This Ninja God Could Sit Upon the Six Paths Throne-Why Couldn't I? (Please Follow, Monthly Tickets)

Outside the shop.

"Was it a coincidence?"

Uchiha Ao rubbed his trousers and gazed thoughtfully at the Dancer Hall, still ablaze with lights and activity.

"But her hair..."

At first, he hadn't paid much attention while investigating.

After all, there were so many hair colors in this world. The Land of Lightning wasn't the only place with blond women. Konoha alone had enough different hair colors to make a rainbow.

If this woman really was Minato Namikaze's mother...

Then this was a place he might want to visit every now and then.

After all, in a Shinobi World that prized bloodlines above all else, there was a genius who could become Hokage through talent alone.

No matter how he looked at it, something didn't add up...

Whether it was this woman or the man she would marry in the future, neither of them was likely to be ordinary!

Most importantly, the child they had would be the father of the future protagonist of the world—Naruto Uzumaki!

After all, Naruto Uzumaki was the reincarnation of Ashura Otsutsuki, the second son of the Sage of Six Paths.

All these years, the Sage of Six Paths had never died. He had remained in the cycle of reincarnation as a soul, watching over this world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the one true god of the entire Naruto world.

Thinking back to all the absurd things Zeus had done in Olympus Mythology, the two seemed to have something in common.

"Things are starting to get interesting..."

Uchiha Ao chuckled, then headed to the place the woman had pointed out.

Of course, these were all just guesses. And even if such things were really going on, he was still a nobody who couldn't interfere.

But just because he couldn't do it now didn't mean he never would! If he was strong enough by then, perhaps he could gain something from it—or even quietly set a plan in motion.

When all was said and done, his soul was still Huaxia-born!

The beliefs he had truly embraced were always those of Huaxia!

Do kings and generals have some special bloodline?

"The god of this Shinobi World, the Sage of Six Paths, could do it. Why can't I, You Sou?!"

As he pondered, Uchiha Ao arrived at the Underground Exchange.

He didn't reveal his Konoha identity. Instead, he wore casual sportswear he'd bought in town and used the Transformation Jutsu to take on the ordinary face of someone you could find anywhere in the city.

The guard simply checked that he was a Ninja, then let him in.

The Exchange's corridor was long, and both walls were lined with square compartments for corpses. A faint stench seeped from them, making him feel a little queasy.

Enduring the stench, strong enough to knock someone out, Uchiha Ao finally met the owner of the Exchange.

"Welcome. Are you here to turn in a corpse or collect a bounty?"

The person who greeted him also wore a high-collared coat. Unlike Nibi Ge, though, this Exchange's owner was a woman whose face was covered in tattoos.

Uchiha Ao covered his nose lightly with one hand and spoke deliberately in a hoarse voice. "I'd like to check the bounty on Danzo of Konoha."

The decisive battle with Danzo was drawing closer. If he "accidentally" killed Danzo when the time came, perhaps he could even exchange his corpse for a bounty.

Of course, a major Ninja village wouldn't easily allow a corpse to end up outside the village. But what if Tobirama happened to need to take a leak that day...

There was no harm in keeping the possibility in mind.

His main reason for coming was actually to check the bounty prices for Cloud Village Ninjas. Asking about Danzo's bounty was just a way to throw them off and conceal his identity.

After all, the war was imminent, and those Cloud Village corpses were the real piles of silver taels. He desperately needed money. The Ration Pills he had to buy every day were already a considerable expense.

At this, the woman raised an eyebrow and gave Uchiha Ao a long, penetrating look.

After all, there weren't many Ninjas these days who dared to target a major village.

This guy was either genuinely strong or crazy!

She was inclined to believe the latter, but out of respect for her customer, she brought out a book and personally turned to the page for "Danzo."

At the top of the page was Danzo's stony face. Below it were several lines in bold:

Danzo

Konoha Jonin

One of Tobirama Senju's elite guard. Cold, cunning, and ruthless.

Bounty: 50 million

"This bastard's worth quite a bit."

Uchiha Ao pursed his lips, then flipped through the pages for the other members of Tobirama's elite guard.

To his surprise, Brother Jing's bounty was five million higher than Hiruzen's—a staggering 95 million.

Hiruzen's status and strength went well beyond that of an Elite Jonin. Anyone with the right sources knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was a super-Jonin being groomed to become the next Hokage.

But after thinking it over, Ao understood.

Brother Jing was, after all, a member of the Uchiha Clan. The research value of those eyes alone was beyond measure in monetary terms.

Then Uchiha Ao asked for the book listing all the Ninjas from Kumogakure. He gave it an apparently casual look and found that the prices for Ninjas from the two villages were about the same. Ordinary Jonin were worth at least ten million silver taels, while famous Jonin went for about as much as Danzo and the others.

As for Kinkaku Ginkaku, their bounties were terrifying: 100 million silver taels each, or 300 million if both were turned in together. But he didn't think he had any chance of getting them.

"That's all for now. I'll come back once I've got something."

Uchiha Ao casually closed the book and turned to leave. If he stayed any longer, he felt the dreadful stench would cling to him for good.

The Exchange's owner shrugged, assuming he was just another small-village Ninja who'd reached beyond his grasp. Still, she offered a polite farewell.

"I'll look forward to your good news."

Three days later, Konoha Ninja Academy's training ground.

"Ha! Ha!"

Might Duy threw small punches in a steady rhythm in a corner of the training ground.

During the time Uchiha Ao had been away, he hadn't slacked off. He'd stuck to the training plan Ao had made for him and practiced the tricks of the Substitution Technique, diligently honing his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.

After his punches, he began walking on his hands. His small body seemed to hold an endless supply of strength and energy.

This level of Taijutsu training had long since become as easy as eating or drinking for him, so his thoughts sometimes wandered to other things.

"I wonder when Brother Sou will be back.

I'm almost done learning the Substitution Technique. I want to learn Fire Release..."

He wasn't worried about Sou's safety at all. In his mind, Sou was one of the strongest people in the village.

How could a mere mission possibly threaten Brother Sou?!

Remembering the bold promise he'd made to Sou, he suddenly began to reflect on himself!

"No, no, no, Might Duy!

You have to keep your feet on the ground. You can't keep saying this is almost done and that is almost done!

Then, when it comes to real combat, you're still far from ready!

I promised Brother Sou I'd master the Substitution Technique before he came back, so I have to master it completely. Only then will I truly be worthy of learning his Fire Release!"

At the thought, it was as if Might Duy had injected himself with a shot of adrenaline!

Shouting, "Youth!" he raced around the training ground on his hands!

He'd charged several hundred meters around the training ground when a few figures suddenly appeared in his path. He tried to go around them, but they kept following him.

Then one of them lifted a leg and kicked Might Duy hard, snarling:

"You stink of sweat. Get lost! You useless, bushy-browed freak who can't even use Ninjutsu!"