The sun was setting. Arthur, after a long day of traveling, finally reached the bounty station.
Zabuza's body, despite Arthur mending his wounds, showed signs of early decomposition. The flesh had paled considerably; the features were still recognizable, but now it was evident that this was a corpse.
The building itself was a long, narrow structure with a weathered façade and blue roofing tiles. It stood at the country's edge, near its borders.
Bounty stations, Arthur knew, often operated on the fringes of societal norms, catering to those who existed for dirty work.
If all bounty stations followed the same design as the ones from the original story, he would have a good idea of what to expect.
Spotting the entrance to the bathroom, Arthur made his way towards it. Inside were rows of stalls, offering little privacy.
He activated his Tamashii to sense the surrounding area. There, he found a hidden doorway within the walls. This was it. A secret entrance that was only known to a select few.
Arthur himself only knew about it because it was the same method an Akatsuki member named Kakazu used to collect Chiriku's bounty.
Arthur deactivated the chakra flow, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. Stepping toward the wall, he placed his palm flat against the surface. A low hum was heard through the structure, and then, with a slow, grinding sound, the wall slid open, revealing a dark passage beyond.
A figure emerged from the darkness. A skinny woman in a lab coat, her face covered in shadows, peered at him with spiraling spectacles.
"Can I help you?" she asked in suspicion.
Arthur knew this woman held the key to completing his task. Prior to opening the secret entrance, he had already scanned the room with his Tamashii, understanding both who and what was inside.
He wasn't here for idle conversation.
Knowing what to do, he held the body toward her. She adjusted her glasses before saying, "Right this way."
He was led into a dark room like a morgue. The stench of decay hit hard—a mix of stale blood, feces, and urine, all mingling with the unmistakable cold sweat of dead bodies.
The woman kept a steady composure, saying sharply, "First time seein' you around here."
Arthur ignored her, his gaze sweeping across the rows of storages, aware that inside were corpses on metal slabs. They were a motley crew, some freshly deceased, others already showing signs of advanced decomposition.
The woman, not burdened by his personality, opened an empty slab in the center of the room. He hoisted Zabuza's body onto the platform.
The woman gave it a predatory smile, saying with disbelief, "Zabuza Momochi? My, my, I never expected to see one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in my establishment."
Her smile widened, taking on a sadistic edge as she asked, "And who might you be, brave hunter, to bring down such a legend?"
Arthur remained silent, his expression unreadable. He knew the game these characters were playing. They reveled in the information, the thrill of knowing dark secrets, and a morbid fascination with the macabre.
He wasn't here to play nice or engage in morbid small talk; he was here for a transaction.
"How much?" he finally said.
The woman's smile faltered slightly. She began to calculate his features.
Zabuza's bounty was no small matter. Capturing a rogue ninja of such renown carried a hefty price tag.
But there was something about Arthur, something in his demeanour, that made her hesitate. She couldn't quite place it, but a sense of unease prickled beneath her skin.
Whatever it was—his directness or something else—she felt something akin to respect.
Arthur wasn't your average bounty hunter, swaggering in with a highly wanted ninja. This was a man shrouded in mystery, his silence more unsettling than any boast.
With a light, nervous laugh, she reached for a thick leather-bound book in her lab coat. The "collection book," as it was known, documented notorious criminals and their assigned bounties.
Flipping through the pages, she quickly located Zabuza Momochi's entry.
Her face stared back at the corpse. She scrutinized the body with her eyes alone, her curiosity momentarily overriding her caution.
Zabuza's face, pale and lifeless, bore no marks of battle. There were no slashes, no punctures, and no evidence of a violent struggle. It was as if he had simply ceased to be.
"Dead approximately sixty hours," she murmured, running a naked hand across Zabuza's chest. "No visible signs of external injury. How you managed this is quite impressive."
Her voice was laced with admiration. She then leaned in close to Arthur, giving him a sadistic grin that spread to the ends of her ears.
"You're unlike any bounty hunter I've seen," she purred. "Such… efficiency. Such… silence."
Arthur remained impassive, his gaze fixed on a point beyond his shoulder. He wouldn't be drawn into her psychological game.
When she noticed she wasn't getting a reaction, she sighed with disappointment and snapped the collection book shut.
"Alright, alright," she muttered. "Stay here a moment."
The woman turned and disappeared into a shadowy passage. Arthur stood perfectly still in the silence, his senses attuned to his surroundings.
He considered this woman. The only collection agent fans had ever seen before was a man named Zangei, making this woman an unknown character.
She was odd, like a mad scientist only interested in dead bodies. Her attention to detail was also superior to that of most mortuary assistants. So much so that she was able to correctly identify when Zabuza had died.
That was despite his injuries having been healed! Arthur would surely remember this character.
After a silent minute, she reappeared with a large suitcase in her hand. Her face was now devoid of the earlier amusement, replaced by a wary respect.
She placed the suitcase on the metal slab beside Zabuza's body and snapped it open with a click.
Inside, stacked neatly, were crisp bundles of bills. The scent of fresh paper filled Arthur's nostrils.
The woman didn't speak, nor did she need to. The unspoken rule of the bounty trade was clear: the hunter counted the reward. It was a test, a sign of loyalty in this ghoulish business.
