After a fierce debate, Diarmuid failed to overcome the combined front of Kakuzu and Sasori.
The two were clearly dissatisfied with the "noble" name of the Azure Dragon Study Group. Instead, Kakuzu's simple, almost plain suggestion of Yorozuya, the "House of a Thousand Trades," won approval.
"This is unfair! Orochimaru isn't here; he hasn't voted yet!" Diarmuid cried, refusing to let it go.
"Orochimaru would never support your 'Study Group,'" Kakuzu said heartlessly.
"You're murdering my childhood!" Diarmuid grumbled, but he was ignored.
Sasori, wanting to move past the trivial topic, asked, "So, what's the next step to establish our reputation?"
"The simplest way is to go big!" Diarmuid answered, dropping the act and re-engaging with the topic.
He had experience in this area. Back in the One Piece world, he had guided Donquixote Doflamingo to hijack the Heavenly Tribute to secure a position as a Seven Warlord of the Sea. Now, it was his turn to pull a major stunt.
Kakuzu nodded. "I agree. It's the fastest way. I've already listed several ultra-high-difficulty black market bounties."
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Kakuzu pulled out a scroll. He paused, looking at the food still on the table. Diarmuid reacted quickly, using his powers to levitate the dishes and move them to a distant table.
Kakuzu spread the scroll. "These are targets I've been tracking for a long time."
"I bet they aren't just high difficulty; they're high reward," Sasori remarked.
Kakuzu didn't deny it. "High reward always scales with difficulty. That's only natural."
He paused, pulled out a pen, and crossed one item off the list. "Sorry, forgot to scratch this one out."
The crossed-out item was the assassination of the Third Raikage of Kumogakure. Reward: 120 million Ryō.
The rest of the list was the shinobi world's most terrifying figures.
The Kage of the Five Great Nations were all there. Hiruzen, the Third Hokage: 200 million Ryō. The price was significantly higher than the Raikage's; Diarmuid suspected Danzo had personally inflated that bounty.
Beyond the Kage, Hanzo of the Salamander, leader of Amegakure, held the highest individual bounty at 230 million Ryō. This made sense; since the "deaths" of Hashirama and Madara, Hanzo was widely regarded as the "Demigod" and the strongest shinobi alive.
There were also specific bounties: A pair of Uchiha Sharingan: 50 million Ryō. A pair of Byakugan: 50 million Ryō. The body of Hashirama, the God of Shinobi: 300 million Ryō. The body of Madara: 240 million Ryō.
The list was practically an invitation to grave-robbing. Every entry started at a minimum of 50 million.
"The price for Tailed Beasts is skyrocketing, so these records are a bit outdated," Kakuzu added.
This made sense. During a war, Tailed Beasts were the ultimate strategic deterrent. If someone managed to kidnap Konoha's Jinchūriki, Kushina, the village would lose its nuclear option, allowing Iwagakure to flatten them with their own Tailed Beasts.
Because of this, any Tailed Beast now fetched a staggering 700 million Ryō. This wasn't just for a kill; the "buyer" wanted the beast intact and delivered. It was essentially a business transaction. Capturing a Tailed Beast alive was the peak of shinobi difficulty.
"What about assassinating one of the Five Kage?" Sasori asked with interest.
He already had the Third Kazekage and Third Raikage in his collection. If he could gather all five, he would be legendary. He felt a twinge of regret that the Third Mizukage had already died of illness and been replaced by Karatachi Yagura; his dream of a "Complete Third Kage Collection" was thwarted.
"Not feasible," Kakuzu said firmly. "The reward doesn't match the risk. The Five Kage stay within their villages, surrounded by an entire army of shinobi. An attempt on a Kage isn't a stealth mission; it's a declaration of war against an entire Hidden Village. You'd have to dismantle the village to get to the Kage. For 200 million, the risk-to-reward ratio is terrible."
This was why the bounties had sat unclaimed for years. The Third Raikage only died because he was caught out in the field, and even then, he was surrounded by thousands of troops.
