Chapter 50: As long as it is related to the mission, no matter how funny it is, I will not laugh!

Sui Xia did not waste any words and came straight to the point.

"Kakuzi, we have a mission! (Extra loud)"

"It is time once again for our manic mission-running duo to truly shine!"

"Let's head to Konoha together and pull off a huge job!"

Hearing this, Kakuzu sat straight and composed on his bed, radiating complete confidence.

Unfortunately, the tobacco industry in Amegakure was not well developed; otherwise, Kakuzu would have lit a cigarette, leisurely blown a smoke ring, and given his reply.

That didn't matter, though. He would have the chance to rob Konoha's crown prince in the future.

After Sui Xia explained the purpose of his visit, Kakuzu's face wore an expression of regret.

He shook his head and spoke in an extremely firm tone, "Sorry, I won't be accompanying you this time."

Sui Xia: "???"

After a brief moment of surprise, Sui Xia quickly grew amused.

Oh, Kakuzi!

You've really gotten full of yourself, haven't you?

Whether you go or not, is that really up for you to decide?

It seemed Kakuzu had forgotten the terror of being carried on his back to the black market to execute missions.

However, Sui Xia did not resort to violence; instead, he asked, "Why aren't you coming with me?"

As the shinobi world's greatest wage earner, Kakuzu had been working hard ever since the era of the First Hokage.

His golden-famed reputation was effective in black markets all across the entire ninja world without a doubt.

Of course, Kakuzu deserved some rest and recuperation when there were no missions.

But weren't missions here now?

That being the case, he naturally had to call upon Kakuzu.

"Sigh..."

Kakuzu let out a heavy sigh, then spoke in a mocking and sarcastic tone.

"It's not that I don't want to go, but I've already got a new mission."

With that, he spread his hands, his face full of forced helplessness.

Yet the corners of his mouth beneath his mask were already harder to suppress than an assault rifle, brimming with undisguised smugness.

He was not lying; he genuinely had received a mission.

Sui Xia asked out of curiosity, "What mission? Let's do it together."

Kakuzu shook his head regretfully, "No can do. My mission doesn't lie along the same route as yours."

"The organization has arranged for me to recruit a new member, so I cannot go on missions with you this time."

Having said that, Kakuzu continued with a profound expression of regret, "I am about to set off to execute my mission immediately."

"You should get ready too, and go carry out your mission."

Sui Xia: "！！！？？？"

After a moment of speechless silence, Sui Xia muttered in complaint.

"If you don't go, won't I miss out on countless missions along the way?"

In the black market, he was merely a "new brand" that had been established for less than a year.

Kakuzu was different; he was a "century-old establishment" in the black market.

Sui Xia could relatively easily pick up missions in Amegakure, Kusagakure, and even Kirigakure.

He had already made a name for himself in those three places.

However, once he left those three regions, his title of mission-reaping machine wouldn't work as effectively.

Hearing Sui Xia's words, Kakuzu felt immensely pleased inside.

Back when he used to execute missions alongside Sui Xia, Sui Xia never treated him like a human being.

Those endless, tireless missions—even Earth Grudge Fear couldn't handle it!

Good thing this time, the Akatsuki organization had arranged a specific assignment for him, leaving Sui Xia with no way to torture him.

Watching Sui Xia's stunned expression, Kakuzu felt an indescribable, secret thrill inside.

He looked at Sui Xia and said with a straight face, "This time, we won't be able to combine our formidable strengths to sweep through missions all the way to Konoha."

"My heart aches with grief, and I express my deepest regret."

"However, this is simply how things must be."

"I promise you, definitely next time!"

Hearing this, Sui Xia looked suspiciously at him and asked, "How is it that I get the feeling not only do you not feel regretful, but you're actually smiling?"

Kakuzu flatly denied it, "I underwent special training while I was in Takigakure!"

"As long as it concerns missions, no matter how hilarious it might be, I never laugh!"

"Alright, I'm off to execute my mission!"

"Pfft~"

As he spoke, he hurriedly bolted out of his room, afraid that if he stayed a moment longer, his laughter would become too obvious.

He had finally vindicated himself this time!

Ever since the organization assigned him the task, he had deliberately delayed going because he wanted to wait for Sui Xia to return.

He had been sitting at home feeling excited for a long time, and finally, his patience had paid off. For decades, he hadn't felt this wonderful.

After Kakuzu left, Sui Xia went to find Hoshigaki Kisame.

If Kakuzi wasn't going, dragging along the honest and dependable 'Kisamuzi' would work just as well.

Missions in the Akatsuki organization were generally conducted in pairs.

To supervise one another and offer mutual assistance.

Of course, situations where a single person or multiple people executed missions did exist as well.

Sui Xia used his Mind's Eye to perceive the surroundings.

After locating Kisame's whereabouts, Sui Xia activated the space-time teleportation capability of his Karma seal and traveled straight to Kisame's location.

Accompanied by Karin, he arrived at the spot.

Seeing Sui Xia approach, Kisame's heart skipped a beat.

'Trouble has arrived!'

'Why did this demon suddenly show up here?'

'And when did he master such a powerful space-time ninjutsu?'

