Three hundred million ryō from the Land of Lightning, three hundred million from the Land of Earth, and one hundred million from the Land of Wind.
In just two days, Kizaru became the man with the highest bounty in the entire underground black market since its establishment.
Naturally, in order to preserve the surface rules of the shinobi world and protect the reputations of the great hidden villages, none of the three major villages came forward openly. Instead, they operated through intermediaries.
But the people who ran the black market, along with the bounty hunters who lived off it, all understood exactly what was going on.
After all, in the entire shinobi world, the only forces capable of throwing around that much money to place a bounty on a Konoha shinobi were the other great hidden villages.
The Land of Taki was a small country neighboring the Land of Fire.
Kakuzu, the most feared bounty hunter in the underground world, had just finished off a target worth ten million ryō. Carrying the corpse over his shoulder and wearing his usual hooded cloak, he stepped into a bounty exchange.
Unlike the usual quiet atmosphere, the place was unusually loud today.
Kakuzu had just made a tidy little profit, so he was in a rare good mood. His gaze swept across the room and found bounty hunters gathered in small groups, all whispering excitedly among themselves.
As he walked toward the counter, his sharp ears caught the words they kept repeating.
Seven hundred million. A full seven hundred million.
That absurd number made Kakuzu's eyes gleam greedily beneath the shadows of his hood, like a wolf catching the scent of blood.
Even so, he didn't rush.
He calmly dropped the corpse onto the counter.
The staff checked the body, confirmed the kill, and brought out a black suitcase as payment.
Kakuzu opened it right there and counted the money one stack at a time. Only after confirming the amount was correct did he close the case and look up at the staff member.
"Deposit it."
"Sir, could we speak somewhere private?" the staff member asked quickly. "A client wants to entrust you with a mission, and the amount involved is... considerable."
Kakuzu had been mildly irritated at being interrupted, but the moment he heard that, his mood improved again.
"Fine."
"This way, please."
The employee immediately came around the counter, opened a side door, and respectfully led Kakuzu into a private room deeper inside the building.
Inside, the man in charge of the exchange was sitting on a sofa, smoking a cigar.
He was ready to scold his subordinate for barging in, but the moment he saw Kakuzu clearly, his expression changed. His irritation vanished and was replaced by delight.
After warmly inviting Kakuzu to sit and dismissing the subordinate, the man took the seat directly across from him.
"Mr. Kakuzu, my apologies for troubling you like this."
"Cut the nonsense. Talk." Kakuzu's tone was cold and impatient, as always. To him, time was money.
"Of course."
Still wearing a businesslike smile, the manager turned to the cabinet beside him, pulled out a file, and placed it on the table before Kakuzu.
"I'm sure you've already heard the talk outside. We recently received a bounty contract worth a total of seven hundred million ryō. The clients are hoping you'll accept it."
Kakuzu did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the file and began reading.
The target was a genius shinobi of Konohagakure.
Only ten years old.
Possessed a kekkei genkai.
Already powerful enough to far surpass the average jōnin.
After reading through the file and getting a basic understanding of the target, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes and began weighing the risks and rewards.
"The target is a Konoha shinobi," he said slowly. "And one of the promising brats under Konoha's shadow."
The manager quickly leaned forward, worried Kakuzu might lose interest because of the forces involved.
"Mr. Kakuzu, the clients have promised that if you complete the mission, they're willing to provide shelter and protection."
"I don't need that," Kakuzu replied without hesitation.
The manager blinked. "...What do you mean?"
"I want more money."
For a lone wolf like Kakuzu, the promise of asylum meant nothing. Protection was worthless compared to cold, hard cash.
The manager finally understood.
He looked both relieved and troubled at the same time, then forced a smile and said, "Please wait a moment. I'll contact the clients at once."
A seven-hundred-million-ryō contract was more than enough to justify waiting.
Kakuzu gave a slight nod.
He didn't have to wait long.
About half an hour later, the manager returned to the private room.
"The clients have agreed to add another fifty million ryō."
Kakuzu, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, opened them at once. A trace of satisfaction flashed across his gaze.
"I'll take the job."
As he spoke, he grabbed the file from the table, rose to his feet, and strode out of the room with steady, confident steps.
Seven hundred and fifty million.
It was the largest contract Kakuzu had ever accepted in his life.
Even with all five hearts beating inside him, he could feel every single one of them trembling with excitement.
Shimura Kizaru...
Your head is mine.
Character Fusion Rate: 48%.
Now that was a very pleasing increase.
With a satisfied smile, Kizaru slowly opened his eyes while sitting by the riverbank with a fishing rod in hand.
Ever since he had stormed Kumogakure and ambushed the Third Raikage, the fusion rate of the character card in his mind had begun rising rapidly once again.
Naturally, that had a lot to do with the information Kumogakure had passed to the other great hidden villages, as well as the outrageous bounty that had now spread through the underground black market.
In a way, the Third Raikage had accidentally helped build Kizaru's reputation for him.
Kizaru, of course, accepted that gift very happily.
He had gotten to show off, vent a little, and grow stronger at the same time.
No matter how he looked at it, he had profited quite handsomely.
With only another two percent left before a new ability could be unlocked, even Kizaru found himself feeling a little excited.
After all, he had already learned from his uncle that the Second Shinobi World War was about to erupt.
The stronger he became before that, the more dazzling his performance on the battlefield would be. And the more famous he became, the faster the fusion rate would rise in return.
Kizaru could already see it.
Once the war truly began, he would enter a period of explosive growth.
"Ooh my… living this comfortably is a little frightening." Kizaru lazily put down the fishing rod, speaking in that slow, carefree tone of his.
He had spent the entire afternoon fishing. Even after being "discharged" from his self-proclaimed air force once again, he still felt perfectly at ease. Instead, he rose to his feet with that same relaxed smile on his face.
The sun was already beginning to sink.
Kizaru had been invited out by Tsunade the day before, so after tidying himself up a little, he headed out for the appointment.
Tsunade had invited him to dinner as thanks.
First, because Kizaru had helped get Nawaki to the hospital in time last time, preventing any possible danger on the way.
Second, because Kizaru had actively supported increasing resources for the training of medical shinobi.
By the time Kizaru arrived at the izakaya Tsunade had reserved, she was already there.
Inside the private booth, with two rows of seats facing one another, Tsunade was not alone.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were there as well.
"Kizaru, over here!" Jiraiya called out with an enthusiastic wave the moment he saw him enter.
"Ooh... looks like I kept everyone waiting," Kizaru said with a faint smile as he approached the booth.
"Hahaha!" Jiraiya laughed, clearly in high spirits over this rare reunion among old classmates. "Not at all. We only just got here ourselves."
"Sit down already," Tsunade said, patting the seat beside her without a hint of restraint.
Kizaru sat down casually, then glanced at Jiraiya and Orochimaru across from him.
The smile on his face deepened a little more.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the booth felt unexpectedly warm.
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