Yuzuru's gaze narrowed slightly the moment he saw the monk who stepped inside.
"Jigen?"
He had never expected Jigen to be the one secretly running the bounty hall.
If there was anyone in the shinobi world right now who could threaten him, Jigen definitely counted.
More precisely—what lived inside him: Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
In the original story, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki managed to destroy a Perfect Susanoo with one punch, and the attacks he launched via his Dōjutsu were so fast that even Sasuke's Gūyoku Rinnegan could barely track them.
For someone like that to suddenly appear before him… even Yuzuru couldn't help feeling a flicker of caution deep in his heart.
But thinking carefully, it wasn't strange at all. The Kara Organization's research and operations required massive funds.
The bounty hall was perfectly positioned to generate an endless stream of money for Kara. With Jigen at its head negotiating directly with him, it made sense.
"What's wrong, Yuzuru-sama?" Jigen asked.
Yuzuru smiled faintly. "Nothing. I just didn't expect the man behind the bounty hall to look so young."
Jigen didn't think much of it. He instead spoke first. "About the ten billion ryō bounty placed on you, Yuzuru-sama—I can take it out myself. Consider it a gesture of friendship."
"And in the future, we will no longer accept any bounty targeting the Uchiha."
Hearing that, Yuzuru lifted a thumb. "Generous boss."
Jigen chuckled lightly, then said, "I heard Kumogakure has been attacking the surrounding small nations. Yuzuru-sama hasn't come here intending to annex the Land of Silence into the Land of Lightning's territory, has he?"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow. "And if I have?"
In response, Jigen slowly raised one finger. "If Yuzuru-sama is willing to abandon that idea, I'm willing to offer another ten billion ryō as a token of gratitude."
"The Land of Silence is a tiny nation. It has no valuable resources. Even if you occupy it, you won't gain much."
"Why not maintain the status quo?"
Most bounty hunters came from rogue shinobi scattered across the world. If Yuzuru took over the Land of Silence, the bounty hall's profits would plummet.
But profit was secondary. What mattered more was that Kara would lose a valuable intelligence-gathering site.
This was something Jigen could not accept.
Yet Yuzuru didn't hesitate at all. He rejected him with a shake of his head.
"My goal is to let everyone in the shinobi world live stable, peaceful lives. The Land of Silence's very existence contradicts that goal, so I won't accept your request."
"And the bounty hall—an institution that harms the peace of the shinobi world—shouldn't continue to exist."
Jigen's face darkened instantly. His gaze at Yuzuru turned sharp.
"Yuzuru-sama, we bounty hall people have our own influence. If you insist on attacking the Land of Silence, I can't guarantee what might happen."
Tsunade froze for a moment. She hadn't expected this monk to actually dare threaten Yuzuru.
Had he not seen Yuzuru's power just now?
Did he have a death wish?
But what surprised Tsunade even more was that Yuzuru didn't get angry. Instead, he chose to take a step back.
"The bounty hall may continue operating. Shinobi who enter the Land of Silence won't need to undergo identity checks."
"But the Land of Silence must be under my authority, and everyone here must follow the order I establish."
"And one-tenth of all bounty hall profits will be handed over."
Yuzuru's voice turned cold. "If you continue resisting, no matter what leverage you think you have, I will erase it from the shinobi world."
"In this world, no one can oppose me."
The atmosphere in the room instantly plummeted to freezing cold.
Yuzuru and Jigen stared each other down, neither yielding.
In the end, Jigen was the first to soften, smiling faintly. "I was only joking, Yuzuru-sama. I will comply with whatever you say."
Yuzuru snorted lightly and stood up to leave. "Don't try anything. I'm not a patient man."
He still felt a degree of caution toward Isshiki's power—but only that.
Right now, with Kawaki not yet born, Isshiki—who had been hiding like a turtle for years—couldn't possibly reincarnate using Jigen's body.
Jigen simply couldn't withstand Isshiki's power. If Isshiki forced reincarnation, he wouldn't survive more than a few days.
And without reincarnation, he would never be Yuzuru's opponent.
Under such conditions, Yuzuru had no reason to put Jigen in his eyes at all.
Tsunade quickly followed after him.
Once they had left, Jigen's smile vanished. His expression grew dark and oppressive.
To be threatened by a low-born insect, and still have to keep smiling…
The humiliation was intolerable.
One day, he would reclaim everything that belonged to him—and he would slaughter these insects to the last.
—
—
"Yuzuru, wait."
Tsunade caught up to him, curiosity written all over her face.
Yuzuru glanced her way openly before speaking. "What is it?"
Tsunade pressed a hand to her chest, then asked, "Why did your personality suddenly change? I thought you were going to cut down that monk Jigen right then and there."
Normally, anyone who defied Yuzuru had only one fate: death.
But today, he had shown an unusual amount of patience toward a mere monk. It was unbelievable.
Yuzuru explained calmly. "To operate the bounty hall at such a scale that the entire shinobi world knows it… that alone proves the man behind it is no simple figure."
"Until we're sure we can completely eliminate them, it's better to let them continue—we can use their operation as a way to monitor them."
He laid out his reasoning plainly.
Kara wasn't worth mentioning yet. Without a perfect vessel, Isshiki didn't dare make any big moves. Keeping them under surveillance was the smartest choice.
Time was on his side. By the time Isshiki found Kawaki, Yuzuru would already be strong enough to crush him.
Tsunade looked back at the bounty hall, disbelief in her eyes.
Even Konoha wasn't something Yuzuru took seriously… yet this tiny bounty hall had actually made him wary?
What kind of monster was this monk named Jigen?
Bang!
Tsunade wasn't paying attention and bumped straight into Yuzuru.
"Why did you stop so suddenly?"
Feeling the incredible softness she collided against, Yuzuru smiled.
"Lucky me. I just found the shinobi who attacked the Uchiha."