Chapter 29: I Have a Way to Find Them

A brief silence fell over the glistening surface of the lake.

Mei Terumi, Gonbei, Ao, and Chojuro all swallowed hard in unison, sweat beading continuously on their foreheads. If Uzumaki Siah accepted Mei’s proposal, everything would be well and good. But if he rejected the long-term employment contract, the four of them would be finished today.

Uzumaki Siah’s strength had not only reached the Kage level, but it far surpassed that of an average Kage. Among the generations of Kage from the Five Great Shinobi Nations, there were likely few who could defeat him.

Siah was not weighing his options at this moment; he was simply double-checking his mission panel. He had worked quite hard to secure the previous long-term employment mission, but this one had come quite easily. With this thought in mind, a professional smile appeared on his face. Not only was his strength beyond question, but his business acumen and professional standard were equally impeccable.

"I accept your village’s employment proposal!" Siah announced. "Once your village pays the first installment of the commission, we can discuss the specific details of the mission."

Hearing this, the heart that had been suspended in Mei Terumi’s chest finally settled. Gonbei, Ao, and Chojuro also breathed a deep sigh of relief. Just a moment ago, they had averted a massive crisis for their village! This was, of course, thanks to Mei; if it weren't for this beautiful and intelligent woman who was desperate to marry, and her clever strategy, the four of them would have been packed up and handed over to the Bloody Mist faction by Uzumaki Siah.

After her relief, Mei took a check from her wallet that could be cashed at a bank for 10 million ryo and handed it to Siah.

[Long-term employment mission successfully accepted!]
[Employer: Kirigakure]
[Mission Objective: Assist Mei Terumi in suppressing destabilizing elements within Kirigakure.]

The moment Siah received the check from Mei, the system notification echoed in his mind. It was incredibly annoying that both of these missions required completion before he would receive the super-draw reward.

Siah looked at the four of them with a cheerful smile. "Now, let’s talk about the details of the employment mission."

His words made Mei, Gonbei, Ao, and Chojuro feel excited. At the very least, for a mere 10 million ryo, they had hired a powerhouse comparable to a Kage to help them solve their troubles. It was a rare stroke of luck. One side was willing to pay, and the other was willing to serve. Both parties were thrilled. Furthermore, Siah was an exceptionally capable shinobi; if he didn't take a job, that was one thing, but if he did, there was no mission he couldn't complete!

Mei took a deep breath to calm her excitement. She looked at Siah and said very earnestly, "Lord Siah, my idea is to locate the higher-ups of the Bloody Mist and have you display your strength before them. If you could take action and suppress the powerful shinobi within their faction, that would be ideal."

After Mei finished, Ao immediately added, "Yes, if you could suppress those who believe in the Bloody Mist, then no matter what actions they decide to take later, they will have to consider this relationship. Perhaps, out of fear of your terrifying strength, they might just behave themselves."

Mei and Ao looked at Siah with great anticipation. If Siah agreed, hiring him would be an incredibly cost-effective move!

Under their expectant gazes, Siah shook his head.

"This method isn't good. Do you even know where these people are hiding?"

Siah’s question left even Mei, who had access to almost all of the village’s classified intelligence, unable to answer—let alone Gonbei and the others. If they had known the roots and foundations of these clans, they would have already taken targeted actions against these high-ranking and important figures. Unfortunately, these people were not easy to deal with. Currently, Kirigakure possessed very little information about them.

Mei sighed, her beautiful face filled with regret as she shook her head. "I apologize. Kirigakure does not currently have that much information."

Gonbei, Ao, and Chojuro also felt deeply regretful. They had finally managed to hire such a formidable ninja, only to have the mission unable to proceed as planned due to a lack of intelligence. This was not just a regret for the four of them, but for the entire village.

Unexpectedly, just as their spirits were low, Siah rubbed his hands together and offered an idea with a chuckle.

"I have a way to find these people."

