The Devil's Bargain

As Nichiyo and the others rushed onto the shore.

The battle at the port had already come to an end.

Over a dozen cargo ships were wrecked, and nearly thirty Anbu ninjas from Kirigakure lay dead, all decapitated and slaughtered on the spot.

Every single one of them had been killed in a single strike.

There wasn't the slightest error; it was precise to the extreme!

They were like thirty chicks with their feet bound, left to be butchered at will.

And these were ninjas!

The very Anbu ninjas of Kirigakure who struck fear into the hearts of all.

How could they have died so cleanly?

Just looking at this chaotic, bloody scene made one's heart tremble and scalp tingle involuntarily.

Swish--

Natsume flicked the blood off his Chakra Blade.

Only then did he hurriedly take off his shoes, which were currently smoking.

His speed just now had been too fast!

The immense friction between the soles and the deck had generated so much heat that his soles were nearly scorched through.

He had to take them off immediately...

It seemed he would have to find time to buy a better pair of heat-resistant shoes in the future.

Otherwise, burning a pair of shoes every time he used Setsuna wasn't exactly cost-effective!

Soon, after taking a new pair of shoes from his Space Scroll and putting them on, Natsume walked over to Nichiyo and the others.

"What are you looking at? Is there blood on me?"

"N-no, nothing."

Gin swallowed hard, shivering as he spoke.

Compared to the Young Clan Head, his own performance when he wiped out that base in the Land of Waves felt truly pathetic...

Look at him; he killed so many formidable Anbu ninjas, yet not a single drop of blood touched his clothes.

It was simply too brutal!

"Alright, stop standing there like idiots. Go check if there are any survivors."

"While you're at it, see if they have anything valuable on them and loot it all."

"This... Young Clan Head, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Nichiyo asked hesitantly.

Most of the Uchiha Clan were proud by nature. They were quite resistant to the idea of looting corpses.

"Pedantic!"

"For every ten ryo you scavenge, the children in the village can go one less day hungry and have one more full meal!"

"Isn't that worth it?"

"You have to remember, even a fly has meat on it!"

Natsume exhorted them earnestly.

Only those who have truly known hunger understand how painful it is.

Besides, he was the one who killed them.

Even if it was looting corpses, it was money earned by his own ability.

What was the problem?

Nichiyo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Indeed, compared to the children of their own clan, looting corpses wasn't such an unspeakable act after all.

Soon, Nichiyo and Gin quickly dispersed.

While checking for any stragglers, they happily began looting the bodies.

On the other side.

After landing on the shore.

Looking at this tragic battlefield littered with corpses.

Even a cold-blooded tough guy like Zabuza couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart.

To put it bluntly, these thirty Kirigakure Anbu ninjas combined were absolutely enough to surround and kill him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent the entire journey hiding.

Yet now, in less than half a minute, they were all buried here.

It was truly terrifying!

And the one who slaughtered them was merely a ten-year-old boy.

What kind of monster had the Uchiha Clan produced?

"What? Are you not satisfied?"

Natsume leaned over, rubbing his slightly sore arm while asking with a beaming smile.

Zabuza's expression was somewhat desolate.

He shook his head and said:

"Before, when I was being hunted by these Anbu ninjas, I had imagined countless times killing them all in return!"

"But now, seeing them truly dead..."

"I can't help but feel a bit of regret..."

Natsume: "Regret what? They came here to kill you."

Zabuza: "They are all good ninjas of the village, merely following the orders of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura."

"I never wanted them to die..."

"Every one of them that dies is a great loss to the village..."

Natsume: "But if they don't die, how will you stage a coup? How will you overthrow the Fourth Mizukage? How will you return Kirigakure to how it used to be?"

Zabuza: "I know. That is why I will not go soft!"

"After everything is over, I will come to collect their bodies and give them a proper burial..."

Natsume glanced at Zabuza, feeling a slight sense of admiration.

To be honest, setting aside their opposing stances, he still respected such a tough man.

Daring to act and take responsibility, valuing loyalty and righteousness.

Although a bit cold-blooded and a bit foolish.

He was still much more reassuring than that bunch of old fogies and schemers in Konoha.

"At this rate, even if this coup succeeds, your Kirigakure won't have many capable ninjas left, right?"

"I understand."

"Let's make another deal!"

Natsume suggested with a smile.

Zabuza became instantly vigilant, feeling that this brat was about to swindle him again.

Having traveled this far, he was very clear on one thing.

One must never underestimate this brat just because he is a child.

"What do you want to do?"

"Don't be nervous. My proposal is that after we storm into Kirigakure, I will try my best not to kill anyone."

"I will strive to only knock out your Kirigakure ninjas without taking their lives."

"In this way, we can preserve some talent for your village, how about it?"

Zabuza's eyes lit up.

But he remained vigilant: "What else do you want? I don't have any money left."

"I don't want your money; I want your village's money!"

"How about this."

"200,000 ryo for a Genin; 500,000 ryo for a Chunin; 2 million ryo for a Special Jonin; 5 million ryo for a Jonin."

"For every ninja I save, once you overthrow the Fourth Mizukage, you will pay me that amount in the name of Kirigakure."

"How about it? Is this deal fair?"

Natsume suggested again with a beaming smile.

Anyway, killing or not killing was just a wave of his hand.

A mere effort that could allow him to legitimately rake in a huge sum from Kirigakure—wouldn't that be wonderful?

Zabuza was stunned, feeling deeply tempted.

In his view, although money was important.

If the entire coup resulted in all the village's ninjas dying, then no matter how much money he had, he wouldn't be able to protect it!

The other four Great Hidden Villages would inevitably seize the opportunity to carve up his village.

Using this money to save the lives of a group of Kirigakure ninja and preserve some of the village's vitality was undoubtedly a very worthwhile trade!

"This... I am merely a rogue ninja; I have no authority to manage the village's finances..."

Natsume hurriedly egged him on: "Hey! Don't sell yourself short."

"Once you've wiped out the Fourth Mizukage and his supporters in a little while, won't you be a big shot in the village?"

"It's not even impossible for you to sit in the seat of the Fifth Mizukage."

"At that point, would your words lack weight?"

"Furthermore, once your village pays this commission, we can form an alliance, providing you with military support. That will ensure the other four Great Hidden Villages can't swoop in like the mantis stalking the cicada!"

"It's just a bit of money lost; you can always earn it back later."

"If you really don't have enough cash at the time, we even support installment plans!"

"It's a win-win situation with no downsides. If you miss this, it's gone for good!"

Natsume's persuasive coaxing, like the whispers of a devil, gradually eroded Zabuza's resolve.

Zabuza shook his head violently.

He truly couldn't fathom how this brat, who seemed obsessed with money, could be so powerful—and so adept at deceiving others!

But in the end, he agreed.

After all, he really didn't want to watch the entire [Kirigakure] run red with blood and be destroyed in an instant!

"Fine! I agree!"

"A very wise decision!"

With his scheme successful, Natsume felt a surge of joy.

He immediately called out:

"Pick up the pace! Prepare to depart, target: [Kirigakure]!"