As Yoshino spoke, he took out a check and wrote Xuan Yu one for 41.2 million ryo.
Based on the information he had, Xuan Yu couldn't be considered one of the top ninja in the current Ninja World.
But judging by Xuan Yu's recent performance on missions, he was undoubtedly a mercenary with astonishing potential.
What Yoshino valued was the strength Xuan Yu had shown so far and his seemingly limitless potential.
So, before the other Bounty Exchanges could build a rapport with Xuan Yu, he decided to show him his utmost sincerity right away.
Xuan Yu took the check Yoshino handed him, cleared his throat, and said, "Sorry for the trouble, but could you split it into one check for 20 million and another for 21.2 million? That'd be more convenient for me."
Yoshino didn't understand why, but he nodded and did as asked, writing him two new checks.
After handing them to Xuan Yu, Yoshino took the opportunity to start making promises about future rewards.
Lowering his voice, he said, "If things keep developing like they have, the Empty District Bounty Exchange's rating should improve before long. When that happens, I can give you an extra five percent commission, within the limits of my authority."
"The more missions you and the other mercenaries in the Empty District Black Market complete during this period, the faster the Empty District Bounty Exchange's rating will rise. And the sooner you'll get your reward."
After listening, Xuan Yu patted Yoshino on the shoulder and said with a grin, "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll have plenty of missions coming up."
This time, Xuan Yu wasn't bragging.
With him working alongside Kakuzu, Kakuzu's mission efficiency was bound to improve.
Besides, while Kakuzu was out on missions, he could take on a few of his own, and send out Chakra Clones to grind through low-rank missions at the same time.
That way, he'd have both the quantity and quality of missions covered. All he had to do was wait for Yoshino to prepare his extra reward.
After turning in his missions at the Bounty Exchange, Xuan Yu didn't head straight to meet up with Kakuzu. Instead, he made a beeline for Granny Cat's place to mooch a meal.
He figured Kakuzu was slower than he was, so it would probably take him a while to deliver the remaining bodies to the nearby Bounty Exchange.
He might as well go to Granny Cat's for a meal and a rest. By the time he finished eating, Kakuzu should be done too.
Granny Cat was still the only one in Granny Cat's Weapon Shop.
When she saw Xuan Yu walk in, her cheek twitched.
There was no other reason. The kid had shown up right at mealtime again!
Granny Cat had just filled a bowl with rice and hadn't even had a chance to set it on the table.
Xuan Yu strolled right up to her, took the bowl from her hands, and thanked her with a grin. "Thanks, Granny. Your cooking's as amazing as ever!"
Granny Cat sighed helplessly and said, "Xuan Yu, you joined a mercenary organization in Amegakure, didn't you? Why do you still come all the way to the Empty District every few days?"
Granny Cat had managed to learn a little about Xuan Yu's recent situation through the Ninja Cats.
But information on the Akatsuki wasn't easy to come by. Even Granny Cat only knew that Xuan Yu had joined some mercenary organization.
At her question, Xuan Yu spread his hands and said helplessly, "Granny, the mercenary organization I joined doesn't provide meals. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to come all this way just to mooch food from you."
He was telling the truth.
As one of the leading mercenary organizations in the Ninja World, the Akatsuki did provide lodging, but not meals.
When it came to food, he either mooched meals from Granny Cat or tagged along with Kakuzu. Either way, Kakuzu would end up paying the bill.
He'd never planned to spend money on anything unnecessary.
After all, no matter how little or how much money he had, it would add up. If he put it into the Pay-to-Win System, it could be converted into real combat strength!
Granny Cat had no idea about any of Xuan Yu's little schemes.
She'd long since given up complaining about the kid.
After serving herself a bowl of rice, Granny Cat sat down across from Xuan Yu.
She didn't continue talking about the food. Instead, she casually asked, "Have you been keeping up with what's happening in Konoha lately?"
Xuan Yu was busy shoveling rice into his mouth. At her question, he shook his head. "I haven't been following it closely, but I basically know what's going on in Konoha."
Granny Cat glanced at him as she picked food into her own bowl and scolded him. "You little brat, there you go spouting nonsense again! If you haven't been following what's going on in Konoha, how could you possibly know what's happening there?"
This time, Xuan Yu replied with a cheeky grin, "Granny, the power struggles between Konoha's factions have been going on for ages, haven't they? Until the big clans and the other factions sort things out, Konoha's situation won't change much."
Granny Cat didn't argue this time. If anything, she looked at Xuan Yu in surprise.
It would've been normal for a seasoned old schemer to say something like that.
But Xuan Yu was just a kid, and yet he had that kind of insight. Granny Cat found it surprising.
After a brief silence, Granny Cat casually asked another question. "Then in the struggle between Konoha's factions, who'll be the first to fall? And who'll come out on top in the end?"
She didn't expect Xuan Yu to be able to answer either question.
After all, even the old-timers in Konoha—and even she herself—couldn't answer them before the outcome was decided.
Unlike before, Xuan Yu didn't answer right away this time.
It wasn't that he couldn't answer. He was considering how to put it to Granny Cat.
When Xuan Yu stayed silent, Granny Cat assumed he didn't know. She waved a hand and said, "All right, all right. Just eat your meal. These things aren't our responsibility anyway. And you're still young. It's best to stay out of those pointless affairs."
Xuan Yu shook his head. "Granny, the situation in Konoha is complicated. The problems have been building for a long time and are now hard to fix. But the struggle between Konoha's factions will reach a conclusion soon."
"There won't be any true winners in the struggle between the various factions. Once Konoha's overall strength is weakened, every side that took part in the conflict will have lost."
"As for who'll fall first, it'll probably be our Uchiha Clan."
At Xuan Yu's words, the chopsticks in Granny Cat's hand clattered onto the table.
She fell silent for a long time after that. She just wiped her chopsticks with a dazed expression and ate her meal absentmindedly.
She'd considered the worst possible outcome—that the entire Uchiha Clan would be wiped out.
She hadn't expected that she wasn't the only one who had little hope for the Uchiha Clan. Even Xuan Yu, who'd fled Konoha, thought the clan was already standing at the edge of a cliff.
After Xuan Yu finished eating and was about to get up to leave, Granny Cat finally asked him another question. "Do you really have no intention of doing anything for the Uchiha Clan?"
Xuan Yu shrugged and said casually, "What happens in Konoha isn't something I can influence right now. As for whether I'll do anything for the Uchiha Clan, that depends on the situation."
"All I can say is that I'll keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan. If there's a chance to get involved, I'll try to take part."
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