High-Priced Puppets

Besides, his Water Bat No. 7 had virtually nothing but advantages, aside from its toxicity not being potent enough.

More importantly, this highly effective venom also had a fairly high output.

No wonder this bald merchant ninja was so enthusiastic. There was simply too much profit in it.

"Fish, if you went into business, I'm afraid we'd all be out of work."

Though the bald merchant ninja teased him verbally, he remained as enthusiastic as ever. He was even more delighted inside. Another small profit was within reach. DDT No. 7 was highly toxic and relatively pure. Once he bought it back, he could secretly work it over and dilute it with some water. The extra portion would go straight into his own pocket.

That was practically the same as collecting two salaries.

Wasn't the whole point of coming to work on this dangerous front line to make money?

Whoever helped him make money was the boss.

Once he had saved enough money, paid off his gambling debt, found a chance to leave this place, redeemed that house at the Daimyo's Mansion, and used the ninja connections he had built on the front line to start some business, he would surely rise again.

He did not want to stay on this front line for even one more day. It was simply too dangerous.

Even though he had hired quite a few Merchant Ninjas from Hongzhou as guards, how could Merchant Ninjas from those minor ninja villages compare to the Sand ninjas of the Land of Wind?

He was merely an ordinary man who had refined chakra. His strength was not even on par with a Genin, and he could not even outrun others when fleeing. If his gambling debt had not driven him into a corner, and if this place did not make money so quickly, he truly would not have wanted to come to the front line.

"Kūen-zō, I brought 1,500 milliliters of DDT No. 7 this time. If you price my spoils of war too low, I'll have no choice but to go elsewhere."

Umino Sasuke patted the Sealing Scrolls, his words full of threat.

"So much this time?"

Upon hearing that, the bald merchant ninja Kūen-zō was naturally overjoyed. The output had actually doubled this time. That was quite an increase. It seemed this Sarutobi Jonin was short on money and preparing for a major purchase. That meant he could make another profit on the side.

"Mm." Umino Sasuke nodded. He had deliberately kept the sales volume of Water Bat No. 7 under control. It was not some hunger marketing tactic, nor was he waiting for a higher price. He simply feared that selling too much would cause significant casualties among the Sand ninjas and draw their attention to this poison.

Once the Sand ninjas took notice, with their experience in making poisons and antidotes, they would probably develop a corresponding Antidote Serum in no time.

Once it was cracked, his Water Bat No. 7 would be no different from ordinary poison. It might even be worse than ordinary venom. At the very least, its seemingly decent output would immediately fail to keep up with ordinary poisons, making widespread use impossible.

That would mean losing a stable source of income. One had to think long-term, unless one urgently needed money right away.

"Fish, I'll give you a quote for your spoils of war now. But you didn't bring another pile of junk to mess with me this time, did you?"

Kūen-zō had never been particularly interested in Umino Sasuke's subsequent spoils of war. He specialized in serving high-end clients. Taking in the broken scraps of ordinary Sand ninjas did nothing but lower his standards and tarnish his status.

A Jonin of the mighty Sarutobi Clan personally selling this pile of scrap metal—was he not afraid of becoming a joke?

Still, forget it. This Sarutobi Jonin seemed fairly protective of his subordinates. These scraps were probably the spoils of war his subordinates had painstakingly gathered. As their superior, he was willing to help them dispose of the goods. It seemed he had earned their trust.

"Kūen-zō, don't misunderstand. These are mainly my spoils of war this time."

Umino Sasuke took out a Sealing Scrolls and weighed it in his hand.

"Oh? Yours?" Upon hearing this, the bald merchant ninja Kūen-zō's eyes immediately lit up, and he looked like a man consumed by greed.

The spoils of war a Konoha Jonin brought in for trade were generally scarce goods, often worth a fortune.

Rubbing his hands together, Kūen-zō said with a fawning smile, "Fish, with your strength, you surely won't disappoint me, will you?"

"Of course!"

Umino Sasuke put on an arrogant pose and slowly undid the Sealing Scrolls.

Bang.

A huge pile of broken Puppets, along with several custom-made bladed weapons from Sunagakure, appeared before them.

Then Umino Sasuke removed the longsword from his waist and casually tossed it into the pile of Puppets. After that, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Kūen-zō with an utterly arrogant air.

"Sunagakure Puppets—and one of them is a Special Jonin-level Puppet."

As though caressing a young girl's skin, Kūen-zō ran his hands over the Puppets and parts. At times he was delighted; at others, regretful. His attitude toward Umino Sasuke became even more respectful.

He knew perfectly well just how powerful an entire squad of Sand ninja Puppet Masters could be.

That Special Jonin Puppet Master alone possessed actual combat strength no weaker than an ordinary Jonin. Together with two Chunin Puppet Masters, even an Elite Jonin might not necessarily be able to take them down easily without suffering injuries.

Yet this Sarutobi Jonin had wiped out an entire Puppet Master squad without suffering a scratch. Even if he was not an Elite Jonin, he could not be far from one.

Furthermore, these Puppets had been shattered so thoroughly. They had likely been smashed apart by Advanced Ninjutsu to end up in such a state.

The Sarutobi Clan truly deserved its reputation as Konoha's great clan of ninjutsu masters. They were indeed formidable.

This man came from the Sarutobi Clan and possessed such strength. He would certainly secure a place in Konoha in the future. If Kūen-zō befriended him now and built some rapport, would that not be the network of connections he had always dreamed of? When the time came for him to rise again, would it not take just a word from this man?

"My lord—"

Kūen-zō grew even more obsequious.

Though Umino Sasuke did not see through Kūen-zō's thoughts, he could roughly guess them. He lifted his foot and flicked the ninja blade from the pile of Puppets into Kūen-zō's arms.

"Name a price. I'm in a hurry."

Kūen-zō could also tell that this Sarutobi Jonin had no interest in having much to do with him. Though disappointed, he did not dare show the slightest negligence.

"A standard-issue Jonin ninja blade from Sunagakure!"

Kūen-zō was experienced and sharp-eyed. He immediately recognized where the blade came from. Capturing such a ninja blade meant that a Sand Hidden Jonin had been killed.

Together with the entire squad of Puppet Masters, enemies of that caliber would likely be difficult even for an Elite Jonin to face.

Yet the Sarutobi Jonin before him had killed them all and seized all their weapons. He had to be an Elite Jonin without a doubt.

It seemed he had underestimated this man before. The truly valuable things had not been brought out for trade at all.

This time, he would give a little more profit away, both to squeeze out those hidden treasures and to establish some rapport first. He could proceed slowly afterward.

"My lord, I happen to have a batch of the contraband you mentioned last time. Do you still need it?"

"Kūen-zō, you haven't been honest. But forget it. Since you can get it for me, I'll let the matter pass. However, there won't be a next time."

Umino Sasuke waved a hand, indicating that he would not hold a petty man's mistake against him or pursue the matter of the previous concealment. In truth, however, he was ecstatic. At last, he could conduct real scientific experiments.