Land of Whirlpools.
Today, the weather was clear and sunny.
"You two..." Muroto Jōmon propped his chin on his hands, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the two people before him. He spoke calmly, "Last night..."
"You saw everything, didn't you?"
He had deliberately chosen such a late time to deliver goods to avoid running into people redeeming their purchases, yet...
Even at that hour, why were you two still outside?
And of all people, it had to be two individuals with special ocular abilities...
His transformation jutsu was completely useless against them!
Really...
Couldn't you just go home early after work?
Why eat noodles?
Didn't you have work the next day?
"I... I didn't see anything," Sosuke said, his eyes darting around nervously. "It was too late last night, and the lighting was bad. It was too dark to see anything clearly."
His mind was in turmoil.
Wasn't it just a simple matter of treating Uchiha Fugaku to a bowl of noodles?
How did he end up witnessing his superior running a side business?
He was panicking inside!
And...
His clan leader was actually selling pork blood stew!!
"It seems the clan leader was forced by debt collectors..."
Into a corner.
"Besides, we were busy eating noodles the whole time. That special pork blood stew was really..." Sosuke licked his lips, his expression nostalgic for the delicious food. "Not fishy at all, firm, with a unique flavor and an exceptional texture."
"We were completely absorbed in the food..."
"And didn't notice anything happening nearby."
Hearing Sosuke's words, Muroto Jōmon nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "You may go back to work now."
As expected of an outstanding member of the Chinoike Clan!
I'm very pleased!
As for Uchiha Fugaku...
Muroto Jōmon turned his head to look at Uchiha Fugaku, who was still staring intently at him, and suddenly felt a headache coming on. These Uchiha people...
Were all so stubborn!!
What should he do now?
He had finally found this job suitable for the Chinoike Clan. The funds and raw materials were all prepared. All that was left was to sell the goods, make a profit, repay the debt to the Black Mask, and ascend to the pinnacle of life, becoming a wealthy man in the Land of Whirlpools...
Then he could use the money to crush the Kamizuru Clan.
But now...
Fate had played a cruel joke on him!
"You should know," Uchiha Fugaku said expressionlessly, staring at Muroto Jōmon. "The Land of Whirlpools explicitly prohibits all public officials from engaging in business or any form of side jobs."
"As the bureau chief, this is a deliberate violation of the law!!"
"..."
He knew it would come to this.
Muroto Jōmon sighed inwardly but maintained a smile on his face. "The one doing business is the pork blood stew expert—Master Blood Stew, not me, Muroto Jōmon."
"He looks nothing like me."
"But that's just a transformation jutsu," Uchiha Fugaku frowned at Muroto Jōmon. "This still violates the laws of the Land of Whirlpools."
"No one knows," Muroto Jōmon said helplessly. "No one knows that person is me, and I haven't abused my authority."
He just wanted to earn some extra pocket money. Was that so difficult?
"..."
Uchiha Fugaku fell silent for a moment before asking, "Is the Chinoike Clan short on money?"
"Yes!" Muroto Jōmon said irritably. "There's this Black Mask guy who keeps coming to collect debts. I had no choice."
Not everyone could bring a fortune with them when fleeing to the Land of Whirlpools. For example, the Chinoike Clan...
They had no money to bring in the first place!!
"In that case..." Uchiha Fugaku frowned. He naturally knew who Muroto Jōmon was referring to as the Black Mask. When the Uchiha Clan first arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, that guy had come asking if they wanted a loan. But when they refused...
He had angrily slammed the door and left.
What a strange person!
"The Uchiha Clan can lend money to the Chinoike Clan," Uchiha Fugaku said expressionlessly. "No interest."
"Really?" Muroto Jōmon's eyes lit up instantly at Uchiha Fugaku's words. He smiled and said, "As expected of a genius of the Uchiha Clan who awakened the Mangekyō at such a young age. I've always had high hopes for you."
"Come, come, don't stand on ceremony. Sit here."
"Nephew, sit here. This..."
Muroto Jōmon looked at Uchiha Fugaku sheepishly...
"How much can the Uchiha Clan lend?"
...
As for the chief of the Whirlpools' Public Security Bureau selling pork blood stew, Uzumaki Jun had known about it for a while. Although the Land of Whirlpools explicitly prohibited public officials from engaging in business...
Their family members could!
So...
As long as Muroto Jōmon wasn't using the nation's name for his business, Jun didn't care and had no intention of interfering.
Little did he know...
Those who took rules seriously had misunderstood...
This was also due to the lack of well-established laws.
But now...
He had other matters to attend to...
"For this batch of blades, we must target the high-end market," Uzumaki Jun summoned two scientifically crafted ninja swords he had made overnight. "So, we must sell them in batches."
"You're familiar with the black markets across the shinobi world. Later, you'll need to deliver them there for sale."
Looking at Kakuzu, who was drooling and caressing the sword hilts, Jun said impatiently, "There are plenty in the country. If you want one, you can ask the elder for a custom order later."
That undisguised greed was really...
Disgusting.
Kakuzu wiped his drool and said calmly, "I'm not caressing the swords. I'm..."
"Caressing money."
It was better to focus on making money. As for the ninja swords...
With his strength, which was on par with the God of Shinobi, did he even need them?
But...
He wondered how much these could sell for.
"Leave them with you for now," Uzumaki Jun shook his head helplessly. "After some time, when the hype builds, we'll sell them."
He had come here today mainly to find Zetsu and incidentally deliver the swords to Kakuzu.
Zetsu hadn't returned to the Land of Whirlpools for a while...
What an irresponsible comrade!
Giving up after just a little setback—how could he become an outstanding revolutionary pioneer like this?
So...
This attitude was unacceptable. Uzumaki Jun decided to harshly criticize him, make him reflect deeply...
And help him reform, recognize his mistakes, and continue to shine for the organization... no, the nation!
...
"Achoo, achoo." White Zetsu sneezed, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "Can I even catch a cold?"
"Idiot," Black Zetsu said disdainfully to White Zetsu. "Tools don't catch colds."
Even if you're White Zetsu's original body, you can't catch a cold!
But...
Why did he feel uneasy??
Was something about to happen again?
And this feeling was so familiar, as if...
"Hmm?" Suddenly, White Zetsu looked at Black Zetsu with a strange expression and said helplessly, "I know what that sneeze was about now."
"Just received a message from a nearby clone..."
"That red-haired kid has arrived in the Land of Rain."
"You mean..." Black Zetsu's eyelids twitched as he asked cautiously.
He came looking for us??
White Zetsu spread his hands. "I don't know the details. The clone didn't dare get too close, afraid of being discovered."
"..."
Black Zetsu fell silent for a moment before finally saying...
"How about..."
"We just run away!!"
"It's not that we're afraid of that kid. It's just that we have things to do later. We're very busy. We can just leave a White Zetsu clone at the warehouse."
"He probably just came to collect the steel."
"So..."
"It has nothing to do with us."
Hearing Black Zetsu's words, White Zetsu froze for a second before nodding solemnly. "You're right. We have things to do. We know nothing about that kid coming here."
As he spoke, he merged with Black Zetsu...
"We know absolutely nothing."
"So..."
Let's get busy!!
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