Freelancer in the Ninja World

Lanyu: (O_O)???

Lanwu: (O_O)???

When Lanyu and Lanwu heard Musen's words, they froze for a second. Then, almost in unison, they snapped, "Shut it! No, you don't!"

They knew Musen's personality all too well; nine times out of ten, his "bright ideas" were catastrophic.

Musen immediately protested, looking indignant. "You're discriminating against me, plain and simple! I really do have a way to fix this crisis! Can't you at least hear me out first?"

As he spoke, he straightened his back.

"I can use Wood-Release clones to disguise myself as the Six Paths! Once the villagers see the six Ministers back on their feet, they won't panic anymore. How's that for a plan? Pretty awesome, right?"

He spread out his arms gleefully.

Lanyu and Lanwu exchanged glances, both with expressions of helpless exasperation.

What were they even hoping for?

Actually expecting Musen to come up with a decent plan?!

The reason the six Ministers could keep the village running so smoothly wasn't just because of their appearances—it was their powerful abilities and extensive experience. Musen's clone technique, no matter how good, couldn't replicate those crucial qualities.

Lanyu inhaled deeply, trying to remain calm. "Musen, this is a serious matter. Pull back on your little tricks, would you? If we go with your plan, not only will it fail to calm things down, we'll end up with some 'fake vs. real Minister' fiasco and make everything worse."

Lanwu also nodded vigorously in agreement. "Exactly. Don't act up this time, Musen."

Musen's face darkened, muttering resentfully, "You guys just don't appreciate my genius! If Lord Senshi were here, he'd back me up for sure! All you do is quash my creative brilliance…"

He spoke while shaking his head and sighing.

Meanwhile, Amegakure's Anbu, boosted by Shunshin no Jutsu, were racing toward the Land of Rivers as fast as possible. Finally, they caught up with Konan at the border between Amegakure and the Land of Rivers.

The moment they arrived, they didn't dare delay, hurrying up to report, "Angel-sama, something awful's happened! The Six Paths all suddenly collapsed, and there's no response from the Leader!"

Konan's heart sank the instant she heard that, and her normally composed face turned pale.

Without any hesitation, countless sheets of paper unfolded behind her, forming two giant angelic wings.

With a flap, she shot into the air, racing back toward Amegakure.

As she rushed home, more and more Anbu intercepted her.

Konan immediately issued an order: "Pass on my command—declare a state of emergency and lock down the entire Amegakure! No one leaves or enters!"

"Yes, Angel-sama!"

The Anbu dispersed to relay her directive. Very soon, multiple layers of cordon sprang up around Amegakure perimeter. Although the village ninjas were unsure what was going on, they obeyed without hesitation, following the Angel's orders.

Konan, speeding back to the village, was beset by guilt and anxiety swirling in her mind.

For Pain's Six Paths to lose consciousness and revert to inanimate corpses, there was only one possibility: something had happened to Nagato.

"I was too careless…" She bit her lip, regret flashing in her eyes.

She couldn't help recalling her earlier choices. Wanting the six village departments to run efficiently, she'd stationed each Pain in a different post, leaving Nagato with practically no bodyguards.

"If I hadn't left him all alone, things might not have gotten this bad."

But in truth, she wasn't really to blame.

Nagato's true body was far more powerful than any of his Paths of Pain.

In the past, physical frailty from the Rinnegan's immense drain had forced him to rely on life-support devices, leaving him nearly immobile and much weaker in battle.

Right now, though, he was way beyond what he used to be.

The reason Uchiha Obito had succeeded in his ambush was thanks to multiple factors combining at once.

First, Nagato had been operating on overdrive for a while, using the Rinnegan to control Pain's Paths non-stop to quell the chain of problems in Amegakure.

The Rinnegan naturally has a huge chakra cost, and using it continuously left him mentally and physically exhausted.

Second, his vigilance had dulled after all that time stuck in the office.

Most crucially, Obito with Kamui was a master of sneaky strikes.

He'd used that same approach to kill Minato in the Nine-Tails Incident.

Now armed with dual Kamui, Obito was even craftier than before, and his stealth had only improved. He patiently stayed in "forest hermit" mode until everything was set before making his move.

…

While Konan raced back, she also sent word that Amegakure was in lockdown, no one allowed in or out.

"Yes, Angel-sama!" the Anbu chorused, then rushed off to enforce her directive throughout the village.

Yet the more thoroughly the village was sealed off, the more terror mounted instead of subsiding.

Initially, many people had great faith in Amegakure's leadership, believing whatever happened would be quickly resolved.

Reality proved them wrong. Since the very first caravan incident, the problems had only snowballed. A stable, orderly future now looked far away.

