"Oh? A Kumogakure ninja? What rank?"
"Judging by your face, you don't look like a regular. Let me make this clear up front—if they're not on the bounty list, we don't pay."
The man in black's eyes lit up when he heard "Kumogakure," but he still explained the rules to Gekko Chizan first.
"I know the rules. Don't worry."
"And I guarantee that the guy I took out is definitely on the list."
Come on, Troy, a Magnetic Release user from Kumogakure with a kekkei genkai—if a guy like that isn't on the bounty list, that would be ridiculous.
"Alright then, let's see the goods first."
"Put him over there."
Another man in black gestured for Gekko Chizan to place Troy on the iron slab, then started flipping through the bounty list.
It didn't take long for them to find Troy's information.
"Oh? A kekkei genkai ninja, huh?"
"A Magnetic Release user from Kumogakure? It's been a while since we've received a kekkei genkai ninja."
"Nice! Very nice!"
The man in black carefully compared the corpse to the information in the list, a pleased look spreading across his face.
Clearly, a kekkei genkai ninja was still considered a premium target.
"Mind if I ask—are you the one who took him out?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Impressive. Let me check the price—fifty million ryo. Get the money."
Gekko Chizan felt joy explode in his chest. Fifty million ryo? This guy was worth that much?
Well, it made sense. Kekkei genkai ninja were rare. Getting a corpse like this was incredibly valuable for research purposes. Still, he wondered who exactly was collecting these bodies.
In no time, a big chest of money was placed in front of Gekko Chizan.
He opened it—and couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. Wasn't this exactly what all these trips were for?
Suddenly, he understood why Kakuzu liked counting money so much. He liked it too. The sensation of those crisp bills brushing against his fingertips—tsk, tsk, impossible to describe.
The two men in black didn't rush him either. After all, counting money was perfectly normal.
"By the way, has a guy named Kakuzu come around here to do business lately?"
Gekko Chizan suddenly asked.
His question made the two men in black freeze for a moment.
"He came by about three months ago, but after the war broke out, he seemed to head south. We haven't seen him since."
"Nonsense. He clearly said he was heading toward Kirigakure."
The two of them disagreed.
Gekko Chizan frowned slightly. South? Kirigakure?
Forget it. Kakuzu was still basically a drifter focused solely on making money.
In that way, he and Gekko Chizan were quite alike—both grinding every day for cash.
If possible, he'd really like to run into Kakuzu. Who knows? Maybe he'd benefit from it somehow.
Taking the money, Gekko Chizan turned to leave. With this 50 million ryo, his savings had reached 476 million ryo.
Just a little over 20 million left and his goal would be complete.
By then, he'd obtain a brand-new kekkei genkai. Just thinking about it made Gekko Chizan smile unconsciously.
"By the way, do you two happen to buy military supplies?"
The two men in black, who were about to leave, were immediately stopped in their tracks.
Hearing "military supplies," the two of them looked surprised again.
This guy—what doesn't he have? A kekkei genkai ninja, sure, but now military supplies too?
Did he rob Kumogakure or something?
"What? You don't take them?"
"We do. Of course we do. What do you have?"
Gekko Chizan smiled. As long as they'd take it.
"Weapons, food, explosive tags—fifteen cartloads total."
The two men in black widened their eyes. That much?
Fifteen carts? How many people could that arm?
"The exact price will have to be assessed in person. Where are the goods?"
Gekko Chizan chuckled lightly and said casually, "Obviously, I've hidden them. I can't exactly carry all that stuff with me."
"As long as you say you'll take them, that's enough."
"I'll go arrange things, then bring the goods over. Just get the money ready."
Even though he'd found a buyer, Gekko Chizan quickly remembered—he still owed Jinlin two baskets of snake berries. He'd need to get those ready first. If Jinlin didn't give him the military gear without them, that'd be a problem.
The two men in black nodded. They didn't ask further. After all, when it came to military supplies, well… anyone who knows, knows.
...
Leaving the exchange station, Gekko Chizan headed toward the nearest town.
The towns of the Land of Waterfalls were very peaceful. It was a country far removed from war.
The Five Great Nations had a tacit understanding—none of them casually stepped into this country.
After all, Takigakure was the only village outside the Five Great Ninja Villages to possess a Tailed Beast. Its overall strength wasn't weak, and no one wanted to make an unnecessary enemy.
Even Hanzo, back in the day, only declared war on Sunagakure, Konoha, and the Land of Iron—Takigakure was the only one he left untouched.
Walking into the town, Gekko Chizan felt a rare sense of peace.
He found a pharmacy and, under the puzzled gaze of the shopkeeper, bought out all the snake berries.
Five full baskets.
He packed up all the snake berries and took them away.
Then he found a hot spring inn, got a room, and decided to take a nice bath in a comfortable setting. And while he was at it...
After resting for a bit, night finally fell. Gekko Chizan bit his finger.
"Summoning Jutsu."
With a puff of smoke, a small green snake suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Hmm? Where am I? Chizan brat, what do you want?"
"Kurohebi, I need you to pass a message to Snake Princess. Tell her to reverse summon me to Ryūchi Cave."
"Tch. You called me just for that? You're getting more and more—hisss… What is this…? So good…"
As Kurohebi grumbled, Gekko Chizan shoved a snake berry into her mouth.
The moment she tasted it, her snake eyes widened in surprise.
She was clearly overwhelmed with satisfaction. The delicious taste of the snakeberry had completely seduced her.
"Help me with this, and I'll give you a whole basket of snake berries."
"Deal! Wait for me!"
Poof...
A puff of smoke, and Kurohebi vanished. Seeing this, Gekko Chizan laughed heartily.
Then, using the last two scrolls he had on him, he sealed away the rest of the snake berries, getting ready to take them all to Ryūchi Cave.
Before long, an invisible force of summoning began to stir.
With a loud pop, Gekko Chizan disappeared into a puff of white smoke.
...
Ryūchi Cave, deep within the serpent's lair.
Gekko Chizan landed steadily—but his expression was a little grim.
"Reverse summoning… really messes with your head..."
"I need a break..."
Being reverse summoned made his world spin. It reminded him of that magical world's Apparition technique. Probably a similar concept—utterly disorienting.
"Chizan brat! I did what you asked. Now fork it over! My basket of snake berries!"
In Ryūchi Cave, Kurohebi made no effort to suppress her true form. The enormous bamboo-leaf green serpent immediately slithered forward.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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