When he learned that none of the faces Utada described were familiar to him, Zou Hyuga breathed a sigh of relief.
The full members recruited by the Akatsuki were at least jonin, and the familiar figures who would join in the future were at least elite jonin. Facing ninja of that caliber, he would inevitably have to reveal a considerable amount of his strength.
A merchant association could hire powerful ninja, but there was a limit to how powerful they could be. Someone on the level of the Sannin or the Five Kage could hardly appear in its ranks without raising serious suspicions about the association's true purpose.
The ninja who had attacked Utada, whom he did not remember, were likely members of the Akatsuki's current outer ranks.
The Akatsuki's membership was not fixed. Beyond its core members, it also had outer members undergoing evaluation. Even if these members proved too weak and died during a bounty mission, the Akatsuki probably would not pursue the matter.
After all, the Akatsuki's current goal was still to accumulate strength and money in preparation for future wars.
That was precisely why Zou Hyuga had decided to help. Otherwise, given his personality, he would have started weighing the pros and cons again.
After giving Utada a few instructions, Zou Hyuga used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance of one of Utada's guards. He then accompanied Utada through a series of business engagements, entering the Land of Fire Capital.
Within the Land of Fire Capital City, no bounty hunter dared kill openly. The Capital City where the Daimyō resided represented the dignity of both the Land of Fire and Konoha, unless they intended to burn all bridges with Konoha.
After accompanying Utada to several meetings, Zou Hyuga gained a clearer understanding of the