After careful consideration, Shirō decided to go to the nearest Exchange—the same underground bounty station where he had previously accepted missions.
Ideally, choosing a more distant Exchange would have offered better security. Unfortunately, the method Shirō intended to use might fail if the distance was too great.
So he settled for this one instead.
The difference wasn't significant anyway. Shirō's plan was solid—though not flawless. There were still minor variables, so he avoided thinking in absolutes.
After setting up his Workshop, Shirō departed.
He first left the Land of Rivers and entered a neighboring country, where he purchased Exploding Tags through the black market. He deliberately kept only a small portion on his person; carrying too many would be inconvenient later. More importantly, he avoided buying them in the Land of Rivers to prevent any local records from being traced back to him.
Once that was done, Shirō went straight to the Exchange to negotiate and arrange the transaction time.
For this operation, Shirō relied on the Body Flicker Technique—something he hadn't used in a while. Mo Zai's Noble Phantasm was out of the question; it was far too conspicuous and would risk linking his identities.
His Body Flicker wasn't particularly refined, but as long as he maintained the technique without interruption, his true appearance wouldn't be exposed. Crude or not, it was stable enough for his purposes.
---
Inside the Exchange, an elderly clerk was busy organizing bounty slips—removing completed contracts while adjusting the rewards on others that had received additional backing.
In truth, the latter was his main responsibility.
Cross-regional bounties were rarely issued unless the target was a famous figure listed in multiple bingo books. Most Exchanges operated independently, relying on scattered informants and wandering ninja. Intelligence transmission itself was dangerous, so each branch usually handled its own territory.
On top of that, he had to filter out contracts irrelevant to this region to avoid unnecessary trouble. The larger the organization, the more meticulous its internal management had to be.
Just as he finished arranging the documents, a ripple of black aura appeared in front of the counter.
Then it vanished.
A hooded figure cloaked in green emerged silently.
The old man glanced up, noticed the residual chakra fluctuations of a Body Flicker Technique, then calmly lowered his head and resumed his work.
"How can I help you?" he asked.
"Do you purchase Exploding Tags?"
"Sorry. We don't provide that service. Try the black market," the old man replied without looking up.
"I have two hundred thousand."
The old man froze.
He slowly raised his head, staring at the hooded figure in disbelief. After a brief pause, his eyes narrowed.
"Are you serious? The price of deceiving our Exchange is not something you can afford."
The hooded figure placed a sealed box on the counter.
"Ten thousand as samples. Inspect them."
The old man hesitated, then opened the container. He took out several Exploding Tags, carefully examining their structure, ink patterns, and chakra sealing marks. After confirming their authenticity, he returned them to the box and slid it back.
"If there truly are two hundred thousand," he said slowly, "then it's possible. But that amount exceeds my authority. Give us two days. We'll need time to prepare the funds."
"Three days," the hooded figure replied. "At noon."
With that, black aura surged again, and the figure vanished.
The old man narrowed his eyes.
Someone capable of such a high-level Body Flicker Technique had little reason to lie.
He immediately summoned a ninja hawk and sent out encrypted messages. Two hundred thousand Exploding Tags represented an astronomical value, even for an Exchange. Gathering that much ryo would take time.
And money wasn't the only thing they needed to prepare.
They would also prepare manpower.
---
On the outskirts of a small town, a flock of giant birds took flight from a forest clearing.
In that instant, black aura flickered across the back of one bird, and the hooded figure appeared. The wind tore back the green cloak, revealing an exceptionally handsome face.
It was Shirō.
---
Noble Phantasm
King Without a Face (No Face May King)
Rank: C (Self-defined)
Type: Anti-Unit (Support)
Description:
A green hood inherited from the Heroic Spirit Robin Hood.
This magical tool grants complete optical camouflage and an effect equivalent to Assassin-class Presence Concealment, allowing its user to assimilate with the surroundings. It provides near-perfect visual and thermal invisibility, though it cannot fully mask electromagnetic signatures. Physical contact will still reveal its presence.
With this Noble Phantasm, Shirō can exhibit stealth abilities comparable to an Assassin.
It was ideal for this situation—concealing his identity while subtly displaying his capabilities.
Why not use it?
With negotiations complete, Shirō only needed to wait in his Workshop. Of course, he still had preparations to make before the Exchange.
---
At noon three days later, all nonessential personnel had been ordered to leave the Exchange to ensure a "smooth" transaction.
Behind the counter, the old clerk stood beside a middle-aged man dressed in a formal kimono—the regional supervisor.
"Is everything in place?" the supervisor asked.
"Yes, sir," the old man replied with a slight bow.
He understood the question perfectly.
On one hand, the funds were ready: one hundred and fifty million ryō, the maximum they were willing to mobilize for negotiations.
On the other hand, ninja lay concealed throughout the building, waiting for orders.
If possible, they wanted to capture the seller.
Saving over a hundred million ryō was tempting—but more importantly, they needed to know where two hundred thousand Exploding Tags had come from. That quantity couldn't be produced by an ordinary ninja.
If it were an established organization, there would be no need to trade through an Exchange at all. Exploding Tags were in constant demand everywhere outside the Five Great Nations.
Which meant only two possibilities remained.
Either he had discovered a hidden stockpile—perhaps a forgotten wartime warehouse—or he possessed an unusually efficient production method.
Either way, capturing him would be immensely valuable.
Still, they planned to act cautiously. If he proved too strong, they would instead pursue long-term cooperation.
After all, in the shinobi world, strength was everything.
---
Moments later, black aura surfaced in the center of the hall.
Shirō appeared.
The supervisor's pupils contracted.
This didn't resemble a Body Flicker Technique.
It felt more like advanced stealth.
Subtly, he raised a hand, signaling the hidden ninja to stand down.
He abandoned any thoughts of betrayal on the spot.
Assassination specialists were the most dangerous opponents of all. Shinobi were already killers by trade—and this one clearly specialized in it.
Offending someone like that meant sleepless nights.
The supervisor hadn't sensed any approach, no chakra disturbance, no warning at all. The man had simply appeared.
Anyone who dared to present himself this way possessed absolute confidence in his ability to leave.
Whatever schemes the Exchange had prepared evaporated instantly.
Shirō, meanwhile, remained unaware of just how much fear his entrance had inspired.
None of the ninja he regularly interacted with specialized in stealth or assassination.
So he had never truly understood how terrifying such experts could be.
---
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