Senshi's words took Jiraiya by surprise!
He had never seen this particular ninja before.
Moreover, in that brief moment, Jiraiya couldn't match the other person to any intelligence file.
Yet, upon seeing him, the other man immediately recognized who he was.
Such intelligence-gathering ability was truly impressive!
But in the realm of intelligence, Jiraiya was never one to be outdone.
In the short moment after Senshi recognized him, Jiraiya also began analyzing Senshi's data.
Jiraiya carefully sized Senshi up and silently considered:
"His hair color indicates, for the most part, that he's from the Uzumaki Clan."
"That Lightning Release jutsu he just used probably was completed the instant I stepped onto the rock."
"Being able to unleash such a powerful Lightning Release technique so quickly shows that he has very advanced Lightning Release skills."
By the time Jiraiya's analysis reached that point, he had already formed some conjectures in his heart.
Young, an Uzumaki clan member, and highly skilled in Lightning Release. Recently, he has also been active in the Kumogakure. A ninja that meets all these criteria…there's only one!
He's none other than the famed figure of the black market: Uzumaki Senshi!
Realizing this, Jiraiya looked at Senshi and said, "No wonder your Lightning Release skills are so profound; you're Uzumaki Senshi, who has gained quite the reputation in multiple black markets."
Senshi wasn't surprised that Jiraiya recognized him.
You could question Jiraiya's strength, but not his ability to gather and analyze information.
He already had a sizable reputation in the shinobi world. If Jiraiya failed to recognize him, Jiraiya's title of "information king" would have rung hollow.
Once he was recognized by Jiraiya, Senshi chuckled and said, "As expected of Lord Jiraiya—able to identify me right away even when I wasn't wearing anything. Your fame is well-deserved; your title as the intelligence king is truly fitting!"
Jiraiya didn't understand why Senshi addressed him so formally. Still, from Jiraiya's perspective, Senshi's comment was quite pleasing.
He had always taken pride in his intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Hearing Senshi's praise, Jiraiya burst into hearty laughter:
"Hahaha! Don't underestimate my intelligence network. In terms of intelligence, I'm quite confident."
Hearing that, Senshi revealed a similarly confident smile. "What a coincidence, Lord Jiraiya. When it comes to intelligence, I might be even more confident than you."
"I not only know the vast majority of the information you know, I even know why you've shown up here, what you've been doing all these years traveling the ninja world, and what your long-term mission is."
"For you, these three pieces of intel are each more secret than the last, and practically no one else could possibly know them all—am I right?"
Indeed, other shinobi in the ninja world basically could not know all three pieces of intel about Jiraiya; however, Senshi did know them.
As for why Jiraiya appeared at an open-air hot spring, well, to borrow a saying: 'A fox isn't fooling anyone by hiding its tail.'
As for his real purpose in wandering the ninja world all these years, it was to find a certain person with whom he shared an extraordinary relationship.
Additionally, Jiraiya had another special, long-term mission, which was also to find a person—the "Child of Destiny" that the Great Toad Sage had mentioned.
After listening to Senshi, Jiraiya couldn't help but burst out laughing again:
"Hahahaha… Exactly as you said, these three pieces of intel are practically impossible for anyone to fully know. Yet you say with absolute confidence that you know them, too. Doesn't that sound like pure nonsense?"
The fact that Senshi had recognized him at a single glance, never having met him in person before, was proof that Senshi did have very strong intelligence skills.
But to claim he also knew those three highly classified pieces of intel sounded outlandish.
As a ninja renowned for his intelligence work, Jiraiya had long since made it second nature—deeply ingrained in his bones—to conceal his own personal information.
Moreover, he was one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, the greatest intelligence specialist in the ninja world, and the Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku!
How could his secrets be that easily uncovered?
Thus, Jiraiya stared at Senshi with confidence, thoroughly unconvinced.
If by some miracle Senshi could name all three secret items correctly, Jiraiya might as well hand over the title of "Best Intelligence Expert in the Ninja World" to him.
Jiraiya laughed heartily and asked, "Alright then—why did I come to this hot spring?"
Even a fool like Hidan might guess that. Was it worth using as a test?
So, after Jiraiya asked, Senshi did not hesitate in the slightest.
"From the intel I've gathered, you are the author of multiple best-selling books, currently serializing the Icha Icha Paradise series."
"In order to produce higher-quality literary works, you frequently roam from one open-air hot spring to another, gathering material on-site."
Pausing there, Senshi pretended to adjust non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose and continued,
"So, the truth is obvious!"
