Uzumaki Shixia! You Won't Trick Me!

"How have you been coming along with that matter I mentioned a couple of days ago?"

"I'll have to refuse!" Kakuzu shook his head decisively.

"Huh?" Disbelief crossed Sixia's face. He really hadn't expected Kakuzu to refuse.

"Why?" he couldn't help asking.

After a brief silence, Kakuzu slowly said, "Based on what I know about you, this trip to Takigakure is definitely a trap!"

"I have every reason to suspect you're trying to trick me into doing your grunt work again, so I'm not going!"

Hearing this, Sixia thought that Kakuzu had grown wiser. He could actually see that far ahead now.

Still, he had to talk Kakuzu into coming along on the Takigakure mission.

As a living relic of Takigakure, Kakuzu was bound to know everything about the village like the back of his hand.

Bringing Kakuzu to Takigakure would let him accomplish twice as much with half the effort.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Kakuzu, how can you look at it that way?"

"Think about it. Since you started partnering with me on missions, hasn't your income multiplied more times than you can count?"

"There's absolutely no catch to this trip to Takigakure!"

"Besides, those people in Takigakure slandered and falsely accused you back then, even though you were a shinobi who had rendered great service to the village. They even wanted to execute you!"

"Can you really swallow that?"

"You should know there's a rumor spreading all over the Shinobi World now."

"They say that when you tried to assassinate the First Hokage, you just threw two shuriken from four hundred kilometers away and ran."

Kakuzu's expression grew uglier and uglier as he listened.

Those people in Takigakure, especially the old bastards from back then, deserved worse than death!

Seeing Kakuzu begin to waver, Sixia continued tempting him.

"Just say the word, and I'll take you back there in no time to deal with Takigakure."

Kakuzu still shook his head. "Takigakure has quite a few powerful jonin."

"Not only that, according to the intelligence I've received, Takigakure's jinchūriki is a perfect jinchuriki."

"They can make excellent use of their tailed beast's power!"

"With plenty of capable jonin supporting them, any operation we carry out in Takigakure will meet heavy resistance and cause quite a commotion."

"Every shinobi village has spies from other villages, to one degree or another."

"If the other villages find out what we've done in Takigakure, we'll be put in a very difficult position."

It seemed Kakuzu really had given the matter serious thought after going home yesterday.

There were also things Kakuzu hadn't said. When he had gone to Kusagakure with Sixia, he had met Mui, the village's actual ruler.

After becoming Kusagakure's highest authority, Mui had looked utterly exhausted, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

That was only natural. There was no telling how many matters needed handling throughout an entire shinobi village.

Becoming Takigakure's Takikage would therefore be anything but a good thing!

Most importantly, he strongly suspected Sixia had bad intentions and wanted to drag him along to handle all the dirty, exhausting work!

After deciding that he would refuse Sixia no matter what, he continued thinking.

Then something occurred to Kakuzu that grew more terrifying the longer he considered it.

He looked at Sixia and asked, "Wait. Those things you just mentioned happened decades ago."

"You hadn't even been born when they happened."

"And Takigakure is cut off from the outside world. How do you know about things that happened decades ago?"

Sixia didn't answer Kakuzu's question directly.

He gave a cryptic smile. "Is that sort of intelligence so hard to uncover?"

Kakuzu fell silent this time. He had long known that Sixia possessed a mysterious yet incredibly efficient intelligence network.

That network surpassed both Orochimaru's and the Akatsuki's.

Others might not know this information, but Sixia certainly could.

Still, no matter what Sixia said, he wouldn't foolishly become his workhorse.

Sixia gave Kakuzu no chance to refuse, however. He slung an arm around his shoulders and said,

"Come on, come on. No need to be shy with me."

"Let's go ask the leader for a mission."

"We're going to settle that old grudge of yours this time!"

Kakuzu wanted to shake his head and say that all he wanted now was to make money, not travel all the way to Takigakure.

But he had no room to refuse. Sixia activated Kāma's spatial transportation ability and took him and Karin away.

Their destination was the open rooftop of the Amegakure Tower, where the Akatsuki usually gathered.

Sixia, Kakuzu, and Karin soon appeared there.

Not long after they arrived, Pain Deva Path and Konan descended from the sky.

Seeing Sixia through Pain Deva Path's eyes gave Nagato a headache.

The other Akatsuki members showed no enthusiasm whatsoever when sent out on missions assigned by the organization.

They generally walked everywhere, not even taking carriages, much less using the Body Flicker Technique to travel quickly.

Sixia, on the other hand, was the organization's oddball. He was far too enthusiastic, far too eager to stir up trouble.

When there was a mission, he carried it out with great enthusiasm.

When there wasn't one, he created a mission himself and enthusiastically carried that out!

The problem was that Uzumaki Shixia rarely did anything small when carrying out the Akatsuki's missions.

