Chapter 36: That detestable mercenary, still daring to harbor designs on her!

Beyond that, joining a hidden village and taking on a high-ranking official position meant one wouldn’t have to run around constantly, laboring over missions of all sizes.

One could simply sit in an office and enjoy life.

Mei Terumi could not wrap her head around it; no one in the ninja world could understand the inner workings of Uzumaki Sixia’s mind.

She said to Elder Gengetsu, "Elder Gengetsu, I have also hired Uzumaki Sixia on a long-term basis to provide strategic deterrence for the Hidden Mist Village. The chaos with the Three-Tails this time was caused by the Blood Mist faction working in the shadows. I am going to find Lord Sixia now to put some pressure on those people in the Blood Mist."

When they arrived at the lakeside, they only saw the Three-Tails emerging from the water; they found no trace of the Blood Mist faction.

Since they had no concrete evidence, there was little they could do. However, they could still use Uzumaki Sixia’s overwhelming presence to intimidate the Blood Mist members.

Before long, Mei Terumi brought Sixia along and appeared once again before the two elders of the Blood Mist faction.

When Hozuki Mugetsu and Mizukage Takikazu saw Mei Terumi approach, their expressions remained unchanged. Behind the two elders, Kondo Takashi stood with a solemn expression, while Kondo Wild had a faint smile on his face. He knew that Mei Terumi and the others had surely come to settle the score. But that was fine; he had handled his business cleanly and left no evidence for Mei Terumi to find.

Once Mei Terumi appeared, she got straight to the point.

"Are the people of the Blood Mist trying to betray the village? You were actually insane enough to use forbidden techniques to incite the Three-Tails into a rampage!"

Hozuki Mugetsu shook his head upon hearing this: "I don't know what you are talking about!"

Mizukage Takikazu also spoke coldly: "Nonsense! What does the Three-Tails' rampage have to do with me?"

"The Three-Tails is the village's greatest weapon. Now that the power of the entire village is firmly held in the hands of Elder Gengetsu, since he holds all the authority, he must bear full responsibility when something goes wrong!"

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the crisis of the Three-Tails has passed; who knows if there are any lingering dangers? Perhaps the Three-Tails is only temporarily suppressed, harboring its resentment deep within. In a while, it will ramp up even more violently!"

Beside Mei Terumi, Sixia wanted to laugh when he heard this. His two employers, the Akatsuki organization and Mui, both needed a Tailed Beast. Under such circumstances, it was hard to say how many more days the Three-Tails would remain in the Hidden Mist Village. You two old men, along with Mei Terumi and the rest, had better cherish the days the Three-Tails was still in the village! After all, before long, the beast would suddenly vanish from before their eyes.

Mei Terumi was furious upon hearing Elder Mizukage Takikazu’s words. "From now on, we will dispatch specialized ninja to guard the area around the Three-Tails. Without Elder Gengetsu’s orders, no one from the Blood Mist is allowed near the beast."

Kondo Wild shrugged and said, "Ever since the Fourth Mizukage began governing the village, haven't we been the ones conducting all the events and research related to the Three-Tails? In the Hidden Mist Village, no one understands the Three-Tails better than us. The task of guarding it should be entrusted to us."

His words were logical and well-founded, but Mei Terumi mocked him: "Entrusting this task to you so you can be the thief while acting as the guard?"

Kondo Wild wasn't angered by this; he continued in a measured tone, "At the very least, the problem with the Three-Tails this time did not occur under the watch of the Blood Mist. Does that not suggest that your group lacks the ability to properly guard the beast? You know, many things happen a second time after the first."

As Kondo Wild and Mei Terumi argued, Sixia watched the show from the sidelines. He realized that both of them were remarkably eloquent. If he let them continue arguing like this, who knew how long it would last? So, Sixia stepped forward.

He looked at Hozuki Mugetsu, Mizukage Takikazu, and Kondo Takashi, and said calmly, "Gentlemen, we have already met."

"I will emphasize this one more time: anyone who attempts to disrupt the stability and prosperity of the Hidden Mist Village is my enemy."

As the expressions of Hozuki Mugetsu and the others turned incredibly unsightly, Sixia continued, "I hope you will not interfere with my mission. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

Hozuki Mugetsu, Mizukage Takikazu, and the others certainly understood Sixia’s words. They hated him to the bone, but they were too afraid to voice their anger. Not long ago, this powerhouse before them had beaten the Three-Tails into submission! How could they dare to say anything else in front of Sixia?

Even the resourceful Kondo Wild dared not speak recklessly. He didn't know much about Sixia's background, but he could tell that Sixia cared deeply about the mission he was performing. Anyone who interfered would be finished—even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't save them. Under such circumstances, Kondo Wild dared not try any wordplay. If he enraged the man and was crushed by a single "Heavy Flow" strike, he wouldn't even know where to go to plead for justice.