"Your real reason for coming to the hot springs is to peep on the women's side so you can collect creative inspiration!"
Senshi's words gave Jiraiya quite a jolt.
The intel skills of the man before him were terrifying.
He not only knew that Jiraiya was the author of multiple best-sellers but also knew exactly which work he was currently writing.
He also knew that Jiraiya often traveled around to other places for "on-site research."
And he even saw right through Jiraiya's true motive for being here. It was as clear as day.
Such an intelligence network was almost inconceivable. Jiraiya couldn't help wondering if someone had paid Senshi to collect his personal data—hence Senshi's thorough understanding of him.
Yet Jiraiya never confirmed or denied Senshi's explanation.
But by neither confirming nor denying, he was tacitly admitting it.
Still, if Senshi had been explicitly hired to investigate Jiraiya's intel, it wouldn't be too surprising that he knew these details. After all, Jiraiya always peeped under his real identity; he never used the Transformation Technique to hide himself. Those facts would be easy to dig up.
But earlier, Senshi had mentioned that besides this low-level intel, he also knew two top-class secrets about Jiraiya. That was much harder to believe.
Jiraiya simply couldn't believe that Senshi could know both of those secrets as well.
Looking at Senshi, Jiraiya asked seriously, "Do you really know my true purpose in traveling all these years, as well as my long-term mission?"
Once asked, Senshi dispensed with the joking tone and responded gravely: "You've been traveling to find someone with a special connection to you. Your long-term mission is also about looking for someone—just a different person."
After hearing that, Jiraiya's expression did not change one bit, but his heart surged like a raging storm!
The first piece of intel about peeping wasn't important.
But these latter two were far from trivial.
If Senshi truly knew both of these secrets, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask himself: Is there anything in this world that Senshi doesn't know?
Jiraiya had spent so many years wandering the ninja world under the guise of gathering writing material. In reality, he really was searching for two specific people.
And Senshi was completely correct about that. The first person, who indeed had a special relationship with Jiraiya, was his fellow teammate… ahem, not Tsunade but his fellow student… Orochimaru.
As for the second person, the one behind his long-term mission, that was the Child of Destiny.
For Senshi to pinpoint both of these top-secret matters in one go proved that Senshi's intelligence skills did surpass Jiraiya's—He had no clue how he had acquired such info.
At that realization, Jiraiya's expression turned grim, and he kept staring at Senshi, pondering the latter's real intentions.
Noticing Jiraiya's tense look, Senshi waved his hand lightly. "Don't misunderstand; I don't have any ulterior motives. You must already suspect why I showed off my intel-gathering abilities."
Jiraiya: "(O_O)???"
He really didn't know. So he once again began analyzing the situation.
Uzumaki Senshi, the black-market legend, the "Mission Terrorist"…
Got it! He must be here to pitch himself, offering his services!
If Jiraiya had spent so many years unable to find Orochimaru, maybe he needed a more powerful intelligence network.
Senshi claimed he had superior intelligence-gathering skills.
As for the search for the Child of Destiny, that was a matter of fate, not intelligence. Senshi's intel alone wouldn't help find that person. Otherwise, the Great Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku could just hire him instead.
So the only logical conclusion: Senshi was promoting his services, hoping Jiraiya would pay him to find Orochimaru.
But is that even possible? Jiraiya—the so-called "number one intelligence master in the ninja world"—had no luck finding Orochimaru. Could Senshi truly do better?
Still, after a bit of thought, Jiraiya decided to give it a try. "Senshi, are you sure you can help me find that person?"
Senshi flashed a confident grin. "Of course! You're looking for Orochimaru, aren't you?"
Jiraiya had deliberately avoided mentioning the name "Orochimaru" to see whether Senshi was merely bluffing.
Then again, Jiraiya also had a strong relationship with Tsunade, so maybe he was actually out looking for her?
What Jiraiya did not know was that, if not for Senshi's meddling, in the "original timeline" there would have been a period where he was assigned to find Tsunade.
He also had no idea that if he had arrived at the Kumogakure just a little bit earlier, he would have witnessed Senshi single-handedly subduing Orochimaru.
At this point, for Senshi, finding Orochimaru wasn't a question of if—he could simply grab him anytime he pleased.
Jiraiya frowned. "Are you sure you can locate Orochimaru?"
Senshi shrugged casually. "Of course."
Even though he had just demonstrated formidable intel skills, Jiraiya still looked skeptical.
Thinking about it, Senshi continued, "Alright, let's do it this way: in order for us to work together long-term, I'll offer you a very special friendship discount for this first job. I'll charge you ten million ryō so that you can meet Orochimaru. How about that?"