Arthur counted the bills methodically, his eyes scanning for any indication of counterfeit notes. There were none. The woman had delivered the full bounty—thirty-five million ryō, a hefty sum even for a legend like Zabuza Momochi.
Slapping the suitcase shut, Arthur calmly said, "A pleasure doing business with you."
The woman's face broke into a smile, albeit a strained one.
"The pleasure is all mine," she said. "I hope to see you again soon Mr…"
"Desmond, and you will…"
His words sent shivers down her spine. It wasn't a promise; it was a statement of fact. Arthur knew he would encounter this place again, and perhaps with this woman.
A nervous giggle escaped her lips as she quickly ushered him back towards the bathroom stall. She closed the secret entrance, shutting out the dark truths within the morgue.
Stepping out, Arthur ventured into the nearby forest and hid a flying raijin mark there. This wouldn't be his last visit.
He activated the flying raijin, teleporting from the scene.
In an instant, the area was replaced by the familiar bustle of Wizened Town. His mission was complete. He had the money, a new Kekkei Genkai, and made a name for himself in the bounty system.
Thirty-five million ryō. A hefty sum, for sure, but would it be enough for Arthur's goals?
He needed enough money to establish a foundation for further growth. A net worth in the tens of millions might not be enough.
He pulled out his bingo book, flipping through the pages while scanning the faces of notorious ninjas. Names like Ao and Chōjūrō held enticing bounties, both combining for thirty million ryō.
The problem? They were all stationed in the Mist Village, a location Arthur wasn't entirely sure of at present.
Other targets, like Kisame Hoshigaki, were simply out of his league. The Akatsuki member, sporting a cool forty million ryō bounty, was a walking danger Arthur wasn't equipped to handle yet.
Thankfully, the Akatsuki's headquarters resided in a different country. As long as he didn't catch wind of the other players intervening with their leader, he wouldn't have to worry about them for a while.
With a sigh, he closed the book.
Training and hunting were a necessity, but he needed to act. He needed something more sustainable in the long run.
He initiated the transformation technique.
This time, he shed the gruff exterior, morphing into a more affluent character. A tailored business suit materialized around him, complete with a crisp white shirt and a neatly knotted tie.
This new persona would be far more effective for his next task.
His first stop was the town hall. Gathering information was key.
Here, he discovered a directory listing the most esteemed construction companies in the Water Country.
The reason? He was planning to build something. Something big.
The name at the top of the list caught his eye: "Vinci." Net worth: a staggering two hundred seventy million ryō. Arthur translated the figure in his mind—equivalent to over forty billion American dollars!
Not only were they the country's largest construction company, but they were also a dominant force in the western hemisphere, ranking fourth on the continent.
The Earth Country's leading construction company resided somewhere to the west, but that held no interest for him right now.
Vinci was his target. Before making his way there, however, Arthur had a quick detour planned.
A stop at the local general store provided him with the tools he needed—a stack of blueprint paper. He needed to paint a picture to solidify his vision before approaching the construction company.
In seclusion, he spread the blueprint paper across a table. Arthur, while creative, wasn't knowledgeable about the best layouts for a building. So he used his knowledge from earth.
An hour passed with him sketching an elaborate architectural plan.
As the sun rose to the highest point in the sky, he finally finished. He triple-checked his creation to ensure its perfection. The blueprints were complete, drawn well enough for anyone to understand.
Folding the blueprint paper carefully, Arthur stored it and stepped out into the town square, heading towards Vinci.
The company's headquarters were quite large. A colossal glass and steel structure, it dwarfed the surrounding buildings, easily housing over two hundred thousand employees, by his estimation.
He stepped through the automatic doors, feeling the cold air from the air conditioner.
He found himself in a long, pristine lobby. Polished marble floors gleamed beneath the soft light filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows. Only one area was filled with furniture, likely for visitors to wait at.
The entire space screamed of luxury.
He strode confidently towards the reception desk and saw a woman with a coiffed blonde ponytail.
"Good afternoon, sir," she smiled. Can I help you?"
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Xavier Hillard, the owner."
The receptionist blinked, her smile faltering slightly as she said, "Mr. Hillard? Do you have an appointment?"
Arthur didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his briefcase, retrieving a rolled-up sheet of paper—his crafted blueprint.
"It'll be worth his time if I see him immediately," he said in a confident tone.
The receptionist's smile returned, but this time it held a hint of uncertainty. This wasn't your average visitor. The briefcase and a cryptic presentation—it all hinted at something more.
She couldn't decide if she was intrigued or intimidated.
"May I… may I know your name, sir?"
"Call me John," he said.
Arthur could never use the same name twice with a different disguise. It could all trace back to him if he desired to remain anonymous.
A frail woman like this receptionist would never understand. She nodded and said, "Alright, Mr. John. Please have a seat. I'll see if Mr. Hillard can squeeze you in."
Arthur was seated in the waiting area. The atmosphere was mirrored by the clientele—affluent businessmen and women.
Were they ninjas? No, regular civilians. Not everyone in the Narutoverse was a ninja. Some didn't even know what chakra was.
A world like this, in which money and influence were the currencies of choice, was nothing new to him.