"Only Four Million Ryō..."
Juzo Biwa nodded slightly and looked at Kakuzu beside him.
Kakuzu carried out bounty missions year-round and managed the organization's money. Four Million Ryō was only the payment for a single A-Rank Mission, so he should have had no trouble producing it...
Seeing Kakuzu's livid expression, Juzo Biwa fell silent, suddenly uncertain.
To Kakuzu, Zou Hyuga's proposal felt more like torture. Having been betrayed by his village, he understood all too well that money alone would never betray him. Asking him to hand it over was like carving flesh from an open wound.
Zou Hyuga looked at Kakuzu's expression and chuckled. "Don't tell me you can't even come up with four million ryo?"
Kakuzu remained silent, facing off against Zou Hyuga without the slightest intention of backing down.
Just as Zou Hyuga was about to strike again, Juzo Biwa tossed over a Storage Scroll and said slowly, "The money you want is in here..."
Zou Hyuga caught the scroll. After using his Byakugan to confirm that nothing was amiss, he opened it. There was indeed a considerable sum of money inside.
"Can we leave now?" Juzo Biwa asked, staring at Zou Hyuga after paying on Kakuzu's behalf.
Zou Hyuga nodded lightly. Taking the money was merely his excuse for letting them go. For now, he did not want a major conflict with the Akatsuki, chiefly because Obito could appear at any moment.
With his permission, Juzo Biwa disappeared into the forest with a gloomy-faced Kakuzu.
Although Zou Hyuga had accepted the money, bounty ninjas had never been particularly trustworthy. There was no telling whether he might turn on them.
As they leaped through the woods, Kakuzu said to Juzo Biwa beside him, "You shouldn't have given him Four Million Ryō. He's definitely not a guard. He's