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Traveling from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire by passenger ship took three days.
Before disembarking, Midorima was summoned to the old man's cabin.
The old man first thanked Midorima for saving his life, then said, "You saved me, so I must repay you. Tell me, what do you want?"
"Just allowing me to come ashore with you is more than enough," Midorima quickly waved his hand in refusal.
The old man's expression darkened, and he snorted. "Do you think my life is only worth the price of a ship ticket?"
"No, not at all. For me, it was just a small effort," Midorima explained.
"But for me, it was a life-saving favor. I know coming to the Land of Fire means leaving your homeland behind. If you have any needs, speak freely," the old man said with hearty sincerity.
Midorima coughed lightly. "Since you insist, I won't hold back. I'd like to borrow some money—but I won't leave any written guarantee. If you don't trust me, just forget I mentioned it."
"Hah! Is that all? How much?" the old man asked.
"Twenty million ryō," Midorima said after a moment's thought.
The old man turned to look at Iwaizaki, who immediately nodded, though he glanced at Midorima with a hint of regret.
This exchange largely determined Midorima's standing in the old man's eyes.
Moreover, if he had already decided to ask for money, why not ask for more?
Twenty million ryō?
That was far too little.
When Iwaizaki handed Midorima the black case filled with twenty million ryō, he added, "Is this enough?"
"It's enough," Midorima replied, taking the case with great satisfaction.
"Meeting a young friend like you was the highlight of my trip to the Land of Water. If fate allows, we'll meet again," the old man said with his customary smile.
"We definitely will. After all, I still have to repay you," Midorima said, hefting the heavy case. For some reason, he suddenly felt much more at ease.
After disembarking, Midorima bid farewell to the old man and Iwaizaki, quickly blending into the crowd.
The old man raised two fingers and flicked them twice. Immediately, two crew members approached.
"You," he pointed to a short-statured sailor, "follow him. See what he plans to do with that money."
The sailor turned and vanished into the crowd.
"And you," the old man pointed to a long-legged sailor, "investigate any major recent events in Kirigakure."
The second sailor likewise disappeared into the throng.
Iwaizaki's mouth twitched.
Just days ago, the old man had preached about treating others with sincerity—yet now he was digging into Midorima's background.
The old man glanced back at Iwaizaki and shook his head helplessly.
Treating others sincerely was important, yes—but only after knowing what kind of person they were.
His son still had a long way to go before he matured.
…
After leaving the docks, Midorima first bought a map.
This was a habit from his pre-transmigration days, when map apps made booking hotels and tourist spots effortless. But the Naruto world had no smartphones, let alone apps—so a physical map was essential.
Once he had the map, Midorima's eyes quickly scanned it before settling on a building tucked away in a corner. He exhaled in relief, then purchased a wide-brimmed hat and a scarf before abruptly speeding up and merging into the crowd.
The short sailor, seeing Midorima accelerate, panicked and hurried after him, weaving through the masses. But when he looked around, Midorima was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, he stomped his foot.
Standing not far behind him, Midorima smirked.
Couldn't even bother to change clothes before tailing him? They were seriously underestimating him.
Having shaken off his pursuer, Midorima turned into an alley. His destination was clear: the bounty exchange.
But such places were usually well-hidden, part of the underground world frequented by ANBU operatives.
As a member of Kirigakure's medical unit, Midorima had no exposure to these dealings.
Moreover, since bounty exchanges operated in the shadows, they weren't marked on any maps.
Only those who regularly took on missions outside the village would know their exact locations.
That said, finding a bounty exchange in a specific city was surprisingly simple—just locate the local small-time thugs and pry the information out of them.
These areas were typically backstreets or clusters of narrow alleys, something a port city had no shortage of.
Midorima had prepared for this, but he still ran into a group of pushy hoodlums who, seeing him carrying two large black cases and appearing relatively slight, decided to strong-arm him. They half-dragged, half-pushed him into an alley—only to get beaten up by Midorima, who then "persuaded" them to reveal the bounty exchange's location, even marking it on his map.
Pleased with his success, Midorima adjusted his hat and wrapped the scarf around his face before heading to the exchange as directed.
"Here to claim a bounty?" The clerk behind the counter stood up as Midorima entered. Seeing his concealed face, the man showed no surprise—after all, ninja lived dangerous lives, and anonymity was common.
"No. I'm here to post a commission," Midorima said.
The clerk promptly called over a bespectacled colleague.
"Glasses" gave a slight bow. "What's the budget range for your request?"
"Over ten million ryō," Midorima answered.
"Please follow me." The spectacled man led Midorima to an adjoining room and gestured for him to enter.
Inside, a man in his fifties or sixties sat behind a desk, his hair meticulously combed and his glasses finely crafted.
Upon seeing Midorima, he stood immediately. "Sir, how may I assist you?"
"I want to post a mission… Actually, first, how does accepting a mission work here?" Midorima pulled up a chair and sat across from him. The man handed over a business card bearing only a codename: "Fox."
"If you can provide proof of your credibility—such as endorsement from a major ninja village or a prominent financial group—you need only pay a 30% deposit. Otherwise, the full amount is required upfront," Fox explained.
Midorima frowned inwardly. With only twenty million ryō on hand, this meant he could only post a mission worth twenty million at most.
"No problem," Midorima said, placing the money case on the desk. "The mission I'm posting is a bounty—twenty million ryō for Kirigakure Deputy Chief, Igawa Bu."
"Kirigakure's… Igawa Bu?" Fox flipped through a ledger, then looked up. "He already has a thirty-million-ryō bounty on him. Are you sure you want to add more?"
Midorima's eyelid twitched. He never expected Igawa to be worth that much.
After a brief pause, Midorima gritted his teeth. "Add it!"
*****
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