Chapter 213: Old Friends Arrive
Nagato tapped his finger against a temporary slate he had created using Earth Release.
"The payout for most missions in the underground exchange is lower than similar rank missions in the Great Ninja Villages. That might sound like nonsense, but if you dig deeper, you can analyze some useful intelligence from it."
"Mm! Mm!" Kushina Uzumaki nodded vigorously, taking serious notes.
"There are roughly three types of clients who post missions in the underground exchanges," Nagato lectured like a seasoned veteran.
"The first type are the cheapskates. These people actually have the ability to pay the standard rates of a Great Ninja Village, but they always want a bargain. These clients are the hardest to deal with. There is no 'cheapest,' only 'cheaper.' They will often invent non-existent reasons to deduct your pay."
"The second type are the people who walk in the shadows. This category is diverse: affairs, poisonings, revenge killings, or people with... special fetishes. While the Great Ninja Villages might technically accept these missions, these clients subconsciously prefer to solve their problems through underground channels."
Nagato's voice suddenly pitched up an octave, filled with enthusiasm.
"And the third type—the one we are focusing on today—is the Village Class!"
"Remote mountain villages often encounter aggressive large animals like wild boars or bears. They are powerless to solve it themselves, so they need ninja. However, they can't scrape together enough money for a formal mission request to a major village, or they are simply too far away. So, they post in the underground exchange. These missions are simple, the villagers don't dare to shortchange you, and other mercenary ninja usually find them too troublesome or remote to bother with. That is our opportunity."
"Although the commission fee isn't high," Nagato continued, "if you have a channel to sell the prey, you can make a significant secondary income. Of course, the value of the prey depends on the species and how you handle it. You must ensure the carcass remains as intact as possible."
Kushina stared with wide, knowledge-thirsty eyes, afraid to miss a single word. One sheet of paper was already full, so she quickly flipped it over to continue writing.
"For example, the fur is often the most valuable part of the beast, so it is best not to cause external wounds. I recommend Genjutsu. I'll teach you a few visual Genjutsu later. When you see a wild boar or bear, you can trap it with a single glance. Once it's confused, you can do whatever you want. If speed isn't an issue, you can even use Genjutsu to make the live prey follow you all the way back to town. Selling it fresh yields the highest profit."
Inside her consciousness, the Nine-Tails (Kurama) roared in indignation.
"Blasphemy! This is absolute blasphemy against the Rinnegan! This brat is using the eyes of a god to herd wild pigs!!!"
It was enough to make the Sage of Six Paths fall silent and Kaguya weep.
True to his word, Nagato taught Kushina a few simple custom Genjutsu. These techniques created illusions in the prey's mind—like seeing their mother or a pile of food—making the animals obediently follow them.
He had filled the gap in Kushina's education regarding Genjutsu.
...Or so it seemed.
The next day, the duo arrived at the client's village. With practiced ease, Nagato identified the Village Head's house from a cluster of buildings that looked identical to Kushina. It was clear he had done this many times before.
Red hair was rare in the ninja world, but not unheard of. Usually, Nagato didn't bother hiding it, but considering someone might be tracking Kushina, they both used the Transformation Jutsu to change their hair color.
Nagato, who had grown tall and muscular to avoid being looked down upon due to his age, put on a pair of sunglasses. He looked like a sturdy young man who definitely drank his milk growing up.
The villagers didn't question their strength. After heading up the mountain, Nagato used his experience to quickly locate the brown bear terrorizing the area, teaching Kushina tracking skills along the way.
And so, the brown bear, who had reigned as the king of this mountain, had the distinct "honor" of being hit simultaneously by a Genjutsu from the Rinnegan and a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"We are too far from any town that buys bear meat. Dragging this guy all the way there is too much trouble. Let's just finish it here," Nagato decided.
At Nagato's prompting, Kushina delivered the final blow. She didn't act squeamish. Despite her lack of real combat experience, she was a graduate of the Ninja Academy. She had learned the art of killing for years and felt no guilt over slaying a bear.
They collected the commission fee. Under the "dead fish eyes" gaze of the Village Head—who watched them strip the bear until not even a single hair was left for the village—they packed everything into large bundles and began their return journey.
From a distance, they looked less like heroes and more like bandits who had just sacked the place.
"Sensei and I bought a small courtyard house in the town nearby. It's been empty since Sensei left. We just need to tidy it up a bit when we get there," Nagato said.
After living on the run for days, a smile finally returned to Kushina's face. "Then we really need to clean it well! Do you usually clean, Nagato-kun? Do we have enough daily necessities?"
Nagato patted the massive bundle on his back. "Once we sell this stuff, we'll go on a shopping spree in town."
That night, they camped in the wild again. As Nagato grilled fish over a fire, he continued to brief Kushina on the state of the ninja world.
"The most famous member of the Uzumaki clan currently active in the world is probably the 'Crimson Fortress' of Kumogakure. It's quite an imposing title."
Kushina didn't know that among the people who had captured her previously, the so-called 'Crimson Fortress' (Hiroto) had been present. She simply sighed with emotion. "The Cloud Village really does have a lot of Uzumaki members..."
Nagato nodded. "I don't know exactly how many, but the Cloud is definitely welcoming to the Uzumaki clan. I've met Cloud ninja during my missions in the past, and they've actually asked me if I wanted to go to Kumogakure."
What Nagato didn't know was that those ninja didn't just ask; they reported the sighting of a red-haired youth back to their village. This was a key part of the "Project Prometheus" (The Plan to Steal Fire). To this day, the Cloud was actively collecting bloodline limit users scattered across the world.
However, all reports regarding Nagato had been quietly suppressed by a certain mastermind in the shadows (Dana).
"Why didn't you go to the Cloud then?" Kushina asked.
Nagato tugged at his hair. "Back then, I was traveling with Jiraiya-sensei, so I never thought about going to the Cloud. Later on... I got used to the freedom. The Great Ninja Villages have too many rules. And after seeing what happened to you, I'm even more sure of that."
As they were chatting, the Nine-Tails inside Kushina suddenly spoke up.
"Kushina. Someone is approaching. Two signatures."
Kushina instantly went on high alert. She put down her grilled fish and scanned the darkness. Seeing her expression change, Nagato understood immediately and shifted into a combat stance.
"Should we run?" Kushina whispered to Nagato. "They might be after me."
In Kushina's mind, she was a fugitive. When she encountered pursuers, her instinct was to flee.
Nagato shook his head. "No need. It's a good opportunity to meet the people chasing you."
"Is... is that safe?"
Nagato rubbed his nose, a confident smirk appearing. "Actually... I'm pretty strong."
At that moment, two figures stepped out of the forest. Although the light was dim, it had no effect on the vision of a Sharingan or a Rinnegan.
Kushina gasped, her voice trembling.
"Mikoto?! Minato?!"