"Heavens, at this rate, will the village collapse?"

"We'd better leave! Staying here is too dangerous!"

More and more villagers and ninja considered fleeing. Some suspected that a formidable hidden force was out to destroy Amegakure, and the turmoil could last a long time.

But as they prepared to leave, they discovered they were stuck— the village was sealed!

Anbu, Police Division, and Defense ninjas were stationed at every checkpoint like steel walls. It didn't matter if you were a local or from out of town: no one was permitted to pass.

"What's going on? Since when did Amegakure have rules like this?"

"Exactly! You're abusing your authority! Let us out!"

"We want to leave! We can go wherever we like—who are you to stop us?"

Their anger boiled over, voices rising in protest. Some brandished fists, some cursed in fear, and some tried to force their way out.

"Step back! Everyone, return to your homes!" shouted an Anbu ninja from a rooftop. "By order of the Angel, Amegakure is now under emergency lockdown—no one is allowed in or out!"

At that, the scene erupted.

"Emergency lockdown? What kind of joke is this? What's going on in Amegakure?"

"We don't care about some lockdown—just let us out!"

Fury and frustration surged among the crowds, particularly newcomers to the village.

"Let us out! I'm a merchant from the Land of Fire, not from Amegakure! You can't hold me here!"

"Right! We aren't from here—why should we be trapped with you?"

But the Anbu ninjas just watched coldly, unmoving. Their duty was to carry out Konan's orders, and the people's fear and anger weren't their concern.

…

The current state of Amegakure was a jumbled mess of good and bad.

Some were long-time residents, some were refugees from around the ninja world, but the largest group was made up of opportunists.

Drawn by Ame's booming economy and quick rise, they'd poured in hoping for a piece of the pie.

Now that chaos was afoot, these fair-weather folks showed their true colors.

"Shouldn't have come here! This place is a deathtrap!"

"Enough talk—figure out a way to get out!"

Meanwhile, there were also enemy spies lurking among them, here to gather intel and sabotage the village's growth. The widespread turmoil was perfect for them.

"Let's take advantage of the chaos to cause more trouble in Amegakure!"

"As long as it stays messy, our mission's basically complete."

Worse still were the local thugs wanting to stir up chaos.

"Now's our chance to loot while the village is paralyzed!" snarled a brutish man with a scarred face. "Take anything of value—don't hold back!"

Thus, acts of smashing, robbing, burning proliferated in the streets.

Shops were looted; residents' homes were vandalized. The entire village sank into unprecedented chaos.

"Damn it! These people are out of control!" spat one Ame ninja.

"Forget them—just guard the checkpoints!" hissed his comrade. "Angel-sama's orders first!"

…

At the base of Amegakure tower, thousands gathered, anxiously staring up toward the tower roof—home of their "God," the village's undisputed shadow.

Though the Leader rarely showed himself, he was everyone's anchor, steadily guiding Amegakure's growth.

But now, with disorder rampant, the villagers still hadn't seen him.

"Why hasn't the Leader shown up yet? The village is in shambles—he's not going to just ignore us, is he?"

"Shh, watch it! He's a 'God;' he wouldn't abandon us!"

"…I heard the Leader might be in trouble."

"No way! Leader is invincible! Who could possibly hurt him?"

They all argued back and forth, but still circled the same fear: Had the Leader truly run into danger?

Though the crowd here in front of the tower was still somewhat orderly—waiting on the Leader or another high official to step up—elsewhere Amegakure was out of control.

Those gold-digging opportunists had lost their nerve and started clashing with Ame ninjas.

Even many villagers who once placed absolute trust in the "Three Pillars of the Rain" were wavering.

"What's happening? Why won't the Leader, the Angel, or Lord Senshi show up?"

"I heard the Leader got attacked, the Angel-sama's locked down the village, and Lord Senshi's… already gone off on a mission."

"If only Lord Senshi were here… He's the one who made Amegakure flourish. He'd have a way out of this mess!"

"Right, when's he coming back? And the other Akatsuki members? What do we do now?"

They all prayed for Senshi to appear and rescue them—but the crisis only worsened.

A chilling rumor swept the village:

"They say the Leader is dead! The higher-ups think outsiders killed him, and now they plan to purge us all!"

That rumor, like a spark to a powder keg, ignited the mass terror.

In Amegakure, at least three-quarters of the population were non-natives—refugees, immigrants, merchants, travelers…

And now this rumor fingered them as potential targets of a "cleansing."

"We're done for! They'll wipe us all out!"

"Run! Or we'll die for sure!"

