Chapter 47: The Duo of Kakuzu and Hidan

On the northern border of the Land of Fire, a dark shadow streaked through the forest.

Kakuzu's black cloak fluttered under the moonlight like a deathly specter. Under the cover of night, he burst into a merchant caravan's camp.

The caravan's guards—a group of rogue ninjas and samurai—were huddled around a campfire wiping their weapons, completely unaware that the Grim Reaper had arrived.

Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear silently tore through the night, five black threads precisely wrapping around the throats of the three nearest rogue ninjas.

Most of these rogue ninjas were only at the Genin level, and the samurai were even more incompetent; they might be capable of handling ordinary people or bandits, but facing an elite Jonin like Kakuzu, they were nothing more than vegetables to be sliced and diced.

"Enemy attack!" A shrill alarm was cut short mid-sentence as blood sprayed across the canvas of the tents.

The entire camp fell into chaos; the caravan guards were easily slaughtered before they could even catch a glimpse of their killer.

"Damn it! Who is it?!" When the caravan leader stumbled out of his tent, he stared in stunned horror at his goods being consumed by fire, his expression one of extreme fury.

As for the casualties among the surrounding rogue ninjas, samurai, and caravan workers—a rogue ninja captain pierced by an earthen spear was of no consequence to him.

But those goods were worth a fortune!

*Swish—*

A kunai flew through the air, embedding itself into the 'Sakamoto Trading Company' flag at the leader's feet, narrowly missing his toes.

"I will give you three days to leave the borders of the Land of Fire." Kakuzu's black-robed figure emerged from the shadows, his raspy voice addressing the caravan leader.

"You bastard! I am a merchant with an exclusive operating license from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire!" the leader continued to shout.

"In that case, I have no choice but to kill you." Kakuzu brandished his kunai and slowly walked toward the head of the company.

The cold glint of the kunai reflected the flames, and a pair of teal eyes radiated killing intent amidst the raging fire. The entire camp was being consumed by flames, surrounded by severed limbs and the cries of the wounded.

The caravan leader could no longer hold on; he collapsed to the ground, wetting his pants as he wailed, "I... I'll leave right now... please spare me, my lord..."

"Hmph." Kakuzu gave a light snort and vanished in a flicker of movement.

Watching his goods burn in the fire, the leader slumped into a pool of blood, feeling as though his entire world had collapsed.

——————

The Capital of the Land of Fire.

Inside the headquarters of the Gato Company, a crystal chandelier illuminated the ledgers with perfect clarity.

When Kakuzu broke in through the window, Gato, wearing small spectacles, was busy calculating a sum.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can you stop using the window every single time? You've broken this window seven times already!" Gato looked up, his eyes full of complaint behind his small glasses as he saw the dust-covered Kakuzu returning.

Before he could finish, a heavy scroll slammed onto the ledgers on the desk.

"The Sakamoto caravan has been dealt with."

Hearing Kakuzu's mission report, Gato hurriedly picked up the scroll and whispered, "You didn't kill him, did you?"

Although the caravan leader was just an ordinary man, what great merchant capable of conducting transnational business in these chaotic times didn't have noble backing? They might even have intricate connections with certain ninja clans.

Therefore, Gato only wanted to expel them and burn their goods, which would increase the value of his own stock.

As long as no noble was murdered, they wouldn't pursue the matter too aggressively.

Of course, if things had escalated to a point of mutual destruction, Gato wouldn't have minded sending people to finish them off—or even wiping out the entire trading company to silence them!

A man who could become a global tycoon in such a chaotic era was no saint.

"The usual rules. After the warning, if he agrees to leave the Land of Fire, I spare his life." Kakuzu sat on the sofa opposite him, leaning back.

"Where's the money?" Kakuzu's teal pupils then turned toward Gato.

"Don't worry, you'll get your share!" After inspecting the commercial secret scroll seized from their competitor, the Sakamoto Trading Company, Gato pulled a box from under the desk and personally delivered it to Kakuzu.

