King of Giant Python

A Mutant Giant Python as thick as a buffalo's torso drew back the tail it had lashed against the cavern wall and slowly slithered up from the bottom of the Snake Cave. Even after climbing more than thirty meters to the top, nearly half its body remained beneath the water.

What shocked Kazuhiko Uchiha even more was that, after this Mutant Giant Python appeared, the others stopped writhing in a chaotic tangle and began crawling out of the Snake Cave in an orderly line behind it.

This was a Super Mutant Giant Python, very likely the king of the Mutant Giant Pythons.

Once he identified the King of Giant Python, Kazuhiko Uchiha decisively abandoned his plan to harvest the hundred-odd Blood Orchids remaining and ran in the opposite direction from the expedition team.

"Hiss-roar!"

Realizing that a large number of Blood Orchids had disappeared, the King of Giant Python let out a furious roar. Like a speeding train, he led the snakes in pursuit of Kazuhiko Uchiha.

Rumble! Rumble!

Despite his massive size, the King of Giant Python was astonishingly fast. Trees crashed down one after another in his path as he steadily closed the distance to Kazuhiko Uchiha.

Kazuhiko Uchiha stole a glance behind him, and the sight made him crave the incredibly useful Shadow Clone Technique even more. If he could create shadow clones, he could have one lure away the King of Giant Python while his real body escaped with ease.

Reluctantly, he took the last two Explosive Tags among his parents' belongings out of his storage space. He activated them and stuck them onto the two tallest trees ahead.

Boom! Boom!

As the King of Giant Python passed between the two ancient trees, the Explosive Tags detonated. Flames and the blast wave instantly engulfed his body.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Kazuhiko Uchiha stopped and spent a little less than half his primal energy to unleash an enormous fireball, intensifying the blaze. Without waiting to see how effective the Ninjutsu was, he fled desperately toward the distant river.

By the time Kazuhiko Uchiha reached the riverbank, the King of Giant Python had already broken away from the other snakes and emerged from the sea of flames ahead of them. Aside from scorched scales nearest the explosions, he had suffered no serious injuries.

"Hiss-roar!"

The King of Giant Python roared at the slight pain, then abruptly accelerated and charged toward Kazuhiko Uchiha.

"Goodbye, python."

Kazuhiko Uchiha hurled several Kunai with all his strength at the King of Giant Python's eyes, mouth, and forked tongue-the few vulnerable spots he had-to briefly hinder him. Then Kazuhiko leaped into the river and swam swiftly downstream with the current.

"Hiss-roar!"

The river masked Kazuhiko Uchiha's scent. Having lost his target, the King of Giant Python grew even more furious. He swallowed several late-arriving pythons, making them sacrifices to his rage.

A few minutes later, after swimming a considerable distance, Kazuhiko Uchiha climbed ashore. He took a moment to get his bearings, then ran toward the cave where the expedition team was hiding.

Outside the cave, Kazuhiko Uchiha took the backpack Dr. Jack had given him out of his storage space and packed a small portion of the Blood Orchids inside. Only then did he clear the sealed entrance and join the people within.

The moment he entered the cave, Dr. Jack rushed over and asked eagerly, "How did it go? Did you get the Blood Orchids?"

"I got them. There are more than forty Blood Orchids here. I wanted to pick more, but the king of the Mutant Giant Pythons spotted me. I almost didn't make it back."

Kazuhiko Uchiha concealed the true number of Blood Orchids he had gathered, keeping the rest as his own extra earnings.

"Ha ha ha! Wonderful! We did it! We succeeded! The world is about to change because of us!"

Dr. Jack took the backpack with trembling hands. He gazed obsessively at the Blood Orchids and their eerie colors, loudly pouring out his excitement to everyone.

"Dr. Jack, we need to withdraw as soon as possible. If the King of Giant Python finds us, even I might not be able to keep you safe. Contact Bill immediately and have him come back for us." Worried that the King of Giant Python might continue tracking them, Kazuhiko Uchiha interrupted the excited Dr. Jack.

"Sure, no problem, buddy. I'll call him right now." Dr. Jack took out his satellite phone and called Captain Bill, readily accepting the exorbitant price he demanded.

Once their departure was settled, everyone discarded most of their nonessential belongings to travel as lightly as possible. Following Kazuhiko Uchiha, they retraced their route to the riverbank where they had landed.

They were lucky on the return journey and encountered only a few Mutant Giant Pythons. Everyone made it safely back to the riverbank before Kazuhiko Uchiha's Steel Katana finally gave out.

"Hey, guys! You're finally here. I've been waiting for ages." Captain Bill stood on deck and waved to the expedition team as they appeared by the river.

"Bill, hurry, hurry! Lower the ladder and let us aboard! Damn it, I don't want to spend another minute in this hellhole!"

Once they were out of the jungle, the chatterbox Kerr finally regained his usual energy. As soon as Bill lowered the ladder, he was the first to scramble aboard the little boat. He hid in the cabin and swore he would not leave the boat until they were back in Paran Province.

When Kazuhiko Uchiha boarded with Dr. Jack, who clutched the backpack tightly, the expedition finally came to an end.

After another two days aboard the Bloody Mary, the expedition team returned to civilization in Paran Province.

"Ding! Congratulations on completing the Black Iron Rank mission-[Protect the Employer]. Commission earned: 6 system gold coins, 7 mission points."

"Ding! Mercenary mission complete. You may choose to leave the mission spacetime at any point within the next day. Once time expires, you will be forcibly removed. You may also spend gold coins to remain in the mission spacetime at a rate of 1 gold coin per day. Time remaining: 23 hours, 59 minutes."

The system notifications finally put Kazuhiko Uchiha's mind completely at ease after a week of anxiety.

"Hey, buddy, it's thanks to you that I managed to get the Blood Orchids from that dangerous rainforest. Here's your commission. The extra twenty thousand is my way of thanking you."

After returning to town and freshening up, Dr. Jack was in exceptionally high spirits. He handed Kazuhiko Uchiha a briefcase containing seventy thousand US dollars.

"Thank you, Doctor. I hope I'll have another chance to take a job from you." Kazuhiko Uchiha had been wondering why the system had not given him the fifty-thousand-dollar reward. Now it seemed that rewards other than system gold coins were paid directly by the employer.

"Of course. If anything comes up, I'll be sure to contact you." Dr. Jack was extremely pleased with Kazuhiko Uchiha and promised to hire him again whenever he needed help.

That evening, Kazuhiko Uchiha politely declined Dr. Jack's invitation to the celebration banquet, said goodbye to everyone, and headed alone to the largest city in Borneo.

After exchanging the seventy thousand dollars for several beautifully crafted diamond necklaces at a jewelry store, Kazuhiko Uchiha found a deserted corner and silently willed himself to return. Following a brief sensation of weightlessness, he was back in his home in the Naruto World.