Chapter 87: What Bounty?
"My lady, have you heard? That Yotsuki Dana is being called the number one new star of the ninja world. He's only fourteen, isn't he? So cool."
"How many times have I told you not to call me 'my lady' when we're out?"
"Then what should I call you?"
"Call me 'big sister'! Or just call me Natsu."
"Oh. Well, big sister, when are we going to eat?"
"Didn't we eat yesterday? We can eat when we get the mission reward."
The plump little handmaiden, Momo, looked aggrieved. "Aren't you supposed to eat four meals a day? Why did we have to leave Asuka Castle anyway?"
On the outskirts of a small, unremarkable village, two girls, about fifteen or sixteen, were walking. One of them, the chubbier one, looked weak, as if she were about to collapse.
"I told you not to come with me," the other said. "You're the one who insisted."
"I'm not that stupid," Momo said weakly. "I could tell you weren't planning on coming back."
Natsu just sighed. She didn't argue. She shaded her eyes with her hand and scanned the horizon.
"The house with the red roof is the village chief's. That's it. Come on, Momo, we're here."
She pulled the weak Momo along and ran.
But as they reached the door, they saw a red-haired brat backing out of the house, bowing as he said, "Don't worry, Grandpa Chief. Leave it to me. Don't underestimate me. I'm a ninja."
Someone beat us to it?
Natsu rushed forward. "Excuse me," she said, "are you the village chief? I saw the bounty posting for the wild boar extermination mission!"
The village chief looked at her, troubled. "Oh, that mission," he said. "What a coincidence. No one's taken it for a long time, and now two people show up on the same day. I just gave it to this young man."
The red-haired brat immediately shot her a wary look. "What do you want? This is my mission. I was here first."
Momo collapsed to the ground as if all the air had been let out of her.
Natsu's heart sank. She had finally found a mission that no one wanted because of its remote location and low reward. She had walked for almost two days to get here, and now it was gone?
She looked at the red-haired brat. He was muscular, but clearly no older than ten. An idea sparked in her mind. "Grandpa Chief," she said, "how can you give such a dangerous mission to a child like this? It wouldn't be good if he died in the mountains. His parents would surely come and cause trouble for the village."
The village chief hesitated. "This little Nagato did prove to me that he's a ninja. He can use ninjutsu. But he is very young..."
"You didn't say that before!" Nagato protested. "You already agreed! You can't go back on your word!"
"Exactly," Natsu added, fanning the flames. "How can you trust a little brat like this?"
The village chief thought for a moment. "In that case," he said, "why don't you two do it together? Exterminate the boars, and you can split the 50,000 Ryō reward. You're both young. You can look out for each other."
Nagato was not happy about having to split his reward, but the village chief was clearly worried about his age, so he had no choice.
"Thank you, chief," Natsu said quickly. "Can my companion rest here?"
Momo plopped down on a stool. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll just wait here for my... for my sister to come back with food."
On the way up the mountain, Nagato was grumbling.
"Dammit. My first solo mission, and this happens."
"Where are your parents?" Natsu asked curiously. "Letting a kid your age go out to earn money."
"This is a test from my teacher," Nagato said, annoyed. "My first solo mission, and you stole half of it!"
Natsu blushed. "What do you mean, stole? I'm worried about your safety, you little brat! What if you get gored by a boar? Your parents would be heartbroken! Do you even know what a boar looks like?"
Nagato looked at her with contempt. "Me, gored by a boar? You're underestimating me. It's you who looks like you've never seen a boar before."
"Are you kidding me? My grandpa was a hunter. I've been seeing boars since I was a kid. He even hunted a bear once."
They walked, one in front of the other, chatting idly.
"You said you know ninjutsu?" Natsu asked casually. "What can you do?"
"Oh, a lot," Nagato replied, distracted.
"Now you're just bragging, you little brat," she said, unconvinced. "A lot? I bet you don't even have any chakra."
Nagato thought for a moment, then counted on his fingers. "The three basic jutsu, of course. And five jutsu for each of the five chakra natures. And some others that I'm not sure what nature they are. I know thirty jutsu in total."
Now it was her turn to be skeptical. "Are you kidding me?! There's a limit to bragging, you know! You think you've been training since you were born?!"
She had been teaching herself, and so far, she only knew one jutsu.
"No," Nagato said, scratching his head. "I've only been training for a year. But my teacher says I'm a genius."
"Tch. What's the point of knowing a lot of jutsu? A real genius develops their own."
"I'm still a long way from that," Nagato said shyly. "My teacher says I have to learn chakra nature transformation before I can develop my own jutsu."
"Chakra... what nature?" she asked, confused. "You mean, like, elements? You really are a long way off, you little brat. Unlike me. I've already developed my own unique ninjutsu."
The "I don't believe you" was written all over his face. He stared at her with the eyes of a dead fish.
"You don't believe me? Well then, I'll show you."
She suddenly jumped back, stood in front of a large tree, and took out a worn-out kunai, striking a pose.
After a moment of concentration, she ran a finger over the tip of the kunai. A faint glow flickered and then disappeared.
"Ha! No-Seal Jutsu: Kunai Thrust!"
She then plunged the kunai into the tree trunk, burying it deep, leaving only the ring exposed.
She proudly tossed her hair and patted the tree. "See? How's that? You can't even pull it out. A boar, I could take out in one hit. If there's any danger, you just hide behind me."
Nagato's dead fish eyes had turned into salted fish eyes. "...So my 25,000 Ryō is just gone?"
"Hey, don't walk away, you little brat! Wait for me!" Natsu struggled to pull the kunai from the tree and ran after the sullen Nagato.
They finally reached the area described in the mission. "That's it," Nagato said, pointing at a mountain. "The chief said there are at least seven adult boars there. They've already injured a woodcutter. Let's go."
Natsu froze and grabbed his arm. "Wait. We can't be so reckless. We need a plan. I'll scout ahead. You hide behind me. We'll lure them out one by one and avoid getting swarmed."
Nagato's face was a mask of exasperation. "Big sister," he said, "they're just boars. Are you sure you know what a boar is?"
Just as she was about to lecture him, a rainbow-colored light shot across the sky. The mountain he had just pointed at exploded. A cloud of dust and smoke rose into the air, and rocks and debris rained down. Birds and animals scattered, and a strong wind whipped through their hair.
Natsu and Nagato stood there, stunned.
"I must be hallucinating," Natsu said. "How did that mountain just explode?"
On the other side of the mountain, Kakuzu turned and looked at the shattered peak, a drop of cold sweat on his forehead.
Dana looked at him. "What was that you were saying?" he asked. "I didn't quite catch it. What bounty?"