Kisame believed there was nothing wrong with his thinking. After all, this mission was led by Senshi.

  Now that the mission wasn’t plete and they left early, that, too, was Senshi’s decision.

  When they returo the Akatsuki, Senshi himself would expihing to Pain.

  Some time ter, the mert caravan finally arrived near Amegakure.

  Senshi’s four-man team also stepped down from the caravan’s carriage.

  After rep the mission, Senshi used a Wood-Style e to notify Pain and Konan to meet in an open area near Amegakure.

  Pain and Konan, of course, had no idea what Uzumaki Senshi to, but they still went over to the meeting spot.

  In the clearing near Amegakure, Senshi, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Karin were all there.

  They didn’t wait very long before Konan and Pain desded from above.

  Seeing the four of them, Pain and Konan were someuzzled.

  However, Pain trusted Senshi—after all, Senshi’s missions had a 100% success rate.

  Even though he wasn’t sure what was going on this time, he assumed they must have captured the Three-Tails again, right?

  Upon seeing Pain, Kisame shook his head and said, “Pain, we failed to capture the Three-Tails this time.”

  Pain and Konan were both surprised by this.

  With Uzumaki Senshi’s team of three (himself, Kisame, and Kakuzu), they should have no problem capturing even the ails, let alohe Three-Tails.

  Puzzled, Konan asked, “What happened? Did the ninja from Kirigakure discover you? Because of their interference, you couldn’t bring the Three-Tails back?”

  Kakuzu shook his head. “No, that’s not the reason. Uzumaki Senshi is very powerful—he pletely overwhelmed the Three-Tails Isobu. But after subduing it, he let Isobu go bato the ke instead of capturing it. So...our mission failed.”

  Pain blinked in surprise and turo Senshi, asking, “What’s going on? Did the mission really fail?”

  He didn’t think Uzumaki Senshi could fail uhose circumstances.

  Sure enough, Senshi gave a small ugh and said, “Who said the mission failed?”

  Pain nodded. “Then where is the Three-Tails?”

  That would make more sense—if all three of them went out and still failed to capture it, that would be truly inprehensible.

  “Summoning Jutsu!”

  Without dey, Senshi quickly formed hand signs and spped his palms hard against the ground.

  Boom!

  A burst of smoke spread out, white mist rising. In the sed, the massive Three-Tails Isobu appeared before Pain and Konan.

  Kakuzu, Kisame, and Karin, of course, all saw the Three-Tails again.

  “Hmph!”

  Summoned here, the Three-Tails was visibly sullen. The grouh it was all hard and rocky—is this really a pce for a tailed beast to hang out?

  Pain was taken aback by the se before him. He hadn’t expected that Senshi was already strong enough to forcibly sign a Summoning tract with a tailed beast.

  Konan’s gaze at Senshi was also filled with surprise. She’d iigated and piled the earliest intelligen Senshi, so she was quite certain he hadn’t been this powerful at the beginning. Yet he had grown unbelievably fast.

  But that’s natural: you reap what you sow. In the shinobi world, Senshi was a tireless “grinder.” How could he not grow quickly? The so-called “Mission-killer” wasn’t just ay title.

  Even though Senshi was there chatting with Paiill had numerous Wood-Style es out doing missions all over—accepting tasks, pleting them, turning them in—and even his newly acquired summoni, the ninja dog Kuro-maru, had joihe mission-taking ranks.

  (When?)

  Pain was delighted at the sight of the Three-Tails. He casually said, “Take the Three-Tails over to—”

  Before he could finish, Senshi released the summoning. Pain’s already cold expression grew even darker. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Kisame and Kakuzu also looked at Senshi.

  With a ugh, Senshi said, “Heh, rex, rex. I just o use this tailed beast for a little while. Once I’m done, I’ll send it over.”

  Pain’s expression ged several times. So that’s it. He’d been w why Uzumaki Senshi seemed so different this time—he hadn’t even asked for the mission payout first.

  Pain had given Senshi a tract mission to capture the Three-Tails, while Mui had given him a separate long-term tract. Senshi inteo take the Three-Tails to Mui first and milk that mission for all it was worth—he had already mapped out his pn.

  After a moment of silence, Pain finally nodded. “Fine. Once you’re doh the tailed beast, deliver it as soon as possible.”

  “No problem.”

  Senshi smiled and hen took Karin and Kakuzu with him to head to Kusagakure.

  Kusagakure is a vilge skilled at learning and research. Though they have no unique heritage of their own, they’ve learned many of the jutsu from other hidden vilges. The reason they hadn’t developed well is because they chose the wrong path.

