The broker didn't even blink at my request; he was a smart enough man, one who knew how to use his eyes to stay alive. He could see what most ignored.
He looked at me and Kanna and saw not just fine silk — he saw expensive silk. He saw clean and refined noble-grade clothing. He saw an expensive lifestyle to go along with my great strength.
Most missing-nin burned through coin easily, spending as if there were no tomorrow — because for them, there often wasn't. They never knew when they might die, so why bother saving?
Only someone like Kakuzu would bother hoarding every ryō he could. The rest? Threw money away easily.
And to fuel such a lifestyle, one had to earn — and earn a lot. The easiest way to do that was to collect bounties or accept black market missions.
So, with a nod, he bent down and lifted up a large book, bound in black leather and well-maintained. This was the lifeblood of a place like this — the black ledger.
"Go ahead, pick any bounty you want; you've clearly proven yourself strong enough to challenge anything in here," he said, pushing the book across the counter.
I took it and opened it, and on the very first page a familiar face looked back at me. I couldn't help but look up at the broker, but he just gave a shrug, showing no surprise at my apparent ability to see pictures and read despite wearing a blindfold over my eyes.
There, on the first page, was the picture of none other than the Sandaime Hokage — Hiruzen Sarutobi.
SANDAIME HOKAGE — Hiruzen Sarutobi
Alive or Dead.
Reward: 4,000,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Joint.
Remarks:
• Title:
The Professor, God of Shinobi (Second of the title)
Combat Strength:
Considered one of the strongest shinobi alive, surpassed only by legends of the previous generation.
Master of all five basic nature transformations and proficient in nearly every ninjutsu in Konoha's library.
Specializes in multi-element combinations and rapid-form ninjutsu chaining.
Capable of using advanced sealing techniques taught by the Uzumaki.
Summoning Contract:
Holds the Monkey Summoning Contract.
Primary summon: Enma the Monkey King — capable of transforming into an adamantine staff impervious to most damage.
Tactical Ability:
Renowned for exceptional tactical intelligence, capable of countering unfamiliar jutsu after seeing them once.
Able to analyze, adapt, and neutralize enemy strategies mid-battle.
Political Influence:
Deep roots in the Konoha power structure. Near-unrestricted authority within the village.
Has loyal support from the Sarutobi clan and allied clans raised during his administration.
Any direct hostility against him would provoke a full-scale response from Konoha.
Threat Level:
S-Rank (Absolute).
Assassination attempts recorded so far: eight (eight failed).
No confirmed serious injuries in any attempt.
Additional Notes:
Extremely high risk.
Success is considered statistically impossible by veteran brokers.
Any attempt within Fire Country borders is equivalent to suicide.
Recommended only for those seeking death or those foolish enough to overestimate themselves.
I couldn't help but read the whole thing; despite knowing I wasn't going to take this bounty, it would instantly provoke another war — despite him stepping down soon.
While the bingo book did have some similar information, it wasn't listed as a "bounty" there; sure, he did have a price on his head, but it was more a sign of strength and reputation than a real request to kill him.
It was shocking to see eight people had tried it… because not only was Hiruzen not weak, but he was also well protected; anyone trying to kill him was foolish. Not everyone was like Pain, able to crush a full village by himself.
Then again, the world had no shortage of fools — just look at Danzo, he too had tried… or would try in the future, and that too didn't even cause Hiruzen to sweat.
Fools indeed. At least the issuer was listed merely as "Joint," which made sense; everyone knew who was behind it, that being all the other great villages, but that wasn't something they could really advertise, not to this extent. They had to hold up appearances, after all.
With a slight shake of my head, I turned to the next bounty. And another familiar face stared back at me — stern, square-jawed, with a glare sharp enough to cut stone. I hadn't seen him in person, but it was impossible not to know who he was.
Yondaime Raikage — A
Alive or Dead.
Reward: 2,000,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Joint.
Remarks:
• Title:
Fourth Raikage, "Lightning Incarnate," "The Unbreakable Wall of Kumogakure"
Combat Strength:
Possesses overwhelming physical power, reputed to rival tailed-beast hosts.
