"Five hundred million?"
The moment Seiryu spoke, the entire underground exchange erupted. Even a ten-million-rank mission was rare here, but a five hundred million job? Even the great ninja villages rarely got such huge commissions.
At once, all the rogue ninjas stared greedily at Seiryu.
But Seiryu's face turned cold, and he released a wave of killing intent.
The room went silent—anyone bold enough to walk in here with so much cash must be terrifying.
"Um… sir, what mission would you like to post?" the clerk stammered.
"Who's your best bounty ninja here?" Seiryu asked.
"The strongest around is 'The Undying Heart'—a ninja with a 100% completion rate."
"Him, then." Seiryu nodded, placing Gato's two scrolls on the counter.
"Count it," he said.
The clerk opened the scrolls, channeling chakra, and was stunned by the mountain of gold inside.
"Five hundred million, right?" Seiryu smiled.
"Yes… yes, that's right," the clerk stammered.
"The mission is this—" Seiryu took out a map, pointing to Calvin's ninja tool factory. "Within a week, I want it completely destroyed."
He left the map and walked out with Black Zetsu.
He wasn't afraid the exchange would steal his money—if they tried, the next visitors would be Konoha's elite.
When it came to dealing with the reckless Calvin of Lightning, Seiryu chose the simplest, most direct way—his own factory needed to start making money, so he had no time for business wars.
That's why he used Gato's private funds, not Konoha's public accounts.
Why the rush? Because upon returning home, Seiryu immediately received a diplomatic note from Waterfall.
"Seems that treaty really put the pressure on," Seiryu chuckled, drafting an official invitation for Waterfall's leader to visit, and sent it off overnight.
…
Three days later, Waterfall's leader, Iwata Zeki, set out with his guards for Konoha. But while he was still en route, a major incident shocked the shinobi world.
The largest ninja tool factory in the world—Calvin's—was bombed in Lightning Country. The entire warehouse of explosive tags was detonated, turning the site to rubble. Fortunately, it was after hours, so no one was killed. No organization claimed responsibility, but witnesses saw suspicious figures in black cloaks with red clouds near the scene.
The moment news broke, Seiryu, on behalf of Konoha, issued a statement expressing deep condolences for the victims and strongly condemning the attack.
Onoki and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa soon followed with their own statements.
In the Raikage's office, the Fourth Raikage pounded his desk in fury. Calvin, the victim, stood beside him, face dark.
"Raikage-sama, I think Konoha is behind this. They just built a new ninja tool factory, we warned them, and within a week, our factory is bombed!" Calvin fumed.
"How shameless, issuing statements like that," the Raikage growled.
"What do we do now?" Calvin asked.
"If they dare hit us, we'll hit back! I'll send an ANBU squad to blow up their factory!" the Raikage shouted.
"Raikage-sama, sending ANBU to attack Fire's factory now isn't wise," C, one of his advisors, cautioned. "They'll be expecting it, and if we're caught, it could mean war."
"Then how did Konoha do it? There's no sign of Fire ninja crossing the border," the Raikage wondered.
"Our informant at the Hot Water exchange says there was a five hundred million ryo bounty posted—probably for this job," C said.
"Five hundred million?" Both the Raikage and Calvin were stunned. "Wouldn't such a huge withdrawal leave a trace?"
"No—neither Konoha nor Iwa moved any public funds. It was private money," C replied.
"Uchiha Seiryu is that rich?" The Raikage was incredulous. "I've been Raikage for years and don't have that much!"
"He's ruthless," Calvin growled. Even he would be hard-pressed to produce that much cash.
Wanting to retaliate in kind was impossible—Calvin needed money to rebuild, and their private funds weren't enough to pay for a similar job.
"Damn it!" The Raikage smashed his desk. "Do we know who took the job?"
"No," C shook his head. "The exchange is very secretive. Our spies can't get that info. But survivors said the attackers wore black cloaks with red clouds."
"Red clouds…" The Raikage pondered. "Is there any group with that symbol?"
"Not that we know of. But Konoha's rogue ninja Orochimaru was seen in similar clothes during the recent assassination attempt on the Fire Daimyo," C said.
"So there's a mysterious organization operating in the world? Full of strong ninja?" The Raikage frowned. "Keep an eye out for any news of them."
"Yes, sir," C replied.
"As for you, Calvin, focus on rebuilding. I'll make sure this grudge is repaid," the Raikage promised.
"Thank you." Calvin nodded.
…
Rain Country.
Konan counted the hundred million ryo that Kakuzu had just handed in and nodded, then looked at him. "You've done well lately, Kakuzu. But care to explain why your partner died on the job again?"
"He was useless," Kakuzu said. "He failed a simple infiltration and almost dragged me down."
"Is that so?" Konan frowned.
"Of course," Kakuzu replied expressionlessly.
"How much did you get for turning him in?" Konan asked coldly.
Kakuzu: …
He tried to stay silent, but under Konan's stare, he finally confessed, "Thirteen million."
"Hand it over," Konan ordered.
Sighing, Kakuzu handed over another scroll.
"No more of this next time," Konan warned.
"Yes," Kakuzu replied, though it wasn't the first time he'd heard it—and wouldn't be the last.
Afterward, Konan returned to the tower and met Nagato.
"Was the Lightning tool factory bombing Kakuzu's work?" Nagato asked.
"Yes, that was his reward," Konan said, placing the scroll on the table. "A hundred million."
"A big job," Nagato sneered. "Did Kakuzu see the client?"
"No, just got the money and left," Konan replied.
"No matter. Blowing up a war profiteer's factory is a good thing," Nagato said.
"But witnesses saw our cloaks. We should lay low for a while," Konan said.
"Agreed. Recall anyone tracking Orochimaru for now," Nagato ordered.
"Understood," Konan replied.
…
A week passed since the bombing, but no group claimed responsibility, so the incident remained an unsolved mystery.
Meanwhile, Gato's new ninja tool factory began operations as the first materials arrived.
And on this very day, Waterfall's leader Iwata Zeki and his party arrived in Konoha.