Thump thump thump~
"Come in."
Kawaki didn't even lift his head. He'd grown used to the workload—his days were packed and satisfying.
"Lord Kawaki."
The visitor was none other than Hayato Yamanaka. Usually, whenever he showed up, it meant trouble.
"What is it? Out with it."
Kawaki scratched his head—it already soured his mood just seeing Hayato.
It wasn't that he disliked Hayato himself, but whatever news he brought always spelled trouble.
"We've received reliable intel—every bounty hunter in the underworld has taken out a contract on you."
Hayato delivered the message, barely holding back a chuckle.
When he first heard it, he thought his subordinate must've gotten the information wrong.
Kawaki wasn't just anyone—he was the newly risen God of the Ninja World.
Surely someone had gone mad from greed.
"What?"
Shouta gasped in shock. Who in the world dared take this job?
"Funny."
Kawaki didn't seem angry at all—just grinned cheerfully.
"Should I assign some guards for your protection?" Hayato cautiously asked—it was part of his duty.
But deep down, he knew such measures were nearly pointless.
If the one who took the job could actually kill Kawaki, then who in all of Konoha could possibly stop them?
"No need. Forget about this matter."
"Actually, I've been bored out of my mind lately—it'll be nice to have someone come amuse me."
Kawaki immediately declined. Truthfully, he wanted to meet this bold soul.
"Just curious, Lord Kawaki… how much exactly are you worth?" Shouta asked—just wondering what kind of sum would tempt someone to throw their life away.
"What do you mean 'how much am I worth'?"
"You should be asking about my bounty."
Kawaki corrected Shouta—after all, he wasn't some item up for sale.
Tsk tsk—
"If I recall correctly, it's three hundred and fifty million ryō." Hayato gave an exact figure—if it were any smaller, he wouldn't even bother remembering.
"Not bad."
Kawaki recalled that Asuma's bounty in the original plot was thirty-five million ryō. His was ten times that—a decent number to accept.
"That valuable, huh?"
Shouta's eyes lit up as he looked at Kawaki.
"What are you staring at? You think you've got the guts to go after me for money?"
Kawaki shot him a fierce glare, scolding the cheeky brat.
"I'd never even think of it!"
"I was just wondering if you're literally made of gold or something."
Shouta grinned sheepishly. Even if he had twice the courage, he still wouldn't dare to dream like that.
"Gold? Nah—that'd be diamonds." Hayato joined in the fun, teasing Kawaki along with Shouta.
"You two again! Picking on me?"
"Watch it, or I'll make things hard on both of you."
Kawaki glared at them both, pretending to be threatening.
"You're too noble, sir, to waste your time punishing lowlifes like us." Shouta showed no fear at all.
"Exactly! Like I'd fit into tiny shoes anyway." Hayato added another cheeky remark.
"Right, sure—beat it, you two!" Kawaki couldn't help but laugh aloud. These guys were brilliant, and damn entertaining.
"At your command!"
Hayato gave a mocking salute before slowly turning and walking away.
"Lord Kawaki, I think we should reinforce the village's defenses."
"It would be a shame if civilians were caught in the crossfire."
Shouta took Hayato's words seriously and offered his own suggestion.
Anyone reckless enough to accept a bounty for killing Lord Kawaki must have some skill.
If someone of that caliber started trouble in the village, it wouldn't be something to laugh off.
"Mm, you handle this matter."
Lord Kawaki nodded in agreement. If civilian casualties occurred due to his negligence, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
"Then I'll go make the necessary arrangements right away."
After Shouta finished speaking, he immediately left, even setting aside work he had been handling.
"He sure is in a rush."
Watching Shouta's hasty back, Kawaki smiled slightly and shook his head.
Less than fifteen minutes passed before the news spread throughout Konoha.
Everyone learned about the greedy bounty hunter coming to Konoha to kill Lord Kawaki.
This had become post-dinner gossip among Konoha villagers.
If you hadn't heard about this news, people would say you didn't care about important village matters.
"Did you hear? Some fearless guy came to our Konoha to kill Lord Kawaki."
Inside a barbecue restaurant, a Jonin casually chatted with his drinking buddy.
"I heard about it."
"That guy's just pulling a stunt in the bathroom."
The companion slowly replied after swallowing a large piece of grilled meat.
"Who says otherwise? I think Kawaki won't even need to lift a finger."
"If that person managed to sneak into Konoha, they already have some ability."
This Jonin had great confidence in Konoha's defenses.
"Well, not necessarily."
"Aren't there stories about a Taki ninja sneaking in many years ago?"
The drinking buddy wasn't convinced that someone daring to take on such a big mission couldn't infiltrate Konoha.
From another angle, this was practically an insult to Lord Kawaki.
Now anyone dares challenge him?
"You mean that guy who threw a shuriken at the First Hokage's Wooden Clone from eight hundred miles away?"
That incident had caused quite a stir back then; although they were young at the time, the memory remained vivid.
"Yeah, exactly that Taki ninja."
The drinking buddy nodded repeatedly. He didn't know the person's name, but he clearly remembered they were from Takigakure.
Because of these old stories, apparently Lord Kawaki even went with the Hokage to negotiate over that person's Tailed Beast.
"Now that was a complete joke!!"
"If the First hadn't been too lazy to pursue it, do you think that person would still be alive today?"
He'd never heard of such a laughable assassination attempt—it wasn't like playing house or anything.
"The First was kind-hearted. We can't be sure how Lord Kawaki will react though."
"Hope that brave soul knows what they're getting into."
The two spoke without any worry, completely relaxed as if they were just having casual conversation.
With some interesting topics, even their drinking speed quickened somewhat.
...
"I'm leaving first then."
Outside the window, the sun had already set.
Kawaki wrapped up his work for the day and bid Shouta farewell.
"Well then, take care on your way back."
Shouta had forgotten that Kawaki never walked home by himself—there was no way he'd run into trouble.
"Haha, just who do you think you're underestimating?!"
Kawaki snapped his fingers and disappeared on the spot.
The next moment, he reappeared inside the martial arts training hall at home. Tsunade was walking around with her belly sticking out.
She hadn't set foot in the gambling house in ages, only occasionally joining Natsuki for shopping trips these days.
"Oh look who's back—the three hundred and fifty million man!"
Tsunade waved dramatically when she saw Kawaki.
Natsuki beside her was already in stitches.
They hadn't even left the house all day—the news came straight from the servants' gossip.
"What do you think? Your husband still has some value, huh?"
Kawaki joked lightheartedly as he approached.
"Haha, make sure to sleep carefully tonight."
"Careful—I might just turn you in for a reward."
"With three hundred and fifty million, I could at least recoup my losses."
Seeing Kawaki play along, Tsunade grinned even wider.
"Just give it a rest—you'll probably just lose for a few more days."
Kawaki shook his head with an annoyed expression. If Tsunade really won...
He wouldn't last much longer!!
"What kind of talk is that from you!!"
Tsunade lightly punched him a few times in displeasure—she wasn't *that* bad.
Even with her worst luck, couldn't three hundred and fifty million win a couple rounds?
"I think Kawaki has a point."
Natsuki added seriously.
"Sister-in-law～"
Tsunade scolded with a sweet, syrupy tone.
"Haha～"
Kawaki burst out laughing nearby.
...
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – Please bookmark: (m.