Sukuna was excited. His first real bounty. After days of waiting and wondering how it all worked, he finally made his way to the so-called "bounty market." Of course, he had imagined something grand—stalls lined up like a real market, dangerous-looking ninja talking shop, huge bounty posters hanging around—like in the manga he used to read. You know, One Piece style.
What he got instead? One. Single. Grumpy. Man.
The guy sat behind a tiny wooden desk shoved into the corner of an old, abandoned building. There was no sign, no crowd, not even a poster. Just a man sipping tea and scribbling notes like he was doing taxes.
In terms of keeping the place a secret, this was indeed very convincing… but also a bit disappointing. At least he was expecting a little more grandeur.
Sukuna approached, full of confidence, his black mask on, cloak trailing behind him.
The man looked up, blinked once… then promptly looked past him.
"Kid, we don't sell candy here. Get lost," he said, not even pretending to take him seriously.
Sukuna's eyebrow twitched behind the mask. This again…
"I'm here for work. A bounty."
The man stared again. "No kids."
"I'm not a kid."
"You're not..?" He didn't ask that—it sounded more like a statement of disbelief.
"I mean, I am, but who cares how old you are? I can do the job fine, okay?"
"Wait a few more years, until your baby teeth fall off, then try..."
Okay, now he's irritating me.
"Look, I know what I'm capable of, just fucking give me a bounty, alright? It's not like you can't appoint someone else to that bounty if I fail. Just give me the damn bounty."
Eventually, after enough bickering, huffing, and Sukuna flashing a kunai close enough to shave the man's beard, he got his first bounty: a no-name Chunin who had apparently gone rogue near the border of the Land of Fire. A simple job—perfect for a beginner. Or so the man claimed.
Sukuna wasn't thrilled. "This guy better be worth more than the pocket change I wasted asking Kakuzu where the market was…"
"You know Kakuzu…?" That sure got the man's attention.
"Did anyone tell you how noisy you are for an old man?"
"Hmph. Get lost. If possible, die and don't come back…"
Sukuna just left. He'd show this old bald fella—he'd be a great bounty hunter, just you wait.
With bounty details in hand, he headed toward the last known location of the Chunin—a small settlement near the edge of the Fire Country. It was a two-day trip even for a ninja.
For him, seconds with his Kamui.
Once there, he began asking around, pretending to be a curious traveler. Most villagers didn't take a masked child seriously. He even got offered cookies at one point.
"I'm not lost, old lady. Though I'll take the cookies anyway. Thanks," he muttered, walking off.
The tracking part? Not so easy.
If only I had some Nin-Ken. Perhaps the dogs from Ten Shadows… ah, now that's a technique that would have solved tons of my problems.
He tried activating his Sharingan and looking for chakra trails like he'd seen others do—but he quickly realized he had no idea what a "Chunin chakra signature" looked like. It was like trying to sniff out one ramen shop in an entire forest.
So, frustrated, he returned to Konoha; time was up for today's outing.
He trained with the others, did his daily routine… then left again in the evening to continue his search.
This time, instead of chakra, he went with an old-school, Witcher-style, ground-to-earth approach. With Sharingan, he actually did find something—though most of the time it was a dead end.
So, he repeated. Again. And again.
It took four full days of trial and error—going back and forth, bumping into unhelpful villagers, and chasing the wrong trails. At one point, he thought he found the guy—only for it to be a traveling merchant who wore his headband the wrong way.
Finally, on the fourth day, deep in the woods, he sensed something.
Several chakra signatures. One stronger than the rest. The main one matched the bingo book's details. He crouched on a tree branch, scanning with his Sharingan. Below, a group of men—bandits—were gathered, laughing and eating.
And in the center? His target. A rough-looking Chunin with scars across his chin, barking orders like he was their king.
"Found you," Sukuna whispered with a sigh.
He leapt down without hesitation.
The bandits were caught off guard as paper bombs exploded around them. He never knew the bounty post even sold ninja items.
He had spent the last of his money buying two tags—just because he wanted to see how they worked.
Panic. Screaming. In the chaos, Sukuna went straight for the Chunin.
