Mutual Extortion

"Cough, cough!"

The devastated grassland looked as though it had been plowed by oxen, carrying the charred desolation left behind by slash-and-burn cultivation.

A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the ground. Cedar Ghosthead had never imagined that the kunai dropped at his feet would be a hidden weapon with an Explosive Tag stuck to it. Those filthy, cunning little brats.

He wanted to speak, but found that his throat had been injured so badly he could no longer make a sound. It rasped and whined like the broken chimney of an old house.

"What bastards."

The explosion hadn't been particularly fierce, but it had shattered his Shadow Clone. The Thunder Arts he had painstakingly prepared, Thunder Shackles, rebounded with even greater power and struck his own body.

For several moments, he couldn't even feel his body. Powerful currents surged chaotically through every cell, and his internal organs had probably been destroyed and cooked seven or eight tenths of the way through.

"If we're talking about bastards, shouldn't that be you? If you hadn't coveted our eyes, none of this would've happened. This is the price of meddling."

Itachi appeared around him with a cold smile. Rustling sounds came from nearby as a vast swarm of snakes slithered past.

Among them was a white rattlesnake, elegantly winding along the head of a giant python as it crawled across the ground.

"Boss, we're here. Right on time, huh?"

Little Mamba grinned. As a ninja pet, he could naturally sense his master's danger to a certain extent. After all, they had signed an equal contract. It was just that, for some reason, despite getting along perfectly well that day, Lord Itachi had suddenly seemed as though he'd eaten something bad and impatiently insisted on returning.

The speed of that flash teleportation had made him wonder whether everything he'd experienced had been an illusion.

"On time, my ass. I told you not to come so quickly because I was worried you'd get hurt. Otherwise, you'd have turned into snake stew for my meal again."

Itachi waved a hand irritably, signaling for them to clear away the corpses. Those warriors' bodies, stripped clean on the battlefield, would only spread disease if left there. He didn't want those homeless, pitiful villagers to suffer such an undeserved disaster again.

They might as well be fed to the snakes. It was a bargain for those little brats.

"I never expected you to keep so many pets, Itachi. They're so cute."

Izumi and the other fangirls chimed in from the side, their eyes sparkling brightly.

The more they learned about this man, the more they could sense how unfathomable the young man was. What was even more frightening was that this might only be the tip of the iceberg. The portion exposed was already this stunning—it was hard to imagine what lay beneath.

He really was a treasure of a boy.

"Gather the villagers. As for Cedar Ghosthead, there's no need to pay him too much attention. He's half-dead already."

Itachi pondered briefly. It wouldn't be impossible to have Little Mamba escort this scum back to Konoha to claim the reward.

Several hundred thousand gold coins—that was quite a windfall.

Boom!

After considering it, he released the noble warriors who had been imprisoned. In an instant, those once-arrogant warriors looked like deflated balloons, staring at the ninjas and villagers without the slightest fighting spirit.

Even Negishi Hanbei, the proudest among them, had no choice but to sigh.

He had heard that unruly voice outside as well, and his face immediately turned pale. Cooperating with wanted criminals, if discovered, meant being hacked to pieces for treason.

Even nobles were no exception. And in the Land of Fire, there was no shortage of superfluous nobles like them.

They were nothing but parasites.

"So, how do you intend to compensate me?"

Itachi turned the tables, amusement written across his face. The other side was the one in a hurry now. He held their weakness in his hands, while he remained completely relaxed.

Negishi Hanbei's face turned deathly pale. When he learned that the other party was a Jonin, he wilted like an eggplant struck by frost.

Genin, Chunin, Elite Jonin, Jonin, Anbu Captain, Kage level.

The differences between these ranks and positions were vast. It wasn't something one could overcome through a lucky battle strategy.

There were layers upon layers of assessments, strictly dividing the ranks and arranging each level's strength in clear order.

Before a powerhouse like Itachi Uchiha, someone like Cedar Ghosthead probably wouldn't have had any room to resist.

