Chapter 186 - Black Market Turmoil
"Taki-nin defector Kakuzu, formerly of the Hidden Waterfall Village's assassination unit."
"He once carried out a mission to assassinate the First Hokage but was defeated by the First Lord's secret Wood Release."
"Upon returning to the village, he was imprisoned for failing the mission. Dissatisfied with the verdict, he escaped, stole Takigakure's most forbidden technique—Earth Grudge Fear—and used it to rip the hearts from all the senior shinobi in the village."
"Since then, he's lurked in the black market for years, worshipping money above all. He believes only money will never betray him. Truly, an S-rank rogue shinobi in every sense."
As Kazane recited this, a storm of panic surged in Kakuzu's heart.
Back then, he had slaughtered all of Takigakure's higher-ups. The number of people who knew about Earth Grudge Fear had already dwindled to near extinction.
And after so many years, those who once knew him had either died in battle or of old age.
Plus, Kakuzu had deliberately avoided the Land of Fire all these years. He never imagined Konoha's intelligence network would have such detailed knowledge about him.
It was clear—Kazane hadn't come unprepared.
"As expected of Konoha's ANBU commander… It seems Konoha really does excel at intelligence gathering."
Despite his inner turmoil, Kakuzu's expression remained calm—like Kazane had been describing someone else entirely.
"But I don't get it. I've never laid a finger on any Konoha shinobi. Why are you targeting me?"
That was Kakuzu's biggest confusion. He had no feud with Konoha, and Kazane had no reason to seek him out specifically.
What if he survived and retaliated against Konoha's shinobi?
Kazane just smiled slightly and shook his head.
Because… it really was just a coincidence. If he were in Kakuzu's shoes, he too would've thought someone had come specifically for him.
Since that was the case, might as well go along with the act. After all, Kakuzu could still be useful.
"I've heard you'll do anything for money. So tell me—how much are you willing to pay for your life?"
Kakuzu's calm demeanor instantly cracked. Reflexively, he snapped, "You want my money? Impossible!"
Then, as if to emphasize his resolve, he added, "Kill me if you must. But you'll never get my money."
Kazane hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
Still, Kakuzu's response made one thing clear—he was useless now.
Kazane's original plan had been simple: Kakuzu was notorious for hoarding wealth, and over the years he must've amassed quite a fortune. Kazane wanted to bleed him dry, let him go, then find him again in a few years to do it all over.
An endlessly recyclable, steadily growing, inflation-resistant financial strategy like that was rare.
But since Kakuzu valued money more than life itself, that plan was now void.
Time to send this long-lived ninja straight to the Pure Land.
With that thought, Kazane said nothing more. He placed his hand on Wado Ichimonji, and a swirl of jet-black Armament Haki wrapped tightly around the blade.
"One-Sword Style—Lion—"
"—One million ryo! I'll pay one million!"
Seeing Kazane's stance and intent, Kakuzu panicked.
He hadn't expected Kazane to be so unpredictable.
He'd thought Kazane spared him earlier to recruit him as a subordinate.
Why else would Kazane have come specifically to find him—armed with such thorough intel—unless it was to bring him under his command?
He, Kakuzu, hadn't harmed Konoha, and he was notoriously hard to kill.
They had no personal history or grudges. It made no sense.
Normally, someone like Kazane would have approached him with a heavy bribe and promises of endless riches to buy his loyalty.
But from the look of things—he really was about to die.
This couldn't be right!
And the idea that all this was just a coincidence? Kakuzu hadn't even considered that.
With intel that deep, there was no way Kazane hadn't prepared for this in advance.
Faced with a true life-or-death situation, Kakuzu caved.
"One-Sword Style—Death—Lion Song!!!"
But Kazane's blade had already been drawn. In a flash of dark lightning, he appeared in front of Kakuzu, his slash severing the Fire-element heart embedded in Kakuzu's shoulder.
"How much did you say again? I didn't catch that."
Now Kakuzu truly panicked. He only had two hearts left. If this continued, he would really die.
"One hundred million! I'll pay one hundred million! I'll give you all my money!"
But Kazane was skeptical.
He didn't believe Kakuzu only had a hundred million saved up after all these years.
Asuma alone had a bounty of 35 million. And Kakuzu had been operating in the black market for decades—he had to be worth more than three Asumas.
Crack!
The Wind-element heart in Kakuzu's other shoulder shattered.
"How much?"
"TEN BILLION! Ten billion ryo!"
Seeing Kazane unimpressed by the hundred million and now down another heart, Kakuzu cried out his bottom line—full of both heartache and fear.
And he made a vow in his heart: if he made it out alive today, he would never set foot in the Land of Fire again.
Hearing that number, Kazane finally nodded.
Ten billion ryo—quite a sum. The Fire Country's entire annual tax revenue might not even reach that.
Even if that wasn't Kakuzu's full net worth, it was likely close. And if he was this good at making money, he might still prove valuable later.
Behind Kazane, Jiriku's eyes practically turned into money signs at the sound of that number.
"Where's your money? I've got business here—I don't have time to waste on you."
Kazane hadn't forgotten his true objective: finding Hiruko. The commotion earlier had been loud. If Hiruko caught wind and fled, it could take forever to find him again in such a vast shinobi world.
