boom—
Countless columns of water sprang up. A massive, gray, turtle-shaped Tailed Beast rose from the bottom.
Its enormous body was covered in drab gray scales, with three long tails extending behind it.
That Beast was the Kiri's formidable Tailed Beast weapon: the Three-Tails, Isobu!
This upheaval was soon noticed by the entire Kirigakure, and a large number of its shinobi raced to the scene.
Naturally, Terumi Mei's group, being the fastest, arrived first.
Seeing the Three-Tails, extremely agitated as it emerged from the lake, Terumi Mei felt despair.
Right now, the Kiri simply lacked the firepower to handle the Three-Tails. Maybe in the end the Blood Mist faction would come "save the day," but who knew how many villagers would die in the meantime?
With no other recourse, Terumi Mei turned to Uzumaki Senshi to commission him to subdue the rampaging Tailed Beast:
"If we hire you, how do you plan on dealing with it?"
Senshi casually answered:
"I'll knock out the Three-Tails and force it back into this lake."
Terumi Mei nodded:
"Alright. On behalf of the Kiri, we'll pay you 10 million ryō to subdue the Three-Tails, prevent it from ravaging the village, and drive it back under the lake."
```
[New Commission Detected!]
[Client: Kirigakure]
[Objective: Subdue the Three-Tails, stop the rampaging Beast from destroying the village, and return it to the lakebed.]
[Reward: 10,000,000 ryō]
[Mission Rank: S]
[Mission Bonus: 10,000 Employment Points]
Senshi inwardly grinned upon receiving the new commission. This marked yet another "triple-dip."
- Akatsuki needed a Tailed Beast.
- Mui wanted a Tailed Beast's chakra.
- Terumi Mei needed him to subdue the Three-Tails.
He could fulfill all three tasks simultaneously.
After Terumi Mei announced the mission, Senshi beamed:
"With pleasure. But have your Kiri shinobi step back."
At this time, a large number of Kiri ninjas—undaunted—were attempting to hold off the Three-Tails. Though courageous, their strength couldn't possibly stop a rampaging Tailed Beast.
Hearing Senshi's words, Terumi Mei quickly barked:
"Everyone, withdraw immediately! Help evacuate the villagers nearby—do not stay here!"
Those words had effect: many Kiri ninjas departed at once. Others insisted,
"We'll stay to block the Three-Tails. The rest of you follow Lady Terumi Mei's orders."
Seeing some leave and some remain, all prepared for the worst, left Terumi Mei furious.
Their jutsu wasn't even on par with little fireballs from the Uchiha Clan, yet they truly believed they could block the Three-Tails?
Nevertheless, these stalwarts began frantically weaving seals:
"Water Release: Water Collision Wave!"
Splash, sploosh—
Swoosh, swoosh!
Dozens of ninjas cast the technique simultaneously—impressive in scope.
A surge of huge water waves formed. Rushing swiftly, they barely soaked the Three-Tails' forepaws.
Isobu: "???"
Even in a berserk state, the beast seemed puzzled. Was that an attack? I didn't feel anything…
Seeing it pause, the Kiri shinobi on shore got excited:
"It's working!"
"Again! Again!"
"Keep Isobu away from the village!"
"Water Release: Water Collision Wave!"
Those dozens of Kiri ninjas were all pumped up.
Terumi Mei, however, had a face dark as thunder. What's effective about that?
Sure enough, the monstrous Three-Tails advanced, barreling through their endless watery surges.
Against Isobu, their ninjutsu was mere scratching.
Once more, Terumi Mei shouted:
"Retreat! All of you, move back now!"
Gonbee likewise bellowed:
"Get out of here! Hurry!"
~~~
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