Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Three figures dressed in black—faces covered, two tall and one short—vaulted over the city wall in quick succession. They clung to the stone surface, scanning their surroundings.
The short man whispered,
"So this is it, huh? The place where that bounty target worth over a hundred million lives—the Surgeon?"
One of the tall men, with long black hair, nodded.
"Apparently he's even become a minister of this Kingdom of Loran."
He sneered.
"If you ask me, I should be the one enjoying that kind of wealth. A kid like him won't be able to hold onto it for long~"
The other tall man—short black hair, a katana hanging from his cloak, looking every bit like a wandering samurai—spoke calmly:
"I heard he's pretty famous in the Land of Fire."
"Used a massive, wide-area ninjutsu before. If that's true, he won't be simple."
"Wide-area ninjutsu?" the long-haired man laughed coldly.
"Just exaggerated rumors to hype himself up."
"Then what about Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja bounty?" the samurai asked.
"That's just Konoha's propaganda," the long-haired man waved dismissively.
"A way to show off how powerful their village is."
"Otherwise,"
"why didn't someone like him make a name for himself during the Shinobi Wars?"
"Big brother's right," the short man nodded eagerly.
Seeing this, the samurai stopped arguing and carefully surveyed the pitch-black inner city.
Soon, the short man noticed several signboards posted along a route and pointed excitedly.
"Big brother, look! There are signs over there! Maybe they even tell us where the Surgeon is!"
BAM—!
"Are you an idiot?!"
The long-haired man smacked him on the head, steam practically rising from his fist.
Keeping his voice low, he hissed,
"It's obviously a trap! The moment we walk over, the inner city guards will detect us!"
"…Hey, Daichi," the samurai said quietly.
"These signs really do seem to point out where the Surgeon is."
"What?!"
The long-haired man rushed over—and froze.
The signs read:
[Hunting the Surgeon → This Way]
[Assassinating the Queen ↑ This Way]
[Raiding the Female Prison for Pretty Wo—]
"Cough, cough."
His face reddened as he stopped reading midway.
Pointing firmly at the first sign, he said with mock righteousness,
"Let's go. Since he's already prepared for his own death, we might as well help him along."
"Put him out of his misery early."
Daichi took the lead. The samurai followed without comment. The short man hurried after them, asking eagerly,
"Big brother, once we get the bounty—over a hundred million—how are we spending it?"
Daichi thought for a moment, recalling the female prison sign.
Straightening his expression, he declared,
"Obviously we're going to a shady tavern and finding some sweet girls to spend a happy night with!"
"Yay! Can I have two?" the short man asked.
"Three's fine."
The samurai pressed a hand to his forehead, deeply regretting teaming up with these two.
But he had no choice.
After leaving the Land of Iron to wander the shinobi world, he needed money—better gear first, a stable future later.
And the Surgeon was a huge payday.
180 million Fire Coins.
When Kaito had first heard his bounty was this high, he'd seriously considered switching identities and letting someone else die in his place to collect it.
The inner city was a compact town of interconnected towers, linked by bridges.
After crossing one bridge, the trio arrived at a massive circular stone platform. Ahead stood an elegant tower, its midsection marked by a grand, expensive-looking door—firmly shut.
The short man crawled to the edge and peered down.
A cool breeze rose from below, and the depth was impossible to see.
"H-hey, big brother… it's really high down there…"
Daichi glanced down and squinted at the distant lights.
"That's where Loran's common citizens live."
"Figures."
"Even their housing is lower than the nobles'."
The samurai folded his arms.
"If it weren't built like this, there wouldn't be room for such a luxurious city above."
After a pause, he frowned.
"…Is he really living here?"
"Something feels off."
Daichi clicked his tongue.
"Maybe we got played. With that many bounty hunters after him, running away would be normal."
"Then what about the sweet girls?" the short man asked.
"No head, no money. We won't even afford a drink!"
"Looking for a drink?"
Under the moonlight, a black-haired young man with a tied ponytail casually lifted half his mask, took a sip from a white flask, then tossed it down.
"Catch."
Snap!
The samurai moved instantly, catching the flask cleanly.
