Chapter 38: The Ninja World's Ultimate Grinder, a Perpetual Motion Machine for Missions—such a Reputation is Well-Earned.

Kisame felt his reasoning was sound; regardless, Sika was the one leading the mission this time. Since the mission remained unfinished and they had left early, that too was Sika’s decision. Upon returning to the Akatsuki, he would let Sika explain it to Pain himself.

After some time, the merchant caravan finally arrived near the Village Hidden in the Rain. Sika and his three companions stepped down from the carriage. Once they had handed in their task, Sika used a Wood Clone to notify Pain and Konan, arranging to meet them in a clearing near the village. Pain and Konan had no idea what Uzumaki Sika was up to, but they made their way there nonetheless.

In the clearing, Sika, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Karin were already waiting. They did not have to wait long before Pain and Konan descended from the sky. Seeing the four of them, the pair looked slightly puzzled. However, Pain still trusted Sika, whose mission success rate remained a perfect one hundred percent. Though he did not know the details, he assumed Sika must have brought the Three-Tails back.

Seeing Pain, Kisame shook his head. "Pain, we failed to capture the Three-Tails this time."

Pain and Konan were taken aback. With the strength of Sika, Kakuzu, and Kisame, capturing the Nine-Tails would hardly have been a problem, let alone the Three-Tails. Konan asked in confusion, "What happened? Were you discovered by the ninjas of the Hidden Mist? Did their interference prevent you from bringing the Three-Tails back?"

Kakuzu shook his head. "That is not the reason. Uzumaki Sika’s strength is immense; he completely overwhelmed the Three-Tails, Isobu. However, after beating it into submission, he allowed it to return to the lake rather than capturing it. Thus, our mission failed."

Pain paused, looking at Sika. "What is going on? Did the mission really fail?" He could not believe that Sika would fail under such circumstances.

As expected, Sika chuckled. "Who said the mission failed?"

Pain nodded. "So, where is the Three-Tails?" He felt this made more sense. If the three of them had set out together and still failed to capture the beast, it would have been incomprehensible.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Sika did not delay, quickly forming seals with his hands before slamming them onto the ground.

*Boom!*

A cloud of dust billowed, and white mist rose. The next moment, the massive form of the Three-Tails, Isobu, appeared before Pain and Konan. Kakuzu, Kisame, and Karin saw the beast once again.

"Hmph!" The Three-Tails was quite sullen after being summoned here. The ground was hard and uncomfortable; this was no place for a Tailed Beast.

Seeing this, Pain was deeply shocked. He had not expected Sika to be powerful enough to force a summoning contract upon a Tailed Beast. Konan’s gaze toward Sika was also filled with astonishment. She had personally investigated and compiled Sika’s original intelligence, and she was certain that at the beginning, he had not been this strong. His rate of growth was simply too terrifying.

Hard work yields results—is it any wonder the "grind king" of the ninja world moved so fast? A "mission harvester" is no empty title. Even as he stood here talking with Pain, his numerous Wood Clones were still out there accepting, performing, and submitting missions. Even the ninja dog Pakkun, which he had acquired not long ago, had joined the ranks of his task force.

Pain was satisfied to see the Three-Tails. He casually said, "Transfer the Three-Tails to..."

Before he could finish, he saw Sika release the summoning. Pain’s already cold expression grew even frostier. "What is the meaning of this?" Kisame and Kakuzu also turned their eyes toward Sika.

Sika laughed it off. "Hey, don't be in such a hurry. I need to use this Tailed Beast for a little while. Once I'm done, I'll send it over."

Pain’s expression shifted repeatedly. So that was it. He had wondered why Sika had changed his tune and hadn't brought up his mission payment upon their first meeting. The capture of the Three-Tails was a mercenary mission issued by Pain, while Mui had issued a long-term mercenary contract. Sika planned to bring the Three-Tails to Mui first to "grind" the mission requirements; he had already drafted the plan in his mind.

After a moment of silence, Pain finally nodded. "Bring it back as soon as you are done using it."

