"This is impossible. No one would dare take that mission," Genzo had already guessed Anya's intention.
Anya smirked. "Nothing's impossible if the price is right."
Besides, Anya already had someone in mind—the future Akatsuki member Kakuzu.
The reason Anya knew about the Kinto Exchange organization was precisely because of Kakuzu. In the anime, he was known for his greed and obsession with money. Plus, his strength was unquestionable. If they could convince him to accept this job, wiping out Takigakure wouldn't be an issue. The only problem was Shichibi, an unpredictable variable.
"Where will the money come from?" Genzo asked the key question.
"Obviously, right here," Anya pointed toward Takigakure and said, "With the two of us here, isn't all the money in Takigakure basically ours?"
Damn it, using their own money to hire a killer to eliminate themselves? To kill and then stab their heart too. Thinking back to his previous opinion of Anya, Genzo couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
Stealing was their old specialty anyway. So long without practice, Anya actually felt itchy to get back into it again.
Genzo paced back and forth beside her, carefully considering Anya's plan. He thought it was reckless at first, but eventually doable. Finally, Genzo stomped his foot hard and declared, "We'll do it."
Having made the decision, Genzo comforted the remaining elders and children of the Hot Spring Mist Village before departing with Anya.
While on the move, Anya suddenly asked, "I think your mental fortitude ranks among the best I've ever seen. What's wrong this time? Was the destruction of your village really such a heavy blow that you lost all hope of rebuilding?"
Genzo glanced at Anya, his eyes dimming as he replied sorrowfully, "My son also died in this war."
That explained it. Understanding now, Anya said, "Then you should turn your grief into power. An eye for an eye, blood for blood—you must find your fighting spirit again."
"You're absolutely right," Genzo looked at this young man, barely a few years older than his son, and finally showed determination in his eyes. "Blood debts must be repaid with blood."
Takigakure—a hidden village concealed by massive waterfalls—had a unique geographical location, nearly surrounded by four countries. Thanks to its natural defensive advantages, it rarely faced invasions from external enemies. But today, it welcomed two unwelcome guests.
Two of the greatest thieves alive, to them Takigakure might as well have been wide open. Genzo—who was a master of mechanism arts—used bamboo dragonflies to carry Anya through the air and sneak into the village.
Because of its long-standing peace, the villagers had grown lax and complacent. However, due to the village's isolation, Anya and Genzo still dared not walk brazenly in public. Instead, they hid themselves, waiting for nightfall.
After hiding himself, Genzo kept his hands moving nonstop, tinkering with various mechanisms. Watching closely, Anya couldn't stop herself from praising him, "Never imagined you were also a master of machinery."
"Studying this was originally meant to appease my son," Genzo said with a nostalgic gleam in his eyes. "When he was little, he used to cry all the time, so I created some mechanical gadgets to cheer him up, and gradually started to delve deeper into it."
"Teach me too."
Genzo looked at Anya in surprise, then nodded.
Deep into the night, two figures emerged from the shadows, making their way straight toward the Kage-level office of Takigakure—the most likely place to hold great wealth.
Working together with clear roles, both demonstrated considerable experience. They flawlessly executed every skill required for theft: stealth, concealment, lock-picking, and locating hidden treasures, nearly like a textbook case. Naturally, both silently gave each other a [Tap] for their impressive techniques, each thinking, It seems the other has quite a history in this kind of work too.
After hours of effort, they finally found where the money was hidden. Seeing the warehouse full of cash, Genzo couldn't help but exclaim, "So this is why Takigakure could compete for a Tailed Beast among the Five Great Nations back then."
Anya took out a prepared Scroll and formed Hand Seals with her hands. A Sealing Formation was soon completed, tightly sealing the entire warehouse shut.
After finishing, she said, "Now this money belongs to us. Good thing you had the foresight to create that mechanical construct; otherwise, it would've been hard to carry all this away."
Without hesitation, Anya sprang into action, with Genzo closely following behind.
Within a short while, the entire warehouse was picked clean—like it had been gnawed by dogs, leaving not a penny left behind.
Once finished, Anya released the Sealing Formation, and the two slipped away from Takigakure as silently as ghosts.
Immediately after leaving, they headed straight to the Kinto Exchange. To Anya's surprise, the exchange was housed in nothing more than a roadside thatched hut. If not for Genzo's vast experience, who would've noticed such an unassuming rundown shack?
As soon as they walked in, an average-looking man came forward to greet them in a flat tone, "Are you here to accept a mission or to post one?"
"To post a mission—and it's an urgent one," Genzo emphasized on the last two words.
"Oh, an urgent mission?" The man became slightly interested. "That will require extra bounty."
Anya jumped in, "Money isn't an issue, but I hope this mission can be sent out as fast as possible, since our bounty is ten billion ryō."
"Ten billion?!" The man widened his eyes disbelievingly, staring at Anya suspiciously, clearly doubting whether this child was lying.
Seeing the man hesitate, Genzo stepped in and confirmed, "That's right, ten billion. Our wanted mission targets all the ninja of Takigakure."
"A whole village of ninja, huh? In that case, ten billion doesn't seem excessive after all." The man nodded understandingly, showing no particular emotional reaction at the idea of wiping out an entire village of shinobi. His expression returned to normal calmness as he continued, "But we need a 10% deposit upfront."
Without hesitation, Anya threw over a small burlap sack.
The man opened it and carefully counted through its contents before nodding and saying, "Wait for our message. Someone capable will come within a day."
"We'll wait here then."
Anya decided to stay behind. He knew Kakuzu's appearance well. At this point, Kakuzu was the only one both capable and willing to do this for money.
"Whatever." The man didn't care and quickly went behind to post the message.
Genzo said nervously, "Seriously, will anyone really take this job? Given enough time, Takigakure will inevitably notice the theft. They might use special methods to track down their stolen money."
After all, with such a huge sum, if they had no means to recover it, Takigakure wouldn't have survived this long.
Anya smiled with confidence and said, "Relax, just wait and see. If I'm right, he'll come."
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