Chapter 47: The Duo Of Kadou And Kakuzu
In the northern border of the Land of Fire, a dark shadow flashed through the forest.
Kakuzu’s black robe fluttered under the moonlight, like a ghost come to claim souls. Under the cover of night, he burst into a merchant caravan’s camp.
The merchant caravan’s guards, a group of wandering ninjas and samurai, were gathered around the firelight polishing ninja tools, completely unaware that the Shinigami had already descended.
Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear silently tore through the night curtain, five black threads precisely wrapping around the throats of the three nearest wandering ninjas.
These wandering ninjas were mostly only genin level, and the samurai were even worse. They could handle ordinary people and bandits, but against an elite jonin like Kakuzu, they were nothing more than vegetables to be chopped.
“Enemy attack!” The shrill alarm had just been shouted when it abruptly stopped, blood splattering onto the tent canvas.
The entire camp descended into chaos. The merchant caravan’s guards were easily killed without even seeing a human shadow.
“Damn it! Who the hell are you!” When the merchant caravan’s leader stumbled out of the tent, he stared dumbfounded at the goods being burned by the massive fire, extremely distraught.
As for the casualties among the surrounding wandering ninjas, samurai, and merchant caravan workers, and even the wandering ninja captain pierced through by an earth spear, they were utterly insignificant to him.
But those goods were worth a fortune!
Whoosh—
A kunai flew over and embedded itself in the flag of “Sakamoto Merchant Guild” at the leader’s feet, nearly chopping off his toes.
“You have three days to leave the Land of Fire.” Kakuzu’s figure in the black robe emerged from the shadows, his raspy voice addressing the merchant caravan leader.
“You bastard! I’m a merchant with special operating rights granted by the Fire Daimyo!” The leader was still shouting.
“Then, I have no choice but to kill you.” Kakuzu drew his kunai and slowly approached the merchant guild leader.
The cold glint of the kunai reflected the firelight. A pair of cyan eyes emitted killing intent amid the raging inferno. The entire camp was engulfed in flames, surrounded by severed limbs and arms, along with the cries of some wounded.
The merchant guild leader could no longer hold back. He collapsed to the ground, urine soaking his pants, wailing, “I… I’ll leave right now… Lord, spare me…”
“Hmph.” Kakuzu snorted lightly and body flickered away.
Watching the goods burn in the fire, the leader collapsed in despair into the pool of blood, feeling like the sky had fallen.
——————
Capital City of the Land of Fire.
Inside Kado Company headquarters, a crystal chandelier illuminated the ledger in exquisite detail.
When Kakuzu burst in through the window, Kado, wearing small glasses, was calculating a sum.
“Hey hey hey! Can’t you stop coming through the window every time? You’ve destroyed my windows seven times already!” Kado looked up, seeing the dusty Kakuzu who had hurried back, his small glasses full of complaints.
Before the words finished, a heavy scroll had already smashed onto the ledger on the desk.
“The Sakamoto merchant caravan has been dealt with.”
Hearing Kakuzu’s mission report, Kado quickly picked up the scroll and said softly, “You didn’t kill that guy, right?”
Although the other merchant guild leader was just an ordinary person, in these chaotic times, any great merchant doing cross-country business had nobles backing them. They might even have intricate relationships with some ninja clans.
So Kado just wanted to drive them away and burn their goods, making his own goods more valuable.
No noble murders would occur, so there wouldn’t be too much pursuit.
Of course, if things really escalated to a life-or-death confrontation, Kado wouldn’t mind sending people to kill decisively, even silencing the entire rival merchant guild!
Kado, who had become a world tycoon in these chaotic times, was no benevolent soul.
“The usual. After the warning, he agreed to leave the Land of Fire, so I spared his life.” Kakuzu sat on the sofa opposite, his body leaning against it.
“Where’s the money.” Then, Kakuzu’s cyan pupils turned to Kado.
