Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 175 Kakuzu: So I'm a multi-talented person after all?

Yangyan Village, inside the cave research institute.

Looking at Kakuzu, who was looking down at the contract documents, Yun Chuan smiled and asked in a relaxed tone, "If there are any parts of this preliminary work contract that you are not satisfied with, we can discuss them slowly."

Kakuzu frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping over the contract. His expression was somewhat somber, but not because there was anything wrong with the contract. On the contrary, it was because the offered benefits were too generous.

This document clearly states the type of work he will be doing, the working hours, the salary, and when it will be paid.

Salary is settled monthly. The first year is considered the so-called "internship period," with three million taels per month, totaling thirty-six million taels per year. That's about the same amount of bounty offered for an A-rank rogue ninja from the five great ninja villages.

But Kakuzu has been a bounty hunter for decades, and he has hardly ever seen a bounty mission of this level. In fact, they are extremely rare. He has nowhere to take on missions even if he wants to.

It's important to know that even in a major ninja village like Konoha, the bounty for hiring a Jonin to complete an A-rank mission is only between 150,000 and 1 million ryo.

Missions at this level are mostly war-related, such as helping other countries or villages solve problems or waging war.

This level generally requires fighting against strong opponents, so the range is quite large, depending on the difficulty of the mission and the strength of the opponent, and it is never entrusted to ninjas outside the village.

It's wartime now, so there are quite a few A-level missions, but even working yourself to the bone for a month might not earn you five million.

Moreover, the contract stated that starting from the second year, if no major problems occurred during the "internship period," the employee could become a "permanent employee" with a monthly salary of five million taels, and a basic annual salary of sixty million taels.

In addition, if you perform well during your employment, you will receive bonuses, allowances, and various other miscellaneous benefits, such as the "five social insurances and one housing fund," which the contract states are a guaranteed benefit.

This includes pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work injury insurance, maternity insurance, and housing provident fund.

"This, this thing..."

Kakuzu summarized the complex terms, his eerie green eyes shining with an unprecedented light, and his heart pounded wildly.

Pension insurance allows you to receive pensions, funeral expenses, and survivor's benefits after retirement.

Medical insurance allows for partial reimbursement of medical expenses incurred during employment if you become ill or injured and require hospital treatment. You can continue to enjoy the benefits of medical insurance during your working years after retirement.

Unemployment insurance allows you to receive unemployment benefits and medical expense subsidies if you are unable to find a job later.

Work injury insurance covers medical expenses, living care expenses, disability allowance, and disability pension if you are injured at work.

There are also the final maternity insurance benefits, including 90 days of maternity leave, maternity allowance, maternity subsidies, and housing provident fund loans for buying, renovating, or renting a house.

When Kakuzu first saw something called "insurance," he was so impressed by the treatment that his eyes lit up with envy.

As for his work...

Financial management is a piece of cake for him. To put it bluntly, it's all about maximizing profits and getting the most done with the least amount of money.

No problem at all!

After becoming a bounty hunter, he only earned money and never spent it for decades. The money and tickets he kept in the sealed scroll were almost moldy. He had accumulated the wealth of a minor nobleman for a lifetime. No one knew better than him how to save and spend money.

"How are you feeling?" Yun Chuan asked.

"..."

Kakuzu's thoughts were interrupted, and he raised his bright green eyes.

He looked at Yun Chuan in front of him with complicated emotions, as if he were looking at a rich, resentful person.

"I never expected you would do something like this... a completely unprofitable deal."

Kakuzu remained silent for a long time before saying in a deep voice, "This is the first time someone has hired me to do something that doesn't involve killing or bloodshed, with such unprecedented treatment."

Forget about the basic salary and benefits, even the "five social insurances and one housing fund" make Kakuzu feel like he's reading gibberish. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was doing charity.

This means that as long as you can get through the internship period and become a "permanent employee," you won't have to worry about the rest of your life. You'll have guaranteed pay, access to medical care, old-age support, housing, and assistance for the vulnerable...

"Eh, Mr. Kakuzu, I don't agree with what you're saying. How can you say it's a loss?"

Yun Chuan's smile deepened as he quietly activated the [Speaker Talent] ability of the [Montana Max [Major]] template once again.

Immediately, his tone and words became highly emotionally charged, and his expression was sincere as he said, "Please never underestimate your own value. What does the ninja world lack most? Talent! What is most valuable? Still talent!"

