Chapter 54 Two million ryo to hire you
Nagato and Konan looked at Souji warily.
This Konoha ninja who suddenly appeared... is very strong!
This kind of obvious power is definitely not that of an ordinary person!
"I told you, you really don't need to be so nervous. Besides, now is not the time for you to waste your time being on guard against me, is it?"
Yahiko was the first to take action.
He glanced at the Souji a few times, then quickly abandoned his defensive stance and said in a deep voice:
"If you have shown up to help, we would be most welcome; it is our fault for being rude."
"Very good, you do indeed possess a very good demeanor."
The Souji smiled slightly and his figure swayed.
The next moment, they were already at the location of the injured.
"!?" "What?" "So fast!"
The three of them instantly changed their expressions.
Nagato, with his keen senses, could detect Souji's movements, but Yahiko and Konan couldn't keep up at all.
"Such speed...among the ninjas we've encountered, it's second only to Jiraiya-sensei! This person is definitely an elite Jonin of Konoha!"
Ignoring the reactions of the others, Souji began to use his palm magic to treat the injured he had rescued.
"We have some external wound medicine, do you need it?"
"No need, you can keep it for later."
"Okay, thank you."
Yahiko nodded slightly and resumed directing the Akatsuki members to continue rescuing the villagers.
The Souji focused on treating the seriously injured.
"External injuries, blood loss, fractures, internal organ damage... there's everything.
Luckily, I was there, otherwise many people would have died today," Souji thought to himself.
The Palm Healing Technique can heal both internal and external injuries.
Combined with Souji's medical ninjutsu skills, which are no less than Tsunade's, the treatment proceeded steadily, and the villagers were treated one by one according to the severity of their injuries.
The Akatsuki members, who had been observing Souji's actions, were somewhat relieved to see that nothing seemed amiss.
"It seems this person really is just here to help. We're so lucky to have met such a kind person today," Yahiko said with a smile.
"We can't be completely at ease yet. How could such a powerful figure appear in front of us for no reason?"
Nagato shook his head slightly and said softly:
"Either Jiraiya-sensei sent them, or this person came specifically for us..."
"Actually, we can't even be sure if this person is a Konoha ninja. A headband can't prove anything..." Konan also said.
The opponent was clearly extremely strong, so Nagato and Konan were on high alert.
Only Yahiko remained relatively calm.
"You're right, but I think he's at least not hostile towards us. Let's have a good talk with him after we've rescued all the villagers."
With the Souji's hearing, he could vaguely hear their conversation.
It seems to have frightened the children a bit.
Actually, he didn't want to make a grand entrance like Orochimaru scaring Kakashi, like a major villain, but his strength wouldn't allow it, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Anyway, the result was pretty good. Being able to impress others is always a good thing.
...
Several hours later.
Akira rescued all the villagers, and Souji also completed the treatment for everyone.
"A small number of people were too badly injured to be saved, and some even died before they were rescued. There was nothing I could do; I did my best."
"As long as I could save them, I at least saved their lives. However, some of the seriously injured will need a period of rest to fully recover."
"We understand, and we are very grateful for your help," Yahiko said with a somber expression.
"So, do you plan to take these people to the village where you've established your base and take care of them?" the Souji asked.
"It seems you know us quite well. So you really came here for us?" Yahiko's expression turned serious.
"I suppose so, Akatsuki, a group of idealists who want to achieve peace through dialogue."
Upon hearing that they were called idealists, Yahiko and the other two immediately frowned.
The Souji continued:
"I am indeed somewhat interested in you. I was originally on my way to your base. Meeting you here was just an accident. But rescuing people along the way is a good deed, so it's not bad."
"Understood. Let's go back and talk about it later."
...
Akatsuki and his men, along with the rescued villagers, returned to the village that had served as their base.
It's called a base, but it's really just a poor and dilapidated village that you can find anywhere in the Land of Rain.
Although the report from the Dark Division stated that Akatsuki would protect several small villages in the area in exchange for a reward, given Souji's understanding of the original work and what he had seen with his own eyes, calling it a 'reward' was clearly an exaggeration.
How much money could such a small, run-down village possibly have?
Akatsuki and his group were only getting enough food to barely keep them from starving.
Konan's first ninjutsu was the D-rank paper shuriken, which she continued to use afterward.
Besides her love for origami, another reason was that she was poor... paper was much cheaper than metal shuriken.
After arranging for the other members to settle the rescued villagers, Yahiko and the other two discussed the matter with Souji.
The location... was also a small, dilapidated house.
The group sat around a wooden table, with Yahiko in the middle, Nagato and Konan on either side, and Souji sitting opposite them.
At this moment, Nagato and Konan, while not treating Souji as an enemy, were still solemn and tense due to his strength and the speculation that he might have been sent by Jiraiya.
Yahiko was much more composed than them.
He looked directly at Souji with neither arrogance nor servility and began to speak:
"Alright, let's begin. Shall we introduce ourselves first?"
"No need. You are Yahiko, the one on your right is Nagato, and the one on your left is Konan, right?" Souji smiled.
"That's right..."
"I am Mochizuki Souji, a Jonin of Konoha Village."
"So, Mr. Mochizuki, what brings you here?"
"Don't worry, let me make this clear first, I wasn't sent by your Jiraiya-sensei."
"What!? You even know about this..."
The three men's expressions changed again, their hearts filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Only the other two members of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, Tsunade and Orochimaru, knew about their connection to Jiraiya.
Who exactly is this person...?
Having guessed what the three were thinking, Souji continued:
"I was not sent by the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, nor am I representing Konoha. I am contacting you in my personal capacity."
"Personal identity... So, what's the purpose? What do you want?"
"You are a mercenary organization, so naturally I am here to hire you and give you tasks."
"Hire us?" Yahiko frowned slightly.
"Since you know us so well, you should know that we do not accept jobs involving war, sabotage, or assassination.
If you want to hire us to do these things, you don't need to ask."
The Souji did not answer, but smiled slightly, took out the sealing scroll, unfolded it, and pressed his palm upwards, causing white smoke to explode.
Yahiko and the other two looked puzzled at first, then their expressions suddenly changed!
There appeared on the table... a huge pile of banknotes!
"Here is two million ryo, your payment for hiring Akatsuki," the chief said calmly.
Ps..
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End of this chapter ..