Unlucky Kid, You're the One!

Observing Hiruko in this state, Danzo couldn't help but fall into contemplation.

Although this action was proposed by this fellow, the one who decided to implement it was, after all, himself.

What's more, his current situation was far more severe than others imagined.

Thus, Shimura Danzo lowered his head and looked at Hiruko, who was kneeling on the ground, his voice calmer than ever before:

"According to the intelligence gathered from our inside source, Sahara Mizu is a genius who could escape from the Third Raikage with Tsunade."

"You're just a mere Jonin. Is your strength sufficient? And how many people do you have under you?"

Hiruko didn't answer the first question, instead saying, "Your subordinate still has two Root squads. However, your subordinate recently found a channel and has made contact with the Land of Lightning."

If the Anbu, directly under the Hokage, were the FBI for internal investigation, then Root was the CIA specifically for external matters.

Precisely because of this, Root's various connections with the outside world were intricate and complex, and it wasn't surprising for them to interface with any channel.

However, at this moment, when Hiruko said this in front of Shimura Danzo, it obviously meant something else – he had found a way to directly call for reinforcements from Hidden Cloud Village.

Hearing this, Danzo's sole eye couldn't help but light up.

The atmosphere in the village was very tense right now. If they could shift the conflict outwards, that would naturally be the best.

However, he also heard another meaning in Hiruko's words.

"To contact them, how much money do you need?"

"Fifty million ryo."

"How much?!"

Shimura Danzo's single eye almost popped out of its socket.

Hiruko, however, was incredibly firm: "Fifty million ryo, to hire Hidden Cloud Jonin to infiltrate the village and assassinate Sahara Mizu, while simultaneously shifting the focus within the village!"

He was a smart person and could immediately see what Shimura Danzo was truly worried about.

The key to this incident wasn't killing Sahara Mizu at all, but having Hidden Cloud ninja attack Konoha to divert attention.

Shimura Danzo, hearing this, obviously understood the implications and stared at him seriously:

"Just a mere Sahara Mizu, plus the lives of a few Hidden Cloud ninja, aren't worth that much."

"Lord Danzo..."

Before Hiruko could finish, he heard Danzo continue:

"Thirty million!"

"The most I can give you is thirty million ryo."

Hearing this, and seeing Shimura Danzo's serious expression, Hiruko understood that this was his limit of patience. He took a deep breath:

"Add another five million ryo."

"Within ten days."

"Hidden Cloud forces will assassinate Sahara Mizu!"

Shimura Danzo pondered for nearly a minute, meeting his gaze with his one eye, before finally saying coldly:

"Root makes no empty promises."

With just that sentence, Hiruko understood that Danzo didn't trust him. He immediately emphasized his tone and bowed his head to the ground:

"Five days!"

"Within five days, assassinate Sahara Mizu."

The Root members present all looked at him in unison.

Hiruko, this time, had truly gambled his life.

Should I just take the money and run?

After withdrawing all the cash from Root's finance department with a voucher, this thought couldn't help but surface in Hiruko's mind.

However, the moment he thought of 'that jutsu' that he hadn't finished conceptualizing underground, and the saturated pursuit by the entire Konoha that he would inevitably face after taking the money and running, Hiruko immediately dismissed that idea.

It was a bit of a suicidal thought.

But...

I didn't expect Lord Danzo to actually be willing to give this much.

Hiruko looked at the heavy sack of cash in his hands, his thoughts growing heavier. It seems Lord Sahara's strength is not to be underestimated either?

Perhaps, he's even more of a genius than Orochimaru and the others?

A sarcastic smile unconsciously spread across his face.

Hiruko, with the rank of Konoha Jonin, was a ninja from the same era as the Sannin.

In his youth, he had the experience of being in a team with the Sannin for quite a while.

However, because the speed of his strength improvement couldn't keep up with those three monsters at all, he was transferred to another squad after about two or three years, until he entered Root.

Precisely because of this experience, Hiruko understood more than anyone else how outrageous the concept of a genius was.

So, he would never underestimate any genius.

At the same time, he harbored a near-extreme jealousy towards those with such innate talent.

