Kisame believed there was nothing wrong with his thinking. After all, this mission was led by Senshi.
Now that the mission wasn't complete and they left early, that, too, was Senshi's decision.
When they returned to the Akatsuki, Senshi himself would explain everything to Pain.
Some time later, the merchant caravan finally arrived near Amegakure.
Senshi's four-man team also stepped down from the caravan's carriage.
After reporting the mission, Senshi used a Wood-Style clone to notify Pain and Konan to meet in an open area near Amegakure.
Pain and Konan, of course, had no idea what Uzumaki Senshi was up to, but they still went over to the meeting spot.
In the clearing near Amegakure, Senshi, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Karin were all there.
They didn't wait very long before Konan and Pain descended from above.
Seeing the four of them, Pain and Konan were somewhat puzzled.
However, Pain trusted Senshi—after all, Senshi's missions had a 100% success rate.
Even though he wasn't sure what was going on this time, he assumed they must have captured the Three-Tails again, right?
Upon seeing Pain, Kisame shook his head and said, "Pain, we failed to capture the Three-Tails this time."
Pain and Konan were both surprised by this.
With Uzumaki Senshi's team of three (himself, Kisame, and Kakuzu), they should have no problem capturing even the Nine-Tails, let alone the Three-Tails.
Puzzled, Konan asked, "What happened? Did the ninja from Kirigakure discover you? Because of their interference, you couldn't bring the Three-Tails back?"
Kakuzu shook his head. "No, that's not the reason. Uzumaki Senshi is very powerful—he completely overwhelmed the Three-Tails Isobu. But after subduing it, he let Isobu go back into the lake instead of capturing it. So...our mission failed."
Pain blinked in surprise and turned to Senshi, asking, "What's going on? Did the mission really fail?"
He didn't think Uzumaki Senshi could fail under those circumstances.
Sure enough, Senshi gave a small laugh and said, "Who said the mission failed?"
Pain nodded. "Then where is the Three-Tails?"
That would make more sense—if all three of them went out and still failed to capture it, that would be truly incomprehensible.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Without delay, Senshi quickly formed hand signs and slapped his palms hard against the ground.
Boom!
A burst of smoke spread out, white mist rising. In the next second, the massive Three-Tails Isobu appeared before Pain and Konan.
Kakuzu, Kisame, and Karin, of course, all saw the Three-Tails again.
"Hmph!"
Summoned here, the Three-Tails was visibly sullen. The ground beneath it was all hard and rocky—is this really a place for a tailed beast to hang out?
Pain was taken aback by the scene before him. He hadn't expected that Senshi was already strong enough to forcibly sign a Summoning Contract with a tailed beast.
Konan's gaze at Senshi was also filled with surprise. She'd investigated and compiled the earliest intelligence on Senshi, so she was quite certain he hadn't been this powerful at the beginning. Yet he had grown unbelievably fast.
But that's natural: you reap what you sow. In the shinobi world, Senshi was a tireless "grinder." How could he not grow quickly? The so-called "Mission-killer" wasn't just an empty title.
Even though Senshi was there chatting with Pain, he still had numerous Wood-Style clones out doing missions all over—accepting tasks, completing them, turning them in—and even his newly acquired summoning beast, the ninja dog Kuro-maru, had joined the mission-taking ranks.
(When?)
Pain was delighted at the sight of the Three-Tails. He casually said, "Take the Three-Tails over to—"
Before he could finish, Senshi released the summoning. Pain's already cold expression grew even darker. "What is the meaning of this?"
Kisame and Kakuzu also looked at Senshi.
With a laugh, Senshi said, "Heh, relax, relax. I just need to use this tailed beast for a little while. Once I'm done, I'll send it over."
Pain's expression changed several times. So that's it. He'd been wondering why Uzumaki Senshi seemed so different this time—he hadn't even asked for the mission payout first.
Pain had given Senshi a contract mission to capture the Three-Tails, while Mui had given him a separate long-term contract. Senshi intended to take the Three-Tails to Mui first and milk that mission for all it was worth—he had already mapped out his plan.
After a moment of silence, Pain finally nodded. "Fine. Once you're done with the tailed beast, deliver it as soon as possible."
"No problem."
Senshi smiled and nodded, then took Karin and Kakuzu with him to head to Kusagakure.
Kusagakure is a village skilled at learning and research. Though they have no unique heritage of their own, they've learned many of the jutsu from other hidden villages. The reason they hadn't developed well is because they chose the wrong path.
