A week later.
Dak arrived at the underground exchange as usual.
The underground exchange in the Land of Rain was disguised as a tavern on the surface.
Walking to the bar, Dak accepted a cup of free shōchū handed to him by the bartender—a service available to all ninja who frequented the exchange.
"Anything exciting happening lately?" Dak casually asked, sliding a few silver bills from the Land of Fire across the counter.
"Thanks for the tip," the bartender said, quickly pocketing the money.
While officially, the underground exchange didn't provide information outside of its missions, unofficial exchanges of intel were common and often overlooked.
"Biggest news lately? It's gotta be the Seven-Tails incident in Takigakure," the bartender said while polishing a glass, his eyes fixed on it as if avoiding direct contact.
Dak grinned slightly. As expected, Madara and Izuna's raid on Chōmei must have happened about four or five days ago. If everything went smoothly, they were probably en route to Kirigakure by now.
"Takigakure was attacked by two outsiders. They walked in like they owned the place, knocked out the Seven-Tails, and just disappeared with it. A whole Tailed Beast—gone in a flash."
The bartender's voice rose slightly with excitement. "Guess who they were?"
"No idea. Enlighten me," Dak said, feigning ignorance.
"Rumor has it, they were none other than Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna!"
"What?!" Dak gasped, putting on his best shocked expression.
"Yeah! The Uchiha brothers who supposedly died ages ago—suddenly back from the dead! The ones who fought Hashirama and Tobirama themselves!"
Seeing Dak's reaction, the bartender leaned in conspiratorially, lowering his voice. "Some folks think it's just a wild rumor, but me? I believe it. Word is, they've got help from some mysterious figure—maybe even the Sage of Six Paths himself!"
Before the bartender could continue his enthusiastic ramblings, a hand grabbed his ear, pulling him away.
"Ow, ow! Boss, come on!"
The bartender turned to see the manager of the underground exchange. He quickly plastered on a sycophantic smile. "Just a little friendly chit-chat with a customer!"
The manager ignored the excuses, pointing him back to his duties. With a reluctant nod, the bartender retreated behind the counter.
The manager then turned to Dak, bowing respectfully. "Sir, the individual named Kakuzu has accepted your mission."
Dak smirked. His plan was coming together.
Earlier, he had posted a high-reward mission—10 million ryō—to lure Kakuzu to the Land of Rain. The mission details were vague and specified that Kakuzu alone should accept it.
"Take me to him," Dak said, stretching leisurely.
Following the manager, Dak entered a private chamber in the back of the exchange—reserved for high-value clients and designed to ensure absolute privacy between the issuer and the contractor.
Inside, Dak came face-to-face with Kakuzu, the man who had once been sent to assassinate Hashirama Senju.
At this stage in his life, Kakuzu looked vastly different from the worn-out mercenary he would become. Without the Akatsuki cloak, he appeared younger, his eyes carrying a faint hint of naivety despite the wariness in his gaze.
"State the mission," Kakuzu said bluntly, his tone guarded.
Dak chuckled, leaning back casually. "World peace."
"...What?" A vein bulged on Kakuzu's forehead. "Are you messing with me?"
Dak laughed. "Relax. The 10 million ryō is yours. Its sole purpose was to bring you here."
"What's your game?" Kakuzu's hand drifted toward the kunai on his back, ready for trouble.
"I'm inviting you to join an organization. You're a rogue ninja now, right? No strings attached?"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "Joining means putting a target on my back. Do you have any idea what Takigakure will do if I ally myself with you?"
"Funny you should mention that. The leaders of this organization are the same two who just walked into Takigakure and took the Seven-Tails," Dak said, his tone nonchalant.
Kakuzu's eyes widened slightly. "...Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna?"
"Exactly."
"They're supposed to be dead."
"Did you see them die?" Dak countered with a smirk.
Kakuzu fell silent, considering the implications. While he hadn't personally witnessed the deaths of the Uchiha brothers, their survival wasn't entirely unbelievable given the strange jutsu and techniques that existed in the world.
"Why would I believe you?"
"When they return with the Tailed Beasts, you'll see for yourself. Give it two weeks. If I'm lying, you can walk away."
"World peace, huh?" Kakuzu's skepticism was palpable, but curiosity flickered in his eyes.
Dak shrugged. "Does anyone in this organization strike you as the joking type?"
(End of Chapter)
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