Uses Lightning Release Chakra Mode to massively increase durability, speed, and reflexes.
Among the fastest shinobi currently alive; capable of matching or exceeding teleportation-level opponents in short bursts.
Can penetrate most defenses using high-frequency chakra edge strikes.
Exhibits near-inhuman stamina; capable of fighting continuously for extended periods without decline.
Signature Techniques:
Lightning Release Chakra Mode (multiple stages; highest stage considered an A-rank threat on its own).
Guillotine Drop and Lariat variants capable of breaking defensive jutsu and bone structures.
High proficiency with lightning manipulation, body reinforcement, and chakra control under stress.
Tactical Ability:
Leads from the front; prioritizes overwhelming offense and rapid engagement.
Noted for battlefield intuition; capable of reading momentum shifts and adjusting strategy through sheer force of will.
Despite a reputation for aggression, shows surprising restraint when analyzing high-value threats.
Known weakness: short temper may impair long-term planning and subtle operations.
Political Influence:
Absolute military authority within Kumogakure.
Still new in office — likely to still not have fully established his authority.
Deeply respected by the populace due to lineage and battlefield accomplishments.
Attacking him is considered equivalent to declaring war on the entire Land of Lightning.
Threat Level:
S-Rank (Unrestricted).
Assassination attempts recorded: two (both failed).
No confirmed injuries across any attempt.
Additional Notes:
Frequently accompanied by his younger brother, Killer B, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
Engaging one typically results in the other responding; joint appearance raises threat level to "Maximum — Avoid at All Costs."
Kumogakure intelligence actively monitors all known bounty postings on the Raikage and retaliates harshly.
I guessed the lower bounty made sense — he was new, he hadn't had much of an impact yet. I had no doubt in a few years that number would grow by at least double.
Trying to kidnap Hinata would surely make the Hyūga clan hate him enough to increase that number by a fair bit.
But again, I wouldn't want to fight any Kage right now. Sure, the bounty was huge… but it wasn't worth it. Not by far. Not even Kakuzu acted on those bounties, and if that man didn't, then it clearly wasn't worth it.
I flipped the page without another thought. I had no interest in fighting a Kage — not yet, not for a price printed on paper. Not when doing so would bring every major nation down on my head.
The next page revealed the wizened, hunched form of a stone-faced old man.
Sandaime Tsuchikage — Ōnoki.
Alive or Dead.
Reward: 3,200,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Joint.
I barely skimmed the remarks.
Dust Release.
Flight technique.
Old but still lethal.
Fair enough.
Ōnoki was dangerous — not because of his strength alone, but because one needed to be twice as careful around the elderly. They had long lives filled with tricks and ruthlessness. If the Raikage was a hammer, Ōnoki was a scalpel crusted with poison.
Still not worth even considering.
I turned the page.
Yondaime Kazekage — Rasa.
Alive or Dead.
Reward: 2,600,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Private (multiple).
Gold dust manipulation.
Extremely dangerous on home territory.
Strong against multiple weaker foes, struggling to keep up at the peak.
He wouldn't be too hard to kill, but again, he wasn't worth the effort. He was well protected, and killing a Kage would just draw way too much attention my way.
The new Mizukage wasn't interesting either. He would become Obito's puppet, and while I didn't like the idea of my blood being spilled, he was one of Zetsu's important tools, so messing with Obito was off the table, which put Kirigakure off as well.
Page after page of Kage, Daimyō, feudal lords, and other high-profile figures continued, and I skimmed through them all with disinterest.
Kanna watched from behind me with wide eyes, as if even looking at these pages was a crime.
For most people, it would have been.
But I was not most people.
I paused only when the book finally shifted away from the Kage lists and the political elites and moved into a different category entirely.
The "notable missing-nin" section.
My fingers slowed.
These were the bounties that actually mattered — the jobs people actually took. Powerful, dangerous shinobi without the protection of a village. Those whose deaths wouldn't start a war.
This was where the money flowed.
I turned the page again.
