Chapter 37: Do Not Die Easily Before You Have Served Your Purpose

At this moment, Mei Terumi still possessed a pure and sweet appearance. She managed to force a polite smile and said, "Lord Si Xia, I have no tasks that require your services for the time being. You are welcome to explore the Hidden Mist Village, and you may even hire me as your guide to show you the local customs."

Before she could finish, she saw Si Xia already in the distance, waving goodbye. Not only had she failed to offer him a new mission, but he had also suggested she be his guide—it was completely backward!

After leaving Mei Terumi, Si Xia reunited with Kakuzu and Kisame. Upon seeing him, Kisame rubbed his hands together with satisfaction. "Pressure-masne, are we heading off to capture the Tailed Beast now? I must admit, you are quite farsighted. Bringing this little girl from the Uzumaki clan along with you all this time—was it all for this very day?"

Kakuzu nodded in agreement, adding, "I have heard that the Hidden Leaf has always sealed the Nine-Tails within members of the Uzumaki clan. Over all these years, the Leaf has had the fewest issues with their Tailed Beast."

Kisame nodded. "Indeed. The vitality and sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan are extraordinary, making them perfect vessels for sealing Tailed Beasts."

Karin: "???"

Karin’s adorable face was filled with shock. Was that it? Had Si Xia been keeping her by his side all along with a premeditated plan to turn her into a vessel for a Tailed Beast? That couldn’t be right, could it? Feeling wronged to the point of tears, she had always believed she was Si Xia’s cute little assistant!

Hearing the words of Kakuzu and Kisame, Si Xia wore an expression of pure disbelief. What kind of nonsense were these two idiots spouting? As it turned out, people really do laugh when they are rendered completely speechless. Si Xia raised his leg and kicked both of them in the rear, sending them face-planting into the dirt.

"What kind of garbage are you two spewing? When did I ever say I was going to use Karin as a vessel?"

After saying this, Si Xia looked at the teary-eyed Karin and ruffled her red hair into a mess. "You believe whatever they say? Remember, don't die easily before you actually become useful. Otherwise, I’ll be taking a huge loss."

Upon hearing this, Karin broke into a smile through her tears and nodded her head earnestly. "I understand! Si Xia!"

Si Xia nodded and proceeded to mess up her hair even further. Karin, who had been on the verge of tears just moments ago, clenched her delicate fists, pounced on Si Xia’s back, and applied her "Iron-Clad Seven-Day Locking Technique."

Once Si Xia had activated his human-shaped massager, he headed toward the Hidden Mist black market. Watching Si Xia walk away, Kakuzu and Kisame were stunned.

"Hey, hey, hey... we’re just leaving like this? What about the mission assigned by the organization?" Kisame looked at Si Xia’s back and hurriedly called out.

"Rest assured, everything is going according to plan!"

Of course, Kakuzu and Kisame were not at ease with Si Xia at all. While this young man’s strength was immense—likely surpassing any of the current Five Kage—his way of thinking was highly unusual. He often did things that were completely unexpected. Kisame, in particular, had been heavily wounded by Si Xia not long ago and had only recovered his mobility thanks to the healing properties of Samehada. However, without Si Xia’s intervention, the Hidden Mist Village was now highly vigilant regarding that lake. Even if he and Kakuzu had the strength to deal with the Three-Tails, they had no way to pack it up and take it away right under the noses of the Hidden Mist ninjas.

Helpless, Kisame looked at Kakuzu and asked, "What do we do now?"

Kakuzu shook his head. "Follow his lead for now. We can report the truth to Pain when we return."

Kisame had no better options, so he had to agree.

Meanwhile, in the Blood Mist faction, Hozuki Mugetsu and the others gathered once more at their base. Their expressions were grim. "We cannot let that damned mercenary continue to wreak havoc!"

...

Within the Hidden Mist Village, Si Xia spent the next few days sweeping through the black market missions. No matter how much the village had declined, it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. A starving camel is still larger than a horse, and the number of missions here far exceeded those in the Hidden Rain Village. Every day after completing their tasks, he and Karin would count money until their hands cramped.

In the black market hall of the Hidden Mist, a ninja slammed his fist onto the counter and asked the manager, "Why isn't the black market posting any more missions?"

The manager sneered, "If I don't have any missions, how am I supposed to post them?"

"No missions? How is that possible?" The ninja, who had been frequenting the black market for a long time, was baffled. He had never encountered such a situation. He slammed the counter again and asked, "There isn't a single mission left?"

The manager sighed and pulled out a stack of mission sheets. Seeing the stack, the wandering ninja’s expression softened slightly. He knew it—how could there be no missions? But as he picked up the sheets, he was completely stunned.

