The Land of Lightning, a coastal port city.
Under the gloomy sky, Kakuzu's figure, clad in a black robe, slowly moved through the bustling streets, exuding an aura that kept people at a distance.
His cold, green eyes swept over the surrounding pedestrians as if assessing their worth.
The chilling aura around him made passersby instinctively avoid him, not daring to meet his gaze.
Kakuzu arrived at a restroom on the outskirts of the city. After glancing around cautiously, he stepped inside.
Following a specific sequence, he knocked on the restroom doors, and soon, a hidden door appeared in the corner, revealing a dark passage leading to an unknown destination.
However, Kakuzu was no stranger to this place. He walked down the stairs with practiced ease.
The space below opened up into a wide area. Two reception girls at the counter immediately put on professional smiles as they saw a guest arrive: "Welcome."
"I'm here to exchange a bounty." Kakuzu's voice was hoarse and laced with gloom.
"Understood. Please wait a moment." One of the girls bowed slightly before hurrying off to summon the person in charge of this bounty exchange.
Before long, a bald man with a scar on his forehead walked out, his face plastered with a flattering smile: "Ah, Kakuzu-sama! I've long heard of your reputation."
"Hmph." Kakuzu snorted coldly, indifferent to the flattery.
"Enough nonsense. I'm here to exchange the bounty for this one." Kakuzu pulled out a storage scroll from his pocket.
With a quick release, the body of a Ninja wearing a Konoha's forehead protector appeared on the ground.
"Let me check." The bald man skillfully flipped through the bounty's list, cross-referencing the information before nodding.
After searching in the data of Konoha's Ninja for a while, the bald man found the matching entry.
"A Special Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan... the bounty is eight million." The bald man recited the details before crouching down to conduct a thorough inspection.
This was to prevent anyone from using Transformation Technique or Genjutsu to scam the system.
Though someone of Kakuzu's caliber as a bounty hunter wouldn't stoop to such tricks, rules were rules.
"Confirmed, Kakuzu-sama." The bald man stood up and clapped his hands. Two attendants approached, carrying a case.
Kakuzu took the case and placed it on the counter, opening it to reveal stacks of bills. He picked up the money, his fingers flipping through the notes swiftly, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
It seemed Kakuzu was in a good mood, as he was humming softly to himself as he counted the money.
Meanwhile, the bald man ordered his subordinates to open a storage compartment on the nearby wall and store the body inside.
Then, he waited quietly for Kakuzu to finish counting.
Having worked at the bounty exchange for many years, he had heard of this powerful bounty hunter who liked to count his money on the spot, but this was his first time dealing with Kakuzu directly.
Tap, tap, tap…
Just as he waited for Kakuzu to finish counting, footsteps echoed from the staircase.
"Looks like we have more business today." The bald man muttered, looking up.
Kakuzu, who had been counting, also paused and turned his green eyes toward the source of the sound.
He then saw a mysterious figure wearing a white three-eyed fox mask descended the stairs, their long robe swaying slightly, exuding an eerie aura.
"Tch. Playing mysterious." Kakuzu scoffed under his breath, though his interest was piqued.
Many wanted Ninjas wore masks or face coverings to hide their identities, so Kakuzu always paid extra attention to such individuals.
"Welcome, honored guest. This is the Land of Lightning's Third Bounty Exchange. Are you here to post a bounty or…?" The bald man stepped forward to greet the newcomer.
Menma's gaze lingered briefly on Kakuzu.
Though Kakuzu wore a loose robe and a cloth mask, his green eyes and the habit of counting money were unmistakable traits in the Ninja World.
"Let's see how much this guy is worth." Menma pulled out a sealing scroll and formed hand seals.
Bang!
As the smoke cleared, the corpse of the Kumogakure's envoy appeared on the ground.
"Twelve million." Kakuzu couldn't help but glance over, immediately recognizing the man's value.
"Oh~ Kakuzu-sama's judgment is as sharp as ever." The bald man took out the book filled with Kumogakure's bounty and flipped to the twelve-million-Ryo range, quickly finding the matching entry.
"This is... Kumogakure's special envoy, Kainu!" The bald man's eyes widened in shock.
Not long ago, Konoha had claimed that Kainu, the leader of Kumogakure's envoy delegation, had been killed by a mysterious Ninja inside the village and his body dumped in the Hyuga Clan's territory… an attempt to escalate tensions between the two nations.
What followed was a war of words between the two villages. Kumogakure refused to believe Konoha's explanation, demanding they hand over the murderer.
After all, they knew exactly what they had been up to.
But Konoha was also very persistent and insisted that it was the mysterious Ninja who killed the Kumogakure's envoy.
The bald man looked up at the masked figure before him, feeling a chill run down his spine.
'Just how strong must someone be to infiltrate Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, kill someone, and escape unscathed?'
Kakuzu, who is still counting his money, also studied the masked figure, mentally calculating what kind of bounty he might have if he were ever marked.
"Sir, may I ask how we should address you?" The bald man inquired softly after verifying the body and ordering his men to fetch the payment.
The question made Menma pause for a moment.
'If I was going to operate in the Ninja World under this disguise, a codename was indeed necessary.'
"You can call me... Shura." So, Menma randomly chose a code name. (T/N: Shura means Asura in Japanese. Not Six Paths' son Asura, but Asura from Chinese Mythology.)
"Understood, Shura-sama. Here is our bounty list for this quarter. If you're interested, you're always welcome to do business with us." The bald man respectfully handed over the ledger.
Menma took it, thinking that since he was heading to Kumogakure anyway to deliver 'local specialties' this time, so he might as well pick up a few bounties along the way.
"Sir, here is your payment." Two attendants placed a heavy case on the ground and bowed deeply.
"Hn." Menma picked up the case without bothering to count the money and turned to leave.
The bounty exchange had existed in the Ninja World for who knew how long, so he doubted they'd dare cheat him.
"Hey, hey, aren't you going to count it?" Seeing that the other party was carrying the box and walking away without even looking at the money, Kakuzu couldn't help but speak.
As a veteran bounty hunter, it was practically giving him OCD.
'Not counting the money was one thing, but not even looking inside the case?'
Menma tilted his head slightly, the white three-eyed fox mask glinting faintly under the dim light.
"You seem very interested in my money. Want to step outside and settle it? If you win, you can take all the money away." Menma raised his head and gestured towards the exit.
According to the rules of the Ninja World, the bounty exchange is a 'safe zone' and if a person kills someone in the bounty exchange, they will be targeted by the bounty exchanges.
"Gladly." Kakuzu grinned, setting down his unfinished stack of bills and snapping his own case shut.
Then, carrying his money-filled briefcase, he followed the masked man out of the bounty exchange.
The two stepped outside one after another, the air thick with tension.