It's Just Business

Hours following the meeting with his siblings in the Land of Tea, the Second Uzushiokage needed to make one more stop prior to returning to his village. But, unlike the previous meeting, this confrontation needed to be unknown to anyone. In the midst of the night, as Shenron and his guards made their way back to the village by boat, the Kage swiftly knocked out his own protectors in order to be alone. Leaving a clone in his place just in case his guards woke up, Shenron made his way to the only island insight 一. Upon making it to his destination, Shenron surveyed the area making sure he was the only person there within a thirty kilometer radius. Once he was positive, he masked his identity with a black coat and a mask that resembled that of the Shinigami. He then activated one of his seals to mask his shinobi presence and then made his way into the forest.

The forest was ancient. The trees thick and old, roots that were twisted. It might once have been filled with bird-song and animals that roamed. But now it was ages past its former glory. Its canopy was so dense that one could only see the occasional streak of moonlight that rarely touched the forest floor. It was indeed the ideal location. Withdrawing a scroll, Shenron shifted his eyes to the blank page. Suddenly, kanji emerged on the scroll writing a single phrase, "I'm here". The scroll then disappeared, and he then sat patiently waiting.

As a lone Shinobi sat in a tree, high above a vast forest in the Eastern Frontier, Nisshō Uchiha surveyed his newly staked domain when a scroll appeared before him, holding a message. He gave a side-eye to the scroll before slowly standing up, his Sharingan piercing the scroll, replying with the message, "I'm not interested". He jumped into the air, landed on a nearby branch and vanished on the spot.

Appearing, at a way-point marker he placed back in the, he walked along a winding path along the border between it and the , not interested in a menial mission from a low-level Kage. It would take a large sum of money for him to change his mind, or a proper challenge.

I'm not interested, those three word continued to echo within Shenron's mind. What mercenary turns down a job without even hearing the details. The idea puzzled the Kage, as he sat with the scroll open. A part of him wanted to hunt down the mercenary who did not pay him the respect he deserved. And a couple of years ago he probably would've, but his time leading an entire village has changed the Uzumaki. Not all issues should be solved through action, at certain points word do speak louder than actions. Taking a deep in order to control his boiling blood, Shenron contemplated what his next move needed to be. About a moment after, he directed his eyes back to the scroll. Once more kanji emerged, displaying an entirely new text. "North of 10,000,000." There are two reasons one becomes a mercenary. Either for the money or the thrill of the kill. Shenron needed to simply see what his merchant truly wanted.

The scroll reappeared before the Uchiha, and he smirked. That was a large sum of money, but he also had another stipulation, this Kage had to prove himself in combat as a person worth serving under, even for a short period of time as a mission. He raised his hand to the scroll and the message; "I challenge you to a sparing match, I who have traveled the world, need proof of your power, If you want me to accept your contract, show me your power." The scroll vanished as he looked up at the setting sun, before vanishing on the spot again, traveling to the Rabbit Hole Dimension for a short but accelerated training as well as the retrieval of a powerful artifact.

A grin appeared beneath mask. Since he became a Kage, Shenron rarely ever gets to enjoy the thrill of combat. Hell, the whole reason he is hiring a mercenary is because the task would be to time consuming. Gazing upwards, he viewed the position of the moon in order to get an idea of the time. After only a moment, his grin grew larger since he had over three hours. Looking down at the scroll, hopefully for the last time, kanji emerged. "When and where". From the gecko Shenron planned on brawling against his possible employee, in order to make sure he was capable of completing the task needed. Despite the positive rumors, Shenron needed to test his abilities himself. It was only fitting that the merchant wanted the same.

Appearing in a clearing within the neutral territory of, Nisshō sent the coordinates to this Kage, and awaited his arrival. He would hope this battle would not be boring, as he didn't have the patience for those kinds of battles. In his head he spoke to Heisei. "Heisei, if It is deemed necessary, we need to call on Aria, and join our energies, think you can handle that?" he asked his sister in law, who was bonded to him.

"Sure thing, just be careful," she replied as the winds started to blow in the opposite direction.

"Kusa....I guess that'll work" he thought reading the coordinates on the scroll. Before they faded, Shenron place his hand on the scripture familiarizing the chakra. "Let's do this" he spat, activating a few seals. After a few seconds, he reappearing where the ink initially emerged. Before him was a man, no taller than 5'11", with dark black hair, and a unique attire. Before even uttering word, the Red-Haired Kage quickly surveyed his opponent.

"I hope you don't mind, it's better to get this over with sooner than later" he said, standing about five meters away from the mercenary. "Shall we begin?"