The news spreading through the Kinto Exchange was naturally orchestrated by Anya under Sasori's orders. While the rumor about the gold mine was false, the gold itself was very real.
Just as Anya had expected, Kakuzu trusted no one and found regular currency hard to store securely. So all the wealth he'd secretly accumulated over the years had been converted into gold and stored away discreetly.
This time, to cooperate with Anya's plan, he pulled out a portion of his hidden gold—just enough bait to draw them in. Of course, there was risk involved, which is why Kakuzu threatened Anya. If anything happened to his gold, he truly would kill *you* this time—it wasn't just idle talk like before.
To ensure the gold's safety, Anya personally refined a large basin of poison and poured it directly onto the gold. Additionally, multiple layers of barriers were set up around it. Piloting the Eagle Puppet above, Anya kept watch from the skies while Kakuzu and Sasori each guarded a direction below, waiting silently for prey to take the bait.
The allure of a gold mine indeed proved irresistible. The first group arrived shortly after receiving the news—only three people, a perfect number for one each. Anya immediately radioed Kakuzu and Sasori from above.
Within less than two minutes, the three were subdued and placed together.
Anya pointed at one individual and said, "Uncle, this guy's heart is wind-attribute, also the healthiest among the three. Take it."
Naturally, Kakuzu didn't hesitate—his secret jutsu [*Earth Grudge Fear*] activated instantly. Countless black threads pierced through the man's heart. Screaming in agony, his life ended. Sasori wordlessly collected the body, preserving it as future puppet material.
The other two ninja witnessing this scene displayed sheer terror in their eyes, desperately shouting pleas for mercy.
Approaching them with a smile, Anya comforted gently, "Relax—we're not murderers. That guy just had bad luck. You two? We're letting you live."
Seeing Anya's kind face, the two relaxed slightly, hurriedly expressing their gratitude.
"No need for thanks—just don't curse me afterward." With a grin, Anya handed each of them a pill.
Without daring to hesitate, they grabbed the pills and swallowed them. Thinking optimistically, it was only a pill after all—better than losing their hearts to survive.
Not long after consuming them, their bodies began feeling increasingly itchy—the poison had already taken hold, and now it was spreading deep into their bones. Soon, the unbearable itching became torturous. Their chakra was completely drained—they couldn't even summon the strength to fight back. They rolled on the ground, slamming their heads in attempts to relieve the torment, emitting painful screams.
The trio watched coldly as the scene unfolded. Estimating the timing, Anya flicked his finger when the two could no longer endure it. A green pill dropped into each mouth, entering their bodies.
Instantly, a wave of indescribable bliss surged through them, like diving into icy water on a boiling hot day. Previous agony transformed into pleasurable relief, causing involuntary moans from the two.
After the poison wore off, the two men looked at Anya with completely changed expressions. Turns out this seemingly kind-hearted person was actually the most terrifying among the three. That feeling of neither wanting to live nor die was something they never wanted to experience again.
They exchanged glances and wisely chose to kneel before Anya, continuously kowtowing.
Anya smiled slightly, "Stand up. From now on, you two are members of my organization. Welcome aboard."
Within a single day, using that same method, Anya and the rest quickly grew their numbers to over a dozen. Naturally, there should have been more, but Kakuzu had no concept of restraint—accidentally killing a group of them outright.
That particular group had also been the closest to gold all day long, which explained why Kakuzu had gone berserk.
Now Kakuzu's hearts were completely replenished; his strength had returned to its peak. He guarded his wealth constantly, never relaxing even for a moment.
As for Anya, she began observing these new recruits. Frankly speaking, she wasn't very satisfied—most of them were only good for running errands, with mediocre combat abilities. They could handle errands well enough, but don't even think about expecting them to fight.
Anya had anticipated this phenomenon early on. Building an organization couldn't be accomplished overnight. At the beginning, having some runners around would suffice. As for true experts, besides Kakuzu, she hadn't really seen anyone else willing to act for mere money.
After subduing this batch of people, Anya became much more composed in setting traps. She assigned several individuals to spread rumors at the Kinto Exchange or nearby small ninja villages, while the remaining members were responsible for assisting captures and feeding newcomers poison.
Of course, bounty hunters weren't exactly saints. Those who previously endured brutal beatings treated latecomers even worse.
Having been through the wringer themselves, they wished to tear apart others' umbrellas. Having barely survived their own misfortunes, they wanted others to taste the same bitter experiences too—even deliberately withholding antidotes sometimes. One individual once coldly watched as a victim, under the drug's influence, tore out their own lungs and heart, spilling blood across the ground.
Of course, that man was publicly executed by Anya. His soul was utterly twisted, disobedient, and possessed no special capabilities whatsoever. Anya had absolutely no reason to keep him around.
Within just over ten days, simply through news of the gold mine, Anya's organization grew beyond a hundred members. However, after that, fewer people showed up—most had started to smell a rat. After all, among bounty hunters, many were quite clever. With so much time having passed, aside from occasional rumors, no one ever actually produced large quantities of gold—it'd be suspicious otherwise.
Certainly, Anya had secretly persuaded Kakuzu to loosen up a bit—to let a few succeed occasionally, promising she'd retrieve the gold afterward. Unfortunately, he refused to listen, so she had no choice but to drop it.
Thus concluded the month-long gold mine incident. Kakuzu immediately reclaimed his wealth. As for where he hid it afterward, probably only heaven knew. Anyway, Anya dared not investigate further—he'd definitely turn hostile.
Back in Takigakure, Genzo registered all the newcomers one by one. He never expected that within just over ten days, Anya could recruit so many people who looked intimidating at first glance. What's more, every single one of them was obedient—you could've heard a pin drop.
Anya herself became busy too. Over a hundred recruits naturally took time to process, and she couldn't just let Kakuzu kill them all at once. The real challenge lay in the selection process, where anyone showing potential would be picked out immediately.
As for Sasori, he had been trying hard to come up with an artistic-sounding name for the organization these past few days, but Anya rejected every single suggestion.
It wasn't that Anya had unreasonable standards; it was just that the names Sasori came up with were seriously uninspired. Who would name an organization "The Marionette Parade"? As for names like "Decepticons" or anything in that category, they weren't even worth bringing up.
Right now, Anya was even regretting ever telling Sasori the story of the Transmorpher.
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