He did excellent work, too, but his rates were truly expensive!

First he had subdued Kusagakure by force, then he had captured Kirigakure's tailed beast!

Now Sixia had appeared with Kakuzu and Karin, looking ready for another major operation, and Nagato felt uneasy.

After Pain Deva Path and Konan descended onto the open rooftop,

Pain asked, "Uzumaki Shixia, what brings you here?"

Sixia answered without hesitation, "Leader, I'm planning to build on our success and bring another small or medium-sized shinobi village under our control."

Nagato's mouth twitched at those words.

Just as I thought. Whenever this brat makes a move, he's either capturing a tailed beast or subjugating a shinobi village.

"Which village?" Pain Deva Path asked, his face expressionless, though his voice seemed less unquestionable than usual.

"Takigakure," Sixia said casually.

Nearby, Nagato froze as he controlled Pain. Then Pain slowly uttered one word: "Reason."

Sixia had already prepared his pitch, and he laid it out clearly.

"There are plenty of benefits to bringing Takigakure under our control."

"First, Takigakure has the Great Waterfall and is cut off from the outside world."

"Once we control it, we can establish a secret base there."

"Second, Takigakure has a local specialty called Hero Water, which can vastly increase a shinobi's chakra."

"I don't know whether they still have any, but it's worth taking a look."

"Third, Takigakure's shinobi probably have the highest overall quality among all the small and medium-sized villages."

"Their many jonin could bolster Amegakure's top-level combat strength."

"Fourth, and most importantly, Takigakure has a jinchūriki despite being a small village!"

"Possessing a treasure makes even an innocent man a target. We might as well take it!"

"There are plenty of other benefits to subjugating Takigakure, but those four should already be enough."

Pain and Konan both listened carefully as Sixia spoke.

His arguments were sound. Bringing Takigakure under their control would undoubtedly benefit both the Akatsuki and Amegakure.

But after a brief silence, Pain still shook his head.

"No."

"Why?" Sixia asked, his face full of confusion.

After subjugating Kusagakure, he had gotten a taste for it.

His main body might be here, leisurely discussing missions with Pain,

but his Wood Release Clones had actually been accepting and carrying out missions nonstop at the Amegakure Black Market and throughout Kusagakure.

Not only that, his summoned beast Kuromaru hadn't had a break since signing the Summoning Contract with him.

The benefits of doing this were also very clear.

He had earned not only a great deal of money, but also plenty of system rewards.

If Takigakure joined the Shinobi Alliance centered on Amegakure, he would have even more missions available.

He had more than enough chakra now anyway, so he could send out large numbers of Wood Release Clones to carry out missions!

Of course, Pain had his reasons for refusing Sixia.

He said calmly, "Takigakure is different from the other villages. The Land of Waterfalls has close ties with the Land of Fire, and Konoha and Takigakure interact quite frequently."

"We can't handle Takigakure the same way we handled Kusagakure. The Land of Fire's daimyo won't simply stand by!"

"The Akatsuki isn't ready to reveal itself to the Five Great Nations yet."

"We're still nowhere near having enough people!"

They hadn't even handed out all the rings yet!

"We cannot make a move against Takigakure."

Although Nagato was frail and his health deteriorated by the day, his mind remained clear.

He wasn't some senile president. His judgment and understanding hadn't declined.

If the Land of Rain took the Land of Fire's subordinate for itself, how could the Land of Fire's daimyo possibly let it slide?

Sixia was immediately displeased.

He seemed determined to say something shocking.

"You and the organization might not be ready, but I am!"

"Just give the word, and I'll go bring Takigakure into the fold right now!"

"And there's no need to worry about pressure from the Land of Fire."

"Just say the word, boss, uh... and provide enough funding! I'll go kidnap the daimyo for you!"

Uzumaki Shixia never missed a chance to stir up chaos.

He actually hoped Konoha would hurry up and come looking for trouble with the Akatsuki. The more people they sent, and the stronger they were, the better. That would give him more missions.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Inside the Life-Support Device, Sixia's words sent Nagato into a coughing fit.

He knew Sixia wasn't talking nonsense. The man feared absolutely nothing.

Not only was he immensely powerful, but he was also improving at an astonishing pace. Pressure from Konoha genuinely didn't concern him much.

But after careful consideration, Nagato still had no intention of agreeing.

Sixia had actually brought back a tailed beast last time, and that alone had caused him considerable trouble.

If they continued by attacking Takigakure, it would mean dragging the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Nations, into the conflict ahead of schedule.

Neither the Akatsuki nor Amegakure could afford to do that at this stage!

So Nagato controlled Pain Deva Path and spoke earnestly.

"The organization needs time to prepare."

"Once those preparations are complete, whether we're incorporating shinobi villages or capturing tailed beasts,"

"there will be no shortage of highly paid commission missions for you."

