Kakuzu, Explosive Tag Salesman

Soon, Kakuzu's low voice broke the silence of the forest. "Did you bring the money?"

Asuma took a deep drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and nodded.

He picked up a briefcase by his feet and opened it a crack, revealing thick stacks of neatly arranged Land of Fire banknotes.

"Where's the merchandise?"

Kakuzu wasted no words either. He took a sealed metal case from behind him and opened it. Inside, Explosive Tags lay packed together, each covered in precisely drawn seals. The paper was high quality, and the chakra coursing through them was stable and restrained.

"What a pain, but it's a necessary step." Shikamaru scratched his head and stepped forward. "By the rules, we need to inspect the goods."

Kakuzu seemed used to this. He pulled out an Explosive Tag and tossed it, along with the entire case, straight to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru caught it and carefully examined the sealwork, the smooth flow of its chakra channels, and the resilience of the paper.

He even fed it a faint trickle of chakra to test it. The technique on the Explosive Tag lit up with a steady glow, then went dark.

"Mm. Top quality. They're genuine, Mr. Asuma," Shikamaru confirmed, closing the case.

Asuma let out a breath, opened the briefcase of money fully, and pushed it toward Kakuzu.

"Then let's make the trade. At the price we agreed on."

Kakuzu glanced at the money and shook his head. "Agreed on? No. That was my earlier quote. The market has changed."

"Every nation is preparing for the coming Fourth Shinobi World War. The Arms Queen's goods can't keep up with demand, so the price is going up thirty percent."

"Thirty percent?!" Asuma's brows drew tight, and his cigarette nearly fell from his mouth. "Mr. Kakuzu, that's a steep hike to