The man tried to fight back—shuriken flew, fire-style jutsu erupted—but Sukuna weaved through them like a shadow. He wasn't perfect—he got a burn on his sleeve and almost tripped on a rock. The idea was to only use Kamui when he knew something was going to hit him.
Since every time he used Kamui, his body automatically performed RCT to heal the corresponding damage in his eyes—even though he himself wasn't doing it, thanks to the insane vow he pulled off—he still felt fatigue.
So, in a real-case scenario, he'd dodge all the attacks he could normally, while only activating Kamui when he either couldn't dodge or could use the ability to gain a significant advantage.
This would minimize overloading his brain at once. Mental fatigue was a big thing for a JJK sorcerer, after all.
The Chunin roared, charging at him with a blade.
Sukuna grinned under the mask. "You're worth about 50,000 ryo. Let's see what you've got…" A big smile spread across his face.
A brief, fierce battle followed. Sukuna's Sharingan gave him the edge, letting him read the Chunin's movements and counter them. Since the thing was always open, pouring sensory data into his brain, the mental fatigue was a real concern—so he better use it to get shit done fast.
Just a fun fact—just like Gojo, these glasses actually helped him minimize his sensory data input to some degree. He was liking them so much that he might keep them, period.
Eventually, with a well-placed punch enhanced with cursed energy, Sukuna sent the man crashing into a tree—knocked out cold.
The rest of the bandits? They ran for their lives.
By the end of the fight, Sukuna was left asking himself only one question:
How come what I was doing earlier was different from this? He was really baffled. The bandit hunting he'd been doing earlier was pretty much the same as this.
He didn't get the exciting fight he was anticipating at all—only some money.
Wait a minute. This guy's worth 50,000 ryo. How many like him have I killed in my hunts? There were many, right? I could've had a significant sum in my hands by now if only I had their bodies… The realization hit like a sledgehammer.
Dejected, Sukuna dragged the bounty all the way back to the same grumpy man at the "market."
"Well, look who's back," the man grumbled, surprised to see him again—especially with a body in tow.
"Now, if you're done testing me, give me a bounty worthy of my station. Starting with at least a million ryo."
The man looked at Sukuna as if he had just asked for his daughter's virginity in return.
...
After weeks of tension and endless back-and-forth talks, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally gave the green light.
He allowed a small group of Uchiha to form and go after Itachi.
Only five members were chosen—trusted Uchiha who could be kept under watch. One of them was Izumi.
Before leaving, Izumi stopped by the training grounds to speak with Kiyomi and Sasuke. The siblings were sparring when she arrived.
"Izumi?" Sasuke asked, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Where are you going?"
Izumi looked at them carefully. "The Hokage has given us permission," she said. "We're going to find Itachi."
Sasuke all but froze—that name surged his blood with hatred. He immediately stepped forward, his eyes wide. "I want to come."
She shook her head. "You can't. This mission is dangerous. The people coming along are all experienced."
"But I have to! He's my brother—it's my duty to bring him to justice!" Sasuke shouted. "I have to do it."
Izumi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not ready yet, Sasuke. None of us is confident enough to face Itachi—let alone you. You're just an academy student now. Forget about me or those other Uchiha members; the Hokage would never allow an academy student to participate in such a dangerous mission."
Sasuke knew he had no chance; he wasn't an idiot. He could only grit his teeth and bite back his frustration.
Kiyomi stayed quiet, but her fists were clenched too. Something about this felt off. She didn't like the idea of Izumi leaving the village—not when things were still so unstable.
"Be careful," Kiyomi said softly. "Please."
Izumi gave her a small smile. "I will. I promise."
With that, she turned and left to join the others. The five Uchiha gathered at the gates—silent, determined, and ready.
"Itachi… I'll find you. No matter what." Izumi was determined to know the truth, and if it was indeed as everyone said, then she'd be the one to bring Itachi Uchiha to justice.
xxx
Please Consider Donating Power Stones if you like the Chapter.
Every 250 Stones for an Additional Bonus Chapter.
"Thank you Very Much for All Your Support"
If you want to read up to 20+ Chapters in advance, check my Patreon on
Patreon.com/Kamidemond