"What method?" Mei asked almost reflexively. After asking, she felt something was off. She had come to understand Uzumaki Siah better: he was a ninja who wouldn't move without profit. If he was willing to take the initiative to offer a plan, he must have a motive.

Although Gonbei and the others suspected there might be a catch, they couldn't fathom what the problem might be. They looked at Siah with great anticipation, waiting for him to continue.

Siah didn't play coy; he pulled out the stack of mission request forms he had put away earlier. The first one in the stack happened to be the bounty on Mei Terumi.

Mei: "???"
Gonbei: "???"
Ao: "???"
Chojuro: "???"

The four of them were stunned. What was going on? Was the price not enough? Had Siah taken the money and decided not to do the work?

Seeing their bewildered and shocked expressions, Siah immediately realized they had misunderstood. Although his bottom line and principles were always very "flexible" when executing missions, he wouldn't take money and then fail to deliver by killing them.

Siah held up the mission request form and said, "My method is simple. I will capture all four of you alive and hand you over to the people of the Bloody Mist. Then, I can secretly tail them to see where they take you. Given your identities, if you fall into the hands of the Bloody Mist ninja, you will certainly see their higher-ups. When that happens, I will appear and round them all up. What do you think?"

Chojuro jumped up at these words. "No, no! What if we are executed directly after falling into their hands without ever seeing their leaders? Once we are in their custody, they will definitely seal our chakra. At that point, we won't have any room to resist!"

After Chojuro finished, Siah patted him on the shoulder and said with interest, "Little brother, it seems you don't have much confidence in my strength."

"With me following you in the shadows, what kind of accident could possibly happen? Besides..."

Siah finished his sentence by performing a Lightning Release technique right in front of them, one that none of them had ever seen before.

*Zzzzt! Zzzzt!*

Siah’s body instantly transformed into pure lightning-attribute chakra. This chakra then became a bolt of electricity and fused into the ring Mei was wearing.

"This..." Mei stared at the ring on her finger, her mouth agape, her pretty face filled with shock! Gonbei, Ao, and Chojuro were equally dumbfounded and speechless. At this moment, they were completely stunned!

Transforming one's body entirely into chakra—wasn't that an ability only possessed by chakra-based lifeforms like the Tailed Beasts? Or was it that Uzumaki Siah’s talent for Lightning Release was already on par with a Tailed Beast? Moreover, that terrifying bolt of lightning was hiding within the ring on Mei's finger without emitting any chakra fluctuations. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would have thought that such a powerful ninja was hiding in a simple ring?

What Siah had just used was the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. The first ability was to convert his body into lightning-attribute chakra, and the second was to move or hide within conductors. This required a level of control over his abilities that was nothing short of divine perfection. Otherwise, the current released by his massive chakra reserves would be far more than a mere 200 million volts. His control was so absolute that it was impossible for him to harm Mei.

Siah’s figure quickly materialized again as a bolt of electricity in front of them. Even though he had restrained his chakra as much as possible, the terrifying total amount of chakra he possessed still shocked them deeply. In their eyes, Siah’s chakra was likely approaching that of a Tailed Beast. What they didn't know was that Siah had suppressed his fluctuations to the maximum extent; his total chakra reserves had already entered the realm of the Ten-Tails, twice that of a normal Tailed Beast or more.

Having witnessed his incredible talent, Mei and the others reluctantly agreed to his plan. In truth, Mei felt that they had no choice. While Siah spoke with them, he would occasionally flip through the mission forms and look at them. If they didn't reach a consensus with him, he would surely force them to reach one.

Mei pouted and said helplessly, "Lord Siah, we agree to your plan."

*Crackle!*

Tree branches grew, and a familiar wood clone appeared. Since Siah’s chakra was abundant and of extremely high density, even Jonin from smaller villages couldn't defeat his wood clones. After creating a few, Siah said casually, "Stay here for now and don't wander off. I’m going to call my companion, and then we will head to the black market together to complete the mission."

After some thought, the four of them nodded in agreement, though they couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. Siah left the lakeside, walked over to the bewildered Kisame, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Follow me. We have a new mission."