"Hey, you."

After leaving the finance office, Hiruko sneered and motioned for a trusted subordinate. He simply instructed, "Summon those few guys we found earlier."

"Tell them there's a big job."

Communication between ninja was very convenient. Even without the still-in-development radio communication, simply using summoning animals for messages allowed simple information to cross the entire ninja world in a short time.

Soon, a ninja from the Hidden Cloud's intelligence division received a message from an enemy nation.

"Lord Dodai!"

"We received a message from our contact in Konoha. It's a big one."

"Hmm?"

Dodai in his office immediately got up and took the intelligence report.

After just a quick glance, he immediately strode towards the Raikage's office.

Ever since the Third Raikage returned to the village injured a month ago, this news had caused a huge stir among the top ninja in Hidden Cloud.

The Raikage didn't let the news spread, immediately sealing it off with swift measures and staying in the Raikage Building for an entire month without going out.

Only a few people knew he was recovering from his injuries.

Bone injuries, blade wounds.

His body, which was originally as solid as armor, now had two deep scars.

"Lord Third."

After being announced, Dodai strode into the office and handed over the intelligence report. "From Konoha, someone is offering twenty-five million ryo for us to kill a newly promoted Jonin - and it requires infiltrating Konoha to complete."

"This subordinate feels there's something a bit strange about this."

Thud.

The Third Raikage dropped the barbell marked with "10T" he was holding, making a dull thud. He wiped off his sweat with a towel and said in a muffled voice, "What kind of Jonin is worth twenty-five million? Is it Hiruzen's eldest son?"

"It's a newly promoted Jonin named Sahara Mizu. This is his photo."

Hearing that name, the Third Raikage didn't react much at first.

However, when he took the photo, his pupils immediately constricted.

"Damn it!"

Almost the instant he saw the face in the photo clearly, the Third Raikage cursed out loud, his entire body's Lightning Release flickering violently as if stimulated.

"Someone is trying to screw me over!"

"Lord Third?" Dodai was still a bit confused.

"Heh." The Third Raikage didn't say much more. He casually handed the photo back, thought for a moment, and instructed, "Transfer this mission through the underground channels to the Stone Village Ninja. Remember! Lower the price a bit, and conceal some information. Just say they want his head, a worldwide pursuit!"

"Yes!"

After Dodai left, the Third Raikage muttered to himself in a low voice, "These sons of bitches in Konoha, screwing me over once wasn't enough, they want to do it again!"

"How the hell is this guy a newly promoted Jonin?"

"Whoever wants that measly money can have it. Heh, it'll be good for Onoki and the others to get a taste of that punch too."

However, what kind of mind did Onoki have?

When he saw this message, which clearly came through Hidden Cloud, and then looked at the target information that Hidden Cloud had embellished in various ways, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Newly promoted Jonin, Sahara Mizu?"

"A fifteen-year-old kid's head is worth fifteen million ryo?"

"There has to be some kind of conspiracy in this."

As for the seemingly highest-risk item, 'infiltrating Konoha,' he completely ignored it - the Hidden Stone Village didn't lack brave people willing to sacrifice, and even had an entire Explosion Release Squad. The external defenses of each ninja village were actually no different from a sieve to the ninja themselves.

After weighing it for a long time, Onoki still felt that this matter was a bit dangerous.

"Kitsuchi?"

"I'm here, Lord Tsuchikage."

"Go and transfer this mission... transfer it to Hidden Mist. Hidden Sand has invested so much on the front lines, they don't have time to infiltrate the rear."

"What about the money...?"

"You blockhead, of course keep as much as you can! The village isn't wealthy! Also, conceal some of his information and let the Hidden Mist people probe him."

"I understand, Lord Tsuchikage."

"Underground assassination order."

"Konoha's newly promoted Jonin, Sahara Mizu."

"Fifteen years old, his record for the past three years is as a clerk in the Hokage Building, in close contact with Tsunade of the Sannin, recently specially promoted to Jonin, frequently entering and exiting the Senju Clan Compound, suspected of having a special talent in the lower body."

"The bounty is five million ryo."

"But infiltrating Konoha to assassinate someone?"

