Inside the mansion, the scene was one of utter carnage. As Shiro walked through the corridors, he passed by mangled corpses and scattered pieces of flesh, the metallic scent of blood thick in the air.
"It truly is a large family," he remarked, his voice steady. "There are indeed quite a few of them."
Obito and White Zetsu, worried for Shiro's safety, followed closely behind him. Soon, they arrived at the door of a large room in the deepest part of the estate. From within, they could hear miserable cries for mercy.
"Please, let me go! I won't dare to do it again! I'll pay the mission fee right now! No, I'll pay you ten times! Twenty times is fine!"
Shiro and the others entered the room. The scene inside was even more gruesome than the one outside. A large number of guards were impaled on the ground by Hidan's black spears, skewered like fresh meat for a grotesque barbecue. The pungent smell of blood was overwhelming.
"Tsk tsk… this method of killing is quite interesting," Kisame said with a grin, a playful amusement in his eyes. He and Itachi had followed them in at some point.
Now, the only one left alive in the entire family was the head of the Dog's Paw Inn, a man named Gouhachi. At this moment, he was being held high in the air by Kakuzu's single hand, screaming frantically for his life. Kakuzu ignored his pleas, his eyes showing only cold disgust.
"Remember this in your next life," he growled. "No matter who you owe money to, do not owe it to the Akatsuki!"
As he finished speaking, the black threads on Kakuzu's right arm writhed, preparing to strike. Just as they were about to pierce Gouhachi's chest, Shiro's clear, childish voice cut through the air.
"Stop."
Kakuzu turned his head, his gaze falling on Shiro with undisguised impatience. "And what do you want now?"
"Nothing. I just think it's a pity to kill him."
"How so? Is he an acquaintance of yours?"
"No, I don't know him."
"Then what is the pity?"
"Because if you kill him, you will not get the money that belongs to the Akatsuki—a debt that is now truly massive."
"Hmph!" Hearing this, Kakuzu snorted coldly. "Do you think I won't get my money if I kill him? What a joke! I didn't come all this way just for the pleasure of killing him."
"I will take every last ryo in this house, plus the lives of this entire family, as compensation. This money is far more than the original mission fee!"
Although Kakuzu loved money, he still adhered to his own twisted code. He did not steal or rob. He earned his bounties through hard work, completing tasks or collecting heads. He would not normally kill anyone other than his target—except for those who owed him money. When dealing with debtors, he did not consider his "property seizures" as robbery, but rather as a lesson taught to the debtor, a lesson that did not violate his own principles. It also served as a warning to others: do not owe the Akatsuki.
Shiro chuckled softly. "Uncle Kakuzu, even if you take all the money in this family's possession, you are only taking the money you can see. What about the money you can't see? Wouldn't it be a waste to leave it behind?"
Kakuzu frowned. "Money I can't see?"
"That's right," Shiro nodded. "If the money in this room is a basin of water, then the invisible money is a river, flowing endlessly. As long as it is managed properly, it will never run dry."
"Uncle Kakuzu, you should understand. A single feast is not as good as a steady supply of meals. A continuous and stable source of income is what is most important."
"What a sweet dream this little brat is having!" Hidan, still impaled by his own black spear, yelled from the circle of his own making. "Kakuzu! Are you going to kill that old man or not? If you're not, leave him to me!"
"Shut up for a moment!" Kakuzu ignored Hidan. He released his grip, and Gouhachi fell to the ground in a heap. Although their interaction had been brief, Kakuzu knew in his heart that the child before him was no simple boy. Both his strength and his mind were formidable.
He walked over to Shiro and squatted down, his mismatched eyes studying the boy with a complicated expression.
"Kid, explain to me what you just said."