Bounty! Fifty Million Taels Reward

"That works out perfectly; it will be convenient for me to track down Orochimaru when the time comes!"

He would inevitably awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future.

And when it came to the sustained use of the Mangekyō, Orochimaru should certainly have some valuable insights.

Furthermore, joining the Akatsuki would force Uchiha Obito to act with caution, preventing him from making a move for the time being and buying enough time to accumulate his own strength.

The next day!

Two bombshell reports from Konoha spread rapidly, stirring up a thousand ripples in the otherwise calm Ninja World.

['S-rank missing-nin' Uchiha Itachi defected from Konoha after slaughtering the entire Uchiha Clan, with only his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, and member Uchiha Ye surviving.]

['S-rank missing-nin' Uchiha Ye, who had been hiding in Konoha for many years, defected after slaughtering several Konoha elites; he is to be killed on sight.]

"No way, the mighty Uchiha Clan has actually been wiped out?"

"It's truly shocking—to think a single Uchiha clan could produce two S-rank missing-nin!"

"I've heard of Uchiha Itachi's reputation as a genius, but where did this powerhouse Uchiha Ye suddenly pop out from? To be ranked alongside Uchiha Itachi as an S-rank missing-nin at only thirteen years old!"

Various factions across the Ninja World were quite stirred by this news.

To Konoha, they were missing-nin.

But to them, they were rare, invaluable talents!

Who didn't know the terrifying power of the Sharingan?

Almost simultaneously, the three great villages of Sunagakure, Cloud Village, and Iwagakure immediately dispatched personnel to infiltrate the Land of Fire to track the two down.

Winning over either one of them would result in a massive boost to their strength.

Especially for the Cloud Village!

Having already obtained a Byakugan, their desire for a Sharingan was undoubtedly even more desperate.

At this moment, in Amegakure.

On the balcony of the tallest steel building in the center of the village.

An orange-haired man with a detached expression and black rods pierced all over his face spoke to the purple-haired woman behind him without turning his head: "A talent like Uchiha Ye is exactly the kind of member we need. I intend to recruit him."

"Angel, what do you think?"

Hearing this, the purple-haired woman lifted her eyes slightly and offered a suggestion: "In that case, why not recruit Uchiha Itachi as well? Both are rare talents; there is no reason to let them slip away!"

As she spoke, she said to the orange-haired man before her: "Let me handle this matter personally."

The orange-haired man nodded at her words, but still spoke with a detached tone: "Take Sasori with you."

"After all, they are both S-rank missing-nin, and we know nothing about them. It is best to be cautious when dealing with such extraordinary individuals."

The purple-haired woman, Angel, did not refuse the orange-haired man's proposal: "Very well!"

But just as Angel was about to leave, the space beside them suddenly twisted, and the masked man, Uchiha Obito, appeared: "Angel, you only need to go and recruit Uchiha Ye. Uchiha Itachi is already on his way."

Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed the orange-haired man's deep, detached eyes as he asked: "Mr. 'Madara' is actually taking the initiative to invite someone? What talent of Uchiha Itachi's caught your eye?"

In his eyes, this masked man who called himself 'Uchiha Madara' was incredibly mysterious and always impossible to track down; that he would now take the initiative to recruit a member was truly unexpected.

At this, Uchiha Obito glanced at the orange-haired man and said: "I didn't recruit him; he asked to join on his own. His talent is indeed sufficient, so I had no reason to refuse!"

As he spoke, he looked at the purple-haired woman, his eyes beneath the mask narrowing slightly: "Angel, Uchiha Ye is not a simple person. You must be careful!"

Hearing this, the purple-haired woman couldn't help but feel a bit surprised, then smiled and said: "To have Mr. 'Madara' personally offer a warning, I am becoming increasingly interested in this Uchiha Ye!"

With that, a massive amount of paper scattered from her body, condensing into a pair of giant wings behind her as she took flight.

On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, Jice Street!

"Did you hear? Konoha has put out a 55-million-ryō bounty on the 'S-rank missing-nin' Uchiha Ye!"

In a certain tavern, a green-haired middle-aged man exhaled a puff of alcohol-scented breath.

"As expected of Konoha, they really are generous. Heh heh, it's just too tempting!"

A one-eyed young man with a buzzcut licked his dark lips, his eyes burning with greed.

"Indeed, 55 million ryō is enough for us to live in luxury for over a decade!"

The green-haired middle-aged man's eyes were equally fervent.

Beside his hand lay a bounty poster clearly displaying Uchiha Ye's face.

"55 million ryō, is it..."

In a corner, a person wearing a conical hat and wrapped in a long robe glanced slightly at the bounty poster, a faint smile curling his lips as he muttered: "You really think quite highly of me, Konoha!"

It was none other than Uchiha Ye.

"Hm?!"

Suddenly, he felt several gazes lock onto him, and through his Observation Haki, he sensed clear malice.

"To think I've been spotted just like that?"

A faint arc tugged at the corner of his mouth. "It seems one really shouldn't underestimate anyone."

He set down his fruit tea, pressed two ryo (one ryo exchanged for ten yen) onto the table, and left.

"Follow him!"

The moment he stepped out, the green-haired middle-aged man and the one-eyed man with a buzz cut exchanged a glance and immediately gave chase.

Seeing this, many others in the tavern followed suit.

In a secluded forest!

Uchiha Ye stopped before a large tree. "Gentlemen, since you've all followed me here, why not show yourselves?"

As the words fell, two phantoms zipped into view, surrounding Uchiha Ye from front and back.

"I didn't expect to be so lucky as to run into a fat sheep like you here!"

The green-haired man stepped forward, eyeing Uchiha Ye with undisguised greed.

"Heh, you didn't think we wouldn't dare follow you just because you lured us to a remote spot, did you?"

The one-eyed man's gaze turned sharp. "Kid, don't underestimate the persistence of a Bounty Hunter when it comes to their prey!"

Uchiha Ye narrowed his eyes at this. "Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth on me? 55 million ryo is a nice sum, but you need to be alive to spend it."

Hearing this, the green-haired man grinned. "You don't think we lack the ability to kill an S-rank missing-nin, do you?"

"To tell you the truth, you aren't the first or second S-rank missing-nin to die by our hands."

The one-eyed man chimed in, "So, today will be no exception for you!"

Uchiha Ye adopted a look of resignation. "Fine, but I have one more question: how did you confirm my identity?"

He was confident in his disguise and hadn't revealed any flaws.

To be targeted just for muttering a single sentence was truly remarkable.

"Is it hard to see through your identity?"

The green-haired man scoffed triumphantly. "I was born with the ability to hear faint sounds; I heard your words in the tavern clearly."

"Besides, alcohol is the drink of a Bounty Hunter. You drinking fruit tea made you far too unique."

"Combine the two, and isn't the answer obvious?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Ye nodded. "It is my first time navigating the Ninja World, so I am indeed lacking in experience!"

Of course, with this experience under his belt, he would be able to correct his mistakes in the future.