The next day.
"Clang!"
As the sound of chains rattling rang out, a sliver of light from outside shone in, brightening the dim prison cell considerably.
"Ugh..."
In the corner of the cell, a figure was curled up. Noticing the light shining in, he stirred, then turned his gaze towards the door.
"Yo, long time no see, Bounty Hunter."
A figure appeared in front of the cell door, smiling as he looked at the other person curled up in the dark corner, and said softly.
"You!"
Scarface's face immediately showed a hint of fear, and he began to curl back, trying to get away from the other person. During this, the sound of "clang" kept coming from his body.
"Sigh, it wasn't me who interrogated you, is there any need to be so afraid?"
Ren looked at Scarface, who was huddled into a ball in front of him, and said somewhat helplessly.
"Alright, just come with me obediently."
Ren disappeared from his spot with an Instantaneous Body Technique, and the next moment, he appeared beside the other person. Then, with a hand chop, the other person's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
"Hmm, this makes things much easier."
Ren muttered as he pulled out a string of keys from his pocket, squatted down, and began to unlock the shackles on the other person.
Before long, Ren dragged the other person out of the cell. All the shackles on his body, except for those on his hands, had been removed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
After coming out, Ren carried the other person on his back, then walked towards Aoki Mori, who was standing not far away, and said with a smile.
"No, I just got them too."
Aoki Mori shook his head, then turned sideways, allowing Ren to see the two corpses he had on his back.
"Good, then let's set off."
The two didn't waste any time. Carrying one person and two corpses, they walked out of the Konoha Camp.
"Hmm, let me check first."
After leaving the Konoha Camp, Ren took out a map from his Pregnant. The location of the nearest exchange office was clearly marked on it.
"Twenty li to the southeast, Azumashi Town."
Ren put away the map, found the right direction, and then hurried along with Itsuki.
Because it was still morning, time wasn't too pressing. Plus, with the people they were carrying, the two maintained a steady pace throughout their journey. By the time they reached Azumashi Town, it was already noon.
At this time, the two had already changed into long robes and were wearing masks on their faces.
Places like exchange offices were mixed and chaotic. Although their strength meant they weren't afraid of trouble, it was still better to be careful.
"Goodness, it looks like the economy of Azumashi Town is a bit sluggish."
Looking at the sparsely populated streets in front of him, Ren said with some emotion.
Itsuki stood beside him, glanced at Ren, and then said softly.
"Azumashi Town is one of the few coastal towns in the Land of Fire. While its economic prosperity can't compare to the capital of the Land of Fire or our Village, it's still one of the top towns among the dozens in the Land of Fire.
It's just that due to the war, most merchants have abandoned this place, and the economy has gradually declined."
"..."
Ren was silent for a while, then continued to walk forward.
"Let's go, Brother Itsuki."
Itsuki didn't say anything more, just quietly followed. At this moment, Ren's heart was somewhat complex.
War. During this period, almost all unfortunate events seemed to be linked to war.
The various chain reactions caused by the slaughter of tens of thousands of people: economic depression, constantly emerging hatred. Then, a cycle of repetition.
Now, Ren seemed to somewhat understand Nagato's philosophy.
The pain brought by war, one would never feel it without experiencing it firsthand. But his method was too extreme and insane.
Perhaps, I can try a different approach to change things.
"We're here."
Itsuki's voice from beside him brought Ren back to his senses. Only then did he realize that they had arrived at the target location on the map—a public restroom.
"Seriously, these people at the exchange offices all have weird quirks, don't they? Why do they all like to use restrooms as entrances?"
Despite his complaints, the two didn't waste any time. After entering, they stood in front of a wall as instructed.
Then Ren reached out and tapped a certain protruding part twice. Before long, the wall tilted down, revealing a dark corridor behind it.
"Welcome, gentlemen."
A hoarse voice came from the darkness. The next moment, a gaunt-looking man emerged from the darkness, wearing a long green robe, and looked at the two with a placid expression.
"Hello, we're here to exchange money."
Ren swung Scarface, who was unconscious on his back, and chuckled happily.
"Welcome, please come in."
After saying a word, the man turned and stepped into the darkness. Ren and Itsuki exchanged glances, then followed. The wall behind them immediately rose again, returning to its original state.
Before long, Ren and the other man followed the man out of the dark corridor and into a spacious hall.
It was much brighter here than the corridor, but still somewhat dim.
There weren't many people in the hall, only about seven or eight, standing in small groups chatting. Upon seeing the two newcomers, everyone merely glanced at them before looking away again. However, they continued to observe the two out of the corner of their eyes.
"This is where you can exchange bounties, gentlemen..."
Ren and Itsuki understood what the other person meant and didn't dawdle. They directly placed the unconscious Scarface and the two corpses on the table and asked in a calm voice.
"Kujo Hiroshi and his two companions. Could you please check their bounties for me?"
Ren didn't lower his voice. The faces of everyone else in the hall changed simultaneously upon hearing this. After noticing the three human-shaped objects on the table, they all averted their gaze.
Clearly, they had also heard of Kujo Hiroshi and his two companions' reputations. They were somewhat well-known figures in the Bounty Hunter circle, but now they had become the hunted.
"Alright, I'll check for you immediately."
The man's expression didn't change. He somehow pulled out a thick book. Upon opening it, it was discovered to contain descriptions of various individuals and their bounties.
Ren even saw Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wanted poster.
Goodness, a bounty of twenty-five million ryo.
"Found it."
The man stopped flipping pages, pointed to Scarface's image on it, and said softly to Ren and the other man.
"Kujo Hiroshi: Bounty of six million ryo, dead or alive."
"Harada Toshio: Bounty of five million ryo, dead or alive."
"Yoshioka Ki: Bounty of five million ryo, dead or alive."
Upon hearing these prices, not only Ren, but the eyes of the surrounding people immediately gathered towards the counter.
The look in their eyes towards Ren and the other man was no longer one of apprehension, but rather one of pure greed!
Sixteen million ryo, this huge sum was completely enough to make them take a dangerous risk. After all, Bounty Hunters, like Ninja, were beings who lived on the edge.
For money, they could do anything!