"Then what about a Tailed Beast? The pay is high, and the fame would be instant," Sasori suggested.
Kakuzu looked thoughtful. "The Seven-Tails is in Takigakure. I'm familiar with that place..."
"If we're going to do it, we go for a Great Village. Takigakure isn't big enough," Sasori shook his head. "The Nine-Tails seems like a good target. Isn't the Nine-Tails known as the strongest?"
Sasori didn't hate Konoha, but he was more than happy to make trouble for them if the profit was right.
"What about this one?" Diarmuid, who had been silent, pointed to a bounty at the top of the scroll.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth. Reward: 300 million Ryō.
In terms of raw strength, the Daimyo was a non-combatant, but in terms of status, even 300 million was arguably too low.
The Daimyo were the highest class in this world. The Kage and the Hidden Villages were essentially the military leaders funded by the Daimyo. The Great Shinobi Wars were, at their core, conflicts over the interests of the Daimyo.
The other four nations attacked Konoha because of the Land of Fire's superior geography—lush forests, fertile soil, and abundant resources. In contrast, the Land of Water was an isolated island, the Land of Wind was a desert, the Land of Lightning was mountainous and difficult to develop, and the Land of Earth was rugged.
But why did the Villages want the land? It wasn't just for the shinobi. The wars were fought for national interests.
"Assassinate a Daimyo?" Sasori asked, surprised.
"What do you think? The difficulty is relatively low, but the impact would be massive. It would put our name on every map!" Diarmuid said.
Kakuzu and Sasori both frowned.
"You aren't a traditional shinobi, so you might not understand the implications," Kakuzu said.
"What implications?"
"While bounties on Daimyo are posted during every war, no one has actually succeeded in decades. The last time a Daimyo was killed was during the Warring States Period," Kakuzu explained.
"Exactly," Sasori added. "Daimyo are different from Kage. To shinobi, Daimyo are people from another world. Killing a Kage is part of the 'business' of war. Killing a Daimyo is something else entirely."
"Explain," Diarmuid said, raising an eyebrow. He remembered that one of Kisame's crimes was an attempted assassination of a Daimyo. Why was it such a big deal?
"If we kill the Third Raikage, Kumogakure puts a bounty on us. You, Diarmuid, are an S-rank criminal. But that's normal. Sasori and I are already S-rank rogue ninja. There are plenty of people like us. That's just the aftermath of killing a Kage. But if you kill a Daimyo, the consequences are far more severe."
"We would be classified as a 'Terrorist Organization' by every nation," Sasori said. "Everyone associated with us would be hunted relentlessly. The Five Great Nations would never work with us, even in the shadows, ever again."
Shinobi were one circle; Daimyo were another. It was a strange irony: the Daimyo lacked power but stood above the shinobi. Shinobi killing each other was accepted "work," but if they targeted the Daimyo, the entire global ruling class would pressure the shinobi villages to eliminate the threat immediately.
If these madmen can kill the Daimyo of Earth today, they might kill the Daimyo of Fire tomorrow. Even if they were at war, the Daimyo would form a united front against such "rule-breakers."
Diarmuid blinked. "Then why do they post the bounties? Isn't that insane?"
He quickly realized the truth and cursed. "Hypocrites! They want the result without the dirt."
"You've guessed it," Sasori said calmly. "As a former member of a high-ranking family in Sunagakure, I can tell you that you're right."
"And I was once a high-ranking official in Takigakure; I know how it works," Kakuzu added. (In reality, Kakuzu had been the leader of the assassination squad, not quite "top tier," but close enough for his ego).
"The Five Hidden Villages post these bounties in secret," Kakuzu explained. "It's a 'just in case' move. If some idiot actually takes the mission and kills a Daimyo, it could win the war for their village instantly. It's a massive win. All they have to do afterward is hunt down the 'troublemakers' to save face. It's simple, cynical, and very real."