Chapter 17: Chance Encounter With Kakuzu At The Currency Exchange
Land of Lightning, a certain port city along the coast.
Under the gloomy sky, Kakuzu’s figure in a black robe slowly walked through the bustling streets, his entire body emanating an aura that kept strangers away.
Those azure pupils coldly scanned the surrounding pedestrians, as if assessing their value.
His aura was chilling, and passersby hurriedly avoided him, not daring to meet his gaze.
Kakuzu arrived at a restroom in the suburbs of the city, looked around for a moment, then entered the restroom.
After knocking on the restroom door in a specific sequence, a door appeared in the corner of the restroom, leading to a dark passage of unknown destination.
However, this was not Kakuzu’s first time here; he familiarly followed the stairs inside.
The space below opened up suddenly, and the two girls at the reception desk saw a guest arrive and immediately showed professional smiles: “Welcome.”
“I’m here to exchange a bounty.” Kakuzu’s voice was hoarse and gloomy.
“Understood, please wait a moment.” One girl bowed and then curtsied before going to fetch the manager of this bounty exchange.
Soon, a bald man with a scar on his forehead came out, his face full of smiles: “So it’s Lord Kakuzu. I’ve heard of your great name for a long time.”
“Hmph.” Kakuzu snorted coldly, neither confirming nor denying the flattery.
“Less nonsense, this time I want to exchange this person’s bounty.” Kakuzu took out a storage scroll from his pocket.
He then unfurled it.
The corpse of a ninja wearing a Konoha headband appeared on the ground.
“Let me see.” The bald man skillfully opened the bounty book, nodded after checking the information.
After searching in the data of Konoha ninjas for a while, the bald man found this ninja.
“Sarutobi Clan’s special jonin… bounty amount eight million.” The bald man detailed this person’s intelligence, then squatted down for a thorough check.
To prevent anyone from using transformation jutsu or illusion technique to scam money.
Although bounty hunters like Kakuzu wouldn’t stoop to such things, rules are rules.
“Confirmed, Lord Kakuzu.” The bald man stood up, clapped his hands, and the two receptionists carried a box over.
Kakuzu took the box, placed it on the counter and opened it, picked up the banknotes, his fingertips flipping through them quickly, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.
Kakuzu seemed to be in a good mood, humming lightly now and then as he counted the money.
The bald man then ordered someone to open the storage cabinet on the wall nearby and put the corpse inside.
He then quietly waited for Kakuzu to finish counting the money.
Having worked at the bounty exchange for many years, although he had heard of this powerful bounty hunter who likes to count money on the spot, this was his first time doing business with Kakuzu.
Tap tap tap—
While he was waiting for Kakuzu to count the money, footsteps came from the stairwell.
“Looks like there’s more business today.” The bald man looked up.
Kakuzu, who was counting money, also paused his actions, his azure pupils turning toward the source of the sound.
A mysterious person wearing a white three-eyed fox mask descended the stairs, their long robe swaying lightly, exuding an eerie demeanor.
“Tch, playing tricks.” Kakuzu chuckled lowly, but he was already interested in this mysterious person.
Many wanted ninjas also wear masks or face towels to hide their true faces, so Kakuzu paid special attention to such people.
“Hello, guest. This is the third bounty exchange in the Land of Lightning. Are you here to post a bounty mission or?” The bald man went up to greet them.
Uzumaki Menma’s gaze paused briefly on Kakuzu.
Although Kakuzu wore a loose long robe and a face covering, his azure pupils and his money-counting habit were very distinctive in the ninja world.
“See how much bounty this person has.” Menma took out a storage scroll and formed hand seals with both hands.
Bang!
After the smoke dissipated, the corpse of the Cloud Village special envoy appeared on the ground.
“Twelve million.” Kakuzu couldn’t help but look over, recognizing the person’s value at a glance.
“Oh~ Lord Kakuzu’s eyesight is indeed sharp.” The bald man took out the Cloud Village ninja’s bounty book and found it at the twelve million price point.
“This is… Cloud Village special envoy, Kainu!” The bald man’s eyes suddenly widened.
Because not long ago, Konoha claimed that Kainu, the leader of the Cloud Village envoy group, was killed by a mysterious ninja in Konohagakure and dumped in Hyuga Clan Territory, attempting to escalate war between the two countries.
Then came the verbal battles between both sides; Cloud Village didn’t believe Konoha’s story and demanded Konoha hand over the killer.
After all, they knew best what they themselves had done.
But Konoha was persistent, insisting that a mysterious ninja killed the Cloud Village special envoy.
The bald man looked up at the masked mysterious person in front of him, feeling a wave of unease.
How powerful must a ninja be to kill someone in Konohagakure, the foremost of the five great nations, and escape unscathed after being discovered?
Kakuzu, while counting money, also sized up this masked mysterious person, estimating what their bounty might be worth if they had one.
“Sir, may I have your name?” After checking the corpse and confirming, the bald man ordered someone to fetch the money and quietly asked.
Menma pondered for a moment at the question.
Thinking that in future activities in the ninja world, he would mostly use this mask and attire, so a codename was essential.
“You can call me Shura.” So, Menma casually chose a codename.
“Got it, Lord Shura. This is our bounty exchange’s bounty book for this quarter. If you’re interested, welcome to visit anytime.” The bald man presented a bounty book with both hands.
Menma took the bounty book, thinking that since he was going to Cloud Village anyway to deliver local specialties, he might as well kill a few Cloud Village ninjas and exchange for money.
“Sir, here’s the bounty.” The two girls carried a heavy large box and placed it on the ground, bowing deeply.
“Mm.” Menma picked up the large box from the ground, didn’t count the money, and turned to leave.
The bounty exchange had a long history in the ninja world, and Menma trusted they wouldn’t cheat him out of his money.
“Hey, aren’t you going to count the money?” Seeing the other party lift the box and leave without even looking at the money, Kakuzu couldn’t help but speak up.
As a top employee, his OCD was kicking in.
Not counting the money after receiving it was one thing, but not even opening the box to check?
Menma slightly turned his head, the white three-eyed fox mask reflecting faint light under the dim lighting.
“I see you’re quite interested in my money. Want to step outside and try? If you win, you can take all this money.” Menma tilted his head toward the exit.
Ninja world rules: the bounty exchange is a ‘safe zone’; killing inside a bounty exchange would put you on the bounty exchange’s wanted list.
“Just what I wanted.” Kakuzu grinned, set down the unfinished stack of money, closed his own box.
Then, carrying this briefcase full of banknotes, he followed the mysterious person out of the bounty exchange.
The two left the bounty exchange one after the other, the air filled with tension.
Seek follow reads! Seek collections! Seek recommendation and monthly tickets! Seek reviews! New book period data is crucial! Thanks!
