Chapter 90:
So far, the total revenue from this movie has reached approximately 55 million ryō.
For Shunhi, all the hard work earning money, of course, was for the sake of spending it on gacha.
[RC Cells x50]
[Zabuza Momochi's Memory x1]
[Haku's Memory x1]
[Juuzou Suzuya Transformation Card x1]
[Kōsuke Hōji Transformation Card x1]
...
Instead of appearing in his husky form, Shunhi—now taking on the appearance of the Jar Merchant—stood before the newly awakened Zabuza and Haku.
"You're... Lord Zabuza, right?"
Even though both of their appearances had changed, Haku still recognized Zabuza at first glance.
Kōsuke Hōji nodded slightly and looked at the man in front of him. Though he wasn't carrying a weapon, he instinctively made a motion as if drawing the large sword from his back. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"...A child without a mother—there's a long story behind it. I'm the Jar Merchant. All you need to know is that I'm the one who brought you two back to life. So? Feeling grateful yet?"
"Haku!"
"Yes, Lord Zabuza!"
Without wasting words, the two, perfectly in sync, launched a coordinated attack on the Jar Merchant.
"Honestly... in the face of these eyes, everything you do is under my control."
Though he spoke as if it were the power of his eyes, he was actually using his system abilities. But Zabuza and Haku were clearly fooled by the illusion of Shunhi's contact lenses.
"What exactly are you after? I've already died once—there's no threat you can make that would scare me."
Even at a disadvantage, Zabuza remained unnervingly calm.
"What matters isn't the fact of death—it's the manner of death. Everyone dies, but dying of old age and being killed by someone you care about are two very different things."
Under Shunhi's control, Zabuza slowly walked over to Haku and suddenly reached out to grip his throat.
"Za... Lord Zabuza..."
Shunhi didn't control Haku's body, so Haku was fully capable of reacting or even fighting back against Zabuza's chokehold—but he didn't.
"Stop!"
"Zabuza, have you made up your mind?"
Zabuza's hand slowly loosened, leaving Haku standing in place, gasping for air.
"What exactly do you want from me and Haku?"
"It's simple. From now on, the two of you belong to an organization called the CCG. You are to forget your former names. You—Zabuza—are now a Special Class Investigator of the CCG named Kōsuke Hōji. You—Haku—are now a Third Class Investigator named Juuzou Suzuya. Your current mission is to hunt down ghouls."
The Jar Merchant laid it out plainly.
"And what about you? What role do you play in the CCG?" Zabuza shot back, probing for information.
Gathering intel was second nature to a ninja.
"I'm just a merchant. My relationship with the CCG is strictly business. You two... are goods I sold to them."
Though he was furious at the Jar Merchant's words, Zabuza kept it in check—he and Haku were no match for this man right now.
And since Zabuza held back, Haku naturally did the same.
"I'll provide you with intelligence on ghouls," the Jar Merchant continued as he pulled out a storage scroll, "along with your weapons."
Two white briefcases appeared.
Zabuza's weapon resembled a beheading sword—the red blade was frighteningly sharp and durable.
Haku's consisted of six daggers with gleaming teal blades.
"Since my cooperation with the CCG has been going well, here's a free tip: right now, there are ghouls hiding in the Hidden Leaf Village." The Jar Merchant turned to leave. "You'd better get your job done—if the CCG tries to return the merchandise, it'll be a hassle for me."
After watching the Jar Merchant leave, Haku turned to Zabuza and said, "Lord Zabuza, I never imagined we'd have a chance to meet again."
"Yeah, enough chatter. Let's go find that damn ghoul in the Hidden Leaf. I don't want to be the one who ends up snapping your neck."
Zabuza said this while looking at Haku, whose appearance still resembled that of a girl.
"Understood." As Haku followed Zabuza toward the Leaf Village, he began analyzing the intelligence the Jar Merchant had left behind.
Although Zabuza was capable of analyzing intel as a ninja, whenever they acted together, it was usually Haku who did the job—and he was happy to do it.
"Lord Zabuza..."
"Don't forget what that Jar Merchant said. I'm Kōsuke Hōji now, and you're Juuzou Suzuya."
"Yes, Lord Hōji." Haku nodded. "According to the Jar Merchant's intelligence, ghouls are a subspecies of humanoids that can only feed on human flesh. Under normal circumstances, ghouls are indistinguishable from regular humans, but during battle or feeding, their eyes turn red—those are their kakugan. Their predatory organ is called a kagune, and each ghoul's kagune is different and serves different functions..."
"So basically, we're dealing with a bunch of man-eating monsters. From that angle, the CCG does seem like a justice-driven organization."
Zabuza said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Lord Hōji, our weapons were made from ghouls' kagune."
"Is that so."
Zabuza opened his case.
In the moonlight, staring at his blade that shimmered with a cold gleam, Zabuza felt a spark of interest in these ghouls.
Meanwhile, after leaving the set with Zabuza and Haku, Shunhi hurried to another filming site.
After changing his outfit, Shunhi—back in his husky form—said, "Gray Wolf."
"Oh? Isn't it the Deputy Director? What brings you to me this time?"
Orochimaru was still absorbed in examining the Hulk specimen in his hand, not even lifting his head as he spoke.
"This—this thing—was an accidental byproduct of the Umbrella Corporation's Biochemical Specter Project."
Leaving ten samples as backups, Shunhi handed over the remaining forty RC Cells to Orochimaru.
When he learned that these originated from the Umbrella Corporation, Orochimaru finally gave Shunhi his full attention.
Orochimaru had always harbored deep curiosity toward anything related to Umbrella.
"What a fascinating specimen... I can't wait to start the experiments."
"Then your son Mitsuki will be the test subject this time."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed sharply at Shunhi's words.
"Oh my, Deputy Director, are you still suspicious of me? Think I'll return to the Leaf just because Mitsuki is still there... Fine, let Mitsuki be the test subject. He's only a clone of mine, after all."
Though he was reluctant to sacrifice Mitsuki, who had the potential to attain Sage Mode, Orochimaru ultimately concluded that compared to the Umbrella Corporation's research, Sage Mode wasn't all that important.
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