Chapter 12. The Walking Gold Coin
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A few days later.
In a dark and eerie cave somewhere within Konoha.
"Are the three of them still not back?" Danzo, wrapped in bandages, sat on a rocky bench with a grim expression, looking at the Root ninjas below him. "Is it really taking this long for a mere merchant? What a bunch of useless fools! The Root doesn't need such waste!"
Originally, he had intended to recruit that guy as a member of the Root organization. Although Uchiha Yuto had considerable talent, he had squandered it for so many years; even with talent, what good was it now?
He could no longer become a powerful ninja.
So, he planned to make him a merchant for the Root organization, providing funds for their operations.
The fact that he managed to establish such a massive business in such a short time indicated that his business acumen was definitely impressive.
If he could be utilized by Root, then… the money wasted on useless endeavors, like the funds for that Senior Citizens' Center, could be redirected to Root, allowing them to do much more to protect Konoha!
That guy was just too wasteful!
He wasn't using money where it was truly needed!
Danzo raised his head, gazing at the kneeling Root ninjas who dared not look him in the eye. He asked coolly, "Did you receive any replies?"
"No, Lord Danzo!" one of the Root ninjas replied respectfully. "We lost contact with the three of them the day after they left. Given the traces left near the forest's border outside Konoha, I suspect they may have... sacrificed themselves."
After saying this, he lowered his head again.
Danzo furrowed his brow, his expression darkening ominously. "Do you know who did this?"
"The scene was too chaotic. There were traces of Earth Release, Water Release, Fire Release, and a large number of explosive tags," the ninja paused and continued, "but it's currently unknown!"
"What a bunch of useless fools!" Danzo scoffed, but after that, his face continued to show concern.
He had sent ninjas to follow Uchiha Yuto to keep this matter hidden from Hiruzen, intending to bring that guy under his control.
And those three ninjas had gone missing while tracking Uchiha Yuto!
Was there a connection between the two events?
However, he was just a merchant.
Since graduating from the ninja academy, he hadn't performed any missions, hadn't learned any jutsu, and hadn't been taught by a Jonin… was that possible?
Moreover, if something happened, the Root ninjas would act under the name of the Hokage's direct force—the ANBU. Would a mere merchant dare to attack the ANBU of Konoha?
No amount of wealth could protect him!
Danzo pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know where that guy went?"
"According to his registration, he went to arrange for milk tea shops and other matters within the Land of Fire while also surveying new industries."
"Within the Land of Fire…"
How many branches has that guy opened by now?
Danzo frowned again, tapping the floor as he thought for a moment, murmuring, "It seems I must take matters into my own hands! I need to investigate his whereabouts, and then..."
Before he could finish, a Root ninja suddenly rushed in with a panicked expression. "Report! Lord Danzo!"
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted, looking at the flustered ninja with some suspicion. "What happened?"
"A bounty for Lord Danzo has appeared in the black market!"
"???" Danzo froze for a moment. He hadn't shown himself in a long time and had been within the village; who would issue a bounty on him?
Of course, he didn't really care.
Was there a famous ninja who didn't have a bounty?
The problem… wasn't significant!
"Do you know who issued it?"
"It might be from Kirigakure, or it could be from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, or Amegakure…"
"???" Were his Root ninjas so incompetent at gathering intelligence?
They couldn't even determine where the bounty was coming from?
Before Danzo, whose face was darkening, could reprimand him, the ninja continued, "Various places? The bounties from the national black markets have all been issued, ranging from one million ryo, ten million ryo, thirty million ryo, to fifty million ryo…"
A string of numbers kept rising higher and higher, making Danzo's eyelids twitch.
What have I been doing during this time to make people so furious?
"A total of 350 million ryo." The ninja lowered his head even further, almost burying it in the ground. "Ranked first on the bounty list! And it may still be rising..."
"..." Danzo's mouth twitched. This price was already comparable to a tailed beast. Even Lord Hashirama never had such a high bounty back then!
What kind of grudge was this?
Moreover, he had been busy handling the war and village matters recently and hadn't traveled to many places!
"Mm! I understand. Arrange for someone to investigate who issued the bounty, and… everyone else, you can leave now!"
"Yes!"
The ninjas replied in unison.
But as soon as his words fell, another ninja spoke up, "I will immediately arrange for Lord Danzo to go out personally to investigate Uchiha Yuto's matter."
As soon as he finished speaking…
"Mm!" Danzo lightly nodded, tapping on the armrest a few times, seemingly lost in thought. "Find him and bring him here! There are many matters in Konoha that need my attention! I can't leave Konoha for now!"
After saying that, he stood up.
"Now everyone else can retreat!"
With an expressionless face, he walked toward the exit.
Who exactly issued the bounty?
...
Of course, it's me!
But I won't say it; I'm just playing!
Just one Asuma made Kakuzu take risks, directly attacking the son of the Third Hokage. What if there were ten Asumas or a hundred Asumas?
They actually dared to send Root ninjas to attack him and wanted to seize his wealth. Don't they fear that To-kun might get angry and retaliate against their entire clan?
So, there's no doubt about it.
If something can be resolved with money, it's not really a problem!
It's time to let the ninjas see the terrifying power of cash!
Thus, Uchiha Yuto decided to secretly place a bounty on Shimura Danzo and… increase it a little every once in a while.
Gradually adding a bit more.
The goal is to turn Danzo into a walking gold coin. By then, let's see if he still dares to sneak out of the village!
I bet the moment he shows up… everyone's eyes will light up as they stare at him.
Make a big score, and from then on, one would be free from worries, living a luxurious life.
You never know; the ninjas in the village might feel tempted to take action just by seeing his head.
If the village lacks funds at that time, he could even offer up his own head as a significant contribution to the village!
If it weren't for the fact that he had spent quite a bit of money recently and was worried about a potential gap in his savings, he would have directly raised it to 1 billion.
Now Danzo should pray… that the Third Great Ninja War doesn't escalate too much. Otherwise, to restore Konoha's economy, someone might really make him demonstrate the true meaning of the Will of Fire!
After circling around for several days, taking roundabout routes to obscure his path, today… he finally snuck out of the Land of Fire's borders and arrived in the Land of Rain, which borders multiple countries.
…
Land of Rain.
A country where it rains all the time.
Looking at the light drizzle before him, Uchiha Yuto, now dressed in a merchant's cloak and attire, stretched lazily and slightly smiled. "Are we finally here?"