Panic spread at lightning speed, plunging the once prosperous Amegakure back into wartime-like chaos.

Ame's explosive growth was lauded as a "ninja world miracle," but the bigger the city grew, the more one problem stood out: it lacked enough ninjas.

One ninja might have to handle a hundred or two hundred civilians' security. Even an elite would struggle under that load.

"Damn it, there are too many people—we can't cover it all!"

"And we can't exactly go around using jutsu on them. We can't just 'take care of' troublemakers on the spot…"

…

At every exit in Amegakure, the lockdown escalated tensions to a breaking point.

Carrying out the blockade forced the Anbu to confront merchants and villagers who wanted to run.

"Let us out! You can't keep us locked in!"

"Back down! Or we won't show any mercy!"

But warnings did little.

During confrontations, some Anbu were already hurt, and plenty of merchants and villagers were lying injured.

Blood spilled, inflaming the situation even more.

Then a villager from the Land of Rivers stepped up, shouting, "Why are you stopping us from leaving? Amegakure is dangerous—are you trying to get us killed?"

The Anbu captain took a steadying breath, doing his best to clarify, "Everyone calm down. We've explained over and over: the village is in emergency lockdown by Angel-sama's order. We're sealing the exits to protect you and deal with hidden enemies, not to harm any local or outsider. If you joined Amegakure, you're not our target."

But that explanation didn't appease them.

"Lies! The village is falling apart and all you do is seal it off with no solution!"

"Let us out, let us out!"

Anger rose again, especially among foreigners.

Just before things blew up again, two figures crackling with bright-blue lightning flashed into the crowd.

They were about eleven or twelve years old—a brother and sister wearing the Akatsuki's red cloud garb, exuding a grim, forceful aura.

"Those are members of the Akatsuki's reserve corps!" someone gasped.

Indeed, they were siblings Raimon Yukika and Raimon Hayate.

Amid the chaos, the Ninja Academy's teachers had organized the Akatsuki's reserve members to help around the village.

"Stop!" Yukika yelled coldly. "What are you trying to do? Rushing the checkpoints will only further chaos!"

"I'm a student of the Academy's advanced class, an Akatsuki reserve member—Raimon Yukika. This is my younger brother, Raimon Hayate."

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly.

As the villagers and merchants quieted, Yukika continued, "According to the Academy rules and the village regulations, if the village faces a major crisis, we are authorized to assist the Anbu, the Police Division, the Defense Division, and other departments in maintaining order."

Her tone held a composure and confidence beyond her years.

"Please believe these difficulties are only temporary. The chaos will soon be contained, and whoever deliberately stirs up trouble will face the harshest punishment!"

That speech amazed the checkpoint ninjas and the merchants trying to force their way out.

For the ninjas, it was a huge relief.

Lord Senshi could always be counted on—even if he wasn't here in person, the Academy he founded was still stepping up to help keep order.

As for the crowd of villagers and merchants, their expressions became complicated. They'd wanted to flee Amegakure's dangers, but seeing the Ninja Academy students made them recall Senshi's power.

He'd return eventually, right? If Senshi was around, the village wouldn't fall apart so easily.

That thought cooled their panic somewhat.

After all, Senshi's name alone commanded respect—no one wanted to defy him.

In that instant, Hayate also stepped forward, speaking more icily than his sister. "From now on, nobody touches the checkpoints, nobody endangers the village or threatens anyone. If anyone disrupts order again, we have a state of emergency allowing on-the-spot punishments!"

His words were like a bucket of cold water on their raging flames.

Those who'd been worked up about storming the gates went still.

Their earlier belief that the ninjas wouldn't really dare hurt them melted away.

Given a choice between possibly dying in a violent standoff or waiting quietly, most found waiting preferable.

At the same time, in other exits throughout Amegakure, more Ninja Academy students appeared.

They weren't all chūnin, but they were all Akatsuki reserves, top of the Academy. Donning the red cloud garb, they moved quickly, taking over checkpoint defense.

In the Academy training field, the second wave of reinforcements was assembling.

Directing it all was none other than Yukika's classmate, Huayu.

Huayu was a true elite from Amegakure, not just some minor figure, a real stand-out in the Academy's Lightning Release class.

Busy orchestrating tasks, she suddenly noticed a tiny figure.

"Mikiko? You're here?" Huayu asked wearily. "We agreed during the planning that only Akatsuki reserve members aged ten and older would be mobilized."

Mikiko looked up, eyes determined. "Big Sis Huayu, I'm not only a reserve member of the Akatsuki—I passed Headmaster Senshi's Mercenary Corps entry check too!"