"Even if it's someone with connections but not much skill, there's still some danger."

"No wonder it's an S-rank bounty."

In the Mizukage's office, the Mizukage's Secretary, who was sitting beside the desk assisting with political affairs, lowered his head and looked at the intelligence report in his hands, his brows slightly furrowed.

After thinking for a long time, the seal in his hand still didn't fall. He got up and took the intelligence to the Third Mizukage, asking in a low voice:

"Lord Mizukage, there's a five-million-ryo assassination mission here that requires entering Konoha."

However, the Third Mizukage only heard half of it before waving his hand impatiently and saying coldly, "Pick a suitable squad from a ninja clan yourself and go—!"

"No, forget it."

Just halfway through speaking, the Third Mizukage suddenly stopped and let out a low sigh.

Recently, because the head of the Hozuki Clan died during a mission, those old guys from the various ninja clans started making a fuss again at the Jonin Council, giving him a massive headache.

Furthermore, that old guy Genshi was always at odds with him, making it extremely difficult to push forward his various policies.

They even gradually developed a tense standoff between the three parties.

Because everyone was in a standoff and couldn't spare any manpower, the village had accumulated quite a backlog of missions.

"Send it to the Underground Exchange."

"Just, just send it out using that 'Underground Treachery Order' you mentioned earlier."

"We can't worry about Konoha's affairs for now."

"Yes."

It wasn't until the secretary left with the mission that the Third Mizukage, who was still troubled by political affairs, suddenly seemed to realize something. He raised his head with a frown:

"Huh?"

"What was the target's name just now?"

A short mission circulated among the four great nations within two days before finally being sent to the Underground Exchange, which had intelligence outposts spread throughout the entire ninja world.

Land of Hot Water, a hidden underground outpost.

Mr. Kakuzu, who was wrapped from head to toe in heavy clothing, arrived at his small money-collecting bank as usual to check if there were any suitable missions.

Just as he was flipping through the 'ledger' filled with names, his sharp green eyes caught sight of a mission slip.

"Hmm?"

"Sahara Mizu, fifteen years old, newly promoted Jonin."

"Confirmed to be the lover of Tsunade, one of the Sannin."

"No reliable high-level mission records or special strength intelligence. Worked in a clerical position in the Hokage Building for three years, specially promoted through connections."

"Underground Treachery Order: Bounty of one million five hundred thousand ryo."

"Mission Suggestion: Tentacles, slime, or special enthusiasts preferred."

"Publisher: Hidden Mist."

Even though Kakuzu was already a veritable old man in his sixties, seeing this mission still gave him a sense of having his eyes opened. His brows couldn't help but furrow high, and even through his clothes, you could tell his expression was very subtle.

Kakuzu first looked down at the Earth Grudge Fear wrapped around him, then looked at the suggestion on the mission record.

"Sigh."

"This unlucky young man must have offended someone!"

"But he's quite valuable."

As he spoke, the subtle expression on his face immediately disappeared. He called out loudly to the person behind the counter:

"Hey, you!"

"I'll take this one!"

Although this young man was unlucky, he wouldn't turn down money.

Killing the lover of a big shot, how hard could that be?

That was a full one million five hundred thousand ryo.

He's the one for today!

(Hiruko ↑)

(Kakuzu ↑)

Thanks to fellow readers joker蛋, 160807004011472, 20231111122158799, Eikn, 苏南溟正式在下, xunixinf空, 游弋DS, 20230512125801437, 20190519205848483, 160416194209994, 听话的女大学生, 该修不该修, 宇智波书荒, and 书书以友 for your monthly votes!!

This chapter was originally supposed to be written last night, but on the way back yesterday, I scraped someone's car. It was something the insurance company could have handled, but the other party initially wanted to settle privately for cash. However, for a Camry worth just over 200,000 with a small patch of paint scraped on the rear bumper, the other side immediately demanded 50,000 yuan, like a lunatic. Then, they called the police, and it dragged on for a long time with back and forth, delaying things for quite a while. By the time I got home, I didn't want to do anything.

It kept dragging on, and that's why it's only posted now.

I am very sorry.