Chapter 17

Chapter 17: An Encounter with Kakuzu at the Bounty Exchange

Lightning Country, a coastal port city.

Under a gloomy sky, Kakuzu’s figure in a black cloak moved slowly through the bustling streets, exuding an aura that kept others at a distance.

His cold teal eyes scanned the surrounding pedestrians, as if evaluating their worth.

His presence was oppressive; passersby avoided him, unwilling to meet his gaze.

Kakuzu walked to a public restroom on the outskirts of the city. After glancing around, he entered.

After knocking on the stalls in a specific order, a hidden door appeared in the corner of the restroom, revealing a dim passage whose destination was unknown.

But this wasn’t Kakuzu’s first time here. He descended the stairs with practiced ease.

The underground space opened up. At the reception desk, two young women immediately put on professional smiles upon seeing a customer.

“Welcome.”

“I’m here to exchange a bounty,” Kakuzu said in a hoarse, gloomy voice.

“Understood, please wait a moment.” One of the girls bowed and immediately went to summon the person in charge of this exchange facility.

Soon, a bald man with a scar on his forehead walked out, smiling broadly.

“So it’s Kakuzu-sama. I’ve heard your name for a long time.”

“Hmph.” Kakuzu snorted, indifferent to the flattery.

“Cut the nonsense. I’m here to exchange this bounty.”

He took a storage scroll from his pocket and unsealed it.

A corpse wearing a Konoha forehead protector appeared on the ground.

“Let me check,” the bald man said professionally, flipping through a bounty ledger.

After comparing the records, he quickly found the target among the Konoha entries.

“A Special Jōnin of the Sarutobi clan… bounty: eight hundred thousand ryō,” the bald man stated, then crouched to inspect the body carefully.

This was to prevent fraud using transformation or illusion techniques.

Though someone like Kakuzu would never bother with such tricks, rules were rules.

“Confirmed, Kakuzu-sama,” the bald man said, clapping his hands. Two attendants brought over a case.

Kakuzu took the case, placed it on the counter, opened it, and began counting the money. His fingers moved quickly as his mouth curled slightly upward.

He seemed to be in a good mood, humming softly while counting.

Meanwhile, the bald man ordered the body to be stored in a wall compartment.

He quietly waited for Kakuzu to finish counting.

After years of working here, he had heard of this infamous “bounty hunter” who insisted on counting money on the spot—but this was his first time dealing with Kakuzu directly.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

While Kakuzu was counting, footsteps echoed from the stairway entrance.

“Looks like more business today,” the bald man said, looking up.

Kakuzu also paused, turning his teal eyes toward the sound.

A mysterious figure wearing a white three-eyed fox mask descended the stairs. A long robe swayed lightly around them, their presence eerie and unpredictable.

“Tch, all this mysterious act,” Kakuzu scoffed under his breath, though interest flashed in his eyes.

Many wanted criminals wore masks or coverings, so Kakuzu paid attention to such figures.

“Welcome, sir. This is the Lightning Country Third Bounty Exchange. Are you here to place a bounty or…?” the bald man asked.

The masked man—Menma—briefly looked at Kakuzu.

Even though Kakuzu was dressed loosely and partially concealed, his teal eyes and habit of counting money were distinctive in the ninja world.

“Check his bounty,” Menma said, taking out a storage scroll and forming hand seals.

Poof!

With a burst of smoke, the corpse of the Cloud Village envoy appeared on the ground.

“12 million ryō,” Kakuzu muttered, immediately recognizing its value as he glanced over.

“Oh? Kakuzu-sama’s judgment is sharp as always,” the bald man said, flipping through the Cloud Village bounty records.

After searching the 12-million range, he found it.

“This is… Cloud Village envoy Kainu!” the bald man’s eyes widened.

Not long ago, Konoha had announced that the Cloud envoy team leader Kainu had been killed inside Konoha by a mysterious ninja, and his body dumped at the Hyuga clan estate—an act intended to escalate tensions between the two nations.

The two villages were now in a war of words. Cloud Village refused to believe Konoha’s claim and demanded the culprit be handed over.

Konoha, however, insisted it was the work of a mysterious ninja.

The bald man looked again at the masked figure before him, feeling a chill.

To assassinate someone in Konoha—the strongest of the Five Great Nations—and escape alive afterward… how powerful must this person be?

Kakuzu, still counting money, observed the masked figure as well, silently estimating how much their bounty would be worth.

“Sir, what should we call you?” the bald man asked cautiously after confirming the body.

The masked man thought for a moment.

Since he would likely be operating under this identity and appearance in the future, a codename was necessary.

“You can call me… Shura,” he said casually.

“Understood, Shura-sama. Here is our bounty ledger for this quarter. Please feel free to use our services anytime,” the bald man said, handing over a booklet.

Menma took it. Since he was heading to Cloud Village anyway, eliminating a few ninja for extra money wouldn’t hurt.

“Here is your payment,” the attendants said, placing a heavy case on the ground and bowing deeply.

“Mm.” Menma picked it up without counting and turned to leave.

Kakuzu frowned. “Hey. You’re not going to count it?”

As a professional money-lover, this was practically offensive.

Menma glanced back slightly. His white three-eyed fox mask reflected faint light in the dim room.

“You seem interested in my money. Want to test it outside? If you win, it’s yours,” he said, tilting his head toward the exit.

In the ninja world, bounty exchanges were neutral zones. Killing inside would trigger retaliation from the organization.

“Just what I was hoping for,” Kakuzu grinned, closing his case and standing up.

The two walked out one after another.

A tense killing intent filled the air as they left the exchange.