Freelancer in Naruto

When Iwagakure ran into trouble, Konoha did too—and Konoha's problems were even more complicated and frustrating.

First off, they'd lost their Tailed Beast weapon, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Second, Konoha had a mole in the form of Danzo, and dealing with him wasn't going to be easy.

Lastly, for the time being, nobody in Konoha had any idea how to even find the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Inside the Hokage's office, the Konoha "F3" (Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado) were all present. Hiruzen wore a deeply grim expression, while Koharu and Homura both looked equally upset.

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke first. "So, how do you two see this situation?"

Homura Mitokado said, "Danzo's acting like an unaffected bystander. We can keep him on tight surveillance for now and worry about punishing him later. The top priority has to be investigating the masked man who kidnapped Naruto and figuring out how to rescue him."

Koharu Utatane added, "Exactly. Until we know who that masked ninja is, we won't have any leads on where to rescue Naruto. But to learn that, we'll need some intel from Danzo. We can hold off on dealing with him for now, but we have to make him cooperate—or else we might never locate Naruto in time. We have no idea what that masked man wants, and the longer this drags out, the more danger Naruto could be in."

After the two finished, they both looked at Hiruzen, waiting for his final decision. Hiruzen was silent for a moment before nodding. "Let's go talk to Danzo together. We'll see if we can get anything useful out of him. If we have to give a little ground to make him cooperate, so be it."

"Agreed," Homura replied decisively.

"No objections here," Koharu said. She, too, approved of Hiruzen's plan.

They immediately headed off to Konoha Hospital to negotiate with Danzo again.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was also worrying himself sick over Naruto's capture. His thoughts were in turmoil, but as he kept thinking, his mind slowly calmed. He'd already made up his mind the moment Naruto was taken: come hell or high water, he'd bring Naruto back. That determination allowed him to set aside his own anxieties and focus on a solution.

"I've got it!" he exclaimed suddenly, eyes lighting up. The mission of rescuing Naruto was too big for an ordinary ninja. At times like this, the only one who could handle it was their teacher, Senshi!

Without delay, Sasuke ran home and found Senshi's Wood-Clone, explaining everything that had happened.

The Wood-Clone had been sitting cross-legged on a tatami mat with its eyes closed. When Sasuke hurried in, it opened its eyes. "Sasuke, what's going on?"

Sasuke wasted no time and recounted the whole story. "Sensei, Naruto was kidnapped by a masked ninja. Can you save him? I'll pay whatever it costs!"

Senshi's clone blinked. (O_O)? The first suspect that came to mind was Obito. But he needed to confirm.

"Did that ninja use a space-time jutsu to leave?" Senshi asked.

Sasuke nodded right away. "Yes," he answered, then briefly described what went down at the scene.

Once Senshi heard that, he became even surer the culprit was indeed Obito.

"You think you can rescue Naruto?" Sasuke asked anxiously.

Senshi nodded. "Yes, I can."

Sasuke beamed. "That's great! Sensei, please, just bring Naruto back. I'm willing to pay anything."

But the Wood-Clone waved him off. "Protecting my students and my mercenaries is my job as a teacher and the head of this group. I don't charge for everything under the sun."

Inwardly, though, Senshi was thinking, "Once I save you, you can repay me by grinding a whole bunch of missions and earning me a ton of employment points."

"Obito's sure got some nerve," he mused. "He actually made off with my personal money-maker!" Most likely, Obito intended to extract the Tailed Beast from Naruto and seal it in the Gedo Statue. Without any newer research breakthroughs like 'Tailed Beast Partition Jutsu,' once Obito was done, Naruto would be toast.

Back in the Land of Earth black market, the real Senshi had been chatting with the manager, Iwasa, about beefing up their collaboration to expand business and reach new heights. Their conversation was going swimmingly until the Wood-Clone brought him the bad news about Naruto.

"Damn," Senshi thought, "my 'points printing machine' got swiped!"

He knew Obito would certainly try to yank the beast out of Naruto, a process that would kill the Jinchuriki—unless Senshi intervened.

Noticing the change in Senshi's expression, the black-market manager asked, "Lord Senshi, is something wrong?"

Senshi just replied casually, "Just a small issue. One of the strongest potential up-and-comers—er, I mean, one of the top mercenaries—hit a snag. I need to go deal with it."

He finished talking and then immediately activated the spatial-teleportation power of his Kāma, jumping to Karin's location. He wanted to give instructions to his mercs so they wouldn't stir up any trouble while he was gone—like assassinating the Tsuchikage or the Land of Earth's Daimyō during a mission spree.

However, when he teleported to Karin's side by locking onto the chakra mark he'd placed on her, he was surprised: Karin was actually in the midst of using Kamui to teleport back to the black market at that exact moment.

"You teleport, I teleport… Are we playing hide-and-seek?" he muttered to himself.

Still, that was no big deal. He just used the Kāma's space-time power again to pull Karin right in front of him. Then he used his space-time jutsu to summon the rest of his mercs—Deidara, Sasori, and so on—so they all gathered in one place.

Once everyone was assembled, Senshi said, "Long story short, one of our mercenaries is in trouble and I have to go save him. You guys stay here and focus on missions—no unauthorized actions while I'm gone. Got it?"

