The Land of Rain...
Rain shrouded the border town, the damp cobblestone streets were deserted, and the air was filled with the smell of earth and rust. Kakuzu and Hidan, dressed in Akatsuki cloak patterns, walked steadily through the alleyways and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated public toilet.
"Tsk, having to go in through a place like this every time is truly blasphemous to the sanctity of the Lord Jashin." Hidan, carrying the Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe, kicked open the half-closed wooden door with a look of disgust.
Kakuzu ignored his complaints and went straight to the innermost cubicle. He pressed a button on the wall, and with the sound of a mechanism turning, a hidden door slowly opened in the floor. Dim yellow light shone from below, mixed with the unique smell of money and blood.
"Oh, Mr. Kakuzu! You've arrived! It's been quite a while since we've seen you!" The tall, thin gatekeeper immediately plastered a fawning smile on his face upon seeing them. "We've amassed quite a few high bounties lately, just waiting for a master like you to come and claim them!"
Kakuzu gave a low "hmm," his green eyes sweeping over the other man. "Enough talk, bring me the latest order."
"Yes, yes!" The man quickly bowed and led the way, guiding them into the underground hall.
The Bounty Station was much more spacious inside than it appeared on the outside. Several masked ninjas were talking in hushed tones. When they saw Kakuzu and his companion enter, they immediately fell silent and stepped aside—no one wanted to provoke members of Akatsuki, especially with the powerful presence of their leader projected onto the Heavenly Screen.
The staff member respectfully handed over a stack of reward posters, the top two of which prominently displayed:
[Naruto Uzumaki - Bounty: 50 million ryo (Konoha Genin, Nine-Tails Jinchuriki)]
[Sasuke Uchiha - Bounty: 50 million ryo (Rogue ninja, possesses Sharingan)]
Kakuzu's pupils contracted slightly, and his fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the paper. "Two brats are actually worth this much..." he thought rapidly.
Although Deva Path Pain strictly forbade the unauthorized capture of Jinchūriki, Sasuke was an exception. Moreover, no matter how strong those two boys' future strength was projected onto the Heavenly Screen, they were still nothing more than greenhorn prey.
"Hey, that's a really impressive number!" Hidan whistled as he leaned over. "That's enough to mend that poor man's heart hundreds of times, right?"
Kakuzu gave him a cold glance, then tossed a bag of coins to the staff member. "I need their latest whereabouts information."
Ten minutes later, Kakuzu put away the scroll and turned to walk towards the exit. Hidan impatiently tapped the ground with the handle of his scythe. "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go find the offering!"
"What's the rush?" Kakuzu's hoarse voice was laced with sarcasm. "Information from the Land of Rice Fields indicates that Sasuke Uchiha is most likely operating near the Otogakure. As for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..." He snorted coldly, "Let him stay for now."
Hidan grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Ha! Finally, we can really do something big! We've only been killing small fry lately; Lord Jashin has been unhappy for a long time—"
"Shut up." Kakuzu interrupted his arrogant words, his green eyes gleaming greedily in the shadows. "Fifty million taels... we can't let someone else get there first."
In the rain, two dark figures vanished silently. The gatekeeper of the Bounty Station wiped away his cold sweat, secretly praying that the two menacing figures wouldn't return—after all, the last time they collected the bounty, the unfortunate missing-nin who was turned into a "specimen" had terrified the new receptionist so much that he vomited for three days.
After Kakuzu and Hidan left, the fawning doorman's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, shrewd expression.
He quickly pulled out an encrypted scroll from under the counter and recorded everything about the two men's movements, conversations, and even the intelligence targets Kakuzu had purchased.
"Hmph, the Akatsuki are really arrogant..." He chuckled coldly, then beckoned to one of his subordinates, "Immediately send this scroll to the 'Seventh Outpost on the Land of Fire's border and deliver it to the Nara Clan."
He then tossed out a bulging money bag, "This is the deposit the Nara Clan paid in advance; remember to keep the rest."
The subordinate nodded, and his figure vanished in an instant, turning into a black shadow.
Inside the border outpost, Shikaku Nara was deep in thought, staring at a map. Although the allied forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had barely reached an agreement, the number of personnel they sent was far too limited, making it impossible to completely blockade the border of the Land of Rain.
Therefore, he had long ago turned his attention to the underworld—"Since we can't stop Akatsuki's actions, we'll at least keep track of their movements."
"Shikaku!" An Anbu Ninja appeared in a flash, respectfully handing over a scroll. "The intelligence from the bounty office has arrived."
Shikaku quickly unfurled the scroll, his gaze sweeping over the contents, his brow furrowing slightly.
"As expected, Akatsuki members Kakuzu and Hidan's target is Naruto and Sasuke..." he muttered to himself.
Akimichi Chōza nearby, took a bite of a potato chip and asked indistinctly, "What should we do? Should we notify Lord Jiraiya?"
Shikaku nodded. "Naruto is training with Lord Jiraiya, so he's relatively safe for now, but we must warn them to be wary of an Akatsuki attack." He paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "As for Sasuke... he's with Orochimaru now. We can't find Orochimaru's stronghold, but the Akatsuki might be able to."
Inoichi Yamanaka frowned. "You're thinking of... using someone else to do your dirty work?"
"No, it's 'using Akatsuki's hand to probe the snake's lair.' Shikaku's gaze was profound. " Orochimaru's danger level is no less than Akatsuki's, especially in the future that was shown on the Heavenly Screen recently, where 'Kabuto Yakushi' used the Impure World Reincarnation to summon countless dead to wreak havoc... Now all the major ninja villages are burning the bodies of the war dead, but who knows if Orochimaru has already collected enough cell samples?"
Soon, an encrypted hawk flew out of the base, heading straight for Jiraiya's location. At the same time, Shikaku reported the situation to the Konoha High Command and suggested—
"Let's hold back for now and let Akatsuki and Orochimaru clash first."
Meanwhile, in a small town on the border of the Land of Rain, Shikaku's spies continued their activities in the shadows. They didn't need to fight; they only needed to silently record the movements of Akatsuki members when they appeared and then pass on the information.
A spy disguised as a tavern owner whispered to his companion, "I heard that Kakuzu and Hidan have headed towards the Land of Rice Fields. It seems they're going to make a move on Sasuke Uchiha."
His companion sneered, "Let them fight like dogs; it would be best if they both got hurt."