Chapter 16

Chapter 16 — I Am Willing to Serve You

Inside the cabin, when Gatō regained consciousness, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat. His eyes were filled with fear and reverence toward the mysterious figure before him.

Although Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique was only a simple C-rank genjutsu, to an ordinary person without chakra like Gatō, it was no different from divine power.

“My lord!”

The moment he emerged from the illusion, Gatō crawled forward on his hands and knees, prostrating himself at Menma’s feet, his voice trembling.

“Gatō is willing to serve you!”

He raised his head, small eyes filled with terror and worship, afraid that lacking usefulness would result in a gruesome death.

The technique forced its victim to confront their deepest fear.

Gatō’s fear was simple: dying before spending his wealth.

Within the illusion, he experienced countless cycles of life, watching the company he had painstakingly built grow into a world-class financial conglomerate—while he himself died again and again for different reasons.

Sometimes accidents.
Sometimes involvement in ninja wars.
Sometimes assassination by shinobi.

The number of simulated lives exceeded a million.

The time Gatō experienced inside the illusion equaled more than a year of subjective reality.

Menma had also added something extra—visions of lofty daimyō and nobles being slaughtered effortlessly by powerful ninja.

When Gatō awakened, his faith in the old order of the shinobi world had completely collapsed.

The authority of nobles, rulers, and inherited hierarchy had been shattered.

Menma nodded with satisfaction and placed his hand atop Gatō’s head.

Gatō lowered his head nervously.

“Blood Contract Seal.”

A dark, violent surge of chakra flowed into Gatō’s brain. A swastika-shaped curse mark formed deep upon his tongue.

This was a curse technique Menma developed within the Inifinite Tsukuyomi World.

It resembled Root’s Tongue Eradication Seal, which paralyzed anyone attempting to reveal Danzō’s secrets.

Menma’s version was far crueler.

If the victim disclosed any information about Menma, their brain would be destroyed instantly, preventing enemies from extracting intelligence through memory reading.

He had further modified the technique so it stored chakra equivalent to an ordinary genin, significantly strengthening the bearer’s physical condition.

“I need your ability to make money. You will fund the organization.”

Menma floated slightly above the ground, examining the kneeling merchant.

Feeling chakra circulating within his body for the first time, Gatō’s face filled with excitement. He bowed deeply again.

“Thank you for your gift, my lord! Gatō will serve you unto death!”

Night fell.

Waves struck the ship rhythmically.

Gatō’s office had been cleaned. The corpses were thrown into the sea, and after thorough cleaning the room became Menma’s temporary quarters.

“My lord, this is top-grade tea offered exclusively to the Tea Country’s daimyō. Shall I prepare some for you?”

Gatō served cautiously at his side.

“Mm.”

Still wearing his mask, Menma reclined lazily on the sofa.

The small Nine-Tails had crawled out from his fur collar and now sat at the table devouring desserts enthusiastically.

Gatō hurriedly presented more sweets, serving as if attending a deity.

“Your primary task is to manage company operations and accumulate funds for the organization.”

Menma flipped through an ancient foreign text from Gatō’s collection, resting his cheek against his fist.

“Yes! I will follow your command!”

Though surrendering profits pained Gatō, he had gained power—and status within this mysterious organization.

Perhaps he might even become nobility in a new world order.

“How long until the fleet reaches the Land of Lightning’s port?” Menma asked.

“About five or six days, my lord. It’s the northern wind season, so sailing speed is faster.”

Departing from a Fire Country port required bypassing the Land of Hot Water and crossing a bay before reaching the Lightning Country coastline.

The distance was roughly comparable to traveling from Konoha to the Land of Hot Water.

By Menma’s calculations:

A jōnin moving at roughly 300 km/h could cover the distance in about a day with rest included—over five thousand kilometers.

The wooden sailing ship, aided by seasonal winds, traveled around eighteen knots, roughly 33.3 km/h, reaching a maximum of about eight hundred kilometers per day.

Five to six days sounded correct.

The shinobi world was enormous.

Ninja simply moved too fast.

Recalling Naruto’s group reaching Sunagakure from Konoha in three days, assuming elite jōnin stamina at 200 km/h and only five hours of sleep daily, they would travel over eleven thousand kilometers.

Even before his transmigration, Earth’s circumference was only forty thousand kilometers.

This planet’s scale was clearly modeled after Earth’s.

Estimated population of the shinobi continent: roughly three hundred million people, with each of the Five Great Nations holding thirty to fifty million citizens.

Menma stroked the small Nine-Tails’ head.

“Besides generating funds, expand your company across all Five Great Nations and surrounding smaller countries. Collect intelligence.”

“What kind of intelligence, my lord?” Gatō asked carefully.

Menma considered briefly.

“Geography, terrain, major cities, strategic checkpoints, port conditions, population data, social structures, and conflicts between nobles and commoners.”

“What about the hidden villages?” Gatō asked quietly.

Menma did not bother explaining that ordinary civilians were unsuitable for spying on ninja villages.

“I will assign separate intelligence teams for that.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The small Nine-Tails, dressed in a red-and-white kimono like a child, sat on Menma’s lap holding a large dessert. Before taking a bite, it suddenly looked up.

“By the way, aren’t you going to deal with that Cloud ninja’s corpse?”

Menma remembered.

Inside his storage scroll still lay the body of the Kumogakure envoy.

“Where is the bounty exchange in the Land of Lightning?” he asked Gatō.

Since they were passing through Lightning Country anyway, he might as well visit a bounty station.

Perhaps exchange the body for some money.

And take a walk through Kumogakure.

While he was there, deliver a little hometown souvenir.