353. The Ninja Composite Brigade

Witnessing the man named Shukan take down the enemy with just a snap of his fingers, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth was filled with astonishment.


After all, this was a seasoned ninja he had hired at great cost from Iwagakure, a ninja whose strength reached the level of a special jōnin.

While such strength might not be considered extraordinary among the five great ninja villages, the ease with which he was defeated was still quite surprising.

Watching the Iwa-nin writhing on the ground, Shukan smiled lightly and explained, "Lord Daimyo, this is one of the secret techniques of our Yellow Group, known as the Explosive Insect. These insects are extremely stealthy and can silently infiltrate an enemy's body. Under our control, they can rapidly absorb nutrients and then..."

He suddenly made an explosive gesture with his hands, startling the Iwa-nin on the ground, who feared his belly might actually explode at any moment.

Fortunately, Shukan had no intention of tormenting him further.

After demonstrating his power, he snapped his fingers again, and the swelling in the Iwa-nin's belly immediately subsided.

The ninja, who had been struggling in pain, quickly returned to normal.

Seeing this, the Daimyo's eyes gleamed with interest.

"As expected of the supernova who has never failed a mission since his debut in the underground bounty exchange. Truly impressive!"

Clearly, Shukan's display of strength had greatly pleased the Daimyo.

Only such power could ensure that he would not end up in a situation like the Daimyo of the Land of Fire...

Hearing the Daimyo's praise, Shukan smiled faintly.

"Lord Daimyo, you can rest assured. As long as you hire us, even a Kage-level opponent would meet their end at our hands!"

Although he did not specify which Kage he was referring to, everyone present understood the implication.

After all, conflicts between ordinary ninjas rarely involved the Daimyo.

It was only in cases like the "reforms" in the Land of Fire that the Daimyo's safety was truly threatened.

It was clear that Shukan had a firm grasp of the Daimyo's concerns.

In today's underground market, a mercenary group of their caliber was a rare find.

"In that case, name your price," the Daimyo said, sitting with his hands clasped.

For a ruler of a nation, money was not the issue—security was the top priority.

As long as they could provide him with a sufficient sense of safety, he was willing to pay any price.

Seeing this, Shukan immediately flashed a sincere smile and pulled out a scroll from his robe.

"Lord Daimyo, this is our price list for various services. You can take a look."

At the Daimyo's signal, a servant quickly retrieved the scroll and, after ensuring its safety, handed it to him.

The Daimyo then saw the clear pricing for various tasks:

- Assassination missions: Starting at 10 million ryō, with specific prices determined by the target.

- Security missions: Starting at 50 million ryō per year, with prices determined by the protection target.

- Item retrieval missions: Starting at 5 million ryō, with prices determined by the item's value.

There were many other types of missions listed on the scroll.

It seemed the Yellow Group was not picky—they would take on any mission as long as the pay was sufficient.

Not a single mission on the list was priced below 5 million ryō, with most costing tens of millions or more.

However, what caught the Daimyo's attention the most was the highest-priced mission: the Ninja Composite Brigade.

"What is this?" the Daimyo asked curiously, pointing at the five large characters on the scroll.

The starting price for this mission was an astonishing 1 billion ryō!

Even for a Daimyo, spending such a large sum in one go was a bit painful.

Finally seeing that he had captured the Daimyo's interest, Shukan smiled mysteriously.

"This is a long-term construction mission aimed at creating a small, elite ninja force for clients in need. It includes training in ninja skills, equipment handling, and tactical strategies. The goal is to systematically build a specialized force of around 200 elite ninjas to ensure the client's safety. Currently, we are the only organization in the ninja world offering this service."

Shukan's explanation stirred the Daimyo's interest.

He had just been thinking about how to build his own armed forces, and now the Yellow Group had presented him with this opportunity.

However, he suppressed his excitement and cautiously asked, "Are you saying you can help me build a new ninja force from scratch?"

Shukan nodded without hesitation. "We offer two options. The first is to recruit existing ninjas from the market, rigorously train them, and form a composite brigade. The advantage of this option is that it can quickly establish combat effectiveness and requires relatively less expenditure. The second option is to recruit a group of individuals with ninja potential and train them from the ground up to form the brigade. The downside is that this takes longer and is more expensive, but the benefit is that the ninjas you personally select and train will be 100% loyal to you. Additionally, both options are now part of our 'Client Safety Construction Package.' By purchasing this package, the Yellow Group will not only provide five years of security but also guarantee the creation of ten ninja composite brigades within that time. If this package doesn't suit you, we also offer a Plan B..."

Shukan, the infamous mercenary leader of the underground world, had suddenly transformed into a salesman.

His professional pitch and the dizzying array of packages left the Daimyo thoroughly confused.

After several hours of persuasion, the Daimyo's mind was completely filled with visions of the composite brigades.

Without further ado, he signed a massive contract worth 3 billion ryō with the Yellow Group.

The contract included the following terms:

1. The Yellow Group must provide the Daimyo with sufficient security services within five years.

2. Within five years, they must construct five ninja composite brigades using the first option, ensuring that the number of jōnin and chūnin in each brigade meets the standard.

3. The Yellow Group will train 500 new ninjas, with personnel provided by the Daimyo and training conducted by the clan.

4. All equipment and tools required for the composite brigades will be provided by the Yellow Group.

5. The Daimyo retains supreme command over all ninja composite brigades.