"Mr. Kakuzu, in my eyes, you are a rare and highly sought-after multi-talented individual. We currently lack someone like you, and I am sincerely inviting you to join us!"

Talented individuals, multi-skilled individuals, rare and highly sought-after multi-skilled individuals...

Yun Chuan's extremely sincere words echoed in his mind, and Kakuzu's expression became blank. He felt his body and mind become light and airy, as if he were floating in the sky.

Ah, so I'm that sought-after and outstanding? How come I never noticed before?

Oh, right, it must be because those previous employers were all short-sighted guys who didn't see his true value at all.

Especially those nobles and merchants who lack discernment, who act arrogantly just because they have a little money, bossing people around and treating the bounty hunters like dirt.

It was only because of his indifferent personality in the past, coupled with the ingrained mindset of a loyal and righteous person, and the idea that customers equal money and "money is everything," that he never paid attention to those guys' terrible attitude.

He doesn't care about bad attitudes or bossy behavior; as long as he gets paid enough, that's all that matters.

However, everything is subject to comparison; without comparison, there is no harm.

Compared to those ignorant and domineering nobles, and those stingy businessmen who wished they could tear him in half, Yun Chuan's current attentive and sincere attitude made him incredibly happy.

I instantly understood what a qualified employer is, what real "work" and "employment" are, and compared to those insincere clients in the past, the difference between the two is like heaven and earth.

It's true, comparing people is a recipe for disaster, comparing goods is a recipe for disaster.

"Ahem, you, you really are..."

Meeting Yun Chuan's sincere blue eyes, Kakuzu coughed twice, somewhat embarrassed, and subconsciously asked, "Are you sure it's really okay? I'm a rogue ninja from Takigakure."

Being a rogue ninja means betraying the village that raised you, and no matter the reason, it is a stain that will be criticized.

Traitors and tyrants are not to be trusted.

This is the consensus of most people in the ninja world.

Even if he becomes a famous and reputable bounty hunter, the trust and honor he gains are only due to his belief in money and so-called alliances of interests.

As for trusting and valuing the rogue ninja on an emotional level, it is completely impossible, because that in itself is an extremely ridiculous act.

Although the underground black market exists in the shadows of the ninja world, with complex networks and strongholds in every country, deeply rooted in the ninja world, it is ultimately just a bunch of lowly, insignificant rats in the sewers.

It can be said that most of these bounty ninjas also carried bounties from major ninja villages, making them targets of joint attacks by other forces.

Even the unscrupulous and ruthless Onoki only secretly hired bounty hunter ninjas to do dirty work.

Even though this was already known to other ninja villages, he still firmly denied it on the surface, claiming that Iwagakure would never cooperate with bounty hunters and insisting that this was a slander and defamation by hostile forces. He maintained that Iwagakure had always persisted in its campaign to eliminate rogue ninjas from various countries!

Therefore, it is simply illogical for Yun Chuan to formally hire a rogue ninja in such a high-profile manner, and even to give him such high-level treatment.

Kakuzu was indeed very moved, and even felt unworthy of it, but at present he was emotionally deprived and his mood was more negative, so he subconsciously thought the worst.

These words were both a reminder and a test.

However, Yun Chuan did not hesitate at all in response to Kakuzu's "kindness".

"Mr. Kakuzu, the Minister of Finance is involved in fund management, which is a very, very important position."

He smiled frankly and said directly, "Therefore, for the sake of fund security, I naturally conducted a rigorous background check on you before inviting you..."

"Oh, background checks are to avoid various employment risks, such as fraud, corporate espionage, non-compete agreements, and bad records. They verify your work ability, criminal record, and integrity."

"I know you were once a loyal and righteous person. Even though you knew it was an impossible mission, you still obeyed the orders of the village's higher-ups and went to Konoha to assassinate the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

"I never expected that after the assassination mission failed and I managed to escape back to the village, I would be falsely accused by the village leaders for not completing the mission. Completely disheartened, I had no choice but to defect in order to protect myself."

"I don't think you've done anything wrong with this behavior. In fact, I admire that about you. If you were to be so blindly loyal as to offer your neck for execution, I would think you're nothing special."

At this point, Yun Chuan paused and looked at the silent Kakuzu in front of him.

Although Kakuzu had such a clear understanding of his information, he surprisingly felt no resistance whatsoever.

It could be because the other party's explanation of "background check" was reasonable, or it could be because of the acknowledgment and sincerity in their tone.