"No problem." Sika smiled, then took Karin and Kakuzu and headed toward the Village Hidden in the Grass.

The Grass Village was adept at study and research. Although they lacked a unique ninjutsu heritage of their own, they had learned many techniques from other villages. The reason this village had failed to develop properly was that they had chosen the wrong path. As everyone knew, they possessed neither the terrifying combat power of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, nor the survival skills of Orochimaru. They couldn't afford to be reckless like Tobirama, Orochimaru, or later, Kabuto Yakushi. What they truly needed to do was stay in the background, learning, researching, and developing ninjutsu. And it wasn't just ninjutsu—they could delve into ninja tools and the technology of the ninja world. The burden of advancing such technology could not rest solely on Orochimaru’s shoulders.

Sika intended to have a good talk with Mui about this. During his last visit, he had already helped Mui take down the village leader, Zetsu, and his faction. Now, the future of the Grass Village was entirely up to Mui. Thinking about how he could unlock a super-draw soon, Sika felt a surge of excitement.

Before long, the trio arrived at the gates of the Grass Village. Upon seeing them, a guard stepped forward politely. "Lord Uzumaki Sika, please enter." Mui had clearly given orders to let Sika pass directly. Sika nodded and walked inside, then turned to the guard. "Where is Mui? Take me to him."

"As you command." The guard led them to see Mui. Under Mui’s control, the village had seen a degree of development. Previously, the village had been rife with factions—the "Grass Fruit" and "Grass Flower" camps had been in constant conflict. With everyone busy scheming against one another, the village had stagnated. With Sika’s help, Mui had swept away the old leadership, and without the constant infighting, the village began to improve bit by bit.

Soon, the trio arrived at Mui’s office. Small villages like the Grass Village did not usually designate a "Kage," but Mui, with his strength and grip on power, was effectively the "Shadowless Shadow" of the village.

When Mui saw the three of them, he was quite surprised. "Lord Sika, has something happened?" He had not expected Sika to come to the Grass Village, especially since he had already finalized the cooperation between the Grass and Rain villages via Sika’s Wood Clone.

Sika smiled enigmatically. "The mission you entrusted to me is complete!"

"What?!" Mui was so stunned he stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You’ve finished it? So quickly? How much time has even passed! Are Tailed Beasts really that easy to catch?" He had struggled toward this goal for so long, and yet Sika had done it so simply. The efficiency was shocking. He had anticipated that the mission might take at least five years. He never expected it to be done in less than a month.

Faced with Mui’s disbelief, Sika nodded firmly. If it were a Jinchuriki, things would be a bit troublesome, as they were high-priority targets for the major ninja villages. But for a stray beast like the Three-Tails, which lacked a host, it was easy pickings for him.

Sika continued, "Is the site prepared? The Tailed Beast is massive; the area must be able to accommodate it." Although Tailed Beasts could change their size, Isobu did not seem particularly bright, and Sika preferred not to communicate such things with it—especially since it had been forcibly contracted and likely wouldn't be willing to follow his instructions.

Mui immediately replied, "Lord Sika, please follow me. Everything is ready."

As they walked, Sika noticed that the villagers looked much better than they had before. Thinking of Mui’s plot in the original story, he realized Mui wasn't a monster like Danzo; he was simply blinded by obsession. Sika sighed and spoke. "Before you begin, Mui, I must tell you something: that ninja tool may not be able to grant your wish."

Mui stopped in his tracks. After a moment of silence, he said, "According to the records of the Grass Village, the Box of Ultimate Bliss is a treasure of the Sage of Six Paths. One only needs to provide a massive amount of chakra to open it. Once opened, it can grant a wish. Long ago, the Grass Village relied on this tool to nearly dominate the ninja world." Mui trusted Sika, but he also trusted history. He did not believe the ancient records passed down through the village were flawed.

Sika shook his head. "I don't know why those records exist, but opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss cannot grant wishes. It will only bring destruction and terror."