A Billion in Bounty

"That's impossible. No one would dare take the job." Genno had already guessed what Anyo intended.

Anyo smiled and said, "Nothing is impossible. Offer enough money, and someone in this world will dare to take the risk."

Besides, Anyo already had someone in mind: Kakuzu, a future member of Akatsuki.

Kakuzu was the reason Anyo knew about an organization like the Bounty Station. In the anime, he loved money as much as his own life, and his strength was beyond question. As long as the offer tempted him into taking the job, wiping out Takigakure would pose no problem. The only thing they needed to consider was the unpredictable factor that was the Seven-Tails.

"Where will the money come from?" Genno asked the crucial question.

"From here too, of course." Anyo pointed at Takigakure and said, "With the two of us here, isn't Takigakure's money as good as ours?"

Good grief. Using their money to hire someone to kill them—he would destroy them in both body and spirit. Recalling his earlier assessment of Anyo, Genno could not help breaking into a cold sweat.

Stealing was their old trade. Anyo had not done it in so long that his fingers were itching.

Beside him, Genno paced back and forth, carefully considering Anyo's proposal. He still felt it was far too risky, but it was indeed feasible. Finally, he stamped his foot and said, "Let's do it."

With the decision made, Genno reassured the elderly and children who remained from Kagerō Village, then set off with Anyo.

On the way, Anyo suddenly asked, "I think your mental fortitude is among the best of anyone I've met. What happened this time? Did the destruction of your village hit you so hard that you've even lost the confidence to rebuild?"

Genno glanced at Anyo, his eyes dimming as he said in a voice filled with sorrow, "My son died in this war too."

So that was it. Anyo understood and said, "Then all the more reason to turn grief into strength. Blood for blood, a tooth for a tooth. Pull yourself together."

"Yes, you're right." As Genno looked at the child before him, only a few years older than his own son, a sharp resolve finally returned to his eyes. "A blood debt must be repaid in blood."

Takigakure was a hidden village concealed by a massive waterfall. Its geographical position was unusual, almost entirely surrounded by four countries. Thanks to its advantageous terrain, it rarely suffered invasions from outside enemies. Today, however, it received two uninvited guests.

Both were master thieves, and Takigakure might as well have had no defenses before them. Using his Mechanism Techniques, Genno took Anyo into the village from the air on a Bamboo Dragonfly.

Takigakure had grown accustomed to its long peace, and its people were not particularly vigilant. But because it was so isolated, Anyo and Genno did not dare stroll openly down the streets. Instead, they hid and waited for nightfall.

Once they were hidden, Genno's hands never stopped moving as he continually tinkered with various mechanisms. Anyo watched with keen interest, repeatedly praising him. "I never imagined you were a Mechanism Master too."

Genno's eyes filled with nostalgia. "I originally learned this to amuse my son. When he was little, he cried at the slightest thing, so I made some mechanisms to cheer him up. Then I gradually started studying it in depth."

"Teach me too."

Genno gave Anyo a surprised look, then nodded.

Late that night, when all was quiet, the two emerged from hiding and headed straight for Takigakure's Kage Level office, also the place most likely to hold its wealth.

They divided the work between them. Both had considerable experience, and they displayed their skills in infiltration, concealment, lockpicking, treasure hunting, and other aspects of theft with textbook perfection. Naturally, each also gave the other's skills a nod of approval, both thinking, Looks like he's done plenty of this.

After working away for half the night, they finally found where the money was hidden. Looking at the warehouse full of banknotes, even Genno was shocked. "Takigakure is actually this rich. No wonder they managed to secure a Tailed Beast from the Five Great Nations back then."

Anyo took out a scroll he had prepared beforehand and formed Hand Seals with both hands. A Sealing Array then took shape, tightly sealing off the warehouse.

Once that was done, Anyo said, "Now this money is ours. Good thing you had the foresight to make Mechanism Beasts. Otherwise, hauling away this much money really would be difficult."

Without another word, Anyo got to work, with Genno following close behind.

In no time at all, the entire warehouse had been picked as clean as a bone gnawed by a dog. Not a scrap remained.

Once they were finished, Anyo dispelled the Sealing Array, and the two left Takigakure as silently as ghosts.

After leaving, they hurried straight to the Bounty Station without stopping. To Anyo's surprise, it was housed in nothing more than a roadside thatched hut. It was fortunate that Genno was so well-informed; otherwise, who would have paid attention to this dilapidated shack?

After they entered, an ordinary-looking man came over to receive them, his tone flat. "Are you here to turn in a job or post one?"

"Post one. An urgent one," Genno said, emphasizing the word "urgent."

"Oh, an urgent job?" The man became interested. "That will require an additional bounty."

Anyo picked up the conversation. "Money isn't a problem, but I want this job circulated as quickly as possible, because we're offering a billion in bounty."

"A billion?" The man's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Anyo, deeply suspicious that this child was lying.

Seeing his disbelief, Genno spoke up. "That's right, a billion. Our bounty is on every ninja in Takigakure."

"Oh, an entire village's ninja. In that case, a billion isn't all that much." The man nodded in understanding. The prospect of wiping out a village's ninja did not seem to stir him much, and his expression returned to normal. "You'll need to pay a ten-percent deposit up front."

Without another word, Anyo took out a small burlap sack and tossed it over.

The man opened it and carefully counted the contents. After confirming the amount, he nodded and said, "Wait for word. Someone capable will come after a day."

"Let's wait right here." Anyo decided to stay. He knew what Kakuzu looked like, and at present, Kakuzu was the only person he could think of who was both capable of accomplishing this and willing to do it for money.

"Suit yourselves." The man did not care and soon went into the back to circulate the notice.

Genno said uneasily, "Will someone really take this job? Given enough time, Takigakure is bound to discover the theft. They might have some special way to track down their missing money."

After all, with such a large sum involved, if Takigakure had no means of recovering it, the village hardly deserved to have survived this long.

Anyo smiled confidently. "Don't worry. Sit down and wait. If I'm right, that man will come."