[Target: Shingen, Lord of the Mountain in the Land of Fire. Reward: 1 billion ryo.]
...
[Target: The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Reward: 1 billion ryo.]
...
[Target: The Fourth Raikage, A. Reward: 800 million ryo.]

Seeing these contracts, the wandering ninja’s head began to buzz. Were these missions even meant for someone like him? He quickly regained his composure, slammed the counter, and asked, "What about the other missions?"

The manager shrugged. "Most were taken by Kakuzu, and a few were taken by Uzumaki Si Xia."

Hearing the name Uzumaki Si Xia, the ninja cursed inwardly! After so much time, the tragic tales from the Hidden Rain Village’s black market had finally reached the Hidden Mist. A pair of mission-thugs, a perpetual motion machine of mission-running, a duo of mission-crushers had appeared! These two were inhuman! At their peak, they would empty the entire black market three times a day!

"Damn it! Why is this mission-slaughtering machine refusing to leave the Hidden Mist?"

Just as the ninja was filled with grief and indignation, the figures of Si Xia and Kakuzu appeared in the hall. Si Xia slapped a stack of mission reports onto the counter. "Don't save any missions for me tomorrow. I’m leaving the Hidden Mist Village."

The manager let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the wandering ninjas in the village would starve to death if no one was left to do the work. The ninja who had failed to find a mission just moments ago, upon hearing this good news, couldn't help but rush out of the hall with tears in his eyes to tell the others.

Before long, the wandering ninjas of the Hidden Mist were all weeping. "The Sage of Six Paths has answered our prayers! That damned mission-slaughtering machine is finally leaving!"

"It’s great! He’s going to go torment some other village!"

"I hope he never comes back!"

Inside the hall, after Si Xia submitted his reports, he supervised Karin and Kakuzu as they sat on the floor happily counting their money. Kisame, watching the trio’s smiles shift from gradually perverted to gradually wicked, felt a throbbing headache.

"Hiss—" After counting so much money that her hands began to cramp, Karin couldn't help but ask, "Why is there so much wailing outside?"

Si Xia thought for a moment and said casually, "They probably can't bear to see the God of Missions leave. After all, with my golden reputation, I don’t know how many employers are currently rushing to the Hidden Mist black market to post missions. Hahahaha."

After submitting their final missions, Si Xia’s group departed. On the road back to the Hidden Rain Village, Si Xia certainly wasn't idle; he had taken on an escort mission along the way.

"Wait!" Just as Si Xia was about to board the carriage, Kakuzu blocked him. He hadn't spoken clearly about the Three-Tails while in the presence of the Hidden Mist ninjas, but now that they were outside the village territory, he had to clarify.

"Are we just going back like this?" Kakuzu’s dark green eyes were filled with confusion. He felt that the Uzumaki Si Xia before him was acting very strange. In his experience, this kid never quit a mission halfway through.

Si Xia asked nonchalantly, "Is there a problem with going back now?"

Before Kakuzu could speak, Kisame sneered, "Have you forgotten the objective of this trip?" Kisame had gained some understanding of Si Xia—his strength was unfathomable, and his personality was unpredictable. He was sometimes steady, sometimes reckless, and sometimes did things that defied logic. Just like this time: after beating the Three-Tails into submission and using a sealing technique to bind it within Karin, it was undoubtedly the best choice to quietly take it away.

Si Xia waved his hand dismissively at Kisame’s comment. "The mission is already complete. Let’s go."

As he spoke, he gestured for Karin to board one of the carriages at the back of the caravan.

"Wait! The mission isn't finished! How are we supposed to answer to Pain?" Kakuzu spoke up again, clearly not believing him. He had seen most of the battle between Si Xia and the Three-Tails, but he and Kisame didn't know that Si Xia had forcibly signed a summoning contract with the beast.

Si Xia couldn't be bothered to explain further to Kakuzu and Kisame. "Less talk, get on the carriage. The mission is already done."

Si Xia didn't reveal his methods because he was worried that the Hidden Mist might have monitoring techniques to learn about their situation. If the Hidden Mist people found a way to break the summoning contract with the Three-Tails, then his trip would truly have been a waste.

"Heh, explain it to Pain yourself, then." Kisame grinned and hopped onto the carriage.

Following Si Xia on missions had both pros and cons. The good part was that they always hitched a ride on mission-related transport, and Si Xia’s strength meant there was essentially nothing to worry about during combat. The downside was that this guy was a perpetual motion machine for missions. As long as there were missions left, he would keep on going. Of course, Kisame suspected that sometimes Si Xia used Wood Clone clones to take shifts with his original body.