KORO HŌZUKI
Former Kirigakure Hunter-Nin Captain
Alive Only.
Reward: 18,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Kirigakure (unofficial), Water Country nobility.
Remarks
• Title / Reputation:
Former Hunter-Nin captain; defected with classified intel.
Known for "The Mist Court," a ritualized execution style leaving no remains.
Feared even within Kirigakure.
Combat Strength:
Possesses the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique.
Specializes in high-pressure water compression capable of punching through steel.
Skilled in silent assassination and corpse disposal.
Signature Techniques:
Water Guillotine, High-Pressure Steam Burst, Fluid Clone Division.
Threat Level:
S-Rank (Stealth).
Has killed three successive Hunter-Nin teams sent after him.
Additional Notes:
Current sightings suggest he is building a mercenary band.
Kill or capture will yield additional bonuses from nobles who lost family under his "mist trials."
Better, but the need to bring him in alive made me put him off. I had no intention of doing something so thankless, not to mention that due to my Shikotsumyaku I was also wanted in the Land of Water. Going there would see me having to fight off hunter-nin rather than getting paid.
Not happening.
So I turned the page again.
S-RANK MISSING-NIN — "THE PAPER BUTCHER"
KAZUHANA YUME
Former Wind Country Court Onmyōji
Alive or Dead.
Reward: 20,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Private (Wind Country noble faction), minor hidden villages.
Remarks
• Title / Reputation:
Genjutsu specialist who massacred an entire minor noble family during the Third War.
Known for "paper-body splitting," a forbidden sealing art allowing partial intangibility.
Combat Strength:
High-level sensory type.
Can control swarms of paper tags like living creatures.
Uses sealing charms to disable jutsu mid-fight.
Signature Techniques:
Shikigami Swarm, Paper Marionette Binding, Noble Seal of Stillness.
Threat Level:
S-Rank (Genjutsu / Sealing).
Avoid prolonged eye contact; auditory triggers also suspected.
Additional Notes:
High monetary reward due to the political embarrassment she caused.
Extremely mobile — no known base. Frequently travels disguised as a shrine maiden.
Now this was interesting. I knew there had to have been others who used paper-based ninjutsu before Konan, though the exact difference between them I couldn't be sure about.
Still, the Land of Wind wasn't a place I wanted to go to — too much sand, too hot and dry, overall a place to avoid. I was done crawling around in mud or digging in sand.
So I turned the page once more.
TAKEDA SHŌSA
Former Flame Fortress Commander, Land of Bears
Dead or Alive.
Reward: 34,000,000 ryō.
Issuer: Joint (Bear Daimyō, multiple clans, private syndicates).
Remarks
• Title / Reputation:
Nicknamed "The Red Wyrm" for his battlefield devastation.
Executed his superior officers during the Third War and seized control of the Flame Fortress.
Held it for nine months alone.
Combat Strength:
Wields a self-made hybrid Fire Release using explosive mineral powders.
Able to create shockwave flames and small-area firestorms.
Physical strength comparable to elite Jōnin.
Signature Techniques:
Dragon's Throat Ignition Blast, Ember Landslide, Fire-Mineral Armor.
Tactical Ability:
Unpredictable. Known to play dead, lay ambushes, or burn every exit.
Survives by stealing supplies in bulk and relocating frequently.
Threat Level:
S-Rank (Destructive).
Record: Survived five coordinated capture attempts.
Additional Notes:
High payout due to damage caused in the war and current destabilization of border towns.
Considered "the most economically destructive missing-nin of the last four years."
I tapped the page thoughtfully.
Now this was the type of opponent who would have a fat bounty because he was a nuisance — not because he was protected or politically valuable.
A destroyer.
A war remnant.
A man with no allies.
And more importantly?
Someone no one would miss.
Behind me, Kanna shifted nervously, sensing that I had finally found something that interested me.
I closed the ledger halfway and looked at the broker over the top of it.
"This one," I said quietly, tapping the page with my finger, "—how current is the information?"
The broker's eyes narrowed, all business.
"Updated two weeks ago."
Perfect.
(End of chapter)
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