Still Young

The person in charge wore a mask and asked, "Whose head does this honored guest wish to place a bounty on?"

Minato was somewhat surprised. The person in charge of the Underground Exchange was quite polite, unlike ninjas or ordinary merchants. He said, "Let me look through the bounty ledger first. I'll find similar targets, get a rough idea of the price range, and then tell you."

The person in charge said nothing more and pushed the bounty ledger toward Minato.

As Minato looked through it, he discovered that several Kage had bounties on their heads.

The Third Hokage, the Third Kazekage, and the Third Mizukage all had prices listed, with bounties exceeding 100 million ryo.

Minato asked, "Why isn't the Third Lightning Kage listed?"

The person in charge said, "Because Hanzo the Demigod wouldn't take the job, there is no bounty on the Third Lightning Kage. Other than Hanzo of the Rain Hidden Village, no one could possibly be a match for the Third Lightning Kage."

It seemed the Third Hokage had a bounty because the Underground Exchange believed someone could defeat him.

Minato continued flipping through the ledger and soon found his teacher, Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's bounty was 80 million ryo, an extremely high amount.

A bounty was one thing, but probably no one would actually go looking for trouble with Jiraiya. He still had Sage Mode as a trump card, and many people knew nothing about it.

Judging by Jiraiya's age, his Sage Mode should have already begun to take shape.

After looking through the ledger, Minato found officials from various daimyo residences and generals' mansions.

The Major General of the Left Guards at the daimyo's residence had a bounty of 15 million ryo.

The Hawk Guard General held a position far higher than the Major General of the Left Guards. A bounty of 45 million ryo should be about right.

Looking at it this way, he had really extorted a huge sum from the Cloud Hidden Village back then.

Minato said, "I want to place a bounty on the Hawk Guard General's head. 45 million ryo."

"Oh?" The person in charge studied Minato with great interest.

"A bounty on the Hawk Guard General? 45 million ryo?" The person in charge said, "According to the Underground Exchange's rules, you must first pay a deposit of 22.5 million ryo. The remaining half will be paid after the mission is completed."

Without another word, Minato took out a scroll and unsealed five cash boxes.

"Please open them one by one. I'll verify the funds."

Minato opened the cash boxes and turned them around, preparing to show their contents to the person in charge.

Just as the boxes had turned halfway, the wall to the side suddenly exploded open!

Three ninjas burst through the wall and charged straight at Minato.

Minato had remained sufficiently vigilant all along, yet he still had not expected the Underground Exchange to rob its own customer.

Minato was instantly restrained, and three kunai plunged into his body.

Yet Minato stared at the person in charge and asked, "Why?"

"Why?" A strange laugh came from beneath the person in charge's mask. "Let me ask you—who is the richest in the Land of Fire?"

"The daimyo? The nobles?"

"Correct. The daimyo and nobles are the richest, so who is most willing to use money to solve problems?"

Minato was jolted awake and suddenly understood that he had been too young.

The Underground Exchange was a system built by the daimyo and nobles with money, intended to keep rampant ninjas in check.

He had come to the Underground Exchange within the Hawk Guard General's territory to place a bounty on the Hawk Guard General? How was that any different from going to Konoha Village to issue a mission to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi?

"Not good!"

A wandering ninja shouted.

Before him, Minato's figure suddenly turned into white smoke. The Shadow Clone vanished.

"Don't panic! A Shadow Clone consumes half his Chakra. Find his real body and kill him!"

Just as the person in charge shouted, another masked ninja of short stature came down the stairs.

In order to draw out information, Minato had not dispelled the Shadow Clone immediately after it was stabbed. As a result, the clone's memory of the pain was transmitted back to the original body as well.

Seeing the person in charge directing the others while packing away his money, Minato grew even angrier.

You could deceive me, but you couldn't take my money.

He had just been about to use the Rasengan, but then reconsidered. The Rasengan's destructive power was too distinctive and could easily expose his identity.

No matter what ANBU ninjas specialized in, when carrying out ANBU missions, they used kunai or standard-issue short blades in order to conceal their identities.

Drawing a kunai, Minato's figure vanished in an instant.

The person in charge was fairly ordinary, but the three wandering ninjas were quite strong.

One was jonin-level, while the other two were chunin-level.

Jiraiya was on the second floor of the tavern, holding one woman in each arm while four beauties attended to him from every side.

Another beauty was anxiously pacing around on the outskirts, unable to squeeze in.

If she could not squeeze in, she would not get any tips. It was enough to make her frantic.

Suddenly, an explosion sounded outside the window. Jiraiya turned to look in the direction of the blast.

The beautiful woman who could not squeeze her way inside swayed her voluptuous hips over to the window and shut it.

"My lord, that came from the public toilet on the west side of town. It was probably a methane explosion. We shouldn't let the stench affect us."

Jiraiya thought about it but did not move.

Minato was in this town, so he should not encounter any danger. Even if he did, Minato would immediately summon Gamabunta or Gamaken, just as he had in the Death Forest during the Chunin Exams.

Amid a sky full of sewage, Minato's figure vanished in an instant.

What a pity. He had gone to the Underground Exchange but had not been able to place a bounty on the Hawk Guard General.

Still, he had found several cash boxes in the Underground Exchange.

No point passing up what was right in front of him. Since he had already offended the Hawk Guard General, he might as well take something, right?

Not only did Minato take back his own money, he also took several additional cash boxes, containing a total of twenty million ryo.

He had prepared this as spending money for Teacher Jiraiya. It would be enough for Teacher Jiraiya to have a good time for quite a while.

After arriving on the outskirts of Nuanhe Town, Minato found Guangxia.

He handed Guangxia a cash box containing five million ryo. Guangxia was confused and did not understand why Minato was giving him so much money.

Minato said:

"The Hawk Guard General already knows that you have mastered ninjutsu. He sounded me out beforehand and pressured me to abandon you.

"When he returns, he will definitely purge farmers like you who have mastered ninjutsu.

"Use this money to settle your families, then leave the Hawk Guard General's Mansion.

"I have thought it over carefully. You can go farther west, to Bumper Guard Road.

"The Bumper Guard General has only just taken office. He is currently a nine-year-old child, so his control over the General's Mansion is not that strong.

"Bumper Guard Road borders River Country. If things truly become impossible, you can occasionally hide in River Country.

"Whether it is me or the Autumn Fruit Organization, we are both still too weak. We have no choice but to avoid his edge."

Upon hearing this, Guangxia said, "The Vice Minister of Central Affairs in Nuanhe Town investigated us before. I never knew why, but now it seems we had actually caught the attention of someone as important as the Hawk Guard General.

"But... but!

"Lord Minato, why does the Hawk Guard General want to deal with us?"

Minato said:

"When ants can set fires, no one will allow ants to remain in their home.

"What the Hawk Guard General needs are obedient and cowardly farmers, not farmers who possess strength and seek progress.

"Every reform will face opposing forces. Those who benefit from the existing system are the greatest obstacle to change.

"Guangxia, lie low for now. Once I become... once I become a stronger ninja, everything will get better."

Minato had wanted to say, once he became Hokage, but the words never left his mouth.

Those words were unlucky. Whoever said them died, so it was better not to challenge the laws of causality.