They encountered Zabuza, who was fearless in the face of death, and Haku, who was even stronger than Zabuza and equally unafraid of death.
As a result, the Kirigakure team became prisoners and were eventually turned into ghosts by Haku, becoming subordinates under his command. After recruiting four new subordinates, Haku and Zabuza sought out the wealthy businessman who had issued the mission. They quietly turned the businessman into a ghost, and with that, an important shipping company in the Land of Water secretly became Sasuke's industry. The ninja team returned to Kirigakure and stayed undercover, now acting as pawns for Haku and Zabuza.
"In the past month, we have acted everywhere. Now, we have captured all the shipping companies in the Land of Water. The shipping routes in the southeastern seas of the Ninja World now belong entirely to you," Haku and Zabuza reported, kneeling respectfully.
"Well done!" Sasuke said, satisfied with their progress despite the challenges.
As a reward, Sasuke injected them with more of his blood.
Haku and Zabuza groaned, their bodies shaking violently under the strain. After a moment, Haku was promoted to Upper Moon One, while Zabuza was elevated to Lower Moon One.
Kimimaro, who had been Lower Moon One, had been promoted to Upper Moon Three two months ago. He was now ranked just below Orochimaru, who had been promoted to Upper Moon One. Orochimaru's immense strength and cunning made his position undeniable. Even Zabuza, who had always been proud, had no objections to Orochimaru's status.
With Haku and Zabuza's promotions, the Upper Moon Two and Lower Moon Five positions remained vacant, but Sasuke had no immediate plans to fill them. In reality, the ranking system was more of a ceremonial structure that Sasuke used to maintain order. Whether it continued or not, it made little difference to him. He might eventually decide to do away with the ranks entirely.
For now, he divided the ghost subordinates of his security forces into more practical categories: Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D.
Zabuza and Haku were key to Sasuke's power in maritime affairs. Once they departed, Hatsuka, who was responsible for the money exchanges, entered to give her report on the recent developments.
The money exchange system was already well-established when Sasuke took over, requiring little adjustment. He had merely continued the work that had already been laid out. However, Sasuke's ambitions stretched further. He had tasked Hatsuka with investigating the other four major money exchanges, seeking to find out the identities of their key managers. His goal was to bring the entire system under his control.
Hatsuka had been working on this, and her progress was promising.
Because of the close relationship between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, largely due to Sasuke's efforts, the first breakthrough had come from the Land of Wind's exchange. The person in charge was revealed to be a retainer of the Wind Daimyo, and two months ago, Hatsuka had successfully turned him into a ghost.
A month ago, by sheer chance, the manager of the Land of Earth's exchange had come to the Land of Fire as an envoy. His true identity was the Minister of Finance for the Land of Earth. Seizing the opportunity, Hatsuka attacked the envoy's team on their return journey, turning the finance minister into a ghost. With this move, three of the five major money exchanges were now under Sasuke's control.
Hatsuka informed Sasuke that they had already identified the manager of the Land of Water's exchange, and that he would be her next target. The only challenge remained the Land of Lightning's exchange. No matter what channels she explored, Hatsuka had been unable to gather any substantial information. Even as the manager of the Fire Country branch, she had no direct contact with her counterpart in the Land of Lightning, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating.
She relayed this difficulty to Sasuke.
Sasuke thought for a moment before responding, "Don't worry about the Land of Lightning for now. Focus on the Land of Water. Haku and Zabuza are already operating there, so go to them and get their support in completing your mission."
"Yes, Lord Sasuke!" Hatsuka nodded and departed swiftly.
(End of the Chapter).
Read 40 Chapters ahead in Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/YeQingtian.