Although the poison mist had paralyzed Kinoe's entire body, Kenya's words made him so furious his eyes nearly popped out.
Plaster photos of them in their undies all over Konoha?
If he really did that, Root's reputation would be dragged through the dirt!
Lord Danzo would definitely grind all their bones to dust and scatter their ashes!
"Mmph... mmph!"
Kinoe desperately tried to protest, but his paralyzed vocal cords could only produce indistinct whimpers.
"All right, calm down."
Kenya kicked some sand over Kinoe's bare legs.
"Go back and tell Danzo that I'm a man of my word when it comes to business."
"Hand over the money, and I'll hand over the men. If he dares try any tricks, I'll personally bring these 'artistic photos' to Konoha to wish him a happy birthday."
That night.
A Ninja Hawk carrying a ransom letter and several "high-definition sketches" (drawn personally by Haku) flew from the deserted island toward Konoha.
Konoha, Root's underground base.
Bang!
With a tremendous crash, the newly replaced stone desk in front of Danzo was smashed to pieces once again.
"An utter disgrace! This is an utter disgrace!"
Danzo tightly clutched the sketch of Kinoe wearing pink undies.
He trembled with rage and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
The team he had sent to the Land of Waves was Root's very best assassination squad!
Yet not only had they failed to burn down the warehouse or capture Senju Kenya alive.
They had instead been stripped, had these indecent pictures made of them, and been held hostage for ransom!
If word got out, all the prestige he, Shimura Danzō, had built over his lifetime would become a complete laughingstock throughout the Shinobi World!
"Lord Danzo, what should we do?"
A trusted subordinate asked, trembling with fear.
"Are we really going to send him the money?"
"What else can we do?!"
Danzo roared in uncontrollable fury.
"Are we supposed to let him plaster these things all over Konoha's streets and alleys?!"
"Go! Withdraw over twenty million ryo in cash from the treasury immediately!"
"Send someone to the Land of Waves and ransom those disgraceful wastes of space!"
Danzo gritted his teeth, the venom in his lone eye almost taking physical form.
"Senju Kenya... sooner or later, I'll make you repay this debt with interest!"
A few days later.
Inside a luxurious reception room at the Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce's headquarters in the Land of Waves.
Kenya sat in the spacious seat of honor, toying with a lighter made of pure gold.
Opposite him stood a mysterious man wearing a cloak and a conical hat.
He was none other than the Root envoy Danzo had sent to negotiate and ransom the captives.
The envoy set a heavy leather suitcase down hard on the coffee table with a dull thud.
"Twenty-five million ryo in banknotes. Every last bit."
The voice beneath the envoy's conical hat was cold and stiff.
"Where are they? Release them immediately and hand over those pictures."
Kenya was in no hurry to take the suitcase.
He leaned lazily against the back of his chair and curled his lip.
"What's the rush? I've always dealt fairly with young and old alike. They're tied up in the warehouse outside. They're not going anywhere."
The envoy snorted coldly, his manner exceedingly arrogant.
"Senju Kenya, don't get too carried away."
"Do you think a little brute strength means you can stand against all of Konoha?"
"Lord Danzo only chose not to escalate this matter for the sake of the bigger picture."
"I'm warning you, stop your little schemes immediately, or else..."
Bang!
The envoy had not even finished speaking.
Without warning, Kenya suddenly slammed his palm onto the coffee table.
Although he had not used Haki, his sheer monstrous strength still blasted the entire solid-wood coffee table into countless fragments in an instant!
As the coffee table exploded.
A violent, invisible blast of air slammed into the envoy like a heavy hammer.
Crack!
The conical hat on the envoy's head shattered under the impact of the blast!
It revealed his terrified face behind a fox mask.
The envoy was knocked several steps backward and fell straight onto his backside, unable to catch his breath for a long while.
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
Kenya stood up and looked down at the envoy sitting on the floor.
His eyes were filled with undisguised contempt.
"A dog running errands dares bark at me?"
"You think Konoha is still the Konoha it used to be?"
"You think Danzo is still that Root leader who could rule with an iron fist?"
Sneering, Kenya walked up to the envoy one step at a time.
"Go back and tell that old dog Danzo."
"I, Senju Kenya, have never accepted threats from anyone."
"If he still has the guts, he can come to the Land of Waves and find me himself."
Kenya bent down and picked up the suitcase full of banknotes from the floor.
He opened it, checked the amount, then patted its surface in satisfaction.
"Still, I do have a suggestion."
Kenya looked down at the envoy, who was trembling with fear, a mocking smile curling his lips.
"Next time you send people to their deaths, please send some who can take a beating."
"You Root guys are really too weak."
"I didn't even use Haki, and they fell apart at a touch. Boring as hell."
Those merciless taunts.
Were like a resounding slap delivered straight to Root's face.
The envoy clenched his teeth in humiliation, but did not dare utter a single word of protest.
He scrambled to his feet in a panic, not even bothering to pick up the scattered pieces of his hat.
He stumbled out of the reception room and went to the warehouse to collect the captives.
"See yourself out! Remember to bring more money next time!"
Kenya called after the envoy's retreating, bedraggled figure.
Then he turned and tossed the suitcase of banknotes to Kato Yosuke, who had just walked in.
"Put that in the books, and give Zabuza and Haku a bonus while you're at it."
Kenya was in a wonderful mood. This feeling of collecting rent in reverse, extorting Konoha High Command, was simply too satisfying.
Yosuke caught the suitcase, but showed little joy.
His expression was somewhat grave.
"Boss, getting the money is good, but..."
Yosuke pushed up his glasses, hesitating.
"Just say it. Why are you hemming and hawing?" Kenya sat back down on the sofa and poured himself a cup of tea.
"It's news that just came in from the chamber of commerce's intelligence network."
Yosuke took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
"Our fleet trading timber out at sea was passing a deep-sea trench."
"They discovered an enormous... white snakeskin."