Although Zabuza was full of doubts about Uchiha Itachi's actions, he had just joined Konoha and Uchiha Itachi was his recommender, so he naturally wouldn't easily go against Uchiha Itachi's wishes or offend him.
Zabuza decided to take immediate action, but just as he was about to put it into practice, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his way.
The figure was Dazuna, who had just returned to his hometown. Dazuna looked at Zabuza and said, "The villagers are afraid of you, so let me handle this matter."
Dazuna not only the village's bridge expert, but also a representative of the villagers, enjoying a very high reputation and prestige. Having him handle things would indeed avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings.
Zabuza his gaze to Uchiha Itachi, seemingly seeking his opinion. Uchiha Itachi nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Dazuna's suggestion, and said to Zabuza, "In that case, I'll trouble Mr. Dazuna to gather the villagers. Also, Zabuza, you must ensure Mr. Dazuna's safety."
Upon Zabuza the new instructions, Zabuza nodded without hesitation. He then followed closely behind Dazuna, maintaining a safe distance while vigilantly observing the surroundings, not missing a single peep.
In reality, Dazuna secretly thought that now that they had safely returned to the Land of Waves, even if Gato was arrogant and domineering, he would definitely not dare to commit murder in public.
However, reality dealt him a harsh blow, making him realize that Gato's arrogance far exceeded his expectations.
The moment Dazuna stepped into the village, before he had even gone a hundred meters, a short old man suddenly appeared in front of them like a ghost.
The old man had a smile on his face and looked very kind, but Dazuna could feel a deep chill in his smile.
The old man smiled and looked at Dazuna and Zabuza, saying, "Oh, isn't this the Daimyo Zabuza- sensei? You've really worked hard! I never expected you to be so capable, managing to capture Dazuna- sensei alive despite being surrounded by Konoha Ninja!"
Before he finished speaking, Gato waved to the people behind him to bring up a box.
When the box was opened, it contained a staggering ten billion taels of silver notes! This enormous wealth caused everyone present to turn their heads in astonishment.
Zabuza this, Dazuna's heart stirred slightly. He quickly glanced at Dazuna, who nodded slightly in acquiescence. After all, this money was offered to him by the enemy; why not take it?
Zabuza and nodded. Then, he quickly used Ninjutsu to create a clone and left it next to Dazuna, just in case.
However, upon witnessing this scene, Gato couldn't help but frown. He cursed inwardly, "What a greedy bastard! Ten billion taels of silver is far too much!"
Although Gato was wary of Zabuza's immense strength, deep down he felt contempt and disdain for him.
In his eyes, Zabuza than a rogue ninja who ran around for money and had no dignity whatsoever.
To some extent, he was a complete snob, not only willingly acting as a lackey of capitalists and politicians, but also showing no resentment or even a murmur about being cheated out of his wages.
Gato initially thought it was just a joke, but after seeing it with his own eyes today, he realized it was indeed true!
His gaze revealed undisguised contempt and mockery, as if he were laughing at the other person's incompetence and stupidity.
He thought to himself, "You think you're so great just because you're good at fighting? What good is it if you're really that good? In this world, if you want to get ahead, you can't just rely on your fists; you also need influence and connections!"
Just then, a surge of malice welled up in Gato's heart.
He suddenly realized that he had never truly bullied a ninja. And according to other merchants, Zabuza was a pushover, completely easy to bully. In that case, why not...
Just as Zabuza lift the box, Gato suddenly took off his shoes without warning, and then, barefoot, stepped without hesitation onto the silver notes in the box in front of Zabuza.
His movements were so fast that Zabuza even have time to react. Gato's foot landed firmly on the silver notes, as if they were worthless to him.
"Zabuza," Gato said slowly, his tone revealing an annoying smugness, "I think 1 billion is indeed a bit too much. After all, with your ninja skills, capturing an ordinary person should be a piece of cake!"
His words were full of disdain for Zabuza's abilities, as if he didn't Zabuza, this ninja, seriously at all.
