Hunting in Progress

Feiyun thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He could dig up Rin Nohara's grave. First, he could torment Uchiha Obito's soul. Second, he could find a way to revive Rin Nohara someday and continue crushing Obito's will.

From what Uchiha Feiyun remembered of the story, Uchiha Obito visited Rin Nohara's grave every time he returned to Konoha. Thinking of this, Fei Yun could not help letting out a strange laugh. After all, this was still within the Land of Fire, Konoha's sphere of influence, and the livestream's coverage.

Fei Yun did not dare visit bustling major towns, while smaller towns had supplies less readily available. He passed through several towns before buying everything he needed: all sorts of combat weapons and tools, as well as ninja technique scrolls recorded by freelance ninjas.

Night soon arrived. After having a hearty meal, Uchiha Feiyun went to an inn and rented a top-class room. He took a comfortable bath, then lay down on the soft bed. This feels great. It had been a long time since he had felt this comfortable. These past days of hiding away, sleeping outdoors, staying in caves, and using rocks as pillows had truly been miserable.

Lying on the comfortable bed, Uchiha Feiyun felt his entire body relax. Within seconds, he fell asleep.

Two days later, Uchiha Feiyun stepped into the underground chamber of the Bounty Exchange once again. This time, Que Ni's attitude was even more respectful than before. He even personally poured him a cup of expensive Snow Pot Strong Liquor.

Brother Wu Ming, your bounty has spread throughout the entire underground world.

Que Ni narrowed his eyes and handed over a scroll.

At present, three A-rank hunting squads have accepted the job. Among them, the Blood Pressure Squad has been the most efficient and has already completed two targets.

Fei Yun took the scroll and slowly unrolled it. It recorded the latest hunting reports.

Sarutobi Konoha died from poisoning. His entire body was black when the corpse was discovered. Sarutobi Kenshi was ambushed while returning from a mission, and his head was severed.

Fei Yun lightly tapped his fingers against the table, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

He looked up at Que Ni. "Not bad. What reaction has Konoha had?"

Que Ni lowered his voice. "They have already begun martial law."

"The Third Hokage is furious and is investigating the source of the bounties through every channel."

"But," he said with a smug smile, "the Bounty Exchange's channels are not so easily traced."

Fei Yun sneered. "What about the intelligence I wanted?"

Que Ni had long been prepared.

He drew out a map from his sleeve, with several red dots marked on it.

"According to reports from our people, Sarutobi Jiri is a Special Jōnin of the Sarutobi Clan. He is currently conducting a patrol mission at the border of the Land of Fire and is expected to pass through this canyon tonight."

Fei Yun's fingertip stopped over that red dot, and the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. "Very good." Que Ni revealed a professional smile. "Then I wish you a pleasant hunt!"

After leaving the Bounty Exchange, Uchiha Feiyun swiftly headed toward his destination.

After traveling for nearly half a day, he finally arrived at the location marked on the map.

It was a narrow rift valley, with towering rock walls on either side. Light could barely penetrate within, and it remained shrouded in shadow all year round.

Uchiha Feiyun stood above the canyon, looking down at the winding path below. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "What a perfect place for an ambush."

He took out three Explosive Tags from his ninja tool pouch and carefully placed them at key points along the rock walls. All that remained was to wait for the prey to take the bait.

Night fell, and the canyon became utterly silent.

Suddenly, faint footsteps came from the distance.

Sarutobi Jiri, a burly Special Jōnin, was leading two Chunin subordinates on patrol through the canyon.

"Captain, the black-market bounties have been causing quite a stir lately. Shouldn't we be more careful?"

One of the Chunin asked in a low voice.

Sarutobi Jiri snorted. "Mere bounty hunters dare target Konoha's ninjas? They're courting death!"

The instant his words fell, a faint crack sounded beneath his feet. The trap's Explosive Tags detonated at once, and the tremendous shockwave caused the rock walls to collapse. Countless stones rained down like a storm.