They aren't like the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who had terrifying power, nor are they like Orochimaru with countless ways to save his own skin. They couldn't just experiment on others like Tobirama, Orochimaru, or later Kabuto.
What they really need to do is stay behind the scenes, focusing on studying, researching, and developing jutsu—not only jutsu, but ninja tools and shinobi-world technology as well. Ninja from Kusagakure can dabble in all of these fields. They can't let Orochimaru carry all the burden of advancing ninja tech alone.
This time, Senshi wanted to talk to Mui about that. On his last visit, he had helped Mui take care of Village Chief Chiya and the others. Now that Mui was calling the shots, Kusagakure's future direction was up to him.
Just thinking about unlocking another "Super Draw" soon made Senshi excited.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the gates of Kusagakure. Seeing who it was, a Kusagakure ninja approached respectfully.
"Lord Uzumaki Senshi, please come in."
Clearly, Mui had instructed them: if Uzumaki Senshi showed up, grant him direct access.
Senshi nodded, entered the village, and turned to the ninja to ask, "Where is Mui right now? Take me to him."
"Understood."
With that, the Kusagakure ninja led Senshi's three-man party toward Mui.
Now that the whole village was under Mui's control, it had achieved a certain degree of growth. Previously, Kusagakure was riddled with competing factions, with two main blocs known as "Kusa no Jitsu" and "Kusa no Hana" locked in a long-standing rivalry. Amid such infighting, everyone was too busy backstabbing each other to focus on real development, so the village naturally stagnated.
Thanks to Senshi's help, Mui ended up capturing the leader Chiya and Elder Guima all at once. With no more sinister plots and power struggles going on behind the scenes, the village was already improving without needing much active management.
Under the Kusagakure ninja's guidance, Senshi and his group soon arrived at Mui's office. For smaller villages like Kusagakure, there's usually no official "Kage," but Mui was so powerful and firmly in charge that he was effectively a shadow leader—an unofficial "Kage."
Seeing Senshi and the other two enter the office, Mui was clearly surprised.
"Lord Senshi, did something happen?"
He couldn't figure out why Senshi had come to Kusagakure. He'd already worked out the village's collaboration with Amegakure using a Wood-Style clone sent to negotiate with Konan. So what else could be on Senshi's mind?
Senshi gave a cryptic smile. "The commission you gave me before is finished!"
"What?!"
Mui shot to his feet, staring at Senshi in disbelief.
"You've already done it? That fast? It hasn't even been that long! Are tailed beasts really that easy to catch?"
Mui had been pursuing this goal for who-knows-how-long, and Senshi just got it done in no time. He couldn't help being astonished by Senshi's efficiency. He'd half-expected it might take at least five years for Senshi to complete this long-term commission. Yet here they were, not even a month in, and Senshi had done it.
Faced with Mui's incredulous look, Senshi merely nodded without hesitation. If the tailed beast had a Jinchuriki host, it might've been trickier, since those shinobi are heavily guarded. But the Three-Tails Isobu, roaming solo, was basically low-hanging fruit.
Senshi went on, "So, is the site prepared? The tailed beast is massive, so you'll need enough space to accommodate it."
Tailed beasts, being pure chakra entities, can adjust their size. But Isobu didn't seem too bright, and Senshi didn't feel like negotiating with it. Besides, Isobu was forced into a summoning contract against its will and clearly wouldn't cooperate.
Mui nodded at once. "Lord Senshi, please follow me. I've prepared everything."
"Lead the way," Senshi said.
As they walked, Senshi noticed that the general mood in Kusagakure was noticeably better than last time. Remembering Mui's storyline in the original series, Senshi sighed inwardly. Mui wasn't exactly like Danzo—he was just blinded by his own obsessions.
Senshi couldn't help remarking, "Before you begin, Mui, I have to tell you something. That ninja tool might not be able to fulfill your wish."
Hearing this, Mui suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, he continued forward. "According to Kusagakure's records, the Box of Ultimate Bliss was a treasure of the Sage of Six Paths. All it requires is a massive amount of chakra to open. Once opened, it can grant a single wish. Long ago, Kusagakure nearly dominated the ninja world thanks to that box."
Mui did trust Senshi, but he also trusted the village's recorded history. He had no reason to doubt such ancient writings.
Senshi shook his head. "I'm not sure why Kusagakure has those records, but once the Box of Ultimate Bliss is opened, it won't grant any wish. All it brings is destruction and terror."
~~~
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