Over the next few days the forest bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth became a nightmare for rogue ninjas.
A strange duo was roaming the area. One was an immortal monster with five hearts obsessed with money. The other was a polite teenager who threw glowing cards like a machine gun.
Swish swish swish!
In a dense thicket Uehara unleashed a barrage of cards. His attack speed had increased significantly thanks to the Stinger component he bought. The air was filled with the sound of slicing wind.
"Earth Style: Earth Dome!"
The target a rogue Chunin from the Stone Village desperately erected a dome of rock to protect himself.
"Useless" Uehara said calmly.
He flicked his wrist. A Blue Card appeared.
Crash!
The heavy magical card smashed into the rock dome shattering it instantly and restoring Uehara's mana.
"Now Kakuzu san!" Uehara shouted.
Kakuzu appeared from the side his arm extended like a spear piercing the Chunin's throat.
[System Notification: Assist in killing an enemy ninja (Chunin).]
[Reward: 30 Gold Coins.]
Kakuzu withdrew his hand and looked at the corpse. "Another 500000 Ryo. Not bad."
Uehara however stood there looking depressed.
"Only 30 gold again..." he muttered.
He had discovered a painful truth over the last few days. The System followed the rules of MOBA games strictly.
If he got the "Killing Blow" he received full gold (100 percent).
If he only "Assisted" he received a fraction usually around 30 to 50 percent.
For a Chunin a Kill gave roughly 100 Gold. An Assist gave 30.
For a Jonin a Kill gave 500 Gold. An Assist gave 150.
"I am losing so much money" Uehara thought his heart aching. "I am doing 90 percent of the damage but Kakuzu is taking the last hit every time."
He looked at Kakuzu who was busy sealing the head into a scroll.
"Kakuzu san" Uehara spoke up trying to sound humble. "I feel like my training has hit a bottleneck. I rely too much on you for the finishing blow. For the next target can I handle it alone?"
Kakuzu stood up. He looked at Uehara with his creepy green eyes.
"You want to kill them yourself?" Kakuzu asked.
"Yes! To sharpen my killing intent!" Uehara said clutching his fist dramatically.
Kakuzu thought for a moment. If the kid did the work Kakuzu could just stand back and watch. It saved him calories and stamina. As long as the boy didn't die the money would still end up in Kakuzu's pocket.
"Fine" Kakuzu grunted. "The next target is a group of three bandits turned ninja. They are weak. Do not take too long."
"Understood!" Uehara beamed.
...
An hour later they found the trio camping near a river.
"Hey! Who are you?!" the bandits shouted spotting Uehara.
"I am your death... and my pay check" Uehara whispered.
He didn't wait for Kakuzu. He activated Speed Boots and dashed forward.
"Wild Cards!"
Three cards flew out.
The bandits drew their swords to deflect them but the cards were imbued with chakra and magic. They cut through the steel blades like butter.
"What the—!"
"Pick a Card: Red Card!"
Uehara threw the red card into the center of the group.
BOOM!
The explosion was precise. Uehara had calculated the damage perfectly. It didn't blow them into pieces (which would anger Kakuzu); it simply knocked them unconscious and caused severe internal bleeding.
They were critical but alive.
"Now... for the harvest."
Uehara walked up to the first groaning bandit.
"Sorry" Uehara said sincerely. "I need the gold."
Slash. A card cut the throat.
[Enemy Killed. Reward: 40 Gold.]
He moved to the second. Slash.
[Enemy Killed. Reward: 40 Gold.]
He moved to the third.
[Enemy Killed. Reward: 45 Gold.]
Uehara let out a breath of satisfaction. 125 Gold total. If he had let Kakuzu kill them he would have gotten maybe 40 Gold for the assists.
"Done" Uehara turned to Kakuzu smiling brightly.
Kakuzu walked over and inspected the bodies. The heads were intact. The faces were recognizable.
"Clean work" Kakuzu praised rare for him. "You are getting efficient. You possess the coldness required for the Akatsuki."
"Thank you Kakuzu san!" Uehara bowed.
Coldness? No this is just efficient farming Uehara thought.
"We are done here" Kakuzu said checking his book. "We have collected about 40 million Ryo worth of bounties in this trip. It is time to return to the Rain Village to cash them in."
Uehara nodded though he felt a pang of regret. He wanted to farm more but his inventory was full of items he needed to buy and he needed to rest.
As they walked back Uehara opened his status panel.
[Name: Uehara Naraku]
[Gold: 2150]
[Items Equipped:]
1. Tear of the Goddess (Mana +350 / 750 Stacks)
2. Berserker's Greaves (Speed + Attack Speed)
3. Stinger (Attack Speed + Cooldown Reduction)
"2000 Gold" Uehara calculated. "I can finally buy a big item."
He looked at the component Stinger in his inventory. It built into Nashor's Tooth.
[Nashor's Tooth]
• Cost: 3000 Gold (Total).
• Stats: +50 percent Attack Speed +100 Ability Power.
• Passive: Basic attacks deal bonus magic damage on hit.
"I am close" Uehara clenched his fist. "Once I have Nashor's Tooth my normal card throws will hurt as much as a C rank jutsu. I will be a machine gun of death."
"What are you muttering about?" Kakuzu asked glancing back.
"Nothing Kakuzu san!" Uehara replied innocently. "Just calculating how much money you made. You are truly the god of finance!"
Kakuzu stopped. His eyes softened slightly (as much as they could).
"You have a good head on your shoulders kid" Kakuzu said. "Maybe I should ask Pain to assign you to me permanently. Hidan is too loud and Sasori is too impatient. You... you are quiet and profitable."
Uehara froze.
Permanent partners with Kakuzu?
Being a permanent partner meant constantly acting like a subordinate and giving up 99 percent of the loot.
"Ah... surely Konan sensei would miss me!" Uehara said quickly sweating. "I still have much to learn from her!"
"Hmph. We will see" Kakuzu said resuming his walk.
Uehara sighed in relief. He looked at the gloomy sky of the Rain Village appearing on the horizon.
He was returning home stronger richer and with a new goal: Avoid being promoted to "Treasurer's Assistant" at all costs.