Nagato had dangled a tempting promise before Sixia, but it was one he could fulfill.

Even without Sixia, the Akatsuki could capture all the tailed beasts.

Now that a powerful shinobi beyond Kage Level like Sixia had joined, the Akatsuki's plans would proceed even more smoothly.

Seeing Nagato's firm stance, Sixia understood that this matter wasn't going anywhere for the time being.

Seeing that Nagato hadn't agreed, Kakuzu inwardly let out a long sigh of relief.

He always felt that Sixia was full of schemes and ill intentions. This time, he had definitely been planning to trap him again.

Now that Nagato had refused, he wouldn't have to run all over the place with Sixia and could rest for a few more days.

Of course, the monster known as Uzumaki Shixia was growing at an absurd rate.

He could already use Wood Release Clones to complete the vast majority of missions.

Unless a particularly difficult mission came up, Sixia didn't need to bring him along at all.

Did that mean he could enjoy a slower pace of life for a while?

Just as Sixia returned home and began sighing, an unexpected visitor came calling.

Sixia's Mantra had already detected him.

The unexpected visitor was none other than Orochimaru, another member of the Akatsuki.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The pale-skinned Orochimaru came to Sixia's door and casually knocked three times.

Sixia promptly opened the door and asked, "Orochimaru, what brings you here?"

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled into a cold smile.

Then he slowly produced a Long-Term Mission Commission.

At the sight of the Long-Term Mission Commission, Sixia froze, then couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Not long ago, Orochimaru had wanted to buy Karin for research, but Sixia had refused.

Then he had suggested that Orochimaru could study him instead, since he possessed special abilities such as Elementalization.

He had fought Orochimaru and earned himself a Long-Term Mission Commission through his own ability.

But...

He had secured that Long-Term Mission Commission for the chance to get a Super Draw.

Rather than settling down to do serious research with Orochimaru at his research base.

After accepting this long-term mission, he had apparently only provided Orochimaru with two drops of blood and two strands of hair.

Sixia looked at the Long-Term Mission Commission in Orochimaru's hand and asked curiously.

"Orochimaru, what other research materials do you want?"

Sixia intended to gloss over the whole thing.

After all, he had already received his reward from the Super Draw.

Of course, Orochimaru was not so easily fobbed off. He looked at Sixia and said.

"Since we signed the long-term mission agreement, you've only provided me with two drops of blood and two strands of hair."

"That's just four research samples in total. Don't you think that's too few?"

At that, Sixia laughed and said.

"Hahahaha..."

"Orochimaru, aren't you thinking a little too small?"

"Surely one drop of my blood is worth dozens, if not hundreds, of other research samples?"

"Besides, my strength is growing rapidly. There's a huge difference between the blood from those two occasions."

"Speaking of which, have you figured out the four research samples I gave you yet?"

Sixia rambled on, hoping to brush the matter aside.

In truth, many thoughts flashed through Orochimaru's mind as well.

The research samples this fellow provided really are incredibly valuable and unusual.

His cells are comparable to Hashirama cells.

In certain respects, they perform even better than Hashirama cells.

His talent for Lightning Release is even more incredible. It has brought me up against the limits of modern science.

A single drop of his blood is enough for me to launch more than a dozen research projects.

And there really is a world of difference between the blood samples he provided on those two occasions.

I can't devote all my time and energy to research right now.

As a result, I still haven't fully understood either of those blood samples.

Although these were his thoughts, Orochimaru would never say them aloud.

He looked at Sixia and said seriously, "Let's talk in my laboratory. I have a new mission commission."

The moment Sixia heard that, he perked right up!

"Sure thing."

Even as the words left his mouth, he had already activated Kāma's spatial teleportation ability.

He appeared in Orochimaru's research base, bringing Orochimaru and Karin with him.

Orochimaru was secretly astonished.

Sixia's Space-Time Ninjutsu was undoubtedly on a higher level than the Flying Thunder God developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

The Flying Thunder God was constrained by Flying Thunder God Marks, while Sixia's Space-Time Ninjutsu let him go wherever he wanted.

Sixia and Karin had already visited this place several times.

Still, they were both a little surprised by what they saw upon arriving at Orochimaru's research base this time.

Orochimaru seemed to have moved quite a lot of experimental equipment here recently.

There were many new things in this research base.

Of course, some items had also been transferred to other bases.

For some reason, Orochimaru seemed to be moving.

Sixia thought back and guessed that Orochimaru might be planning something in the Land of Rice Fields.

As he remembered it, Orochimaru had founded Otogakure.

He just did not know whether Orochimaru was already making preparations for that now.

Orochimaru soon pulled Sixia out of his thoughts.

Orochimaru casually picked up a scroll and slapped it against the floor.

"Hah!"