Earth-Style Wall! Sarutobi Jiri quickly formed hand seals, and an earthen wall rose from the ground, barely blocking the falling rocks.

However, just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a black shadow shot out of the smoke and dust like a ghost.

Uchiha Feiyun held a chakra short blade, cold light coiling around its edge as he stabbed at Sarutobi Jiri with incredible speed.

Damn it!

Sarutobi Jiri dodged in haste, but his shoulder was still slashed open. Blood instantly dyed his sleeve red.

"Who are you?"

Sarutobi Jiri roared, signaling for his two subordinates to flank Uchiha Feiyun.

Fei Yun did not answer. He merely slowly removed his hood, revealing his handsome face and a pair of scarlet Sharingan.

"Those are Sharingan!"

Sarutobi Jiri's pupils abruptly shrank.

"How is this possible?"

"The Uchiha Clan was clearly already wiped out!"

Fei Yun sneered. "Unfortunately, I'm still alive!"

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Fei Yun opened his mouth and spewed out a blazing fireball, forcing back the two Chunin.

At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals. Shadow Clone Technique!

Three clones appeared instantly and charged at different enemies.

"Don't underestimate Konoha's Special Jōnin!" Sarutobi Jiri roared as he slammed both hands onto the ground!

Earth Release: Earth Spear Pillars!

The ground suddenly bulged upward, and sharp earthen spikes pierced through two Shadow Clones.

But the real Uchiha Feiyun had already leapt into the air, hurling kunai down like raindrops.

Sarutobi Jiri quickly formed hand seals, and fierce flames blocked the kunai.

However, Uchiha Feiyun's true killing move had only just begun.

Genjutsu!

The moment their Sharingan met, Jiri's movements suddenly froze. The scene before his eyes twisted, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

This is bad. My body won't move!

Sarutobi Jiri struggled desperately, but his body refused to obey him.

Uchiha Feiyun's short blade precisely pierced Sarutobi Jiri's heart.

"This slash only used a tiny bit of my strength!"

Blood gushed out. Sarutobi Jiri's eyes gradually lost focus, and he finally collapsed to the ground.

Only then did the two Chunin react. Seeing their captain fall, their faces turned pale with terror.

"How could he be this strong?"

"Captain was a Special Jōnin!"

Uchiha Feiyun did not waste words. He flashed forward and cut one of the Chunin down. The other Chunin staggered back in terror, the hand gripping his weapon trembling uncontrollably.

"Uchiha, we're comrades from the same village. We can talk this out."

Uchiha Feiyun's three-tomoe Sharingan spun as he directly cast Genjutsu. His powerful ocular force pulled the remaining Chunin into an illusion, leaving him standing stiffly in place like a puppet.

"When you were working with your captain to surround me, why didn't you remember that we were comrades?"

Uchiha Feiyun sneered.

Uchiha Feiyun raised his blade and brought it down, directly beheading him. He swung the short blade forcefully toward the ground, flinging away the blood before sheathing it.

Uchiha Feiyun searched the three men for valuables, and his eyes lit up. "Not bad. There's over a million in banknotes alone. With all these ninja tools included, this haul is worth around 1.5 million."

Then Fei Yun took out Sarutobi Jiri's bounty slip and quickly checked it. His brows could not help furrowing slightly as he muttered, "They actually require the corpse to be brought back to receive the full reward. What a hassle. You unlucky bastard, just who did you offend?"

Still, complaints were complaints. Uchiha Feiyun grabbed Sarutobi Jiri by the back of his collar and slung him over his shoulder with one hand.

For a powerful ninja, carrying one person was nothing. That little weight would not affect him at all.

He had already confirmed that the other two Chunin had not been listed for bounty, so Uchiha Feiyun could not be bothered with their corpses and directly left the area.

After this battle, Uchiha Feiyun had gained a rough understanding of his own strength. Even without using Spiritual Power, relying only on the Sharingan and ninjutsu, he had firmly reached Special Jōnin level.

