The morning has subsided, and now, with the sun having risen up high in the sky, the street has become even busier than before.
'And after a cup of tea comes a meal,' I thought as I sat in one small ramen stall located at the center of the town, with my gaze occasionally heading to one notably big building nearby,
'So that's the Mayor's office.'
"Here is your meal!" As the ramen chef served the generic miso ramen that I ordered, I didn't cease thinking,
"Thank you."
'The building is literally in the broad daylight. A stranger, blatantly walking by and knocking on the door? Way too suspicious.'
'Therefore, if that building turns out to be the bounty station after all, then there must be another way in,' I thought as I sipped the noodles.
"...How's the noodle." Then, all of a sudden, a voice from my right interrupted my meal. Although irked, I turned my head around to see an unfamiliar face.
It was a man with black hair and black-coloured eyes, wearing an average civilian's attire. What a bizarre person he was, with his eyes hollow and his face stoic and unchanging—akin to a machine.
"Not bad, I suppose." Returning my focus back to the ramen, I responded half-heartedly.
"I saw you looking at the building over there."
And that statement alone was enough to earn my suspicion.
"And what about it?" I raised my eyebrow, acting curiosity as to why he would point that out
"Oh... I was simply wondering if you too were one of those who heard of that rumour." The man, without any shift in his facial expression, talked.
"Rumour, you say?"
"Rumour that there is something hidden beneath the mayor's house."
Behind the counter, I could literally see that the ramen chef, whose back was facing us, had his ears perked up—he too was interested in the information, it seemed.
The man shifted his eyes to where the mayor's house lied, then continued, "People, although they do not mention out of fear that their daily lives may be ruined, there have been many occasions where the suspicious-looking people have entered the building, never to be seen again."
'...What?'
Regardless of whether the information was true or not, I found myself contemplating.
'So it isn't a bounty station, but something akin to... a trap?'
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked with an underlying caution against the man. Immediately after the acquisition of two contracting pieces of information, here this man came, letting the information out freely.
"A warning not to knock on that place out of curiosity," The man said with a still face, "I've seen some cases where the youngsters lose control of themselves, and ultimately get themselves killed."
The man stood back up in a robotic fashion, and... simply turned around and walked away.
And I noted, that his footsteps didn't generate a sound.
'A ninja…!'
Quickly looking around to my left and right, and paying my meal to the ramen chef, I immediately left the scene, wondering how my disguise was seen through.
__________
In a dark room where barely any light was coming through, only the sound of money being flipped could be heard.
One man was sitting on a comfortable-looking couch, with hands full of bills.
"99,700 ryos as a daily profit. Hm..." This man, Kakuzu, muttered with an evident annoyance. In front of him, one man was kneeling and trembling with fear, knowing what the man in front of him was capable of.
"Yoshinori, how long has it been since this restaurant was established?"
"2 years, Kakuzu... dono..." The kneeling man, named Yoshinori, said with his gaze headed down, not even daring to meet the eyes.
"And yet, only this much," Kakuzu bickered, "Is this truly all there is?"
He leaned forward, with his eyes reeking of killing intent, "Tell me, Yoshinori. Aren't you hiding something from me?"
Yoshinori quickly leaned down into a full bow, and anxiously shook his head, "N-no, Kakuzu dono! No way I would do that to you! How can I dare to do so!"
"Tch..." Kakuzu's forehead wrinkled, expressing that he was displeased. He raised his right hand up slightly, as if about to lash out, "Then let's check and see if you truly are innocent—"
Then he stopped. His eyes narrowed and shifted to the left, and his hand was placed back down, "We will discuss this the next time. For now, get out of here."
"Y-yes!" Yoshinori hurriedly stood back up and ran out of the secluded room.
Now, with Kakuzu sitting alone in the room, he growled, "I don't remember inviting anyone today."
He stood up with his body shrouded by a black cloak, "To what do I owe a pleasure, dogs of Shimura Danzo?"
Swoosh! Just then, three figures, covered entirely by the black ninja attires and masks on their faces, revealed themselves out of nowhere. They were ROOT, the secret ANBU subdivision under Danzo's command.
"Kakuzu the 'Immortal,'" The middle ROOT member said in a monotone, "We've come to bargain."
"I've got nothing to bargain with mindless dolls," Kakuzu snorted. Beneath his cloak, the sounds of bones crackling could be heard, "but I don't mind killing some."
But then,
"Your target has arrived in this town,"
Kakuzu froze upon hearing such words from ROOT member.
"the man with the bounty of sheer 25 million, who goes by the name 'Akashi.'"
Kakuzu didn't respond. His brain seemed to be thinking rapidly, as his eyes momentarily zoned out from the scene. Then, returning his focus back to three ninjas in front of him, he said, "And?"
"Do you know his face? Do you know how tall he is? Apart from his eye-colour and hair-colour, how will you identify him?"
Kakuzu snarled, "I have my own means."
Then, another ROOT member on the left raised up a black sac, before taking out… a decapitated head, "The means which no longer is an option to you."
Kakuzu's eyes widened, before they immediately sharpened, reflecting his fury, "…I didn't know that dolls possess a sense of humour."
Disregarding Kakuzu, ROOT member in the middle continued, "We believe that... there can be a mutual understanding between us," The ROOT member stated, "We will help you to swiftly accomplish your goal here—"
Kakuzu, who was in front of ROOT ninjas all of a sudden, with black tendrils slowly floating around him, said in a low tone, "Or how about all of you die here?"
"—along with the payment of 100 million for an additional task."
Kakuzu, upon hearing the amount, immediately retracted his killing intent back. With a sudden interest in the conversation, he stated, "Go ahead."
"Currently, a squad from Konoha too has entered this town. Danzo-sama requires secrecy, and the only option to prevent the leakage of information, is to dispose of them."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed with an amusement, "In the warring period, to those of the same affiliation as you?"
"Our loyalty lies to Danzo-sama, and Danzo-sama only."
Truly inhumane even in his standard, Kakuzu thought, finding this situation funny.
Kakuzu stood silently for a brief moment, before stating, "Make it 250 million, with an advance payment of 100 million."
"Deal," The ROOT ninja said with a stoic nod, before holding his hand out. Kakuzu snorted at the outstretched hand, before holding with his own, and,
Crunch!
effortlessly shattering it with his grip alone.
"And this is for entering my property uninvited," Kakuzu spoke coldly, as the ROOT ninja stared at his disfigured right hand briefly, before slicing it from his arm without any hesitation.
The blood was oozing out of the stump of an arm, but no one in the room seemed to mind.
"Fair enough."