"Very good."
Uchiha Yao nodded, highly satisfied with Tanaka Tatsu's efficiency.
"You did well."
Having received personal praise from Hokage-sama, Tanaka Tatsu was so excited that his face flushed red.
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
Tanaka Tatsu immediately led the way, and the two moved one after the other, silently making their way toward the Bounty Exchange.
Inside the Bounty Exchange, Kakuzu was immersed in the joy of his haul.
Using his strange black tendrils, he curled bag after bag of banknotes into his wide black robe. The secret technique Earth Grudge Fear not only gave him multiple lives, but also provided him with a massive "mobile vault."
The sensation of every banknote touching his body filled him with incomparable satisfaction.
"Lord Kakuzu, please do visit our humble establishment more often if there are opportunities like this in the future!" said the fat manager, bowing and scraping.
An S-rank expert who could reliably supply the heads of high-value rogue ninjas was the most elite VIP customer for a Bounty Exchange like theirs.
"Hmph. Depends on my mood," Kakuzu replied coldly.
Just as Kakuzu was about to turn and leave, the Bounty Exchange's battered wooden door was pushed open from outside.
Creak—
Everyone inside the Bounty Exchange turned their gazes toward the entrance.
Kakuzu frowned as well, casting an irritated glance in that direction.
Two people stood at the door.
The one in front was an ordinary ninja who looked somewhat familiar, though Kakuzu could not remember where he had seen him before.
But when Kakuzu's gaze fell upon the person behind that ninja, he froze.
Time seemed to stop at that moment.
The surrounding clamor, the fat manager's fawning smile, the texture of the banknotes in his hand... everything rapidly faded away.
Only that face remained in Kakuzu's mind.
Uchiha Yao!