Uchiha Feiyun could not help thinking to himself, As expected of the Sharingan Clan. That night's emotional stimulation actually turned a Chunin directly into Sage level.

However, Uchiha Feiyun curled his lips into a smile. The 4.5 million ryō was as good as his.

Through the battle just now, Fei Yun had easily seen through Sarutobi Jiri's hand seals and chakra circulation with his Sharingan, memorizing the principles behind his Earth Release techniques. Perhaps it was because his Spiritual Power was so strong, but he could easily grasp the principles of other people's ninjutsu after seeing them once. His chakra had also grown considerably, several times greater than when he had been in Konoha. It was probably due to his Level 60 Spiritual Power as well.

Unable to figure out the exact reason, Uchiha Feiyun could only assume that was the case.

By the time he returned to the Bounty Exchange, it was already late at night. The Bounty Exchange operated twenty-four hours a day, so Que Ni still received him despite the hour.

Uchiha Feiyun threw Sarutobi Jiri's corpse onto the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a ring of dust.

"I've delivered the 4.5 million ryō target."

Que Ni carefully compared the corpse with the intelligence documents before nodding.

"It is indeed Konoha's Special Jōnin."

"Sarutobi Jiri. Please wait a moment, Brother Wu Ming."

As he spoke, Que Ni waved his hand. Two subordinates came out and carried Sarutobi Jiri into a compartment for storing corpses. Que Ni stood nearby, rapidly writing something in his hand. He was deeply shaken. This unknown man had taken down a Konoha Special Jōnin so quickly. His strength was clearly extraordinary.

Fei Yun rolled his arm and said, "Why do these employers require the corpse to be recovered? It's such a bother. Aren't they worried it'll be disgusting?"

Que Ni smiled as he continued writing. "This is actually a good method. It helps everyone save time."

Fei Yun looked utterly confused. "It saves time?"

"How does that not sound like a huge hassle?"

Just then, a Bounty Exchange worker emerged carrying a small case and respectfully handed it to Fei Yun.

Que Ni put away the document in his hand and pointed at the cash case. "If you had not brought back the corpse, you would not have received the money today. You would have had to wait for our people to verify that the target was dead before the bounty could be issued."

Fei Yun suddenly understood. "So that's how it is."

Que Ni's attitude remained excellent as he smiled. "After deducting the five percent handling fee, the rest is all inside."

"Congratulations, Brother Wu Ming, on your successful first payout."

Uchiha Feiyun was not surprised by this.

The Bounty Exchange was so large and had such a powerful backing. Its organization surely required vast amounts of funds to maintain operations. Taking five percent from bounties was perfectly normal.

Fei Yun stored the cash case in a storage scroll and looked at Que Ni.

"I want to keep accepting bounty missions. Bring me the Sarutobi Clan bounty slips. I think the people from their clan are pretty weak."

Que Ni pulled out another stack of bounty slips and handed them to Fei Yun.

"Brother Wu Ming is quite capable. To improve efficiency, you can accept several at once."

"Whichever target we have intelligence on, we will deliver that target's intelligence to you."

Uchiha Feiyun raised his brows and asked in surprise.

"You can actively deliver intelligence to me? How will you find me?"

"We naturally have our own methods."

As he spoke, Que Ni took out a chakra gemstone covered in array patterns and handed it to Uchiha Feiyun.

"This is the Sensing Ninja Stone unique to our Bounty Exchange. We raise ninja hawks paired with them."

Fei Yun stroked the gemstone. "You must have distributed quite a few Sensing Stones. How can the hawks accurately tell whom a delivery is meant for?"

Que Ni patiently explained, "The Sensing Ninja Stones come in pairs. We record the holder's name on the corresponding stone here, and each ninja hawk is responsible for only one pair of Sensing Ninja Stones."

"Furthermore, the Bounty Exchange does not give out many Sensing Ninja Stones. Only bounty hunters of A-rank or above are qualified to receive the sensing gemstones used by the Bounty Exchange for contact."