Hoshigaki Kisame nervously licked his lips.

"Uzumaki Sui Xia, what are you doing here?"

Sui Xia came straight to the point. "I've accepted a mission that requires a trip to Konoha."

"I'd like to invite you to come along with me to Konoha to carry out this mission."

Hearing this, Hoshigaki Kisame shook his head frantically, his head moving so fast it blurred into an afterimage.

"Not going, not going, absolutely not going!"

Though Hoshigaki Kisame was honest and steady, he believed in learning from his past mistakes.

Doing missions with others took time and effort, but going out on missions with Sui Xia could cost you your life!

Last time they went to Kirigakure for a mission, it was bad enough that this lunatic Sui Xia beat him half to death.

After setting a bounty in Kirigakure, he had almost sold him off too.

Although executing missions with Uchiha Itachi always required traveling strictly on foot at a slow, leisurely pace,

at least it had the advantage of being safe!

At the very least, Itachi-san was absolutely trustworthy.

Even if there were seven or eight undercover agents within the Akatsuki organization, Itachi-san could never possibly be a spy!

Kisame's face right now was plastered with refusal, wariness, and utter disgust.

He truly did not want to go on a mission with Sui Xia ever again.

Faced with Hoshigaki Kisame's dead-set attitude of refusing to go even if it killed him, Sui Xia was utterly speechless.

"What the hell! Why are both of you dropping the ball at the critical moment?"

"If neither of you goes, am I supposed to head to a dangerous place like Konoha all by myself to execute a mission?"

Kisame said nothing aloud, but thought to himself.

Uzumaki Sui Xia's level of danger was probably higher than Konoha village, not lower.

If you encountered Konoha shinobi, you could still run away if you couldn't beat them.

If you encountered Uzumaki Sui Xia, you couldn't beat him and you couldn't escape either.

At that exact moment, little Karin poked her head out obediently from over Sui Xia's shoulder.

Then, she said with extreme warmth, "Sui Xia, don't worry! They might look down on you and refuse to do missions with you, but I don't! I will always accompany Sui Xia on missions forever!"

Sui Xia turned his head to meet Karin's earnest little expression face-to-face, feeling somewhat amused yet helpless.

Still, a warmth blossomed in his heart; no matter what, having a companion by one's side was always better than walking alone.

"Alright, Karin-chan!"

"Then let's get ready to depart... *cough, cough, cough*!"

Karin gathered her resolve, nodding her little head earnestly. At the same time, the two small hands wrapped around Sui Xia's neck tightened unconsciously.

"Yeah!"

She would definitely work hard to be a qualified partner and not let Sui Xia down!

Naturally unaware of what was going on inside Karin's mind, Sui Xia was currently complaining about where such slender arms and legs managed to get so much strength.

Otherwise, he would definitely have exclaimed right then and there: This is the bond!

Bonds were the supreme law of the ninja world.

Violate this law, and even the Otsutsuki God would get slapped twice.

Going to Konoha for this mission made Karin very happy.

Because previously, she had merely played the role of a little assistant by Sui Xia's side.

This time was different; she was already Sui Xia's partner!

However, after walking for a short distance, Sui Xia stopped with an unsightly expression on his face.

Seeing Sui Xia halt with a grim look, Karin asked rather nervously, "Sui Xia, did something happen?"

Nodding in response, Sui Xia complained somewhat irritably, "We're unfamiliar with the territory this time, and coupled with bad luck, we actually failed to pick up any merchant caravan escort missions!"

"A massive blood loss!"

The mission reward itself didn't matter much, but the system rewards certainly did.

Karin: "..."

She had actually thought something truly terrible had happened.

After a brief hesitation, she asked uncertainly, "So are we going to use space-time ninjutsu to get there?"

Sui Xia shook his head. "No, the reason we didn't pick up an escort mission this time is precisely because we're unfamiliar with the local terrain."

"I plan to use Wood Release clones to carry out missions in all the surrounding black markets along the way to make a name for ourselves."

"That way, accepting missions in the future will be much more convenient!"

With those words, he formed hand seals.

Instantly, one Wood Release clone after another burst forth from the ground, rapidly growing and taking shape.

Sui Xia decided that the fact they hadn't managed to pick up an escort mission this time must absolutely never reach the old man Kakuzu's ears.

As the preeminent mission-reaping machine of the ninja world, it would be somewhat humiliating to admit that upon leaving his familiar territory, he couldn't even accept the missions he wanted.

Watching the bustling crowd of Wood Release clones surrounding Sui Xia, Karin asked with some surprise, "Sui Xia, is it really alright to send out so many Wood Release clones?"

Furthermore, Karin had some doubts. As a fellow descendant of the Uzumaki clan, her chakra reserves were not small, but they were in completely different leagues compared to Sui Xia.

Karin did not know that Sui Xia had already been at the "Chakraton" level for a long time.

As for now, he was definitely at the level of "Chakraton" multiplied by "Chakraton".

Naruto would take one look and exclaim, "Dattebayo!"

Raising a hand, Sui Xia casually ruffled Karin's mess of red hair and said,

"Of course it's fine. I feel practically no consumption of my own chakra."

