Chakra Metal

It went without saying that if mercenaries became heads of state, nothing good would come of it.

Giving them power would be a waste of resources. Ninja were still a high-income group. Even the lowest-tier D-rank missions paid five thousand ryo, and they were so simple that ordinary people could handle them—finding cats and clearing garbage.

If they refused to give them power, the Daimyo and those nobles would have to live in fear. If a Tailed Beast Bomb came flying in while they were asleep, they might die without even knowing how.

When Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju fought, the ground probably shook violently for hundreds of kilometers around them. It would have been strange if ordinary people weren't afraid.

Since arriving in the Ninja World, Uchiha Yoichi had never worried about money. With enough strength, how could he fail to find money wherever he went? After wandering around the Land of Fire for a while, he could only say that security in most parts of the Land of Fire was pretty good.

The guards hired by some nobles and merchants were merely samurai who couldn't use Chakra. If Uchiha Yoichi wanted to "borrow" some money from them, it would have been effortless.

How many bad things had Danzo done? Had anyone ever punished him? It was all because of the benefits that came with holding a high position. Those who wanted to report him might already have been sent underground.

"Old Man, that Uchiha brat still hasn't come back?"

With a bang, the door to the Hokage's Office was kicked open. Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't even had time to put away the crystal ball and could only cover it with a cloth first.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then said to Tsunade with an unpleasant expression, "Tsunade, could you knock before coming in next time? I'm getting old too. Being startled by you like that makes my chest feel uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about those unimportant things. How did the investigation I asked you to conduct last time go?"

Tsunade said indifferently. Her Hokage teacher could live much longer than other people—at least into his sixties or seventies.

"Two Anbu squads are investigating, but the Barrier Team has no record of detecting anything. There weren't many spies capable of infiltrating Konoha to begin with. After the Anbu and Security Force uncovered two recently, there haven't been any others."

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly put away the crystal ball wrapped in cloth. Then he picked up his pipe, lit it, took a puff, and continued.

"As for Uchiha Yoichi, he hasn't returned yet. However, he has completed the B-rank Mission assigned to him. He should be wandering around outside the village now."

"Tsk!"

Tsunade clicked her tongue unhappily when she heard that.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Tsunade, you said he could use Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but I haven't found any information about it yet. The only thing I can confirm is that, five months ago, Uchiha Yoichi was on a mission where everyone on his team except him was killed by the Cloud Ninja."

"That should have been his only chance to come into contact with the Cloud Ninja. However, the Anbu later used information provided by Uchiha Yoichi to uncover an important move by the Cloud Ninja. Where did you get your information?"

Tsunade tilted her head and said, "Don't worry about that. My information is absolutely accurate. I couldn't possibly lie to you."

Was she supposed to tell him that she had turned into a wild boar and seen it when Uchiha Yoichi had nearly killed her?

Setting aside whether Hiruzen Sarutobi would believe her, it was too embarrassing to say out loud. She would never tell him, even if she died.

"But the Anbu questioned all of his surviving teammates in detail, and none of them had ever seen him use Lightning Release Ninjutsu. The leading Jonin who led him when he graduated from the Ninja Academy also said that Uchiha Yoichi only possessed Fire Release."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already had the Anbu investigate as thoroughly as possible, but the information they uncovered showed that Uchiha Yoichi was completely normal, with no signs of being a spy. His One Tomoe Sharingan also proved that he was a standard member of the Uchiha Clan.

Allowing the rumors to spread and advising against forming a team with him was already the limit of what the Uchiha Clan could accept.

If they investigated any more aggressively, the Uchiha Clan would probably become dissatisfied as well.

"Tsunade, have you ever considered taking students? There are quite a few talented students in the Ninja Academy. Sakumo's son, for example, already has the strength of a Chunin."

"Forget it, Old Man. I won't be staying in Konoha much longer."

Tsunade interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi before he could finish.

Ever since she had seen Dan Katō die last time, Tsunade had realized that she had begun to fear blood. Now she couldn't even perform surgery, so what was the point of taking students?

If she accepted students, she could neither take them on missions nor teach them Medical Ninjutsu properly. What would be the point of having students like her?

"If the Anbu has any manpower to spare, lend them to me and have them investigate what I told you. That matter is important."

After saying that, Tsunade turned and left. If she stayed any longer, the Old Man would start nagging her about taking students again.

"Why can none of them ever learn to close the door?"

Seeing Tsunade leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly put down his pipe and closed the door. He then took out the crystal ball and once again performed the Telescope Technique.

However, when he looked at the scene displayed in the crystal ball again, he immediately sighed. "Sigh, why is he already finished washing?"

"You did well. Here's your payment."

The person in charge of the Underground Money Exchange in Kawatake County, Land of Fire, took out a stack of money and handed it to Uchiha Yoichi. He then continued, "Are you taking any more bounties? There have been quite a few assassination and sabotage missions recently. If you dare to accept missions against the Land of Fire and Konoha, the payment will be ten times higher!"

"Forget it. Is Konoha really that easy to provoke? Aren't you afraid this place will be wiped out?"

"What do I have to fear? This is only one base. If someone takes a mission, I'll return to the Land of Grass regardless of whether they succeed or fail. Once it's completed, they can go to the Land of Grass to collect the payment. Would Konoha's ninja really dare to launch a large-scale invasion of the Land of Grass?"

The person in charge of the Bounty Office spoke without a care. How much could one base cost? He could earn it all back from the commission on a single bounty mission.

"The employer really went all out this time. If you kill even one of those several ministers in the Land of Fire, you'll earn at least tens of millions of ryo. How about it? Want to give it a try?"

Uchiha Yoichi shook his head. "Stop joking. With my level of strength, getting involved would mean death. You should look for some more famous Bounty Hunters. Besides, I've done enough missions already. What about the Chakra Metal you promised me last time?"

"How could someone who completed three A-rank bounty missions in a row be weak? You can't fool me."

Seeing that Uchiha Yoichi remained unmoved, the person in charge of the Bounty Office sighed. "Forget it. Since you're not interested, let's trade. Have you gathered enough money?"

Uchiha Yoichi took out a scroll. After undoing the seal, several million ryo appeared from within.

This was the money he had saved from the three bounty missions. Of course, most of it hadn't come from the rewards, but from additional income gained during the missions.

After all, the assassination targets had all been able to hire ninja for protection. Anyone capable of hiring ninja naturally had considerable wealth.

"You're getting a bargain. If you want to take bounties in the future, remember to come back to me. I treat you better than the others."

The person in charge of the Bounty Office glanced at the money on the ground. After confirming that everything was in order, he handed Uchiha Yoichi the box he had taken from the safe.

Chakra Metal was of little use to other people, but to ninja, it was practically like adding wings to a tiger.

It could be forged into sharper ninja tools that adapted to the flow of Chakra. In an online game, it would be equipment that let one fight above their level. In close combat, Chakra Metal Weapon was definitely ten times stronger than an ordinary Kunai.

However, because it was rare, and because every ninja village was collecting it, very little Chakra Metal circulated.

Uchiha Yoichi had learned that this man possessed Chakra Metal, which was why he had helped him complete several A-rank bounty missions.

Please vote!