Super Rogue Ninja

Ebisu kept nagging, but Konohamaru grinned, revealing seven or eight missing teeth. "I don't need a rigid teacher like you! All you people ever talk about is my grandpa. It's annoying! I'm going to walk my own path."

With that, Konohamaru walked into the Sarutobi Clan compound.

Putting on an air of maturity beyond his years, he did not even glance at Ebisu. He had already escorted the young master back here.

Ebisu remained where he was, watching his student's back as he murmured, "Lord Third Hokage, perhaps your grandson will surpass you someday?"

Ebisu gave a slight nod to the several Anbu protecting him in secret, then turned and left.

Late at night, once the light in Konohamaru's room went out, the Anbu ninja stationed around the area began to rest and recover.

Yet no one noticed a heart covered in black tendrils silently slipping into the room.

The next day, when the Anbu squad captain saw that Konohamaru had still not come outside, he grew suspicious.

A team member beside him asked, "Captain, what should we do?"

Konohamaru had never stayed indoors this late before.

They waited longer, until the sun was high in the sky.

A sense of foreboding rose in the Anbu captain's heart. He flashed to the door, shoved it open, and entered.

The sight before him shocked the Anbu captain. Instinctively, he assumed a combat stance, his right hand gripping the hilt of the short sword on his back.

A moment later, he came to his senses and roared, "Report to Lord Hokage immediately! Konohamaru—"

His words caught in his throat, because he did not know how to put it.

The remaining Anbu ninja flashed into the room one after another, their eyes sweeping the surroundings in shock.

"H-how is this possible?"

"We never left for even a moment!"

The room was completely empty, while a large amount of blood remained on the bed.

Inside the Hokage Building, Danzo of the Shimura Clan pushed open the door with a vicious expression and swept his gaze over the three old friends in the office.

"The Shimura Clan suffered multiple assassination attempts last night. Many of my descendants have gone missing."

Homura Mitokado gritted his teeth and said, "Our three clans have encountered the same thing. Damn it!"

"Was it that damned evil Uchiha Clan again?"

"What do we do now?"

"We must adopt the strongest possible measures! We cannot let this continue!"

"Hiruzen!"

The three Hokage advisors and assistants were frantic, all speaking up at once.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag of his expensive tobacco. "First, seal the village's entrances and exits!"

"Enter Level Two martial law. Arrange for the Anbu to thoroughly investigate everyone who has entered Konoha recently!"

Danzo's one eye bulged as he snapped, "We must enter Level One martial law! Recall all forces to the village and begin a cleansing operation!"

"Konoha belongs to the Land of Fire. We cannot neglect the other defensive lines and missions over our clan affairs!"

Danzo let out an angry growl.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"Danzo!"

"I am the Hokage!"

Just then, an Anbu ninja emerged from the floor like a ghost, maintaining a half-kneeling posture.

Danzo shouted impatiently.

"What is it?"

The Anbu ninja lowered his head and said in a trembling voice, "Young Master Moyu is missing!"

"A large amount of blood was discovered in his room!" A furious roar and the sound of a desk shattering rang out at the same time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand against the desk and rose.

"What?"

"The entire village is to enter Level One martial law immediately! Full lockdown!"

"Konoha's alert level is to be raised to its highest state!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's roar stunned everyone, plunging the room into silence.

Seeing everyone frozen in place, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his voice and bellowed.

"Move!"

"Yes!"

The Anbu ninja immediately went to relay the orders. The three old friends each summoned their subordinates to issue instructions, while the staff of the Hokage Building were mobilized as well. Before long, all of Konoha was in an uproar.

Meanwhile, a traveling merchant had just finished registering and was heading out through Konoha's gates.

Kotetsu Hagane looked at the huge sack on his back and laughed. "Sir, you sure like Konoha's specialties. You bought quite a lot."

"That's right. Konoha's goods are excellent!"

"Heh!"

Kakuzu did not look back as he continued walking into the distance.

A moment later, a large group of Anbu ninja flashed to the gate. An Anbu captain loudly ordered, "Seal the gates! No one is allowed in or out!"

Seeing such a formation, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were startled. "So many Anbu? There must be fifty or sixty of them!"

"What happened to our Anbu brothers?"

"Did something happen?"

The Anbu captain stepped before Konoha's two gate guards and asked sternly, "Who has left recently?"

Izumo Kamizuki's expression changed. "Just now, an uncle named Kakuzu left the village carrying a huge sack."

"What?"

"Why did you let him go?"

"What was he carrying?"

The two gate guards exchanged a look. Kotetsu Hagane said, "There was no order forbidding people from entering or leaving Konoha, and we checked that man's sack. It contained some scrolls and Konoha souvenir dolls."

"Scrolls? Scrolls?" The Anbu captain's face changed dramatically. He hurriedly demanded, "What were you two doing? Which way did he go?"

Kotetsu Hagane looked displeased, feeling that the Anbu were targeting Konoha's gate guards. Don't we gate guards have any dignity?

The Anbu captain seemed to realize that his attitude was inappropriate. He took a deep breath and softened his tone. "There have been numerous assassinations in the village. Lord Hokage personally ordered an investigation."

Only then did Kotetsu Hagane nod. "Uh, after leaving Konoha... well, naturally, he headed toward the forest outside Konoha."

The Anbu captain immediately turned around. After giving a few instructions, he led two teams in a rapid pursuit out of Konoha.

Yet even after chasing for a long distance, they failed to find the slightest trace.

Holding Kakuzu's photograph, the Anbu captain was inwardly frantic.

He had lost Lord Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru. If he let the suspect escape as well, he felt he would be too ashamed to keep living in this world!

He stared intently at the sensing ninja beside him.

