"Hidan?"
Gento immediately pictured Hidan holding his red triple-bladed scythe.
Gento understood at once: at this point in time, Hidan clearly had not yet been recruited by the Akatsuki.
He looked at the retainer and asked:
"I remember the Land of Hot Water has its own ninja village, right? Why come all the way to the Land of Fire to post a commission?"
Hearing this, the retainer showed a trace of embarrassment on his face, coughed lightly, and said:
"Well… because the Land of Hot Water follows a policy of peace, the ninja in the village have now… become not very skilled at fighting."
Gento nodded and said nothing more.
The retainer sighed and continued:
"Hot springs are the economic pillar of our Land of Hot Water. Feudal Lords and nobles from various countries come to vacation there every year."
"But that Rogue Ninja called Hidan despises peace and treats killing as his daily amusement. Over these past few months, there have already been many extremely vicious murder cases."
He pushed up his glasses:
"What's even more hateful is that after every kill, he sets up some kind of Jashin ritual at the scene, causing widespread panic. Now many nobles and Feudal Lords of smaller countries have heard about this and are canceling their trips to the Land of Hot Water."
"If we don't find a way to deal with Hidan soon, our country's economy… will likely suffer even more severe damage."
Gento now had a clear understanding.
Hidan's strength could reach Kage level.
The fact that Hidan was still roaming free meant that the Land of Hot Water had no experts capable of suppressing him at all.
He looked at the retainer and asked:
"I wonder about the reward for this mission…"
The retainer immediately straightened his expression and said:
"Please rest assured regarding the reward."
"Hidan's existence has already severely affected our nation's economic lifeline, so we have classified this mission as S-rank!"
He paused, raising five fingers:
"The mission reward is: fifty million ryo!"
Fugaku and Inabi beside him both sharply inhaled.
Fifty million ryo!
You have to know, a standard S-rank mission usually only pays around one million ryo, and generally not much more than that.
This single Hidan was worth the money of fifty S-rank missions!
Gento, however, was not surprised.
Even Asuma's bounty was thirty-five million ryo. Since Hidan could kill Asuma, fifty million ryo was already cheap.
He nodded, his tone calm:
"In that case, our Uchiha clan accepts this commission."
The retainer still seemed somewhat uneasy and added:
"Please make sure to dispatch a sufficiently powerful ninja. We previously commissioned other ninja to deal with Hidan, but those people… none of them returned alive."
Gento waved his hand, his tone certain:
"Don't worry. There will be results soon."
Only then did the retainer breathe a sigh of relief, bow, and take his leave.
After he left, Gento said to Inabi:
"Go call Shisui."
Before long, Shisui pushed the door open and entered.
"Clan head, you called for me?"
Gento nodded and handed him the mission scroll:
"There's a mission for you."
He briefly explained Hidan's situation, then emphasized:
"This Hidan has a very troublesome ability: immortality."
"Conventional methods can't kill him, so don't think about killing him."
Shisui's expression grew slightly serious upon hearing this.
Gento continued:
"Additionally, he has mastered a kind of curse ritual called 'Death Possession Blood.'"
"As long as he obtains someone's blood, he can use the ritual to curse-kill his opponent from a distance. So during battle, be absolutely careful not to let him obtain your blood; not even a single drop."
Shisui nodded solemnly, his gaze turning serious.
Gento looked at him:
"You will personally lead a team to the Land of Hot Water immediately and capture him alive."
"In battle, you can use your right eye's genjutsu to control him, then seal him with a sealing technique. Remember, I want him alive."
Hidan's ability was special and might be useful to him in the future.
Thus, he had the intention to recruit him.
Shisui accepted the scroll and knelt on one knee:
"Yes!"
After speaking, he turned and left.
Watching Shisui's departing figure, Gento felt much more at ease.
Shisui possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, and his current strength had already reached Kage level. His genjutsu was a perfect counter to someone like Hidan, a brute who relied purely on recklessness.
Moreover, Gento had already informed him of Hidan's abilities in advance; there was no possibility of Shisui failing.
After assigning the mission, Gento returned home to rest.
Tomorrow was the day he and Mikoto had agreed to go pick up Kushina from the hospital.
...
Early the next morning, Mikoto arrived at Gento's house at dawn.
The one who opened the door was Pakura. She glanced at Mikoto and said indifferently:
"Gento hasn't gotten up yet. I'll take you to the reception room to wait."
Mikoto hesitated for a moment, a trace of unnaturalness appearing on her face as she said softly:
"Um… I'll go take a look in his bedroom."
Pakura curled her lips but said nothing, turning to lead the way.
When they reached the bedroom door, Mikoto pushed it open.
Gento was still asleep on the bed, the blanket half covering him, revealing his well-built chest.
Mikoto's face flushed red at the sight.
She walked to the bedside, bent down, and said softly:
"Gento, wake up. We're going to pick up Kushina from the hospital today."
Gento drowsily opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Mikoto leaning over him as she spoke.
Because of her bent posture, her collar had loosened slightly, revealing a stretch of snow-white skin.
Gento's gaze fell directly on her, taking in the full view without obstruction.
Following his gaze, Mikoto looked down, only then letting out a belated soft cry as she covered her chest and straightened up, her cheeks instantly flushed.
"Y-You… what are you looking at!"
Gento chuckled and suddenly reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.
"What's there to be shy about? It's not like I haven't seen it before."
"Mm!"
Before Mikoto could react, she had already been pressed down onto the bed.
"Don't… Gento… we still have to go pick up Kushina…"
She struggled, but the strength of that struggle was soft and yielding; rather than rejection, it was more like reluctant compliance.
Gento pinned her beneath him, looking down at her from above as he smiled:
"It's fine. We're not short on this little bit of time."
As he spoke, his hand had already skillfully slipped into her clothing.
Mikoto instinctively grabbed her collar, blushing as she said:
"Don't… there's someone at the door!"
Gento glanced at Pakura standing at the doorway and smiled indifferently:
"Relax, my secretary keeps a tight mouth."
"She won't say anything."
Gento lowered his head, sealing Mikoto's lips before she could say anything more.
...
An hour later, Mikoto sat up with a flushed face, hurriedly adjusting her disheveled kimono.
Gento leaned against the headboard, watching her with a satisfied expression.
After tidying themselves up, the two finally headed out toward the hospital.
At the hospital.
Mikoto, familiar with the place, led Gento to a hospital room.
Pushing the door open, Kushina was sitting by the bedside, holding a swaddled infant in her arms.
The baby had golden hair and chubby cheeks, sleeping soundly with his eyes closed.
Seeing the two enter, Kushina's eyes lit up and a smile bloomed across her face:
"Hm? What brings you here?"
Mikoto walked in with a smile:
"Of course we came to pick you up from the hospital."
Kushina was stunned for a moment, then felt a bit moved.
Suddenly, she looked at Mikoto, a hint of confusion in her gaze:
"Mikoto, why is your face so red?"
Mikoto froze, subconsciously touching her cheek. The burning heat made her panic inside.
She immediately realized; after intense activity, the flush on her face hadn't faded yet.
She quickly stammered:
"Uh… um… I'll go help you with the discharge procedures!"
After speaking, without waiting for Kushina's reaction, she turned and ran out.
Only Gento and Kushina remained in the room; along with Naruto, who was sleeping soundly.
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Gento looked at Kushina, a slight stir arising in his heart.
He suddenly recalled the slave mark he had planted on her.
...
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