Since joining the organization to serve "that Lord," they had become partners.

Gato primarily focused on the Land of Fire, establishing companies in major cities within the country, as well as in neighboring small and medium-sized nations and the Land of Lightning, to conduct trade and amass wealth.

As for Kakuzu, in addition to protecting Gato's safety, he helped Gato deal with competitors.

Although Kakuzu's quotes were high, he completed every mission perfectly—either by burning a competitor's company to the ground, massacring their caravans, or even hijacking their merchant ships.

In short, Gato felt Kakuzu offered incredible value for money, far superior to those boastful rogue ninjas and samurai!

"Hmph." Kakuzu opened the money box, took out a stack of bills, and began to count them meticulously.

His most pleasurable moment was counting money.

Gato had grown accustomed to his partner's habits. Although Kakuzu was greedy and even exploited rogue ninjas and samurai, Gato wouldn't dare treat him that way.

He had personally witnessed Kakuzu, shortly after boarding a ship, kill over a dozen ninjas and samurai in just a few breaths simply because they had been disrespectful!

Gato returned to his desk and began planning his next commercial offensive against the Land of Rice Fields.

The Sakamoto Trading Company was backed by the Daimyos of both the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields; this blow was enough to deal them a heavy hit. Taking this opportunity, Gato's company could delve deeper into the Land of Rice Fields to seize Sakamoto's clients and sphere of influence.

As the two were busy with their respective tasks, a light breeze blew through the window.

Kakuzu, who was counting money, looked up sharply. A figure that made his heart tremble had, at some unknown point, leaned against the window frame.

Kakuzu's counting fingers froze instantly, which also caught Gato's attention. Following Kakuzu's gaze, he also saw the figure sitting on the window.

"My Lord! You've arrived!" Gato immediately dropped what he was holding, his fat face instantly covered in sycophantic smiles.

Menma, wearing a white three-eyed fox mask, jumped down from the window.

"My Lord!" Kakuzu also put down the money and stood up.

After all, the boss had come to inspect their work.

"How is the settlement of the Iburi clan progressing?" Menma walked past Gato and sat directly in Gato's premium leather office chair.

Gato, acting like a secretary, busied himself around with fawning gestures, reporting the recent situation.

"As per your instructions, the supplies have been delivered to the designated location. Here are the company's accounts for this month."

Menma did not take the accounts to inspect them.

He simply said indifferently to Gato and Kakuzu, "How much do you know about the countries in the western part of the continent?"

"The Land of Demons, the Land of Snow, the Land of Bears, and the Land of Ghosts."

These countries were the contingency options Menma had prepared.

"Reporting to My Lord, among these countries, only the Land of Snow and the Land of Bears have ninjas." Having traveled to many countries over the years, Gato's knowledge of the western nations was limited.

"I only heard that an uprising broke out in the Land of Snow a few years ago. Now, it seems a man named Fuuka Nadou is acting as king, and they have their own Snow Ninjas."

"The Land of Demons is ruled by a Priestess; they have no ninja villages. The Land of Ghosts has no ninja villages either. If I were to mention a specialty, it would be grain. That's right, the Land of Ghosts and the Land of Bears are connected by a plain, which is fertile for grain."

"The Land of Bears seems to have a Star Ninja Village, and there is also the natural barrier, the Hell Valley..."

Gato recited all the information he knew.

Menma then looked toward Kakuzu: "How much do you know about the Star Ninja Village in the Land of Bears?"

"The Star Ninja Village?" Kakuzu's teal eyes behind his mask drifted in thought.

Having traveled the ninja world for many years, he had indeed been to the Land of Bears and had even fought against the ninjas of the Star Ninja Village.

"Their village is like Takigakure; they have their own secrets, and the Peacock Mysticism they practice... Hmph, it can only be described as something for clowns."

It seemed Kakuzu also held the Star Ninja Village in contempt.