Tiger Talisman (Part 1)

"Tsk! I really don't know why these ninjas from the Great Nations are running to a tiny place like the Land of Waves!"

Although Gato said he "didn't know" and spouted nonsense about "what could a poor little country possibly have," he knew exactly why the ninjas from various villages had come.

"The Talisman..."

That's right, it was the Talisman. As the "emperor" of the Land of Waves, he had used some underhanded tricks to claim it for himself the moment it appeared.

In his own words: "Everything under this sky belongs to Gato Company!"

As a merchant wealthier than any nation, did Gato need the 100 million bounty from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire? Of course he did; being rich and being greedy were two different things.

But as a super-rich man, he also possessed a certain "vanity." According to the lost property notice from Enshi Shu, there seemed to be only twelve such Talismans in the entire world. A limited-edition collectible like this was, of course, a great way to symbolize his "status and prestige"!

He could even show it off to his "business partners" later.

As for the divine power of the Talisman? Gato claimed he saw absolutely nothing... He had studied the Talisman, which featured two white tigers on its upper half, for a long time. He squeezed it, stepped on it, bit it with his teeth, and even lit incense to offer it, but it was all meaningless...

Thus, he concluded that this "magical ability" was likely just a gimmick by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire!

"Land of Waves... Is the Talisman really in a place like this...?"

A frowned. Although he didn't mean to look down on small countries, could such a poor nation really possess a family heirloom of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire?

"This is the result of us tracking the guards of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, stupid big brother, baka yarou! konoyaro!"

"Huh? You looking for a beating, brat?!"

The ones brawling the moment they entered the village were the A and Killer B duo from Kumogakure. Logically, Killer B, as a jinchuriki, shouldn't have left the village, but the duo required tacit coordination, so if A left the village, his brother had to follow.

Meanwhile, in a two-story building in the village, two pairs of eyes were watching the A and Killer B duo enter from the shadows.

"Is that... the son of the Third Raikage?"

"Hmm... and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki..."

"Looks like this trip to snatch the Talisman is going to be fun!"

The two speakers were distinct: one had long green hair, thick eyebrows, sharp teeth, his upper body wrapped in bandages, and a black tactical vest; the other was tall, nearly two and a half meters, with orange hair reaching his waist, sharp teeth, fluffy bandages around his neck, and green stripes painted on his cheeks.

That's right! These two were Raiga Kurosuki and Suikazan Fuguki of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Acting on the orders of the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, they had formed a team to seize the Talisman.

As for how they arrived in the Land of Waves? That was thanks to the Shadowkhan! Under Qian Yu's orders, the Shadowkhan had intentionally exposed their positions, leading the Kumogakure and Kirigakure squads to this small country instead of sneaking into the Shadow Kingdom.

However... it seemed an unexpected person had appeared...

The man who had already appeared at the front gate of Gato Company was Kakuzu, who had spent a fortune to buy information on the Talisman. As for how the information leaked? Let's just say an invisible hand was manipulating everything. (Qian Yu: "Earning Dimensional Points, it's not shameful.")

"Gato Company, huh...?"

As one of the most "money-loving" people in the Ninja World, Kakuzu knew of this rare tycoon.

"Lord Kakuzu, Mr. Gato invites you in."

Just as Kakuzu was standing there with a dark expression, lost in thought, the gates of Gato Company suddenly opened. Several samurai attendants walked out and invited him inside.

"You must be the famous 'Ultimate Murderer' of the underground black market—Kakuzu, right? A pleasure, a pleasure."

Facing Gato's outstretched hand, Kakuzu ignored it. He simply sat on the leather sofa and asked expressionlessly, "What do you want?"

"Lord Kakuzu can see it, right? I am very rich." Amidst Kakuzu's "So what?" gaze, Gato continued:

"I know clearly that this world is very dangerous. Being rich is far from enough; one needs power—power sufficient to protect this wealth and continue expanding outward!"

"And here, I have the money, and you have the skills. Mr. Kakuzu, why don't we cooperate?"

Gato smiled and extended his hand again, sending a team-up request to Kakuzu. His ambition was vast; having annexed the surrounding seas of the Land of Waves wasn't enough—he wanted more.

"What you say makes sense..." Kakuzu also reached out, but the moment he gripped Gato's hand, he looked up with a fierce glare:

"But why should I cooperate with you?"

As if expecting Kakuzu to refuse, Gato let go and clapped his hands. Suddenly, the screens behind him opened, and hundreds of samurai holding long swords stood ready.

"Don't speak too soon, Mr. Kakuzu. If we cooperate, wouldn't it be better to share wealth and power?"

If an ordinary person saw this display, they would have cowered instantly. But Kakuzu was no ordinary person, and Gato had underestimated the gap between a commoner and an elite jonin.

"In all my years, you are the first to dare threaten me..."

Kakuzu's tone was icy, his eyes devoid of any emotion. The next moment, the residents of the Land of Waves, as well as the special operations teams from Kumogakure and Kirigakure, witnessed the "fireworks" presented by Gato Company.

--BOOM!

The entire Gato Company building was consumed by fire from the inside out. Amidst repeated explosions, walls collapsed, load-bearing pillars snapped, and countless charred, unrecognizable corpses were blasted outward.

"Don't... don't kill me! I'll give you money! I'll give you all my money!"

Only when all his subordinates had been reduced to ashes by Kakuzu's Fire Style, and he himself was nearly swallowed by the flames, did Gato realize the gap between them. But just as he kowtowed and begged for mercy, offering all his assets, Kakuzu was calmly detaching the black threads from his arms.

"Fool! If I kill you, that money is mine anyway!"

--Swish, swish, swish!

Just as Kakuzu separated his wrists from his arms and released dense black threads, intending to shoot them at Gato and pierce his heart in one strike, Gato kowtowed several more times, his previous arrogance completely gone. "I... I can still help Lord Kakuzu make money!"

The moment the tentacle-like fist was about to hit Gato's chest, he squeezed his eyes shut in terror, his body trembling violently, even wetting himself in fear.

"Making money? Elaborate."

Kakuzu's fist, filled with black tendrils, hovered in mid-air, as if to say, "If you don't satisfy me, you're a dead man!"

"Lord Kakuzu, if I may be so bold, I fear the person with a better business mind than mine has yet to be born. I can fully utilize my influence and financial resources to intercept maritime cargo from all the surrounding island nations at a low price, and then resell it at a high profit."

Although Gato's plan was merely to act as a simple "middleman," his influence was indeed immense, and he was the only one who could so casually speak of "intercepting cargo from surrounding island nations."

"Very well... you have convinced me..."

"But... before that, you had best know what the consequences of betraying me will be!"