“Don’t worry, you won’t miss out!” After checking the scroll of commercial secrets seized from the competitor, Sakamoto Merchant Guild, Kado pulled out a box from under the desk and personally delivered it to Kakuzu.
After they joined the organization and began serving that lord, they formed a partnership.
Kado mainly centered on the Land of Fire, operating companies in major cities within the Land of Fire, as well as surrounding small and medium-sized countries and the Land of Lightning, engaging in trade to earn money.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu not only protected Kado’s safety but also helped Kado deal with competitors.
Although Kakuzu’s fees were high, he always completed missions perfectly—either burning down a competitor’s company, massacring their merchant caravan, or robbing their merchant ship.
In short, Kado felt Kakuzu was incredibly cost-effective, far better than those boastful wandering ninjas and samurai!
“Hmph hmph.” Kakuzu opened the money box and took out a stack of banknotes, beginning to count them carefully.
His most pleasurable moments were when counting money.
Kado was used to his partner’s habit. Though he was greedy and even exploited those wandering ninjas and samurai, he wouldn’t dare treat Kakuzu that way.
He had personally seen Kakuzu, right after boarding the ship, kill over a dozen ninjas and samurai in just a few breaths when his subordinates spoke rudely!
Kado also returned to his desk, beginning to plan the next commercial offensive into the Land of Fields.
Sakamoto Merchant Guild was backed by the Fire Daimyo and the Fields Daimyo. This strike was enough to deal them a heavy blow. Taking advantage, Kado Merchant Guild could penetrate the Land of Fields and seize Sakamoto Merchant Guild’s clients and territory.
As the two were busy with their own tasks, a gentle breeze blew in from outside the window.
Kakuzu, who was counting money, focused and looked over. A figure that made his heart race with fear was leaning on the window at some point.
Kakuzu’s fingers counting the money suddenly froze, also drawing Kado’s attention. He followed Kakuzu’s gaze and saw the figure sitting on the window.
“Lord! You’ve come!” Kado immediately set aside what he was holding, his fat face instantly piling with fawning smiles.
Menma, wearing the White Three-Eyed Fox Mask, jumped down from the window.
“Lord!” Kakuzu also put down the money in his hand and stood up.
After all, the boss had come to inspect the work.
“How is the Iburi Clan settlement going?” Menma walked past Kado and directly sat in Kado’s genuine leather desk chair.
Kado, like a secretary, fawned and bustled about, reporting on the recent situation.
“As per your orders, the supplies have been delivered to the designated location. This is the company’s ledger for this month.”
Menma did not take the ledger to examine it.
He merely said indifferently to Kado and Kakuzu, “How much do you know about the several countries in the western part of the continent.”
“Land of Demons, Land of Snow, Land of Bears, and Land of Shadows.”
These countries were all preliminary options prepared by Menma.
“In response to you, Lord, among these countries, only the Land of Snow and Land of Bears have ninjas.” Kado had traveled many countries over the years, but his knowledge of the western countries was limited.
“I’ve only heard that the Land of Snow had a upheaval a few years ago. Now it seems a man named Fukazake Nutou is acting as king. They have their own snow ninjas.”
“The Land of Demons is ruled by a miko lord. They have no ninja village. The Land of Shadows has no ninja village. As for specialty products, it should be grain. Right, the Land of Shadows and Land of Bears are connected by a plain that produces abundant grain.”
“The Land of Bears seems to have Hoshigakure, and there’s the natural fortress of Hell Valley…”
Kado shared everything he knew.
Menma then turned to Kakuzu: “How much do you know about Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears?”
“Hoshigakure?” Kakuzu’s masked cyan pupils pondered.
He had wandered the ninja world for many years and had indeed been to the Land of Bears, even clashing with ninjas from Hoshigakure.
“Their village is like Hidden Waterfall Village, with their own secrets. They practice Peacock Myōhō… Hmph, it’s nothing more than clownish nonsense.”
It seemed Kakuzu also held Hoshigakure in contempt.