He sniffed it—
a faint, rich aroma.
Without hesitation, he drank half of it.
"Good stuff. Shame some spilled."
"Hey! Don't drink it all!"
"There's half left," the samurai said, tossing it to Daichi.
Daichi took a whiff, eyes lighting up.
"Good wine! This is cactus brew from the Land of Wind, right?!"
—A premium liquor made from juicy desert cacti.
Three hundred milliliters cost sixty thousand Wind Coins.
"Leave me a sip!" the short man begged.
"Here."
The short man drank, and all three removed their face coverings.
Kaito glanced at them—
a scarred samurai,
a long-haired man with a shifty look,
and a short man who oddly resembled a younger Ōnoki.
"The drinks are done," Kaito said calmly.
"Ready to hit the road?"
"This place is perfect—no one gets disturbed, and you can fight freely."
Standing on the edge of the tower, his blue-and-white robe fluttered in the wind.
"Is that your confidence?" Daichi said seriously.
"No wonder so many people want you dead."
The Surgeon's bounty wasn't from a single client—it was pooled.
After the exchange's cut, it totaled 180 million Fire Coins.
"Little Woodbug, done drinking?" Daichi asked.
"Once we start, it's go time."
The short man tilted the bottle upside down, then carefully pocketed it.
"Big brother, we can keep this bottle, right? It's worth something."
Kaito: "..."
"I know wanderers are poor," he muttered,
"but this is a bit much."
"There's a recycling shop in the outer city," he added.
"Original price was about three thousand Wind Coins. Resale… maybe five hundred."
"Only five hundred?!" the short man gasped.
"…Wait."
Kaito finally snapped.
"Aren't you here to kill me? Why are you asking about bottle prices?!"
The two bounty hunters thought silently: You're the one enthusiastically explaining it!
Kaito stepped down onto the circular platform.
The samurai, hand on his katana, charged first.
"For my ideals—"
"Please lend me your head!"
Steel flashed.
Kaito dodged, countered with a slime kunai—
only for it to be knocked aside.
He blinked in surprise.
I lost on technique…
The samurai's blade gleamed with Wind Release chakra.
"Samurai Style—Gale Triple Slash!"
Three compressed slashes tore through the air.
Kaito drew his short blade and swung—
BOOM!
The collision shook the platform.
The samurai stared.
"You didn't use chakra?"
"Of course not," Kaito replied.
"That's sword intent."
"…Isn't that blade intent?"
"It's a short sword."
"No, sword intent."
Kaito formed seals with one hand:
Snake → Boar → Tiger → Dog!
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A thick earthen barrier rose just as Daichi and the short man attacked.
"Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon!" ×2
BOOM! BOOM!
"Single-hand seals…" the samurai muttered.
"You're no ordinary ninja."
"Why defect from Konoha?" he asked grimly.
Kaito scratched his cheek.
"Impulse, maybe. They wanted face—I let them have it."
"And I was never really Konoha's ninja to begin with."
Understanding dawned.
"Killing invites killing," the samurai said quietly.
"A wandering blade's fate."
He charged again.
This time, Kaito fought seriously.
Sparks flew as steel clashed again and again.
Watching, Daichi swallowed hard.
"We… should probably retreat."
"Yeah."
"What about the samurai?"
"…Wish him luck."
Just then, a green-eyed man dropped down ahead of them—half his face covered in gray cloth.
"Move."
Daichi lunged—
"Earth Release: Earth Spear."
CRACK!
His kunai shattered.
"T-this guy—!"
"It's Kakuzu!" Daichi gasped.
"The Immortal Ninja!"
Kakuzu flipped through bounty papers.
"I'm not hunting that man."
"If he were serious, you'd already be dead."
He remembered that day—ROOM activated, techniques copied instantly, three hearts destroyed in seconds.
"Found you," Kakuzu said calmly.
"Daichi. Iwagakure rogue ninja."
"One hundred thousand—no, one million."
Daichi laughed bitterly.
"If I had that, I wouldn't be a bounty hunter."
"…Fair."
Kakuzu surged forward.
Daichi restrained the short man with Earth Release and spread his arms.
"So… it's finally my turn."
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