"I believe that as a part of Amegakure, as an Akatsuki reserve member, and as a member of Senshi's mercenary corps, I should help with this crisis if I have enough fighting power."

Huayu was startled, recalling that indeed some time ago, to encourage the students to work harder, Headmaster Senshi personally allowed top talents among the new students to join his mercenary corps. Mikiko had been one of them.

At the time, even many star pupils like Huayu, Yukika, and Hayate had applied, but none got in. Mikiko had passed thanks to her outstanding talent, diligence, and also good timing.

"I never expected that when the crisis struck, Mikiko—the gifted child—would step up," Huayu thought. "Headmaster Senshi truly has good judgment."

Mikiko not only possessed exceptional talent and strong skills for a seven-year-old, but she also had a sense of responsibility beyond her age—precious qualities for a ninja.

Rumor had it that years back, Konoha had a prodigy named Hatake Kakashi who'd become a chūnin at age six. Mikiko might not be as astonishingly young as Kakashi was then, but she was still impressive enough to participate in this operation at seven.

After thinking it over, Huayu nodded solemnly. "All right. In that case, you join us too."

Upon hearing that, Mikiko beamed, eyes shining with excitement.

"Fantastic! Finally, I can do something for the village!" she thought, practically jumping for joy.

Her classmates watched with envy.

They knew how strict the mercenary corps' entry was. You had to excel in every way.

Mikiko had succeeded by virtue of her brilliance and diligence, plus good timing.

Now the standards were even tougher.

Before they could dwell on it further, Huayu spoke again, bringing them back to reality:

"All right, everyone form into three-person squads and move out!"

"For now, we're tasked with supporting the checkpoints around the village. Try to calm any agitated civilians so they won't resort to force on us or the local ninjas."

"Understood!" they answered.

Quickly, Mikiko and the other students formed squads of three, hurrying off to various checkpoints.

Huayu and two classmates did likewise, running to assist defenders at one of the village exits.

Though they were young, their tidy footsteps and sharp eyes lent them an intimidating air.

When they arrived, the crowd—merchants wanting to flee or hot headed villagers—grew noticeably calmer at the sight of these Academy students.

Because the students instantly began "legal education," clarifying that under emergency lockdown, the village would be extremely strict and dole out harsh punishments to agitators.

Those who just wanted to survive quickly realized they'd better not stir up trouble.

…

Meanwhile, in Amegakure's Refugee Shelter, another crucial meeting was underway.

The shelter was originally built for refugees. Over time, many of them had settled into village life, no longer calling themselves refugees.

Even so, clans like the Uzumaki Clan remained stationed there, helping manage and integrate new arrivals.

As an elder of the Uzumaki Clan and among the earliest refugees, Uzumaki Tousen enjoyed great prestige in the shelter.

He stood on a makeshift podium, solemnly addressing representatives from various refugee groups:

"Everyone!

"Time is tight, our tasks are heavy, so I'll keep it short!"

"Clearly, our Amegakure is facing difficulties right now. But as long as Lord Senshi is around, everything will be alright in the end! And we, as part of this village, have the duty to help maintain order!"

"Our Uzumaki Clan specializes in sealing arts, which means we can subdue troublemakers gently without resorting to violent force. So, I propose that one member of our Uzumaki Clan lead a team of shelter ninjas to put down the unrest around town. Any objections?"

No sooner had he finished than the crowd voiced agreement:

"No problem! We've enjoyed so many benefits from the village, it's high time we pitched in!"

"Tousen-ojisan, when do we move out? We have plenty of ninjas ready to handle the rioters!"

"That's right—no time to waste, let's go now!"

Seeing them so motivated, Takusen gave the order without delay:

"All right. Except for those needed to keep order in the shelter, the rest of our ninjas will join the Uzumaki-led squads and quell the rioting across the village!"

With that command, shelter ninjas leapt into action.

Uzumaki Clan shinobi took the lead, with other clans' ninjas following. They formed specialized squads and rushed out to tackle the havoc.

…

In the commercial district of Amegakure, the unrest had wrought devastating losses.

Some shops were looted bare, some torched to ashes, even some owners kidnapped.

Lady Chiyuki was among those unfortunate hostages.

She was a noble daughter from the Land of Snow, highly placed and well-born. Drawn by curiosity, she'd opened a jewelry shop in Amegakure once it started rising. But this chaos hurled her into misery.

Rioting thugs stormed her jewelry store, seizing every gem and precious metal.

While those losses meant little to her given her wealth, now she was on the verge of tears.

Because those thugs weren't just taking her valuables—they wouldn't let her go, either!

Chiyuki had no idea that to these lawless brutes, her beauty was the real "ultimate prize."

~~~

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