Karin puffed out her cheeks, and her little fists came directly at Sui Xia.

Every single time, Lord Sui Xia loved to mess up her carefully combed hair; it was so exasperating!

Facing Karin's windmill-like barrage of little fists, Sui Xia turned and ran.

No matter how capable Karin was, she couldn't outrun Sui Xia, who wielded Lightning Release to perfection.

After chasing him for a while and falling increasingly behind Sui Xia, she had no choice left but to deploy ninjutsu.

"Buzz—"

A transparent spiral appeared right in front of Karin, and the next moment her figure vanished entirely.

When she reappeared, she had already arrived right in front of Sui Xia, blocking his path with an indignant pout!

If Sui Xia didn't possess space-time ninjutsu, he wouldn't be able to escape from her!

The reason Sui Xia playfully bantered with Karin like this was actually to impart combat techniques and help her grow and progress.

Karin was a multi-talented individual, serving as both an exceptional sensory ninja and an outstanding medical ninja.

Now equipped with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, her combat capabilities could likewise become extraordinary.

Through Sui Xia's meticulous cultivation, Karin's chakra now possessed five attributes: Water, Earth, Yin, and Yang.

As a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, she naturally possessed a massive quantity of chakra within her body.

Combined with her current top-tier configuration, her combat methods extended beyond sealing jutsus and the Sharingan.

She could also walk the path of flooding jutsus, just like the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama. Since she had plenty of chakra and a high-end setup, she was fully equipped to learn it.

"Susanoo!"

Karin knew that Sui Xia's playful banter was meant to teach her combat skills, so the moment she caught up to him, she directly activated Susanoo.

"Boom—"

A colossal pinkish-hued skeletal frame quickly enveloped Karin within it.

Following that, transparent flesh rapidly grew over the skeleton.

Gradually, it even developed lower limbs and a full set of armor.

Then, Karin controlled the Susanoo to launch an attack towards Sui Xia.

"Clang!"

With a crisp sound of a blade ringing, the Susanoo drew a long sword and swept it horizontally.

"Swish!"

That single sword strike snapped an untold number of surrounding trees clean in half.

Sui Xia's figure tipped backward, slipping directly into a dark red black hole and utilizing Karma's teleportation ability.

The next instant, the dark red black hole reappeared directly above the Susanoo's head.

Surrounded by crackling lightning, he smashed down viciously toward the Susanoo below.

"Take this!"

"Boom—"

Even though Sui Xia hadn't unleashed his full power, he still sent Karin's Susanoo swaying unsteadily.

Sui Xia's current mastery of Lightning Release had surpassed every ninja in ninja world history who specialized in lightning.

Upon witnessing his consummate mastery of Lightning Release, the Raikage of Kumogakure would likely want to learn a trick or two from him.

"Swish!"

Under Karin's control, the long sword in Susanoo's hand slashed upward toward Sui Xia overhead.

This time, Sui Xia didn't use space-time ninjutsu to run away; instead, a flash of lightning brought him right in front of the Susanoo's forehead.

"Gale Style: Heavy Storm!"

"Bang!"

A fist crackling with lightning slammed fiercely into Susanoo's forehead.

With a muffled thud, the colossal Susanoo was knocked staggering by the blow.

This time, Sui Xia refrained from employing the True Several Thousand Hands; otherwise, it would have been a mere recreation of Madara and Hashirama's battle.

After exchanging thirty rounds with Karin, he said to her,

"Let's wrap up today's training here."

Hearing this, Karin dismissed the Susanoo.

Then she asked with eager anticipation, "Sui Xia, have I made progress?"

Sui Xia nodded, thinking to himself, *Oh, you've made progress all right.*

After all, in the original timeline, Karin couldn't even defeat a bear during the Chunin Exams.

Forget the bear encountered in the forest during the Chunin Exams; Karin's current strength meant that as long as it wasn't Nobita wielding Doraemon, she could pretty much handle any bear out there.

However, Sui Xia also noticed a problem: Karin's offensive options were somewhat limited.

She could easily handle minor grunts with a wave of her hand.

Yet when encountering opponents who were relatively formidable without being overwhelmingly powerful, she clearly didn't need to pilot a Mecha and chase them down.

Still, Sui Xia merely entertained the thought briefly without dwelling on it further.

Before long, he brought Karin to an open clearing.

Then, bringing his hands together in a clap, he performed a ninjutsu.

"Wood Release: Mansion Technique!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Log after log, plank after plank rapidly sprouted from the ground, quickly arranging and transforming themselves.

Before long, a luxurious wooden villa appeared right before the eyes of Sui Xia and Karin.

One had to admit that Sui Xia certainly knew how to enjoy himself.

The Wood Release: Four Pillar House Technique, also known as the Three-Bedroom-Two-Hall Technique, had been mastered to great effect by Captain Yamato.

However, the version in Sui Xia's hands had long since evolved.

Backed by Sui Xia's massive chakra reserves, calling it the Wood Release: Grand Villa Technique was perhaps far more fitting.

After constructing the villa with Wood Release, Sui Xia casually remarked, "Karin-chan, let's rest here tonight."