"What… you didn't come for me?"
Kakuzu picked up the implications in Kazane's words—he hadn't come here for Kakuzu?
Then what the hell had he just gone through?
But Kazane didn't respond. He was already irritated by how much time he'd wasted without even finding a lead on Hiruko.
"I'll give you one day. If I don't see that one billion ryo by then… you'll deal with the consequences."
Sigh…
Kakuzu sighed deeply.
None of that mattered anymore. First things first—he had to survive.
"Come with me. There's a black market branch here. I've still got some assets. If I mortgage everything, maybe I can scrape it together. And if I borrow the rest, I can pay it back later."
He then led Kazane and Jiriku to a rundown public restroom.
Stopping at the entrance, he turned and said, "The black market's inside. But ten billion isn't a small number—it'll take them a bit to prepare it."
Jiriku eyed the restroom, a strange sense of déjà vu stirring inside him—as if he'd been to a place like this before.
Kakuzu brought them through the less-than-pleasant interior until they reached a wall.
Swish, swish, swish!
After forming several hand seals, the wall opened to reveal a hidden passageway.
Following it underground, they arrived in the black market—a surprisingly lively place. Dozens of shinobi with scratched headbands—rogue-nin from all villages—mingled in celebration.
Cheers, drinks, and merriment filled the air.
But once Kakuzu entered, the room quieted noticeably.
Even if he didn't visit often, Kakuzu clearly commanded respect here.
Crash! Crack!
"Ha-Hatake Kazane!!!"
A rogue-nin from Iwagakure dropped his glass, trembling as he pointed at Kazane's back.
In an instant, the entire black market fell into stunned silence… then chaos.
Within seconds, the crowd of rogue-nin fled as if their lives depended on it.
Soon, only Kazane, Kakuzu, and Jiriku remained—besides the black market staff.
"Well, what a rare guest. Never thought Lord Kazane himself would grace this humble shop."
A hoarse voice echoed from the front counter.
Kazane turned, finding no one in sight—until a short old man stepped out from behind the counter, barely taller than it.
"Kakuzu, didn't you just leave? Why'd you come back so soon? Bringing Lord Kazane as a guest, no less?"
Strangely, Kazane couldn't sense a shred of chakra from this old man. Yet the way he spoke was unusually bold.
An ordinary person daring to speak so casually to an S-rank criminal like Kakuzu?
But Kakuzu seemed completely used to it. Instead of getting angry, he replied calmly:
"Mr. Ishikawa, I need your help. I'd like to liquidate all my black market assets and borrow the rest to reach ten billion. Please give the money to Lord Kazane."
At those words, the old man's usually squinty eyes popped open.
"Oh? To think someone actually got Kakuzu to cough up money. That's rare indeed."
Ishikawa clearly understood Kakuzu's message and the gravity behind it. After a moment's pause, he said:
"Alright. I wouldn't do this for just anyone, but since it's you, Kakuzu, I'll make an exception."
"The gold you've stored and the casinos we run for you can be valued at eight billion. We'll lend you the other two. Sound fair?"
Kakuzu's face darkened.
He understood Ishikawa's unspoken meaning. This old man was clearly trying to take advantage of the situation.
His assets were easily worth fifteen billion. Now they were lowballing him.
But with the knife to his throat, what could he do?
Plenty of time to settle the score later—survival came first.
"Fine. But Lord Kazane is in a hurry. I suggest you move quickly… or something unpleasant might happen."
Ishikawa caught the veiled threat but didn't flinch. Kakuzu couldn't afford to provoke whoever backed this place.
"Ha! Ten billion is no problem. Lord Kazane, please have a seat. We'll have the funds ready within the hour."
Though small in stature, Ishikawa spoke with great confidence. He moved behind the counter and barked orders to the staff.
Kazane, intrigued by the black market's capabilities, took a seat with Jiriku to wait.
Surprisingly, not even half an hour passed before Ishikawa returned—flanked by ten attendants, each carrying two massive scrolls.
"Lord Kazane, your funds are here. Would you like to verify them?"
Kazane was genuinely impressed.
Ten billion ryo was no small sum.
Completing an A-rank mission in Konoha earned maybe a few hundred thousand. The village didn't even take on 200 such missions a year.
Ten billion through commissions alone? Konoha would need two years to make that.
But the black market produced it in half an hour.
Looks like the power behind the black market is no joke.
"I wonder how much we'd make if we robbed this place…"
Kazane: ???
Who just said what I was thinking?
It was Jiriku.
Ever since hearing about Kakuzu's ten-billion payment, he'd been blinded by greed. Now, seeing the black market cough it up so easily, he couldn't help but daydream about robbing it.
Strangely, Ishikawa didn't seem offended. Instead, he laughed heartily.
"Ha! Lord Jiriku, surely you jest. In all these years, the black market has never once been touched. Even Konoha wouldn't be able to protect you if you crossed us."
Hearing that, Kazane's curiosity was piqued.
Ishikawa clearly understood Konoha's current strength. Yet he still dared say something like that.
That could only mean—he had powerful backers.
"And what if I do want to rob the black market?"