"Bastard Kakuzu. It was you who wanted to come to Otogakure to ask Dragon Lord boss for our wages."
Sasori of the Red Sand, furious and flustered, made Ryun pause for a moment.
"Why would I need wages? Shouldn't serving Dragon Lord-sama be our duty? It was clearly you who said you were short on funds, so I accompanied you to Otogakure..." Kakuzu said with a completely serious expression.
"Bastard, I will kill you."
Sasori of the Red Sand was not good at arguing. Seeing Kakuzu be so shameless, he immediately felt the urge to kill someone.
"Enough."
Ryun's face hardened as he scolded.
Hearing this stern voice, the two immediately quieted down, though the murderous intent in Sasori of the Red Sand's eyes towards Kakuzu was impossible to hide...
"Wife, come here for a moment..."
Ryun called out to Kushina, who was trimming flowers and plants in the distance.
"What is it?" Kushina first nodded friendly towards the two strangers, then asked curiously.
"How much cash do we have at home?" Ryun asked casually.
"I haven't counted it, but there should be twenty or thirty million, right..." Since becoming the Dragon Lord's wife, Kushina had already lost all interest in things like money...
Ryun's annual salary in Otogakure reached nine figures. Furthermore, the novel 'Dragon Pearl' he wrote during his school days, capitalizing on the 'Dragon Lord's own writing' reputation, had sold out across the Ninja World. The annual comic royalties alone were a string of digits, not to mention other sources of income...
Every month, money was deposited into their account on schedule. They couldn't be bothered to count how many digits there were.
"Is this amount enough?"
Ryun suddenly smiled and looked at the two men. He did not feel offended or angered by their behavior.
"It is enough."
Kakuzu looked delighted and smiling. Getting money was good; he did not dare ask for too much. Twenty or thirty million, split between two people, was definitely not a small sum.
The famous Twelve Guardian Ninja, one head was only worth thirty million at the Exchange. Crucially, that kind of work required risking one's life, with the chance of failure and death. Yet, with a wave of his hand, Ryun was ready to give them this money...
Moreover, prices were still relatively cheap at this time. The current twenty or thirty million could be equivalent to fifty or sixty million in the period when Enma was killed in the original story.
This amount was actually enough to satisfy Kakuzu's appetite and completely solve Sasori of the Red Sand's financial difficulties.
Seeing Sasori of the Red Sand still looking sullen, Ryun smiled wryly and then instructed Kushina to fetch a checkbook from the bedroom.
Actually, Sasori of the Red Sand at this moment was still thinking about how to kill that damn bastard Kakuzu after leaving Otogakure, so much so that he didn't even notice Ryun glancing at him.
Taking the checkbook from Kushina, Ryun filled in a string of numbers on two separate checks and finally signed his name.
"Take these. They can be cashed at any bank in the Land of Rice." Ryun smiled, handing the two checks to the men.
When they saw the string of numbers on the checks, Kakuzu and Sasori of the Red Sand were instantly shocked.
"One... one hundred million?" Sasori of the Red Sand uttered in disbelief.
Beside him, Kakuzu's face showed wild joy, his green eyes flashing madly with the light of money.
"Thank you for your reward, Dragon Lord-sama. Kakuzu's life is yours from now on." Kakuzu immediately knelt before Ryun.
"Th... thank you, Dragon Lord boss." Sasori of the Red Sand, after recovering, hurriedly bowed and expressed his thanks. He wasn't as shameless as Kakuzu and couldn't bring himself to kneel...
"Work hard. As long as you can demonstrate sufficient value, there will be as much money as you want." Ryun spoke with a calm expression.
He really... had no interest in money now.
"Next, have you thought about how to carry out the Akatsuki leader's mission?" Ryun proactively asked about their task.
"Mission? We don't plan to carry out that guy's mission..." Kakuzu replied with a smile.
Sasori of the Red Sand also nodded upon hearing this. The two of them didn't take the mission assigned by Deva Path Pain seriously at all.
"Since it's a mission, it should still be completed... Kakuzu, do you remember the person I wanted you to find before?" Ryun said, bringing up the past matter.
Kakuzu was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he quickly spoke. "You mean Hidan?"
"Yes. Go try your luck in the Land of Hot Water. That guy is a rogue ninja from Takumi Village, fond of killing and conducting sacrifices. Search around the various villages; it shouldn't be too hard to find him." Ryun gave them a general direction.
"Okay, we will go immediately."
"Go ahead. If you find the target, bring him to me first." Ryun waved his hand, indicating they could leave.
"Yes."
"Yes."
As the two left Otogakure, a fierce Kage-level battle occurred not long after outside the village.
Night.
Konoha Village.
In a secret room within the Hokage Building.
"Itachi... with your father as the clan leader, it is very difficult for us to completely purge the rebel elements within the Uchiha clan..." Sakumo Hatake said seriously to Uchiha Itachi, who was kneeling on one knee before him.
"Yes, my father... he is very stubborn." Uchiha Itachi lowered his head and whispered.
"What do you think should be done..." Sakumo Hatake asked, sounding somewhat helpless.
Uchiha Itachi fell silent for a long time upon hearing this. That word, 'kill', was something he simply could not bring himself to say.
"Sigh, I know this matter puts you in a difficult position... I have decided to hand this matter over to the Anbu to handle..." Sakumo Hatake said with a sigh.
"!!!"
Uchiha Itachi looked up, his face full of shock.
"Hokage-sama, I said I would resolve the Uchiha clan's problem. Moreover, this kind of matter can only be carried out by me. Konoha cannot intervene directly... If the Anbu gets involved, it will cause the Uchiha clan to harbor hatred towards Konoha... the situation would become even worse then."
Uchiha Itachi urgently explained the stakes involved.
"But doing such a thing... is too cruel for you..." Sakumo Hatake's face showed a pained expression.
"Hokage-sama... let's proceed according to the original plan... Using (Masked) Madara's strength, I can do it... and it will also allow me to logically infiltrate the Akatsuki organization..." Uchiha Itachi brought up this plan again.
"That is your father... Can you really do it? Aren't you afraid Mikoto will resent you, that your brother will hate you..." Sakumo Hatake massaged his temples and sighed softly.
"For the stability of the village, I can do it."
"As for mother and Sasuke... I can only wrong them..." Uchiha Itachi said, lowering his head again.
Between family and the village, he ultimately chose the village.
Brother Shisui, before leaving, told him to protect Konoha. He must keep his word and not let Brother Shisui down.
In this lifetime, many Uchiha clansmen had their fates quietly changed due to Ryun's 'butterfly effect'. Yet, Uchiha Itachi was still destined to walk the old path of killing his father and kin, 'betraying' the village, and joining Akatsuki.
Calculating it this way, Uchiha Itachi should be grateful to Ryun. After all, in the original story, the Uchiha clan was killed until only Sasuke, that one true heir, remained. In this lifetime, more than half of the Uchiha clan could be spared, as Sakumo Hatake's treatment of this clan had actually been quite lenient...
Unfortunately, Uchiha Itachi did not understand the cause and effect here. He only held hatred towards Uchiha Ryun.
Because his Brother Shisui most likely died at the other's hands. By joining 'Akatsuki', he could not only gather intelligence on this evil organization for Konoha, but perhaps one day, he could also use the organization's power to take revenge for his Brother Shisui.