Then, Gato's lips curled into a sly smile as he continued, "So, I've decided that you can only take half of this box." He then deliberately wiggled his foot inside the box, as if to Zabuza.
Gato's businessman nature was on full display at this moment. He was clearly trying to reduce Zabuza's pay in order to gain more profit. Moreover, he didn't seem worried at all that Zabuza would be enraged by his actions.
After all, according to what he'd heard from his colleagues, Momochi Zabuza was a rather weak man. Capitalists often did this kind of thing, and nothing ever ever went wrong.
Therefore, Gato couldn't resist the urge to play and wanted to see how Zabuza would react.
However, unexpectedly, Gato seemed to have completely forgotten a crucial fact—in this world, ninjas are the true rulers!
Although Gato's colleagues had insulted Zabuza in similar ways before, they would never have dared to be as brazen as Gato!
To everyone's astonishment, Gato didn't hesitate to take off his shoes and stomp his stinking feet directly onto the ninjas' reward!
This behavior is utterly despicable, completely disregarding the dignity and hard work of the ninjas.
At this Zabuza, Zabuza's face had become extremely ugly, as if he were engulfed by an uncontrollable rage.
His eyes, like those of a demon crawling out of hell, revealed a chilling murderous intent.
A powerful and ferocious blue Chakra surged wildly within his body like a raging wave.
"Gato, you're courting death!" Zabuza roared, his voice exploding in the air like thunder. Before he finished speaking, he suddenly stretched out a hand and gripped Gato's neck tightly like an iron clamp.
In an instant, Gato felt an intense suffocating sensation gripping his chest, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. His face turned deathly pale, and his eyes stared at Zabuza in terror, as if he had witnessed the arrival of Death God.
Gato was filled with fear and confusion. This was completely different from what he had heard! Wasn't Zabuza be a coward? Wasn't he supposed to never fight back when exploited? How could he suddenly become so ferocious?
"Damn rumors!" Gato cursed inwardly, but he had no time to care. He could only watch Zabuza's eyes showed despair and pleading, hoping to escape this calamity.
Zabuza scoffed inwardly. He might have tolerated it before, but now that he'd joined Konoha, there were plenty of missions to come. Why would he care about such a paltry sum?
Who the hell are you looking down on?! Look me in the eyes, tell me why?
Zabuza's title is "Ghost God." Don't forget there's a rule in the Ninja World: there are no wrong titles, only wrong names!
Zabuza's strength is undeniably formidable, earning him the title of Ghost God!
The samurai on the side could no longer sit still. They drew their long swords and roared as Zabuza at Zabuza. Zabuza swung his sword with his left hand, and in one strike, 20 samurai were cut in half at the waist.
This not only frightened the samurai so much that they retreated, but it also scared Gato he wet himself. A foul stench wafted over, causing Zabuza to frown.
He was now filled with Gato intent, and was about to unleash his power when Uchiha Itachi appeared. His expression changed. "Please, Zabuza, spare his life!"
Zabuza hearing Uchiha Itachi's voice, Zabuza released his grip and placed Gato on the ground. Gato immediately began to gasp for breath.
At the same time, Gato's eyes were filled with fervor and emotion as he looked at Uchiha Itachi and shouted, "You're a ninja, right! Kill Zabuza for me! I heard he's your brother, how about I give you 10 billion! As long as you kill Zabuza, I'll give you 10 billion!"
Boom!
Upon hearing this, Zabuza was stunned. He looked warily at Uchiha Itachi Uchiha Itachi was also stunned. 10 billion! Holy crap! A rip-off?!
Hatake Sakumo contracted. Ten billion yen less! One-fifth of the Land of Earth treasury back then?
This is beyond their ability to handle! The most urgent task is to report this to the Lord Hokage! At the same time, they must stop Uchiha Itachi and prevent him from making a move!
At that moment, Hatake Sakumo used Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Uchiha Itachi, a flash of light appearing! His eyes were serious as he looked at Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi nodded, then gave Zabuza, Uchiha Rou, the two children, Sasuke Uchiha, and Uzumaki Karin a look.
Then he looked at all the samurai present, and they immediately felt a chill run down their spines.