"...Then how can you be sure you won't do the same thing in the future?"

Kakuzu raised his eyes to look at the brat in front of him and said indifferently, "Trust is a luxury for me."

It was because of his past experiences that he realized that in this world, only money and interests can be trusted.

Therefore, by not trusting humans, you can avoid being betrayed.

Rather than saying they changed their way of life, it's more accurate to say they escaped, completely shutting themselves off from the world.

"Isn't there still a year of internship? That's a probationary period, it's both my responsibility to you and yours to me. During this year, if you have any dissatisfaction, you can leave at any time."

Seeing Kakuzu still trying to deny it, Yun Chuan simply smiled and said, "You'll soon find out how magnanimous I am."

"At least, I'm not one of those idiots like the higher-ups in Takigakure. I wouldn't do something as stupid as betraying a meritorious person or killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The benefits I'm giving you aren't free. Instead of worrying about being abandoned by me, you should worry about whether I'll exploit you."

Hearing Yun Chuan's teasing words, Kakuzu's mood actually relaxed.

What he detests is betrayal and abandonment.

Exploitation and such are irrelevant.

Or rather, this is exactly what he wanted.

Unconditional trust without any reason would only make him feel uneasy.

His guiding principle is to only discuss interests, not feelings.

"...In that case..."

Kakuzu remained silent for a moment, then met those deep blue eyes and nodded expressionlessly: "A salary of five million taels a month, plus various bonuses and subsidies, totaling one hundred million taels a year, I'll reserve it in advance."

"If I can't pay your wages by then, I'll kill you."

"Ha." Yun Chuan couldn't help but chuckle at such a standard display of arrogance. "If you can do it, you can have either my salary or my head."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Now that you've joined us, as a core member, your codename will be 'Beidou' for the time being."

The moment the words left his mouth, a strange feeling stirred in his mind.

[Collection-type] Quest: [Disordered Dawn]

[Mission Details: Recruit ten core villain members who meet the criteria of strength, reputation, temperament, and stance, and bestow upon them the codenames "Zero, Green, White, Crimson, Mysterious, Void, South, North, Three, and Jade" respectively.]

[Task Level: Gold]

[Mission Duration: Thirty calendar years]

[Completion Reward: 10000 points for each eligible core villain recruited and given a codename]

[Collected: Kakuzu [North], Reward: 10000 Points]

Points held: 14200 (4200 + 10000)

"...Beidou?"

Kakuzu paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and said indifferently, "Whatever, I'm going to get that water-attribute heart first."

After saying that, he put away the contract, turned around and walked out of the research institute without any hesitation.

Kakuzu is also very curious about his current strength and what abilities his new heart and new clone will possess.

Seeing this, Feng Ai, who had been whimpering, paused for a moment, then quickly flapped her wings and followed, crying, "Don't abandon me, my true form!"

"Don't follow me, you stupid bird."

"Waaaaah."

Yun Chuan watched Kakuzu leave, a deep meaning in his eyes.

Does he offer good salary and benefits?

That's a lot, almost three times the normal salary.

But did he lose money?

of course not.

Not to mention the mission points, which are immeasurable in monetary terms, it seems like Kakuzu was hired at three times the salary, but in fact, it was five people.

Four clones plus the main body, that makes five, right?

Kakuzu can single-handedly carry the entire department; such talent is hard to find even with a lantern.

As for the so-called "internship period," "probation period," and "you can leave if you're not satisfied"...

Ha, he's not exactly a reasonable and kind person, how could he just let Kakuzu go like that?

Kakuzu has his "blood" in his body, and if he wanted to, he could blow Kakuzu to pieces at any time, but he simply disdains to do so.

Once you've worked under him for a year, you'll understand what kind of beasts of burden you were before, and what a miserable life you led, enduring wind and rain.

Dawn's current revenue and expenditure are all in the tens of millions. If it unifies the Rain Kingdom and then annexes smaller countries, the unit of its fiscal revenue and expenditure will definitely become "hundreds of millions".

Given Kakuzu's personality, even if we ask him to leave, he won't be willing to go.

"Beliefs, money worship counts as a belief, right? Thinking about it that way, he's quite an interesting guy."

Yun Chuan smiled and muttered to himself, "A person like that, if he goes against the principles he has always upheld, is as good as dead."

He admired such a pure guy.

I wonder what kind of future Kakuzu will take as he embarks on a different path, what kind of wind he will stir up, and how much joy he will bring.

(End of this chapter)