Land of Lightning, Daimyō's Mansion.
Inside the resplendent golden palace.
"Bang—!"
A precious celadon teacup was smashed violently to the floor, shards scattering across the polished surface. One sharp fragment slashed across a servant's cheek, drawing blood — yet no one dared to move.
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning had a stormy expression, his face dark as thunderclouds. He suddenly seized another cup from the table and hurled it with equal force.
Moments ago, he had received a report from his attendant.
The Second Raikage had escorted the Konoha delegation into the Land of Lightning and would soon arrive at the Daimyō's mansion.
This news enraged him beyond words.
"I ordered him to assassinate Senju Tobirama, and what does he do instead? He personally escorts the man back here safely!" The Daimyō gritted his teeth, fury blazing in his eyes as though it were tangible.
"When did Kumogakure's shinobi become Konoha's guards?"
The retainers kneeling on the floor trembled, cold sweat dripping down their foreheads, not daring to raise their heads.
The Daimyō abruptly turned, the hem of his luxurious robe sweeping across the floor. He stared out the window, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
"Senju Tobirama…" He gave a cold, humorless chuckle. "Coming personally to my mansion? Fine. Does he really think there's no one of worth in the Land of Lightning?"
If the Second Raikage couldn't be relied upon, then there was only one option left.
He would have to unleash the elite assassins he had secretly cultivated over the years.
In recent times, the Daimyō had spent enormous sums recruiting powerful rogue shinobi. He believed these ninja would be more than capable of killing Senju Tobirama.
Money was no issue to him. Gold and silver meant nothing to a man whose mansion sat atop abundant mineral veins.
What he cared about was his reputation.
Tobirama's audacity was a blatant slap to his reputation!
The proud Daimyō of the Land of Lightning, being confronted openly by a Kage from a rival nation, forced to negotiate compensation — how would the other Daimyōs see him after this?
They would laugh behind his back. He would never be able to show his face in the circle of Daimyōs again.
All of this humiliation stemmed from Senju Tobirama.
And since the Second Raikage had failed to assassinate him, he too would have to pay the price.
"Send out the order," the Daimyō said coldly after steadying his breath. "Have the assassins eliminate Senju Tobirama…"
These so-called assassins were the rogue shinobi he had recruited. Using them to deal with the Konoha delegation should be no problem.
At least, that was what he believed.
"Yes, Daimyō-sama!"
"Wait…"
The attendant stopped mid-step.
"Starting next year, reduce Kumogakure's military funding by forty percent," the Daimyō said icily.
"D-Daimyō-sama!" A retainer responsible for finance finally dared to speak, his voice trembling.
"Wouldn't that… be too extreme…?"
"Too extreme?" The Daimyō narrowed his eyes dangerously. "The Raikage dared to disobey my orders. He must bear the consequences."
He slowly lowered himself back into the main seat, his fingertips tapping the armrest rhythmically.
"As for Senju Tobirama…" The corners of his lips curved into a cold, cruel smile. "Since he came to the Land of Lightning, he shouldn't dream of leaving easily."
Once Tobirama was dead, his honor could be salvaged. Moreover, it would serve as a warning to other nations — the authority of the Land of Lightning's Daimyō must not be challenged!
Inside the hall, the retainers remained silent, their expressions tense, not one daring to oppose him.
...
That night, in a secluded courtyard of the Daimyō's mansion.
Several rogue shinobi sat huddled around a dimly lit candle, their faces pale. One man clutched a freshly delivered secret order, his fingers trembling slightly.
"Assassinate… Senju Tobirama?!"
The scar-faced middle-aged man who led them repeated the words in disbelief, his voice hoarse, as though confirming he had read it wrong.
"Are they joking?!" Another man slammed the table, leaping to his feet, terror written all over his face.
"That's the Hokage of Konoha we're talking about! The younger brother of the God of Shinobi!"
"Do they want us to die?"
The room fell into an oppressive silence. The weak candlelight illuminated their horrified expressions.
The moment they learned the mission details, it felt as if the sky had collapsed.
Assassinate the Hokage? That was suicide.
They were elite jōnin, personally recruited by the Daimyō and treated well with lavish food and drink. Guarding the Daimyō was one thing — but assassinating the Hokage? Impossible.
After a long, heavy silence, the scar-faced shinobi took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
"Pack your things," he said in a low, firm voice. "We can't stay in the Daimyō's mansion anymore. We leave tonight."
"But… what about the Daimyō…?" someone hesitated.
"You'd rather try to assassinate the Second Hokage and end up a corpse," the scarred man sneered, "or leave tonight with gold and live freely?"
He ripped the weapons pouch from the wall with a sharp tug.
"Don't forget — we're hired shinobi, not the Daimyō's loyal hounds!"
The group exchanged silent looks — and then began moving quickly.
...
Daimyō's treasury.
"Take more! The Daimyō's loaded anyway!"
"This vase looks valuable. Mine!"
"Wait, don't forget this chest of gold bars!"
Within half an hour, the assassins who had been tasked with protecting the Daimyō transformed into common thieves, ransacking the mansion's vault.
Carrying bulging sacks on their backs, they scaled the high walls under the cover of night and vanished into the dense mountains.
"Run, brothers, run!"
"Hahaha! With this money, we'll never need to take on another mission in our lives!"
...
The next morning, inside the Daimyō's grand hall.
"Those damned bastards!" The Daimyō's roar thundered through the spacious chamber.
That morning, he discovered his treasury had been completely emptied.
Although the money itself meant little to him, he loathed nothing more than betrayal.
"Find them!" he bellowed, smashing a teacup into shards. "Drag them back here — I'll tear them limb from limb!"
The retainers trembled on the floor, none daring to breathe too loudly.
One trusted aide cautiously lifted his head.
"Daimyō-sama… about the matter of assassinating the Hokage…"
The Daimyō's expression darkened as he sank back into his seat.
The assassins had clearly realized they weren't capable of facing Senju Tobirama — so they fled with the funds instead.
If he wanted Tobirama dead, he would have to consider other options.
After a long silence, his gaze turned icy.
"Go to the black market. Issue a bounty — one hundred million ryō. No… make it two hundred million!"
...
A dimly lit underground exchange, flickering candles casting shadows along the walls.
"Senju Tobirama… two hundred million ryō!"
Kakuzu stood in front of the bounty board, his breathing growing heavier beneath his mask.
The figure written in bright red ink gleamed in the candlelight, almost as if a mountain of gold had appeared before his eyes.
His Adam's apple bobbed. He had never seen a bounty this high before.
Two hundred million ryō… just for killing Senju Tobirama!
Without hesitation, Kakuzu tore the bounty poster from the wall.
"The God of Shinobi's little brother, huh?" he murmured under his breath, his voice low and dangerous. "Then let me show you the power I've gained."
Having recently mastered the forbidden technique of Earth Grudge Fear from Takigakure, he had confidence he could take Tobirama down.
After all, Tobirama wasn't as monstrously powerful as Senju Hashirama. There was a chance — and he intended to take it.
Unbidden, images of Hashirama flashed through Kakuzu's mind… and beside him, that damned Uchiha brat!
Back then, he'd been defeated at that brat's hands, nearly poisoned to death — and, to make matters worse, ended up owing a ridiculous amount of money.
Paying off that debt had forced him into becoming a bounty hunter.
Over time, however, he'd grown to enjoy the profession. As his wealth steadily grew, so did his obsession with money.
And now, seeing a two-hundred-million-ryō bounty on Senju Tobirama, Kakuzu felt his blood boil with greed.
He was going to take this chance.