Jiraiya: "(O_O)???"
He suspected he hadn't heard correctly.
For just ten million ryō, Senshi could bring Orochimaru right in front of him? Was that some kind of joke?
In Jiraiya's mind: Orochimaru is not someone who can be hauled in for a measly ten million…
While Jiraiya was considering this, Senshi was also doing some mental calculations.
Originally, he'd intended to quote one hundred million ryō, but he couldn't do that. As the "black-market legend" and a model for the industry, he had to adhere to professional ethics and avoid overcharging.
It was entirely different from when he nabbed Orochimaru for the A-B Brothers. They wanted their money back and intended to beat him up.
Jiraiya just wanted to meet him for a conversation; obviously, the difficulty was significantly lower, so the fee should be lower too.
After a brief pause, Jiraiya spoke: "You're not playing games with me, right? Just ten million ryō, and Orochimaru will show up?"
He half expected Senshi to cheat by transforming himself into Orochimaru, pocketing the ten million.
But Senshi answered with the utmost confidence: "Given your intelligence-gathering prowess, you should be very familiar with my track record. Up to this day, there hasn't been a single mission I can't complete."
"In fact, from the moment you commission me, you can consider it done. Because no matter what the task is, if I accept it, it's as good as completed!"
Seeing how certain Senshi seemed—and recalling all the known intel about him—Jiraiya began to waver.
He had spent years searching and still hadn't found Orochimaru. If ten million would solve the problem, it might be worth a shot.
Jiraiya finally decided. "All right. I'll pay you ten million ryō to hire you. Bring Orochimaru here so that I can meet him. How's that?"
[Mission Accepted!]
[Client: Jiraiya]
[Goal: Bring Orochimaru here so Jiraiya can meet him!]
[Reward: 10 million ryō]
[Mission Rank: S-rank]
[Reward: 10,000 Employment Points!]
Senshi was delighted. With Orochimaru around, that was an easy payday: just yank him over, drop him in front of Jiraiya, and collect ten million.
There were precious few opportunities in the ninja world to earn money so easily.
Inwardly, Senshi couldn't help marveling at Orochimaru's indirect generosity:
Wow, Snake Bro is such a gold mine. Not only is he sitting on 1.7 or 1.8 billion ryō and might hire me for a mission at any moment, he also keeps helping me make bank from others—like the A-B Brothers earlier, and now Jiraiya, too.
Counting the one hundred million from the A-B brothers plus this time's job, Orochimaru has effectively created 110 million ryō for me!
And if we count that time he helped me do "product publicity" in front of Konan, then he's contributed even more.
At this rate, it'll be tough for Terumi Mei to surpass Orochimaru's status as my top-paying client!
…
Meanwhile, in the Land of Water, outside Kirigakure…
One figure was using the Body Flicker Technique to run as fast as possible away from Kirigakure. That figure was Orochimaru, who had developed a "fear of Senshi" after being subdued multiple times.
"Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!"
He darted through the forest, each blink of an eye covering a great distance.
By the time he finally slowed to a normal pace, he was far from any mention of the Kirigakure.
Orochimaru glanced around to ensure that he had left the place behind for good.
Not long ago, he'd been in real danger. Approaching the Kirigakure without proper intelligence had nearly sabotaged one of Senshi's commissions, endangering Senshi's perfect track record.
Even now, he still felt a lingering fear.
Senshi was already terrifying enough. Worse still, Karin, always lurking by Senshi's side, had him on her blacklist.
If he'd caused Senshi to fail a mission, Karin would definitely have coaxed Senshi into killing him multiple times over just to vent her anger.
During that frantic dash, Kabuto had nearly collapsed trying to keep up.
He simply could not understand why Orochimaru was so fearful of Senshi. After all, Senshi was an honest businessman who got missions done.
Yet Orochimaru regarded him as a personal nightmare.
At length, Orochimaru decided to rest by a river, telling Kabuto, "We'll camp here tonight and resume travel in the morning."
Kabuto nodded respectfully.
But in the very next second—Orochimaru vanished again.
Kabuto: "(O_O)!!!"
He was left standing there, exasperated. Not again…
Indeed, the moment Orochimaru felt that familiar dizzy sensation, he knew exactly who was responsible.
He's doing it again. Must be some new mischief on Senshi's side.
As he was dragged away, Orochimaru couldn't help inwardly cursing: "Damn it, Senshi, can't you find someone else to bother?!"
Naturally, he wouldn't say that out loud once he appeared.