"Understood," they all replied. It was obviously serious business.

He then sent them back to their respective posts.

While Konoha and Senshi both made their moves, Obito and Madara also had developments on their end. Right after kidnapping Naruto, Obito brought him straight to that underground chamber in the Mountain Graveyard. Meanwhile, Madara had been busy learning more about the ninja world through White Zetsu.

Having been revived by Obito, Madara decided not to rush blindly into anything. His experiences in the Warring States period had taught him how vital solid intel was. Obito had already given him some information about the current state of the world, but it was one-sided. Even if Obito hadn't deliberately lied, if Obito's intel was incorrect, it would mislead Madara either way.

Luckily, gathering intel was White Zetsu's specialty. He already knew quite a bit, and whatever he didn't know he could usually track down quickly. At Madara's request, White Zetsu not only shared what he knew but also went out to investigate certain areas.

That's how Madara learned, to his surprise, that the Land of Rain's Amegakure was now the fastest-growing powerhouse—not the major Hidden Villages at all. He was skeptical until multiple data points confirmed it.

As for Uzumaki Senshi, Obito hadn't been entirely exaggerating. White Zetsu's intel did confirm Senshi was a remarkable ninja, something like Madara and Hashirama in their day. But Madara assumed Senshi wasn't nearly as formidable as rumor suggested. After all, the Onoki he'd once defeated so effortlessly was now the Third Tsuchikage—and from what he'd heard, Senshi had attacked Iwagakure through indirect means, possibly because Onoki was now much stronger, scaring Senshi off from direct confrontation.

That meant Madara—who was certainly stronger than Onoki—could presumably scare Senshi off as well. Madara's logic was off, but from his perspective, it made sense. If he'd also consulted Black Zetsu, he might've changed his tune… but Black Zetsu would likely just have told him, "Don't overthink it. Grab some more hidden treasure from around the ninja world to earn big commissions," or something else entirely.

While Madara was still taking in White Zetsu's info, a swirling vortex appeared not far away, and Obito emerged triumphantly, dragging the unconscious Naruto in tow—completely unable to fight back.

At first glance, Madara felt a strong sense of loathing for that blond kid, without really knowing why. He only knew he disliked him.

"Who is that?" Madara asked, frowning. "And why'd you bring him here?"

Obito was practically giddy. "This is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

Madara looked confused. "Didn't you say the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was tough to capture? How'd you get him so easily?"

Grinning ear to ear, Obito replied, "That was then—this is now."

Inwardly, Madara just sneered. "Then, now—doesn't matter. You're still just a pawn in my hand." Of course, in Obito's mind, the same could be said about Madara.

Madara gave the unconscious Naruto a cursory glance. "So I assume you used brute force on him?"

That riled Obito. "No, no, no. Capturing a Tailed Beast requires brains! I tried brute force in the past and failed to bring him back. This time I used both cunning and strength, and that's why it worked!"

He tried to make it sound profound, but Madara just rolled his eyes. He figured Obito had relied on some sneaky trick rather than a fair fight. That explained why Obito had made so little progress over the years.

Rather than dwell on it, Madara just ordered, "Extract the Tailed Beast from his body and seal it in the Gedo Statue."

Obito wasn't about to object; that was his plan anyway. But before he began, he said, "No problem, but one thing: this kid has some special connections. He's Senshi's student. If we kill him, Senshi's going to come after us."

Madara gave a quick nod. "No need to worry."

At first, Obito was stunned, but then he got excited. Madara had been studying the ninja world through Zetsu, so he was presumably aware of Senshi's prowess. Yet he still spoke with such confidence, meaning he must have a surefire way to deal with Senshi.

"You've got a plan for Senshi?" Obito asked eagerly.

Madara smirked. "Taking down Uzumaki Senshi is child's play."

Ecstatic, Obito pressed on, "How exactly will you handle him?"

"You ask too many questions," Madara said, sounding annoyed. Still, after scolding him, he did answer. "You can't defeat Senshi not because he's strong, but because you have plenty of untapped potential. The tool I'll use against him is the true power of the Uchiha. And when confronted by the true power of the Uchiha, no one can dance."

Obito: (O_O)? Huh? Wasn't he himself an Uchiha? What was this so-called "true power"?

"What do you mean by the true power of the Uchiha clan?" Obito asked.

Madara didn't answer directly but turned and walked away, leaving only the sight of his invincible-looking back. After a few steps, he said, "You'll see the true power of the Uchiha with your own eyes."

Obito understood the implication and was thoroughly exasperated. He had really thought Madara might have some kind of secret weapon… apparently not. Once Senshi gave them a proper beating, they'd realize the "true power of the Uchiha" wasn't enough.

As Madara continued listening to White Zetsu's intel, Obito began setting up the ritual to extract the Tailed Beast. He felt pretty great—this time, unlike his other failed attempts at capturing Jinchuriki, everything had gone smoothly.

Soon the Nine-Tails would be sealed away in the Gedo Statue. The only worry was that Senshi might retaliate, but now he had Madara's help. He was confident he wouldn't be as helpless against Senshi as before.

