After finishing their meal, the two ed up briefly by the creek and theuro the little makeshift shelter. The shelter had two rooms, er, one smaller. Kari into the smaller room and y down otle bed. After some hesitation, she finally asked:

  “My name is Uzumaki Karin. What’s yours?”

  From the adjat room came Senshi’s voice:

  “Senshi—Uzumaki Senshi.”

  Learning his name, Karin spoke with a serious tone:

  “Senshi, I don’t have a single ryō to my name right now, but I be really useful. I earn a ton of moer to repay you.”

  Hearing that, Senshi couldn’t help but chuckle.

  …

  That night, Karin hardly slept. Even though she’d made all sorts of promises, they were only words. She worried that , Senshi might be gone. Senshi, oher hand, slept very well. With his current level of strength, he had little fear of anyone causing trouble.

  M arrived without i. After washing up at the creek, Senshi set off again with Karin. She had been traveling alongside him for a while and was slowly getting used to his presence. Eventually, she asked:

  “Senshi, where are we going?”

  He answered offhandedly:

  “We’re headed to the Ame’s bck market to pick up a ission.”

  Karin nodded, hoping she could be of some help.

  As they he vilge, Senshi dug into his ninja pouch for the Ame forehead protector and faste in pce. Everything about the Amegakure fasated Karin, and she looked around curiously as she followed him. Passing a stall selling deep-fried meatballs, she couldn’t help but swallow hard. Senshi casually pulled out a hundred ryō and ha to the stall owner.

  “Two orders, please.”

  The stall owook his payment and quickly served up two portions of fried meatballs, passing them to Senshi and Karin. Overjoyed, Karin blushed at Senshi’s gnd quickly averted her gaze.

  “I—I be useful. I’ll pay you back for all this.”

  Senshi just smiled and didn’t make a fuss. tinuing onward, he said:

  “Karin, for a while I need you to stay put here. I’m going to the bck market to pick up a job.”

  Chewing her meatball, Karin shook her head vigorously.

  “No way. I’m stig with you!”

  Since he was going there for a ission, she didn’t want to be left behind. She was banking on proving her worth.

  “You’re not really capable of much right now. If you e along, I’ll have to take care of you.”

  Karin hadn’t fully developed her abilities yet, and keeping her by his side could be dangerous. But instead uing, Karin simply g tightly to his leg. Senshi scratched his head in mild exasperation.

  “Um, this pretty much means you’re hiring me as your bodyguard, you realize that? And that’s no easy job. I’ll have to charge extra, you know.”

  He was mostly joking, but Karin ched her small fists, saying:

  “I—I’ll pay you back!”

  Senshi was surprised by her siy. In the end, he brought her along to the Ame’s bck market. On the way, he also helped her pick out some new clothes—she chose a light purple outfit, seemingly fond of that color. After paying, Senshi figured he might as well go to a nearby ninja-tool store to restock his supplies. Since he’d “snatched” Karin from her captors, bringing her along, he had no desire to let her go to waste. Her abilities were quite valuable if nurtured properly—she could serve as a good assistant.

  Only after ing up these errands did Senshi finally head for the Amegakure bck market with Karin. The closer they got, the fewer ninja were around, but those they did see gave off a menag air. Most who survived on the Ame’s bck market had blood on their hands.

  Before long, the pair spotted someone familiar—and that person clearly noticed them, too. In the bck market, there weren’t many “regurs” one might call acquaintances. Who else could it be if not Kakuzu?

  “What’s got you all on edge?”

  Orochimaru looked around but saw nothing out of pce. Kakuzu kept his eyes fixed on Senshi’s location and said:

  “Straight ahead, about fifty meters.”

  Following Kakuzu’s line of sight, Orochimaru spotted the wandering shinobi he’d seen a few times before in the bck market.

  “So that’s the guy who cost you two ‘lives,’ hmm?”

  He regarded Senshi with a flicker of curiosity. For Kakuzu, losing a heart basically meant losing a life. During his st enter with Uzumaki Senshi, not only did Kakuzu fail the mission, he lost two hearts. He and Orochimaru had tried to salvage something from the voy, but the crate they’d snatched didn’t tain the t’s intended goods. Kakuzu now khe real target was a red-haired girl. Thinking of that, he looked down and noticed the girl by Senshi’s side—a light purple coat, gsses, and vivid red hair.

  “Orochimaru, that little girl o him is exactly the target our t wants!”

  Orochimaru peered at Karin.

  “So…do we attack him here in the bck market?”

  It was tricky. Kakuzu had experienced Senshi’s power firsthand, and fighting in the Ame’s bck market wasn’t always the best optioer to test the waters first.

  With that in mind, Kakuzu went straight up to Senshi and Karin, blog their path. Knowing how strong Senshi was, he remained on guard. o him, Orochimaru kept his arms hidden under his robe, ready to strike with snake-like speed at any moment. Kakuzu had told him often about how formidable this Uzumaki Senshi was, so Orochimaru wasn’t taking any ces.

  But what happened ook Orochimaru pletely by surprise. Suddenly fronted by Kakuzu, Senshi didn’t get angry. Instead, he stepped up with a big grin and grabbed Kakuzu’s hands, greeting him warmly.

  “Kakuzu! What a pleasure! You got a new job for me already? I knew you were the real deal—who in the bck market doesn’t know Kakuzu? Anything I do, just say the word. I promise a hundred-pert success rate!”

  Kakuzu was left baffled by this barrage of enthusiasm. What the hell is he talking about? Orochimaru also looked a bit fused. Was this goofy fellow really the same ninja powerful enough to cost Kakuzu two hearts? At such cle, Senshi looked pletely off-guard. Orochimaru realized that if he unched a sudden ambush right now, there was a good ce he could kill him in one blow.

  Some distance away, Karin was left gaping. She serong hostility from Kakuzu and Orochimaru toward Senshi, so she’d expected an immediate fight. Yet everything was unfolding in ways she could never have imagined, almost like they were old buddies reuniting.

  Senshi’s smile seemed genuinely friendly, without the slightest hint of pretense. Kakuzu found it bizarre and suspicious at the same time, and he was definitely o. Where’s the catch? Uzumaki Senshi must be plotting something.

  Orochimaru, too, was studying Senshi closely, w if this open, defenseless posture was just an act. He was fairly fident he could turn Senshi into a corpse right now, but he notio immediate hostility from Senshi. Meanwhile, Kakuzu remembered hant Senshi had seemed before. Now he looked like a fawning mert. How could these be the same person? It was night and day.

  In any case, Kakuzu had no desire to stand around making small talk. He shook his head:

  “I’m not here to hire you.”