Chapter 48: Mission Maniac, Konoha's Flash!
To make the weapon easy for anyone to use, they had specially created a battery pack for it, similar to a magazine.
Just then, a small head popped up beside them. Takahashi instantly put away the firearm, and Orochimaru vanished on the spot.
It was Yakumo. In her free time, she often came to the back hills to paint. Coming out of the woods, she saw only Takahashi there and pouted, a little displeased.
"I clearly heard two voices just now. Why is it only you here?"
Takahashi waved his hand dismissively.
"You heard wrong. I've been here alone the whole time. I was just practicing a new ninjutsu."
He glanced around nervously. Ever since he remembered how terrifying this girl Yakumo was, he hadn't dared to provoke her. It was no joke—if she decided to tear up that painting of him, he'd be finished.
He was furious that her official guardian, someone from the Kurama clan, seemed to have disappeared, leaving this walking bomb to roam the streets freely.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from the system.
"Unknown threat detected. Temporary designation: 'Illusionary Evil Spirit.' Manifests when the host's psyche collapses. Can be captured and utilized. Warning: This entity is highly dangerous, capable of eradicating all lifeforms. Proceed with extreme caution."
Takahashi was stunned. So, he could actually capture and use her outrageous psychic ability?
But the real terror wasn't the evil spirit itself, but Kurama Yakumo's innate power. However, that terrifying creature couldn't be born without a host. Since the system said it could be captured and used, things became much simpler. Such a broken, overpowered ability—he had to have it.
And with his little frog currently hibernating, this could make up for his lack of new power-ups.
The system's condition was that Yakumo needed to suffer a mental breakdown. But how could he make that happen? If he did something shameful to her, it might work, but then he'd truly be a monster. If he couldn't even control his own actions, how could he talk about controlling the ninja world? It would be a joke.
A dark glint flashed in Takahashi's eyes, but a smile remained on his face as he pondered a solution. He needed to get closer to her first, then figure out a plan. With this thought, he stepped forward to greet her.
Unsurprisingly, he ended up being her model for another entire day.
When he returned home, Orochimaru was visibly unhappy. He felt he had finally found a like-minded partner and was addicted to their daily collaboration. But just as he was about to voice his anger, he saw the utterly exhausted look on Takahashi's face and swallowed his words.
He didn't know the psychological pressure Takahashi was under all day—the feeling of having his life held in someone else's hands, repeatedly. The taste was unbearably sour. He was terrified that the girl would be unsatisfied with his portrait and just... snip-snip with her scissors.
However, the greater the investment, the richer the reward. He grew more and more eager to obtain the terrifying power that the Illusionary Evil Spirit would grant him.
Finally, Orochimaru couldn't hold back any longer.
"While this is a bit embarrassing to say, I must say it. It concerns the ultimate success or failure of our research."
Takahashi didn't expect it to be so serious. He frowned. "What is it?"
"We're out of money."
Takahashi hadn't expected that. But it was indeed a critical issue. It wasn't just about the success of their research; it was about their very survival. The experiments they had been conducting consumed materials that, while seemingly insignificant individually, added up to a staggering cost. If he hadn't completed many high-ranking missions and collected bounties on several Jonin before, they would have gone bankrupt midway through.
He let out a long sigh. "Leave it to me. You continue the development here. Try to find some methods for rapid manufacturing if you can."
The next day, Takahashi transformed into a madman, accepting only missions ranked B and above.
S-rank missions were rare and not always available. A-rank missions were also in high demand, though their availability varied. They weren't as scarce as S-ranks, but he still had to keep accepting tasks. He operated on the principle that even a mosquito's leg is still meat. He repeatedly took on missions, setting a personal record of accepting six B-ranks and three A-ranks all at once.
Moreover, he completed them all flawlessly and with incredible speed, astonishing the mission desk staff.
His speed was so fast that as soon as he collected his payment, he would immediately pick his next mission, never seeming to tire.
It was during this frenzy that he noticed a strange request. It wasn't a standard mission, but more of an investigation—and it was about Amegakure (The Village Hidden in the Rain).
Takahashi frowned. It seemed Konoha had noticed something wrong with that village a long time ago but had never taken it seriously, thinking it was just a minor nation that couldn't possibly affect the Land of Fire or Konoha's safety.
He thought of the terrifying Shinra Tensei. If that enormously powerful technique were unleashed on the village again, who knew how many would die? He could vividly imagine the people he knew well lying in pools of blood. If Hinata were among them... the outcome was unthinkable.
If he couldn't change this future, he feared he would never sleep peacefully again, forever living in guilt.
However, he still hadn't found a way to counter that ridiculously overpowered ability. Fortunately, he still had time to improve himself.
As he was seriously reading the mission scroll, Tsunade suddenly clapped him on the shoulder.
"Haven't seen you around much lately. I heard there's a madman here taking on missions back-to-back. Must be you. Taking on seven missions during the peak season? Are you that short on money, or are you just a workaholic?"
Knowing that Tsunade never sought him out without a reason, Takahashi cut to the chase. "Lady Tsunade, is there something you need?"
Hearing the respectful address, Tsunade's mood improved considerably. "You're much better at talking than that Naruto kid. But yes, I'm here to... borrow some money."
Right now, Takahashi viewed every single ryo as precious, not wanting to spend a coin more than necessary. Scientific research required a constant, endless stream of materials. There was no way he had money to lend to this infamous gambler, especially since Tsunade only ever lost and never won. Lending to her was like throwing money away.
"Takahashi-kun, may I have a word?"
The two turned simultaneously to find the speaker was none other than Yamazaki, one of Danzo's personal bodyguards.
(End of this chapter)
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