What was even more foolish was that he hadn't fled at once using his own advantage. He had truly gone blind and lost his judgment, allowing such a troublesome wanted criminal to be captured.

But damn it, why did a wanted criminal like that have to be one of his subordinates?

When they had taken in that old man, they had thought they'd found a treasure. That was why they had kept him under their command as an honored guest and provided for him accordingly.

Yet they had never expected that this action would not only offend the Jonin before them, but also directly violate the taboo of treason.

"Everything will be arranged as you wish, my lord. Please show mercy... Perhaps... perhaps we can help..."

Negishi Hanbei could barely speak. None of his former arrogance remained, and the warriors beside him realized the severity of the situation as well, their faces drained of color.

"My lord, this truly has nothing to do with me."

"I was merely passing through..."

"Yes, yes, it has nothing to do with me."

"My lord, please treat me like a fart and let me go. I'll be forever grateful for your great kindness."

"There's no need to wait until later, my lord. If you need anything now, just say the word. Tell me to go east, and I'll never go west..."

"My lord, please forgive us. Don't hold our lives against us..."

Those noble warriors were so terrified that they wailed and hurriedly distanced themselves from the matter. Itachi Uchiha looked at them with slight disdain.

Then he patted Mamba, who swallowed the corpse whole.

"Don't digest it. Keep it safe for me and take it to the village to claim the bounty. This is your Konoha insignia. When you enter, they'll know you're my ninja pet."

Itachi Uchiha lectured him like an old mother. The creatures of Ryūchi Cave truly possessed certain special abilities. For example, the toads of Mount Myoboku could store scrolls in their stomachs, and Lord Jiraiya could even summon the digestive esophagus of the Mount Myoboku toads.

In any case, it was equivalent to having an extra storage scroll for his things.

Mamba's small body didn't appear to swell much at all.

"Boss, don't worry."

Mamba nodded with shining eyes. Ever since he had personally devoured the essence energy of the Lava Jade Liquid last time, Itachi Uchiha's strength had been branded into his heart as something invincible.

Even some of the elders of Ryūchi Cave wouldn't dare casually devour the power within it. Otherwise, how could Lieta have possibly left such a good thing behind?

"I can let this matter go, but it seems I haven't gained anything from it. You offended me, so how should this be settled?"

Itachi turned back to look at Negishi Hanbei and the dozens of others. His gaze suddenly sharpened, shooting toward them like blades.

They shuddered in fright and immediately prostrated themselves on the ground.

"I won't fuss over too much. Treat the villagers here properly. At the very least, make sure they can gradually eat their fill. I know you've been running businesses behind the scenes that force decent women into prostitution, taking advantage of disasters to forcibly buy and seize tenant farmers' land. I'll settle that debt with you slowly later... But for now, you've fallen into my hands. If I return next time and any of these people lose so much as a hair, then next time, it'll be your heads replacing their hairs."

As Itachi Uchiha spoke, he raised his hand and struck down with his blade. With a loud crack, the huge boulder beside him shattered. The rock, weighing at least several thousand jin, split in two like tofu right before their eyes.

Even Negishi Hanbei, who usually prided himself on his courage, trembled at the sight.

The difference in strength between them was like heaven and earth. There was simply no possibility of victory. At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that this was a ninja of the Land of Fire. Otherwise, his head would probably have already been taken to claim merit.

"This lowly one will definitely, definitely do as you say, my lord."

Although Itachi was far younger than these warriors, and some of them were old enough to be his grandfathers, these people shamelessly called him "my lord" again and again just to survive.

If they hadn't feared making Itachi Uchiha sick, they probably would've called him Grandpa or Father as well.

However, Itachi Uchiha ignored their flattery. He slowly stepped forward, crouched down, and lightly patted Negishi Hanbei's face. The sound was clearly audible in the night.

The villagers nearby also peeked out to observe everything. Such a huge commotion would likely draw experts from within ten li.

"You should know I'm not so easily fooled. Of course, my demands aren't high. I only hope you won't treat my words as empty air. Otherwise, I'll be very angry..."