Since Kumogakure's actions hadn't caused any major, tangible damage to Konoha, in the treaty, aside from a necessary apology, Sakumo only demanded reparations to cover the expenses of mobilizing the troops and to meet the needs of various departments in the village.
Kumogakure also had no desire for Konoha's shinobi to linger in their territory, so both sides quickly reached an agreement on the details of the treaty, and then watched as Sarutobi Hiruzen led the main forces out of the Land of Lightning.
Takeshi did not return to Konoha with the main force, instead traveling alone to Beichū Town.
"Long time no see, Pakura."
At the Fujiwara clan residence, Takeshi encountered the long-absent Pakura.
"Yo, if it isn't our absentee boss. Finally willing to show up in person, huh?"
In the backyard, Pakura stopped her ninjutsu training mid-punch, eyeing Takeshi up and down with interest.
Hm, his height's still the same.
"Where's Kakuzu? I need to see him about something."
After a brief exchange, he got to the point and asked where Kakuzu was.
"Hmph, that Kakuzu-san is in the house hugging his money while he sleeps."
At the mention of Kakuzu, a hint of helplessness crossed Pakura's face.
That money-obsessed man spent most of his time holed up with his cash, only going out when absolutely necessary—afraid his bills would grow legs and run away.
Takeshi's reason for seeking Kakuzu was simple: he wanted the man to accompany him to Kirigakure.
He believed that this old monster—who no one knew how many years he had lived—must have his own channels to get them safely into the Land of Water.
"So, you want me to go with you to Kirigakure to look for two brats?"
Even after hearing Takeshi's intent, Kakuzu kept his attention on the money in front of him.
"That's right."
"Sorry, but the Fujiwara clan is in a period of rapid growth right now. Money is pouring into our accounts non-stop. For something like this, just take that woman Pakura with you."
Kakuzu refused outright and even recommended Pakura.
"That woman..."
Takeshi tilted his neck. Ever since that hit from the Raikage, he'd subconsciously felt something was slightly off about the injury.
Pakura's strength was indeed up to the task, but her deep hatred toward Kirigakure meant that once she set foot in the Land of Water, there was no telling how much trouble she might cause him.
If she suddenly decided to assassinate the Mizukage, should he help her—or stop her?
"She's not suitable."
Takeshi rejected Kakuzu's proposal without hesitation.
"Then just go yourself. With your strength, Kirigakure probably couldn't hold you even if they tried."
Kakuzu still refused.
"What a pain."
Seeing Kakuzu refuse to take him seriously, Takeshi's expression cooled. He reached into his robe and pulled out a wad of bills.
"Hmph. By now, I'm sure you know exactly how much money I handle every day as the boss. Do you think I'd give in to just this little bit of cash?"
Kakuzu closed his eyes, refusing to look at the bills in Takeshi's hand.
"You would."
As Takeshi spoke, he tossed the bills into the air.
Countless black tendrils shot up from the ground, wrapping around each and every bill with perfect accuracy.
"Exactly."
Standing up, Kakuzu quickly counted the bills, carefully stuffed them into the pocket inside his clothes, then turned to Takeshi.
"When do we leave?"
...
"This is the 'secret channel' you mentioned?"
At a certain port in the Land of Water, Takeshi nudged the corpse beside him—its neck twisted—while taking in the familiar scent of the Land of Water's air.
Hm… a faint hint of blood.
"That's right. These guys pretend to run an underground passage for stowaways, offering dirt-cheap fares to lure them aboard. Then, when they reach the Land of Water, they capture them and sell them off as slaves."
Casually crushing the throats of two ronin in his hands, Kakuzu crouched to search their bodies for valuables.
"So you chose them as your entry channel into the Land of Water, then staged a little black-on-black job?"
Flicking a senbon to kill the last ronin, Takeshi glanced back at the wide-eyed stowaways, wondering how to deal with them.
Kill them all?
That would be too cruel—especially since many of them were just kids.
"Sigh. Well? Get going already. Or are you waiting for me to escort you?"
After a moment's thought, he decided to let them all go. None of them could leak any meaningful information about him anyway, and they were just unfortunate souls.
The stowaways, finally realizing the danger, screamed and scattered.
Kakuzu didn't bother with such details; all his attention was on the money.
Forcing open a door, Kakuzu was rewarded with the sight of a large stash of cash inside.
"How did you know there was money in here?"
Takeshi peeked his head through the doorway, curious.
"My nose never misses a single bill."
Leisurely counting the money, Kakuzu showed no sign of being mindful that they were in a foreign land.
After putting the last bill into a storage box, he finally moved on with Takeshi toward their intended destination.
At this time, Kirigakure had entered the era of the Fourth Mizukage.
The one holding the title was Yagura Karatachi.
Upon taking office, this young Mizukage abolished many of Kirigakure's old and bloody policies, while working to soften the negative image of the "Village of the Bloody Mist."
However, he hadn't established close ties with the mainland.
First, Kirigakure was still cleaning up the mess left behind after the Third Shinobi World War. Second, Yagura himself didn't want outsiders to discover the loss of their tailed beast.
For a great hidden village, losing a tailed beast meant the strategic balance was broken. This would spark the greed of neighboring nations, potentially plunging Kirigakure into war again.
"Are the villagers still hostile toward shinobi with kekkei genkai?"
Seeing a report about yet another descendant who had just awakened a kekkei genkai being driven out by local residents, Yagura frowned.
"It's already much better than before," Elder Genshi said reassuringly. "Prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain—it doesn't disappear overnight. The hatred toward kekkei genkai will take a long time to fade."
"I suppose that's all we can do."
Yagura understood the logic, but still felt unwilling.
"The Yuki Clan… Ice Release… I still can't figure out how that White Reaper ended up in Konoha."
Recalling the report he'd read before, Yagura was deeply puzzled as to why a kekkei genkai unique to Kirigakure had ended up so openly in the hands of a Konoha shinobi.
"This weather…."
Staring intently at the tofu bubbling in the pot, Takeshi tried hard not to let his mouth water.
It wasn't that he'd never seen good food before, but the journey by sea had been so grueling that even getting to chew on dry rations had been a luxury.
Now, the two of them had arrived in some nameless town in the Land of Water and casually chosen a small shop to have lunch.
This was a city where snow fell all year round, and if he wasn't mistaken, Haku should be wandering somewhere nearby.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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