The gathering of the elite

One day earlier, in Konoha's Hokage Tower.

Shuofang Si stood before the desk in the Hokage's office and set down a lump of gold.

"Raiga Kurosuki. Help me kill him. Money is no object."

Meanwhile, at an underground bounty exchange somewhere in the Land of Fire.

Kakuzu carried a roughly wrapped bundle in one hand.

The dark red liquid that had seeped through its bottom had already dried and turned black.

He casually tossed the bundle to the bounty exchange attendant waiting at the entrance. The attendant opened it, took a look, and paled before respectfully handing over a stack of bills.

Kakuzu took the bills and deftly counted them with a quick flick of his fingers. Then he pulled a ledger from inside his clothes and crossed out a line.

His brow furrowed beneath his mask. This was already his third partner this year. The organization was taking its time finding replacements.

But suddenly, as though he had sensed something, he stopped.

Kakuzu turned, his eyes beneath the mask fixed intently on the space ahead.

"Who's there?"

"Don't be nervous. It's me." Zetsu emerged halfway from a branch, hanging upside down with a smile on his black-and-white face.

"Oh? What do you want?" Kakuzu relaxed his shoulders.

He had dealt with Zetsu plenty of times. Whenever the two-toned man appeared, it meant the organization had another assignment for him.

The good news was that work meant money. The bad news was that Zetsu usually had more nonsense to spout than actual business to discuss.

"Looks like you killed the teammate we sent you and cashed him in again." Zetsu sounded as though he was already used to it.

"Hmph. He was useless to begin with. He wasn't even as good as my previous heart. Cashing him in was all he was good for." Kakuzu flipped through his ledger as he answered without looking up.

"No matter. We've assigned you another teammate." Ripples spread like water where Zetsu's body met the tree.

"Go meet him. Recruit him into the organization if you can. If he refuses, do whatever you see fit."

Kakuzu closed his ledger. His last teammate's bounty had barely been entered before another teammate was on the way. Good. Much faster than finding his own prey.

"Is it far?"

"A little, but you'll like it there." Zetsu's smile widened. "Wood Sorrel Gold Mine Mountain."

Kakuzu froze with the ledger halfway back into his clothes. Two eerie green lights flared in his eyes above the mask.

"A gold mine?"

"Yes. Raiga Kurosuki, formerly of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, has taken over the place."

Kakuzu raised his head. "Then I'll go have a look. Hopefully, this Raiga Kurosuki won't disappoint me."

"Heh. I'll be off, then." Zetsu smiled and sank into the tree trunk, disappearing.

Kakuzu tucked the ledger into his clothes, turned, and headed toward the Land of Rivers.

At the same time, in Orochimaru's secret base on the border of the Land of Fire.

Orochimaru pushed open the training ground's iron door, and the smell of scorching hit him.

The walls were covered in dense, charred cracks, each bearing the branching scorch patterns distinctive to Lightning Release.

The stone tiles on the floor were also marked with clean cuts.

A boy stood in the center of the training ground, blue-white currents slowly fading from his hand.

His wet black hair clung to the back of his neck, and his shoulders rose and fell with his breathing.

"Sasuke-kun, how is your practice with the techniques I taught you coming along?"

Orochimaru leaned against the doorframe, greed glittering in his snake-like eyes.

His voice was low, but held a note of anticipation.

Sasuke ignored him.

He looked down at his hand. An arc of electricity flickered twice in his palm, then vanished.

This Chidori had lasted a little longer than yesterday's, but he was still a way off from completing its shape transformation.

Still not enough. The Chidori Kakashi taught me was only the foundation. In that case, I need to get more out of Orochimaru now.

"I signed a contract with Manda yesterday. I'm still working on the Cursed Seal."

Sasuke looked coldly at Orochimaru. He could sense the greed in Orochimaru's eyes, too.

"Then go out and stretch your legs. You haven't been on a mission in quite some time."

"As it happens, I've received word that a boy with a red-eyed kekkei genkai has appeared at Wood Sorrel Gold Mine Mountain in the Land of Rivers. His name is Ranmaru. I'm very interested in him. Go bring him back."

Sasuke frowned slightly. The description of a red-eyed kekkei genkai instinctively made him think of the Sharingan.

"A red-eyed kekkei genkai?"

"Don't worry. It isn't the Sharingan. Incidentally, Sasuke-kun, are you working on shape transformation?"

Orochimaru looked at the wall deep inside the training ground, scorched black by Chidori. A flicker of appreciation crossed his snake-like eyes.

"Yes. I'll get ready and leave in a bit."

"That boy, Ranmaru, apparently has a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist with him. I'll send some Sound Ninja along with you. Use them however you please. There's no need to worry about casualties."

For a moment, Sasuke seemed lost in his memories. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist...

He remembered what had happened on that bridge in the Land of Waves. The man called Zabuza Momochi already felt like someone from the distant past.

Yet whenever he thought of that conviction to die protecting someone, he found it both ridiculous and irritating.

He turned toward Orochimaru, whose snake-like eyes were filled with greed as they watched him.

"All right. Understood."

"Yes. His Thunder Sword is rather good, too. It would suit you well. If you're capable enough, you can bring that back as well." Orochimaru licked his lips.

Sasuke said nothing more and headed for the training ground's entrance, but stopped when he reached it.

"One more thing. Do you want Ranmaru alive or dead?"

Orochimaru's lips curved into a smile. "Alive would be best, but if that proves impossible, his corpse will do."

Kakashi had been resting while keeping watch, but suddenly opened his eyes. One of the warning traps he had set in the woods had been triggered.

He reached out and knocked Naruto on the head. Naruto sprang up as though he had springs beneath his feet.

"Wh-what's going on? A midnight snack?!" Naruto was dazed for an instant, then began drooling with excitement.

"Idiot. There are enemies coming. Get ready to fight." Feeling a headache coming on, Kakashi deliberately raised his voice so the others would get ready as well.

At that moment, however, they had no idea that two Rogue Ninja had already crept up outside Shuofang Si's window.

The two looked at the bulge beneath the covers inside. One whispered, "According to that kid's information, this room is in the best location. It should be where the Konoha Ninja's client is staying."

"Then we'll stick to the plan. Grab him and use him to threaten that Konoha Jonin. Once Lord Raiga finishes off the Jonin, we'll find a chance to kill him."

"He actually dared to hire Konoha to come after our Kurosuki clan. He must have a death wish," the other ninja sneered quietly.

"Exactly. What a despicable fellow."

An unfamiliar voice sounded behind them, its tone casual. "He gave away every last bit of information about me."