As Obito sped up the preparations, the last thing he wanted to see happened: not far away, a vortex-like distortion appeared, glowing a dark crimson. A moment later, a certain red-haired man stepped out with a faint, mocking smile—Senshi himself.

Spotting Obito, Senshi gave him an annoyed look. "You've got a lotta nerve, Obito!"

The moment Senshi arrived, Obito leaped away from Naruto and used the Body Flicker to land beside Madara.

Obviously, Naruto must have been marked by Senshi's space-time seal, so any attempt to teleport away with him would just let Senshi track them both.

Right now, Obito's plan was to put Madara between them and keep Naruto where he was. If they could defeat Senshi now, problem solved—and they'd never have to fear Senshi again.

As Obito arrived beside him, Senshi turned his gaze on the man next to Obito, Uchiha Madara. As Senshi's eyes landed on Madara, Madara looked back calmly. Despite facing the man currently known as the world's most powerful ninja, Madara remained supremely arrogant. He folded his arms across his chest and spoke in a casual tone:

"Uzumaki Senshi… are you sure you want to make me your enemy?"

"Not really," Senshi replied with a smile.

Madara sneered, "If you don't dare oppose me, why are you here?"

Still smiling, Senshi said, "Don't get me wrong. I meant you're not qualified to be my enemy. That goes for anyone trying to interfere with my mercs and me grinding missions—they're all trash. You and Obito included."

"Hahahahaha!" Madara threw his head back in a wild laugh, then said coldly, "Oh? So you want to dance after all, Uzumaki Senshi? You clearly don't understand what the true power of the Uchiha is."

While Madara faced off with Senshi, Obito warned him, "Don't underestimate him. He's extremely strong." As he spoke, Obito activated Susanoo—the towering blue-green giant took shape, rapidly approaching a nearly complete form.

Madara glanced at Obito. "You're too cautious. Against an opponent like this, there's no need for all that. I'll show him what the true power of the Uchiha is."

He dashed toward Senshi in a classic ninja sprint. Obito's mouth nearly fell open. Clearly, all his prior intel about Senshi had gone in one of Madara's ears and out the other. Charging in without going all out from the start was a mistake.

Madara rushed forward, and Senshi's body began crackling with golden sparks. He activated "Lightning Speed Force," allowing him to move even faster.

"What?!" Madara's eyes widened. One moment Senshi was there, the next he'd vanished. A chill of danger ran down Madara's spine: Senshi was even faster than he'd imagined. All that experience from the Warring States era told him that if his opponent surpassed his ability to perceive speed, it meant real trouble.

As the alarm bells went off in Madara's head, Senshi smashed a punch—Heavy-Style Outburst—right at him. In that split second, Madara crossed his arms to block and launched a Body Flicker backward.

Boom!

He still got nailed by the blow and was sent flying. But honestly, he'd reacted incredibly well—he'd softened some of Senshi's impact with his crossed-arm block and used the Body Flicker to reduce the force of the Heavy-Style Outburst. Even so, he crashed hard into the rocky wall, shattering a huge chunk of stone.

He scrambled out of the debris, instantly grabbing the Uchiha Gunbai that was stashed to one side. Madara didn't specialize in taijutsu or "ninja body arts," so lacking a weapon put him at a big disadvantage against someone like Senshi. Wielding the fan, Madara again launched himself at Senshi. As he closed in, he said, "Your strength isn't bad. Let me see how powerful you really are!"

If Senshi went all-out, he could flat-out kill Madara, but there was no need for that. Technically, reviving Kaguya required only one of the two, Madara or Obito, as a sacrifice.

But as Black Zetsu had figured, it was better to keep both alive to avoid unexpected complications.

So until Black Zetsu's request was fully completed, Senshi wasn't planning on killing either of them if he could help it. Still, they deserved a little punishment.

Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt, zzzt!

Lightning sparked around Senshi's body as the Lightning Release Armor fully cloaked him. Given his absurdly high base stats, even if both Madara and Obito went full throttle, they'd have trouble penetrating that defense. Now sheathed in lightning, Senshi blurred forward—a bolt of light. This time he didn't use Heavy-Style Outburst but a Four Finger Nukite. One Finger might kill Madara instantly if he wasn't careful.

In a flash, Senshi arrived at point-blank range. Madara brought up the Gunbai to block.

"Uchiha Return!"

Boom!

Senshi's Four Finger Nukite of Lightning Body Arts slammed into the war fan. He didn't destroy it, but the raw force still sent Madara hurtling backward once again.

Crash!

Madara flew like a cannonball into the underground cavern's rock wall. This time, his confidence took a major blow. The first time he got hit, he could be blamed for underestimating Senshi. But this time, he had guarded properly—yet the result was the same. He still got smashed into the wall.

"How is this possible?! How can that red-haired brat be so strong?" Madara thought, stunned. At that moment, he realized Obito's warnings had been completely valid.

Knowing now that Senshi was far more formidable than he'd guessed, Madara immediately sprinted toward the exit of the underground space, calling back as he fled, "It's too cramped down here—I can't fight at full strength. Let's take this outside!"

~~~

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