Sixia was quite satisfied with the expressions on the faces of Hozuki Mugetsu and the others. They were practically wearing signs that read, "I want to cause trouble." As for Kondo Wild, he was someone skilled at enduring. While Sixia was intimidating them, the man remained expressionless and silent, as if he had accepted his fate. But it is the silent dog that bites; this Kondo Wild was the most dangerous of them all.

Seeing this, Sixia felt very happy. "Excellent, excellent. The situation in the Hidden Mist Village is truly promising. With these talents around, I don't have to worry about running out of missions. Perhaps the moment I leave, these guys will start plotting something again. Once they encounter a problem that the Hidden Mist ninja can't handle, someone as clever as Mei Terumi will surely hire me at a high price to solve the trouble."

Since these four were key to the quality and quantity of the missions he could receive from the Hidden Mist in the future, he had to stop his intimidation at the right moment. Otherwise, if he scared them too much and they didn't dare to make any small moves, the number of missions he could take would undoubtedly decrease.

After intimidating them, Sixia looked at Mei Terumi and said, "The mercenary mission to handle the Three-Tails crisis is considered complete, right?"

Mei Terumi was startled at first, then realized, though her beautiful face couldn't help but twitch. 'This detestable mercenary is just... too expensive!'

Fortunately, Mei Terumi didn't have the gambling addiction of Lady Tsunade and had some savings. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to pay for the two times she had hired Sixia. However, she couldn't pay for this out of her own pocket anymore; this was a mission issued in the name of the village.

Mei Terumi said, "Lord Sixia, please follow me. I will take you to see Elder Gengetsu and collect your payment."

Sixia nodded indifferently; it didn't matter who paid the bounty, as long as he got it.

Led by Mei Terumi, Sixia soon met the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Mist Village. It was still long before the Five Kage Summit, meaning these old men would be in power for a long time to come. Thinking of this, Sixia immediately began his sales pitch in front of Gengetsu and the others.

"Elder Gengetsu, distinguished members of the Hidden Mist Village, greetings. I am the wandering ninja Uzumaki Sixia from the Rain Village black market. I have completed over a hundred S-rank missions to date and have never failed. The number of A, B, C, and D-rank missions I have executed is countless. To this day, I maintain a one-hundred-percent success rate."

"If you have troubles that are hard to resolve, hire me!"

"If you are being targeted by assassins from other villages, hire me!"

"If your village is threatened by a Tailed Beast or other Kage-level power, hire me!"

"One-time hire, lifelong satisfaction!"

"For mission needs, look for Uzumaki Sixia!"

"Great service attitude, high efficiency, one-hundred-percent completion rate. You’re worth it!"

After finishing, Sixia looked at Gengetsu and the other high-ranking officials with eyes full of longing for missions. The group was stunned by Sixia’s behavior. Was this guy, a Kage-level powerhouse, completely devoid of dignity?

Mei Terumi felt a headache coming on. She could only conclude that these ninjas standing at the pinnacle of the world were all eccentric, free-spirited, and possessed distinct personalities. After all, it was said that Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, liked to shout, cry, and laugh, and was a very straightforward, emotional man.

Gengetsu was stunned for a long time before he finally regained his composure and nodded solemnly. The Hidden Mist Village currently lacked top-tier combat power. In extreme situations, they really would need a ninja like Uzumaki Sixia to step in.

After Gengetsu nodded, Mei Terumi spoke up and explained the two missions she had issued to Uzumaki Sixia in the name of the village. Upon hearing this, the gentle smile on Gengetsu’s aged face stiffened. He couldn't help but complain internally: "That detestable mercenary!"

"A single mission costs 10 million Ryo! Not only that, but the village will have to pay a 10 million Ryo long-term retainer fee every month from now on. The village's finances are already very tight! Hiring this ninja is like adding frost to snow for our budget!"

Though helpless, Gengetsu took out a check and handed it to Mei Terumi, then took out another 10 million Ryo check and handed it to Uzumaki Sixia.

[Mercenary mission completed!]
[Employer: Hidden Mist Village]
[Mission Objective: Subdue the Three-Tails, stop the rampaging beast from destroying the village, and return it to the bottom of the lake.]
[Mission Reward: 10 million Ryo]
[Mission Rank: S-rank]
[Mission Reward: 10,000 Mercenary Points]

The moment he received the money, the mission was officially complete. He had gained 10,000 Mercenary Points—enough for ten ten-pulls—a bountiful harvest.

After collecting his payment from Gengetsu, Sixia left with Mei Terumi.

"Mei, do you have any troubles?" Watching Mei Terumi frown, Sixia stepped forward decisively. When there was a mercenary mission, one had to seize the opportunity to take it. When there wasn't one, one had to learn to create the opportunity. This was his Ninja Way!

Mei Terumi was a bit confused at first as to why he was saying such strange things. But when she saw his gaze fixed on the money in her hand, she immediately became alert!

'That detestable mercenary!'

'He already earned 10 million Ryo from the Hidden Mist Village and over 80 million from the Blood Mist faction. And now, he’s still eyeing the pocket change in her hands!'