Running on tree branches is more interesting than Zoro thought. He never really runs on trees because when escorting his clients, he needs to be close to them, so he always walks when moving from town to town.
But now he isn't escorting anyone. He is hunting 2 missing nins, so he can't waste any time because they might move to another place if he doesn't arrive quickly.
That's why he is running there using the shortest route. He is going in a straight line through the forest and mountains, or at least trying to. With his sense of direction, he will often stray out of the path.
But thanks to Torao being an excellent assistant that always reminds Zoro every time he moves in the wrong direction, they can arrive at their destination.
"Heh, that was easy."
"EASY MY ASS!"
Torao slaps Zoro's forehead from above with his front paws angrily.
"We would have arrived a few hours earlier if you didn't keep going the wrong way every minute. I literally told you to go straight, but you jumped to the tree on the left or right. You even got lost when I clearly told you to follow a stream."
"I-It's the curse given to this body."
"Nah, at this point I'm sure it's your idiocy. Sigh, next time, let's not let you run. It will be easier if I become big and carry you on my back just like how Akamaru carries Kiba."
"You sure? Didn't you hate transforming to be bigger?"
"I don't hate it. It's just that I can't laze around comfortably when I become bigger. Also, you might need my help to fight if I need to transform. That's too annoying. But yelling at you for taking the wrong way every single minute is more annoying, it's so stressful. I'd rather just let you sit on my back and run myself. That way we can arrive faster and I won't be stressed out by your idiocy."
"F-fine, I get it, so stop slapping my face."
Torao was slapping Zoro's face from above while nagging. It's his revenge for all the stress he got from Zoro on their way here. Zoro thinks that Torao should've just transformed on their way here and carried him if he was this angry, but Zoro decides to shut his mouth because he doesn't want to hear Torao's nagging anymore.
"Well, let's search for those 2 scums. It should not be hard to find them with Observation Haki if they are still here."
Zoro and Torao enter the town normally. This town is not so lively because it's just a small town that doesn't have that many residents.
"Heh, so this town is like a transit area on this route. No wonder I saw many inns here."
Zoro is having lunch in a small food stall while talking with the owner.
"Is this your first time here?"
"Yeah."
"Then you should try our hot springs. They are good to heal your fatigue and have a lot of health benefits."
"Isn't that the case for most hot springs?"
The stall owner laughs awkwardly, making Zoro laugh a little. He just wants to ask if something unusual happens in this town when he suddenly senses someone with quite a lot of chakra which certainly isn't a civilian.
'Torao.'
'Alright.'
Using his telepathy, Zoro tells Torao to find that person. Zoro guides Torao while tracking his target using Observation Haki.
'Found him. But he doesn't look like any of our targets.'
'Maybe he uses the Transformation Jutsu. Keep following him.'
Torao follows the man from the top of buildings far behind the man. Zoro also follows him much further behind just to keep the man within the range of his Observation Haki.
Sometime later, Zoro senses another person with even more chakra than the previous one. They meet each other in a small house on the outskirts of the town.
'Torao, can you enter the house?'
'Enter the house? I can even enter their shadows.'
Torao suddenly gets swallowed by the shadows below him. Then he moves through the shadows to spy on the targets.
'It's really them.'
After entering the house, Torao sees the previous man has returned to his original appearance. The guy they followed is the chuunin while the one staying is the jonin. That's why Zoro sensed the 2nd person to have more chakra.
Torao listens to their conversation and finds out these 2 killed the owner of this house. That chuunin was transforming into the dead owner's appearance to avoid suspicions while the jonin stayed because the dead owner lived here alone.
'Will you attack now?'
'No, I don't want to fight in the town. If we destroy buildings, then we will get charged. We don't have money for that. And innocent people might get killed.'
'Then what should we do?'
Zoro thinks for a while before getting an idea and Torao approves his idea.
Later that night, some explosions suddenly happen quite far outside the town. Everyone in the town is surprised by the sudden explosions and they are afraid. After all, it hasn't been long since the war stopped.
"W-what happens?"
"Don't tell me there are shinobis fighting out there."
The town folks immediately assume that those explosions are caused by shinobis that fight. After all, normal people won't be able to create those kinds of explosions.
The 2 missing nins obviously also hear the explosions and what the town folks say. It makes them anxious. They might get found because of those shinobis or those shinobis might be here for them.
"What should we do, Tenjin-sensei?"
"We need to leave. There must be Iwa shinobis there and if they come to this town, we might get found. So it's better to leave now while they are occupied with their fight."
The 2 missing nins quickly move in the opposite direction of where the explosions come. They have put their belongings in their scrolls, so they can move anytime.
It doesn't take long for them to get out of the town by climbing a tall rocky cliff. They run quickly on top of the rock mountain while discussing where they will go.
"BOO!"
""KYAA!""
But suddenly, Zoro jumps out of his hiding behind a big round rock. He jumps right before they arrive at his location. His sudden appearance and yells surprise both of them so much that they fall forward faces first on the rocky ground.
Zoro is dumbfounded not by their fall, but by their girly screams when he surprises them. These guys are cold-blooded criminals, so he never thought their screams would be that funny.
"FUCK! WHO ARE YOU?"
The jonin turns around and shouts angrily at Zoro with his menacing face, followed by the chuunin. Now they look and sound like real criminals, making Zoro nod because this is how they should behave.
"Karai Tenji and Omita Yami. Wanted dead or alive by Kumogakure. 900 thousand ryo and 340 thousand ryo for each of your heads. 1.240 million ryo in total. Quite high prices for scums like you. I guess you did more crimes than the ones mentioned in the Bingo Book."
The missing nins now finally know that Zoro is here to claim their bounties. But when they look at Zoro, they can't help but laugh because Zoro is clearly still just a kid.
"Hey, kid, what are you playing at? Bounty Hunter?"
"Hahaha, sensei, I think he must have caught some easy prey before and thought he could catch us."
"Yami, get rid of him quickly. We need to escape from those shinobis."
"Understood."
The chuunin takes out a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it and throws it at Zoro.
"Ittoryu: Shishi Sonson!" (1 sword-style: Lion's Song!)
Zoro suddenly flashes and appears behind the chuunin. Then the next moment, blood sprayed from the chuunin's torso before he falls lifelessly. The jonin is very shocked to see his student get defeated just like that.
"T-this... Yo-you..."
He is still in shock because even he couldn't see Zoro's movement just now. But he quickly comes back to his senses. He jumps back to gain some distance between them.
However, a greenish flying slash attack is chasing him. So he quickly makes some hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
Many blue lightning orbs appear around the jonin and he launches them at the incoming flying slash attack. The collision creates a big impact and both attacks destroy each other.
But the jonin can't be relieved yet because Zoro has charged toward him and almost reached him. So he makes another set of hand seals. He tried to, but Zoro slashes his sword upwards when he has gotten very close to the jonin.
Zoro's sword cuts the jonin's left wrist and cancels the jutsu preparation. The jonin screams in pain, but Zoro doesn't care and swings his sword down very strongly, cutting the jonin's body without any apparent resistance.
"Subjugation complete."
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Chapter 50. Ninja Job
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