This member was from the Hyuga Branch Family and was currently using the Byakugan at full power to search the area.

"How is it?"

Unable to hold himself back, the Anbu captain asked.

The Byakugan-wielding Anbu shook his head. "I searched the entire area. No trace of the enemy."

"Damn it!"

"Keep chasing! We must find this suspect!"

Of course, they could not possibly catch Kakuzu. By then, he had already torn off his disguise and returned to his original appearance. It was Kakuzu!

Kakuzu's speed was terrifying!

Riding a black Lightning Release monster, flames roared from its tail like a super engine accelerating at full power.

"Hahaha, this feels great!"

"Thanks for Konoha's generous gift!"

Kakuzu laughed heartily.

He had gained immensely this time. By his initial estimate, he had claimed bounties worth over a hundred million ryo. Naturally, he understood the risks involved. Konoha was not something just anyone could provoke, so Kakuzu had not been greedy. He struck quickly and withdrew from the village just as quickly.

He had originally prepared to fight his way out of Konoha, thinking the village might already have acted to seal itself off. He had not expected Konoha's response to be so slow.

Still, he had noticed Konoha's movements. It was obvious that they had begun taking action.

Thus, the instant he passed through Konoha's gates, he used the Wind and Lightning monster at full power and fled at maximum speed.

Although doing so consumed a huge amount of chakra, just as it had been worth paying the price to come to Konoha, it was worth it now.

After all, if Konoha's ninja managed to entangle him, the village's elites would arrive in a constant stream. This was Konoha's territory. Though Kakuzu was arrogant, he knew well that if he fell into such a situation, even someone as strong as him would definitely be finished.

Several days later, Fei Yun carried the corpse of a Sarutobi Clan ninja into the Bounty Exchange.

After skillfully completing the bounty exchange, he and Que Ni once again entered the VIP private room to drink tea.

Fei Yun was now not only his biggest client, but also his benefactor.

Since meeting Fei Yun, Que Ni had earned money, status, and honor that he had never gained in decades. He could now be considered an important figure throughout the Bounty Exchange organization.

Que Ni poured Fei Yun a cup of precious tea, made a welcoming gesture, then pulled out the information he had prepared long ago and handed it to Fei Yun.

"Young friend Nameless, more than half of the bounty list you released has been completed. This incident has become quite a storm."

Fei Yun flipped through the records of completed hunts and collected rewards. Attached to the documents was a thick stack of death certificate photographs.

"Ho!"

Fei Yun's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the words: Sarutobi Konohamaru, killed.

Excitedly, he unfolded the relevant page. There was a photograph of the corpse of a four- or five-year-old child, with both frontal and side views. "Where is the victim's body? I specifically noted when I offered the bounty last time that I needed to see the corpse."

Hearing that, Que Ni nodded. "The Bounty Exchanges that redeemed the rewards are scattered across the Shinobi World, so transportation takes time. But please rest assured, young friend. It will be delivered soon."

Fei Yun nodded in understanding. "I do not have that much time. You can handle the other bodies however you like, but Konohamaru's corpse is an exception. Send it over as soon as possible."

"That would be excellent. It saves us a great deal of manpower and resources. On behalf of the Bounty Exchange, I'll offer you a 30% discount on your next order."

Que Ni said this with a smile.

Fei Yun looked surprised. "Do you have the authority to make such a major decision?"

At that, Que Ni's smile broadened. "Your old brother here is now someone with a certain standing in the black market!"

"Haha, it's nothing much."

But Que Ni soon could no longer laugh, because Fei Yun wrote down a target from the Shimura Clan: Shimura Moyu, Chunin, bounty of thirty million ryo. This was a ninja Fei Yun had only recently discovered. He was Danzo's biological nephew, and his only nephew.

Que Ni glanced at the bounty list in his hand and reminded him, "Young friend Nameless, do not spend impulsively. Even with the 30% discount, you'll still have to pay a great deal." He could not help feeling anxious. By this calculation, the Bounty Exchange would have to cover nine million ryo itself. And he was only a Chunin; under normal circumstances, he would be worth no more than a few million ryo.

Fei Yun waved his hand generously.

"It's fine. This is small money."

Que Ni nodded and found it hard to say anything else. Saying more would make him seem petty. "Then it's settled. Young friend Nameless, I will notify you of the contact location through the communication channel."

Fei Yun was admiring the artistic death photographs of the four great clans when he heard this. He raised his head in confusion.

"From what you're saying, your Bounty Exchange is moving?"

Que Ni organized the documents as he replied.

"Yes, and it cannot be delayed!"

"Konoha is furious. They have attacked several of our branches in succession. Headquarters has already issued orders for us to relocate."

Fei Yun looked concerned. "You Bounty Exchange people have not been frightened by Konoha, have you?"

"Will you stop doing business in the future?"

"Hahaha."

Hearing that, Que Ni burst out laughing. "Frightened by Konoha?"

"Impossible. Our Bounty Exchange has existed for nearly a thousand years. Konoha's ancestors never managed to do anything to us, and we have long stood firmly in the Shinobi World."

"Still, Konoha has the resources of a great nation behind it. There is no need to clash with them head-on. We are merely taking some countermeasures."

"As for Konoha—or rather, the Land of Fire—if they go too far, there will be people above us to negotiate with them. We need not worry about it."

Fei Yun nodded. That made sense. Konoha was merely enraged for the moment. If it truly fought the Bounty Exchange, the leader of the black market, to the death, Konoha would suffer devastating losses even if it won.

Besides, how could the Bounty Exchange be so easily eradicated? Wherever there were people, there was a world of martial intrigue. And wherever there was such a world, there was the Bounty Exchange.