  They aren’t like the Sed Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who had terrifying power, nor are they like Orochimaru with tless ways to save his own skin. They couldn’t just experiment on others like Tobirama, Orochimaru, or ter Kabuto.

  What they really o do is stay behind the ses, fog on studying, researg, and developing jutsu—not only jutsu, but ninja tools and shinobi-world teology as well. Ninja from Kusagakure dabble in all of these fields. They ’t let Orochimaru carry all the burden of advang ninja tech alone.

  This time, Senshi wao talk to Mui about that. On his st visit, he had helped Mui take care of Vilge Chief Chiya and the others. Now that Mui was calling the shots, Kusagakure’s future dire to him.

  Just thinking about unlog another “Super Draw” soon made Senshi excited.

  Before long, the three of them arrived at the gates of Kusagakure. Seeing who it was, a Kusagakure ninja approached respectfully.

  “Lord Uzumaki Senshi, please e in.”

  Clearly, Mui had instructed them: if Uzumaki Senshi showed up, grant him direct access.

  Senshi nodded, ehe vilge, and turo the ninja to ask, “Where is Mui right now? Take me to him.”

  “Uood.”

  With that, the Kusagakure ninja led Senshi’s three-man party toward Mui.

  Now that the whole vilge was under Mui’s trol, it had achieved a certain degree of growth. Previously, Kusagakure was riddled with peting fas, with two main bloown as “Kusa no Jitsu” and “Kusa no Hana” locked in a long-standing rivalry. Amid sufighting, everyone was too busy backstabbing each other to focus on real development, so the vilge naturally stagnated.

  Thanks to Senshi’s help, Mui ended up capturing the leader Chiya and Elder Guima all at once. With no more sinister plots and power struggles going on behind the ses, the vilge was already improving without needing much active ma.

  Uhe Kusagakure ninja’s guidance, Senshi and his group soon arrived at Mui’s office. For smaller vilges like Kusagakure, there’s usually no official “Kage,” but Mui was so powerful and firmly in charge that he was effectively a shadow leader—an unofficial “Kage.”

  Seeing Senshi and the other two ehe office, Mui was clearly surprised.

  “Lord Senshi, did something happen?”

  He couldn’t figure out why Senshi had e to Kusagakure. He’d already worked out the vilge’s colboration with Amegakure using a Wood-Style e sent to iate with Konan. So what else could be on Senshi’s mind?

  Senshi gave a cryptic smile. “The ission you gave me before is finished!”

  “What?!”

  Mui shot to his feet, staring at Senshi in disbelief.

  “You’ve already do? That fast? It hasn’t evehat long! Are tailed beasts really that easy to catch?”

  Mui had been pursuing this goal for who-knows-how-long, and Senshi just got it done in no time. He couldn’t help being astonished by Senshi’s efficy. He’d half-expected it might take at least five years for Senshi to plete this long-term issio here they were, not even a month in, and Senshi had do.

  Faced with Mui’s incredulous look, Senshi merely nodded without hesitation. If the tailed beast had a Jinchuriki host, it might’ve been trickier, sihose shinobi are heavily guarded. But the Three-Tails Isobu, roaming solo, was basically low-hanging fruit.

  Senshi went on, “So, is the site prepared? The tailed beast is massive, so you’ll need enough space to aodate it.”

  Tailed beasts, being pure chakra entities, adjust their size. But Isobu didn’t seem tht, and Senshi didn’t feel like iating with it. Besides, Isobu was forced into a summoning tract against its will and clearly wouldn’t cooperate.

  Mui once. “Lord Senshi, please follow me. I’ve prepared everything.”

  “Lead the way,” Senshi said.

  As they walked, Senshi noticed that the general mood in Kusagakure was noticeably better than st time. Remembering Mui’s storyline in the inal series, Senshi sighed inwardly. Mui wasly like Danzo—he was just blinded by his own obsessions.

  Senshi couldn’t help remarking, “Before you begin, Mui, I have to tell you something. That ninja tool might not be able to fulfill your wish.”

  Hearing this, Mui suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, he tinued forward. “Acc to Kusagakure’s records, the Box of Ultimate Bliss was a treasure of the Sage of Six Paths. All it requires is a massive amount of chakra to open. Once opened, it grant a single wish. Long ago, Kusagakure nearly domihe ninja world thanks to that box.”

  Mui did trust Senshi, but he also trusted the vilge’s recorded history. He had no reason to doubt sut writings.

  Senshi shook his head. “I’m not sure why Kusagakure has those records, but ohe Box of Ultimate Bliss is opened, it won’t grant any wish. All it brings is destru and terror.”

  Bleam