"Damn it! Just my luck!" At the dining table, A tore off a chunk of pork elbow with a savage bite, chewing furiously as he cursed.
"Big Brother, what happened?" B asked, puzzled.
A ripped off another large piece of meat, barely chewing before swallowing it down. Then, with a scowl, he growled, "That useless Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water—his pretentious, scholarly demeanor makes me want to tear him apart!"
A had gone to negotiate war reparations on behalf of Kumogakure. Straightforward as he was, he had simply asked the Daimyō to name a number, with no intention of bargaining. But the Daimyō had put on a show, acting troubled and dragging out the discussion, testing A's patience to its limits.
Right now, A wished he were tearing into the Daimyō's elbow instead of the one on his plate.
Across the table, Kakuzu took a sip of tea, his expression unreadable.
The future Fourth Raikage was still too naive.
Why had the Daimyō stalled? It was obvious—he was trying to wear down A's patience and squeeze out a bigger compensation.
Sure enough, when A finally gritted his teeth and named a sum, Killer B and the other Kumogakure shinobi gasped in shock.
"This compensation is outrageous!"
"That's at least three times the normal amount!"
"Lord A, you're not actually going to agree to this, are you?"
"If he does, Kumogakure will have no choice but to accept it..."
As the murmurs spread, A's face darkened further.
"None of that matters," Kakuzu said indifferently, taking another sip of tea. "The real question is—what does your Third Raikage think?"
Hearing this, A let out a weary sigh, setting his pork elbow down with a frown.
"That's the problem. When my old man heard about it, he didn't say a word. But according to Dodai, that silence means trouble. It's the calm before the storm. If I go back like this, my old man will definitely break my legs."
The Third Raikage's wrath was no joke. He was, after all, known as the strongest Raikage.
"Unless..."
"Unless what?" Killer B prompted as A hesitated.
"Unless I can find a way to recover the losses."
"That's easy! Lord A, just take on a few black-market missions—you'll make the money back in no time!" suggested one of the Kumogakure shinobi.
A had been thinking the same thing. But just as he was about to voice his thoughts, his gaze landed on Kakuzu sitting across from him.
"Kakuzu-sama, you..."
A knew a thing or two about the man. The current leader of Ryūgakure was once a legendary bounty hunter in the black market.
Kakuzu chuckled. "Good eyes, A. Since you're requesting my services, I guarantee satisfaction. Just name your target—the Hokage? The Mizukage? Or maybe the Tsuchikage? No success, no charge."
Though he was famous across the shinobi world, Kakuzu never forgot his roots. After all, his first fortune had been made in the black market.
"Wait... Kakuzu-sama, you mean you're charging a fee?"
"What, you think Kumogakure gets free service?"
"No, no! Kakuzu-sama, you misunderstand!" A waved his hands hastily. "I think I'll pass on hiring you for this job..."
Crash.
A heavy thud echoed as Kakuzu slammed his teacup onto the table. A chilling aura erupted from him, freezing A and his men in place.
"Ka-Kakuzu-sama, did I say something wrong?" A stammered.
Kakuzu's gaze swept over them like a predator eyeing its prey. "Don't joke about principles."
Seeing their bewildered faces, he added with an icy smirk, "My policy is simple. If you ask me to do a job, you pay—whether I take it or not. Short one coin, and I'll gut you."
There was no exaggeration in his tone. Kakuzu was dead serious.
"I-I was just kidding..." A stammered, sweat forming on his brow.
Kakuzu's killing intent left no room for argument. If A said one more wrong word, he might never make it back to Kumogakure.
Just as the tension reached its peak—
Crash!
The ceiling suddenly shattered, debris raining down. A figure clad in black descended swiftly, a kunai gleaming in his grip.
"This bounty is mine!"
The assassin's kunai streaked toward Kakuzu's head.
But in the next instant, he froze in midair.
Kakuzu's hand had already clamped around his throat.
With a casual squeeze, a sickening crack echoed through the room. The assassin's body went limp, and Kakuzu tossed him aside like garbage before turning back to A and the others.
"Are you all idiots? Someone just tried to kill me, and you're still sitting there dumbfounded!"
"Ah—!" A and the others finally snapped out of their shock. They had been so rattled by Kakuzu's killing intent that their reflexes had dulled.
Now fully alert, A activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his body crackling with electricity as he shot out like an arrow.
Killer B and the others wasted no time, drawing their weapons and charging into battle.
"You reckless fools! Who sent you?"
With a fist crackling with lightning, A knocked down an assassin in a single punch. His voice thundered as he questioned the remaining killers.
Their answer was simple.
"So many high-priced bounties are right in front of us—why waste the opportunity? Brothers, let's go all in!"
The assassins charged forward, clashing with the Kumo-nin in a chaotic battle. The sound of weapons clashing echoed nonstop.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu remained seated at the table, completely unfazed. He calmly lifted his teacup and took a sip.
These assassins were after both him and A. Kakuzu's bounty was the highest at 120 million, but A, as the eldest son of the Third Raikage, was also worth a hefty sum. Capturing him and exchanging him for ransom with the Raikage would be a fortune.
Some might think these assassins were downright foolish. But to Kakuzu, this was nothing surprising.
When the reward is high enough, there will always be those willing to risk their lives. Money can make even the dead move.
Anyone who found this situation unexpected simply didn't understand the importance of wealth.
In this world, as long as the price was right, even missions against the so-called God of Shinobi would find willing takers.
Kakuzu let out a dry chuckle and stood up, adjusting his clothes. His sharp gaze swept across the battlefield, searching for something—or someone.
Unfortunately, his target was nowhere to be found.
"Tch. Is my bounty still not high enough, or is that guy just too stupid? Ignoring a fortune like this… worthless!"
Frustration flashed across his face, and in the next moment, Kakuzu threw a punch.
BOOM!
Half the inn collapsed in an instant.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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