Over one hundred million ryo might seem like a lot, and it certainly was. The Ninja World's economy had always been a mystery, with no detailed or systematic explanations available, leaving most to their own analysis.
After arriving in this world, Kenichi discovered that the Ninja World's economic structure was indeed peculiar. An ordinary S-Rank Mission typically paid at least one million ryo.
Yet many ninja didn't seem to live particularly well. This was mainly due to the high costs of replenishing ninja tools and learning ninjutsu.
Kenichi had even heard from his teacher that villages deducted a portion of mission rewards to fund their own operations.
His teacher had completed over a hundred S-Rank Missions to accumulate a substantial sum. Now, Kenichi had obtained a similar amount from Gato, saving him an immense amount of time.
"But where did that Thunder Dragon I lost go? I hope it doesn't cause any trouble," Kenichi muttered, scratching his head, unsure.
Lightning in the natural world typically doesn't strike beyond three to five kilometers. However, some rare types of lightning can stretch over seven hundred kilometers—an astonishing phenomenon that makes one question its very existence.
Kenichi's confidence wavered at this thought.
"I hope... nothing goes wrong," he muttered, his voice lacking conviction. The Land of Waves, a small island nation south of the Land of Fire, was surrounded by ocean. But across that ocean lay other countries.
Meanwhile, in a secluded valley in the Land of Wind, Konan stood with her arms crossed, observing Scorpion.
This ninja possessed remarkable potential. Though he had lost their recent spar, his latent abilities were impressive enough to meet Nagato's requirements.
"The Akatsuki organization..." Scorpion stared at Konan, his expression grim.
He had lost their battle, and even his prized Third Kazekage Human Puppet had proven ineffective. The realization of his own weakness stung deeply.
How could he, in his current state, ever avenge his parents? Though he had killed the Third Hokage and Konoha's White Fang had taken his own life, Scorpion's heart remained restless.
After all, his enemies hadn't fallen by his hand. This kind of revenge felt hollow.
"Alright, I'll join you," Scorpion said after a moment's hesitation, nodding. He found their proposal intriguing.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, a deafening roar shook the air. Scorpion instinctively looked up and saw a bizarre, monstrous figure hurtling toward them from the distance.
No, it wasn't a monster. It was more like a construct formed from Ninjutsu.
In the next instant, the creature slammed into the valley's entrance, unleashing a thunderous explosion. Crimson and black energy swirled wildly through the air, and Scorpion even lost control of his puppets for a split second!
"What is this?" Scorpion felt the hairs on his body stand on end, genuinely surprised. It was undoubtedly a Ninjutsu, but what kind of technique could produce such a cataclysmic effect?
Konan's expression was grave. Such a massive disturbance would undoubtedly alert the ninjas of Sunagakure, unless they were complete fools. It was time to leave.
Though Akatsuki feared no village, they were currently in a state of dormancy. Only when the time was right would they teach the entire Ninja World the true meaning of pain.
"Hurry, Sunagakure's ninjas will be here soon," Konan said, tossing Scorpion a ring before swiftly departing.
She wasn't worried about Scorpion. As a missing-nin from Sunagakure, if he couldn't escape this, it would prove his strength was lacking, and Akatsuki wouldn't need him anyway.
Scorpion lingered, glancing toward the sea from where the monster had flown. Then he approached the site of the attack, where a massive crater now scarred the desert.
The crater wasn't filled with sand, but with shimmering glass, still mixed with impurities. Yet one could imagine the cataclysmic forces that had ravaged this spot moments ago.
The surrounding sand had partially vitrified, forming glass-like patterns that radiated across the desert like lightning strikes, some stretching over a hundred meters.
The glass shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.
"Truly beautiful," Scorpion murmured, gazing at the massive glass crater before him.
He couldn't help but wonder how such a powerful Ninjutsu could have been created.
Artists always have such peculiar ideas, he thought.
When Kenichi returned with the money he'd "earned" from Gato, he found Teacher Orochimaru absent. The laboratory was eerily quiet, and even the experimental subjects in their cages had vanished.
"Where did Teacher go?" Kenichi scratched his head, but he wasn't overly concerned. His teacher was always shrouded in mystery.
Besides, Kenichi knew full well that Teacher Orochimaru had many other research facilities. He only visited the ones he'd been taken to, and he never pried about the others.
To survive comfortably under Teacher Orochimaru's wing, one had to learn to suppress unnecessary curiosity.
"I'm really curious about this," Kenichi said, his eyes fixed on the box hanging outside the lab door, a hint of excitement in his voice.
He had been on his way to his lab when he spotted the box. Inside, he found a tube of cryogenically preserved blood labeled "Kaguya."
Of course, this didn't mean the blood belonged to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself, but rather to someone from the Shikotsumyaku lineage.
"Looks like Teacher still remembers," Kenichi muttered, scratching his head. Back in Konoha, he had expressed interest in researching Shikotsumyaku, and Teacher had agreed.
Though nothing had come of it then, he was surprised Teacher remembered even after they had left the village.
"But this thing..." Kenichi scratched his head again. He wasn't planning to study Shikotsumyaku right now, so he'd have to set it aside for the time being.
Fortunately, the lab had a specialized storage cabinet, so the blood wouldn't spoil—as long as he didn't leave it there too long.
"Well, while Teacher's away, I might as well mix up some thermobaric explosives," Kenichi said, stretching lazily. Being in the lab felt comfortable, like coming home.
Then Kenichi blew up his home.