Seeing Senshi yet again, he only complained: "Senshi, what now? You keep pulling me back and forth without end!"
Senshi grinned. "Snake Bro, I didn't have much choice. There's a commission, and it requires your personal appearance!"
As soon as Orochimaru heard that, he suspected it was just more easy black-market advertisement—another demonstration to some client.
He gave a casual look over his shoulder and spotted Jiraiya, who stared back in complete shock.
Jiraiya: "⊙▂⊙!!!"
He burst out in an expletive: "Holy crap, it really is Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya with casual disdain and let out a condescending laugh.
He had never held much regard for his former teammate, and now that he possessed the Yamata no Orochi Fruit, along with Byakugan and Sharingan, he looked down on Jiraiya even more.
Orochimaru gave a cold chuckle and said, "So you turned to Senshi, huh? Must've been Danzo's idea?"
Jiraiya: "(O_o)???"
He had no idea what Danzo had to do with this. It seemed like he was missing some crucial intel…
Orochimaru made a few more derisive remarks, then turned to Senshi. "How much does this commission pay?"
He wanted to see if it was a big job or something trivial. Could he bail out early?
Senshi beamed. "Oh, it's small potatoes this time—only ten million. They just wanted you two to meet."
Hearing "ten million," Orochimaru relaxed completely.
For that small fee, it had to be a minor task. Senshi had said they only needed to meet, so obviously the mission was already accomplished.
So Orochimaru quickly said, "So your job's done, right?"
Senshi nodded. "Yep! Snake Bro, you can go."
At once, Senshi clapped his hands, summoning a vortex-like portal of dark red energy behind Orochimaru.
"Hehe…"
Orochimaru smirked at Jiraiya, turned, and stepped into the portal—gone in a flash.
Jiraiya: "Wait, that's it?!"
In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru vanished.
Jiraiya hadn't even gotten a single word out before Orochimaru was sent away.
Senshi held out his hand to Jiraiya. "Thank you for your patronage. Ten million ryō, please!"
Jiraiya: "(O_o)???"
He felt utterly speechless.
Wasn't that too easy a job? Senshi literally just brought Orochimaru in, then instantly sent him back!
But even if Jiraiya wanted to complain that the task hadn't been done, the mission statement was indeed "Let Jiraiya meet Orochimaru." And that really had been fulfilled.
Yet it was hardly satisfactory. He didn't get to speak with Orochimaru at all. The only real benefit he gained was the knowledge that Senshi could indeed summon Orochimaru anytime.
Still, Jiraiya didn't renege on payment; he handed over a ten-million-ryō check.
After that, he said to Senshi: "Dammit, I didn't even say a word before you sent him back. How is that okay?"
Senshi grinned. "You never specified you wanted a conversation. The request was just to meet Orochimaru. You did meet him, didn't you?"
Jiraiya found Senshi's reasoning both maddening and impossible to refute.
He needed more than just to see Orochimaru's face. He needed to speak with him.
So Jiraiya pressed on: "That won't do. I must talk to Orochimaru."
Senshi replied, "Oh? Is that so?"
Jiraiya grew uneasy that Senshi might refuse.
Senshi put on a show of looking troubled and rubbed his fingers together.
Jiraiya: "(O_o)???"
He realized that apparently the "deep bond" between Senshi and Orochimaru was measured purely by money.
Jiraiya sighed. "How much? How much do I need to pay for you to bring Orochimaru here again, this time so I can talk to him properly?"
At that, Senshi's hesitant face instantly brightened. "No problem at all, my friend!"
"For only one hundred million ryō, I'll handle it. You can speak with him as long as you'd like."
One hundred million was by no means cheap.
However, if Jiraiya tallied up all the time he'd already spent traveling the world in search of Orochimaru, the opportunity cost would likely exceed a hundred million.
So in the end, Jiraiya accepted it.
"Senshi, I'll pay you one hundred million ryō. Let me see Orochimaru again, and this time allow me to actually speak with him!"
[Mission Accepted!]
[Client: Jiraiya]
[Goal: Have Jiraiya meet Orochimaru and hold a normal conversation!]
[Reward: 100 million ryō]
[Rank: S-rank]
[Mission Bonus: 100,000 Employment Points!]
Inwardly, Senshi celebrated: Orochimaru really is a gift that keeps on giving. This time, it was another hundred million, plus 100,000 Employment Points.
…
Meanwhile, Orochimaru—whom Senshi had just teleported away—was relaxing by the river with Kabuto, having decided to camp there for the night.
~~~
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