"Tobi."
"I'm here, Lord Madara!"
Tobi, the White Zetsu with the spiral face, rose out of the ground nearby, his tone exaggerated.
"Have you confirmed what Obito's next move will be?" Uchiha Madara asked.
"He should be heading this way within the next couple of days. But, Lord Madara, that Yellow Flash's sensory abilities are so strong that I don't dare get too close to investigate."
Tobi spread his hands.
"Minato Namikaze..." Uchiha Madara murmured, his gaze flickering as he repeated the name.
What a troublesome man.
Even he, who had eyes only for Hashirama, had to admit that Minato Namikaze was an exceptionally difficult young man to deal with.
He came from a civilian background, yet possessed a vast amount of Chakra rarely seen even among the Senju and Uzumaki clans. On top of that, he had powerful Sensory Ninjutsu, and...
The Flying Thunder God Technique of that sinister little man, Senju Tobirama!
That bastard had been dead for years, yet the Ninjutsu he'd left behind was still causing him trouble.
To manipulate Uchiha Obito, he had to lure Minato Namikaze away—and make sure he couldn't easily rush back to help, even with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Uchiha Madara thought for a moment, then said, "All right. Tobi, go to the Konoha front and eliminate the guards at a few outposts. Tear a few holes in Konoha's defenses."
He needed to turn up the heat on Konoha!
The more dire things became for Konoha, the less Minato Namikaze could afford to watch over his own student.
"Yes, Lord Madara!"
Tobi gave an exaggerated bow, then pleaded, "Lord Madara, if I complete this mission, could you find a way to give me an organ for pooping?"
He'd always wanted to know what it felt like to poop.
"...Get lost!" Uchiha Madara's face darkened.
Tobi was one of the rare White Zetsu with considerable strength. He could handle even an Elite Jonin.
But he'd probably traded his brains for that strength.
After Tobi was chased away, White Zetsu A asked cautiously from nearby, "By the way, Lord Madara, why are you so focused on Uchiha Obito? I feel like Uchiha Aoya has more potential."
He'd chatted with White Zetsu from other areas before.
Uchiha Obito still hadn't awakened his Sharingan, and spent all day acting like a lovesick fool, thinking about that girl named Nohara Rin.
And he didn't seem all that bright, either... He might have a lot in common with Tobi.
Uchiha Madara closed his eyes and said casually,
"The smarter an Uchiha is, and the more he schemes, the harder he is to manipulate."
"By comparison, that boy Obito has an advantage in that regard."
"Besides, as long as he awakens the Mangekyo, it won't matter if he's a little stupid. With Hashirama Cells, he'll be able to handle most people in the Shinobi World."
"Uchiha Aoya, on the other hand, would be much harder to manipulate."
Underground Bounty Brokerage.
Aoya wore a black hooded robe and a mask, covering himself from head to toe. He'd even deliberately altered his voice.
"Move faster!" Aoya snapped.
"Yes, yes, it'll be done in a moment!"
The worker wiped his sweat and followed the procedure to verify Aoya's identity and register the kill. The bounty ledger confirmed that the Explosion Release user Gari, worth fifty million ryo, had been hunted down.
He'd encountered a bounty this large only a handful of times in his life.
Who was this Mysterious Man?
He'd shown up without a word, concealing his identity, and dropped off a corpse worth fifty million ryo!
Could he be Kakuzu, the immortal who often appeared at Underground Bounty Brokerages across the land?
But no one had ever said Kakuzu concealed his identity.
After taking the body, the worker smiled nervously and asked, "Your identity has been confirmed, sir. How would you like to receive your payment? All in cash?"
"Twenty million ryo in cash. Put the rest in my black-market account."
Aoya then gave the account name and confirmed the password.
The worker hurriedly checked the details. The account, under the name Enma, had a little over a million ryo remaining, along with a record of its deposits and withdrawals.
The previous deposit had also been a bounty.
The target had been one of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Raiga Kurosuki!
But judging by the date, that had been more than a year and a half ago.
This man really did either nothing at all or take down famous Elite Jonin of the Shinobi World, like Raiga Kurosuki and Gari!
"So you're Lord Enma!"
The worker glanced at Aoya's account name and addressed him respectfully.
"Stop talking and hurry up. Record the payment and get me the cash!" Aoya snapped, growing more impatient.
Uchiha Madara, an old hand of the Shinobi World, had his eye on him now!
And he was at an Underground Bounty Brokerage. If he stayed too long, what if he ran into another old hand of the Shinobi World with five lives?
Before long, a case containing twenty million ryo was brought out, and the rest was credited to Aoya's black-market account.
He didn't bother counting the money. Aoya picked up the case and left.
The Underground Bounty Brokerage had been around for who knew how many years. Its reputation for handling money was trustworthy.
After leaving, Aoya carefully avoided every inhabited area and ran hundreds of miles before finally stopping in a forest.
"Quit hiding and come out."
"You've been following me for ages. Aren't you tired?"
The forest was silent.
After testing for a while and confirming no one was following him, Aoya immediately formed Hand Seals and performed the Summoning Technique.
Poof!
"Meow—"
A small black cat with glossy fur sprang out of the white smoke.
"Nine Lives, your master's survived another three months." Aoya vigorously ruffled the cat's head.
This was the Ninja Cat Aoya had contracted with Cat Granny after graduating from the Ninja Academy, following arrangements made by his clan.
He'd named it Nine Lives, hoping that he'd have nine lives like a cat on the battlefield and survive no matter how recklessly he acted.
But despite being a Ninja Cat, Nine Lives had practically no combat ability.
Aoya hadn't chosen Nine Lives for its strength. He'd picked it because it had some talent for space-time techniques and could use the Reverse Summoning Technique!
That way, if he ran into danger on the battlefield, he might be able to escape with Reverse Summoning!
But in more than two years on the battlefield, it had hardly been useful.
If his opponent was someone he could beat, he didn't need to summon Nine Lives to escape.
If his opponent was someone he couldn't beat, he'd usually be killed in a single exchange, and summoning Nine Lives would be pointless.
Now that Uchiha Madara had his eye on him, having Nine Lives around might actually save his life with the Reverse Summoning Technique when the time came.
"Let's not waste time. Take this case of money back first." Aoya handed over the case.
Nine Lives could take the money home and end the Summoning Technique. Once Aoya returned to the Konoha camp, he could summon Nine Lives again and have it bring the money to him.
That way, no one could rob him on the way back.
After sending Nine Lives home, Aoya didn't rush back to the Konoha camp. Instead, he found a nearby town and stayed there for two days.
Until the final afternoon.
Remaining repayment period for Three-Tomoe Sharingan Chakra Loan: 10 hours.
"Now I can go back."
Satisfied, Aoya set off for the camp.
What a struggle!
He'd finally made it through the three-month repayment period.
Twenty million ryo was enough to buy ten thousand Explosive Tags, and he still had another thirty million ryo in his black-market account for emergencies.
And with the repayment period about to end, the old loan would be paid off, and he'd finally be able to borrow again.
The shadow of the coming war that had hung over Aoya finally began to lift.
After more than an hour on the road, he finally reached the Konoha camp. As he entered, he spotted his own tent in the distance. Suddenly, a boy wearing goggles sprang out.
"Uchiha Aoya, I challenge you!" Uchiha Obito declared fiercely.
Before you continue