Chapter 90: Supernova Says What?
"Hello there," Natsu said with an awkward smile. "You're probably not going to believe this, but we were just here to kill some wild boars."
As she explained, she secretly glanced at the group of masked men. They all looked so menacing. The masks were terrifying.
"My lord," one of them reported, "they've been observing the battlefield from over there. And they both have chakra signatures."
Dana, behind his "One of Circles" mask, remained silent, his eyes fixed on the red-haired boy.
"I know you," Nagato said, forcing himself to remain calm. "You're the Ashen Bandits, right?"
"Ashen Bandits?" Natsu asked, confused. "What's that?"
"They're famous among mercenaries," Nagato continued. "The legendary 'strongest mercenary organization.' They fought in the war, moving between the three great nations, killing countless enemies, never failing. Every one of them is a master. And they're incredibly loyal to each other. Their leader likes to catch his enemies' kunai with his bare hands and then kill them with their own weapons."
As Nagato spoke, Natsu's heart sank. Likes to catch kunai and kill people with them? That was so messed up. Had he ever considered the feelings of someone whose only move was the "Kunai Thrust"?
"Sir," she said quickly, "we were really just passing by. We saw you fighting a monster and just watched for a bit. We were just passing by. Please, let us go."
Kakuzu, who had been scribbling furiously, suddenly looked up. "What did you say? What monster? Have you no manners?"
As Natsu was trembling with fear, the man in the "One of Circles" mask moved.
"Lightning Release: Giant Thunder Lance!"
A terrifying, several-meter-long lance of lightning appeared in his right hand. He drew back his arm like a bow and then, with the speed of a thunderbolt, threw it. The lance whistled through the air, passing right by Natsu's head.
SWOOSH!
She felt a few strands of her hair singe. Her mind went blank.
A terrifying explosion erupted behind her. A massive tree was blown to smithereens, and the intense heat set the entire forest on fire. The shockwave whipped through her hair.
"Aba... a-a-a..."
"Go and check," Dana ordered. "There should be a body. A white one."
One of his subordinates immediately went to confirm.
The moment he had seen Nagato, Dana knew there was trouble. A red-haired boy of that age had to be him, though he was a bit... sturdier... more muscular than he had imagined. Nagato's teacher and his entire life story had been arranged by Dana, but to avoid arousing the suspicion of Black Zetsu and Madara, he had never made contact. Their meeting today was a pure accident.
And where there was Nagato, there were likely White Zetsu. Though his transaction with Kakuzu had nothing to do with them, it did involve a tailed beast. If they got wind of it and got any funny ideas, he didn't want to be used.
This was actually the first time he had ever detected a White Zetsu. His "pulse" vision had grown stronger with age, and its range was now nearly ten kilometers. But the earth was not a good conductor, and his underground detection was limited to about twenty meters. He had wondered if the White Zetsu were usually deeper underground, or if they were somehow immune to his ability. But the ninja world was a big place, and he wasn't constantly on patrol, so he hadn't found them. But today, the moment he had recognized Nagato, he had immediately closed his eyes and activated his "pulse" vision, and sure enough, he had found a strange figure in a distant tree.
So, to prevent any information from leaking, he had launched a surprise attack. He didn't know if he had gotten him.
But the attack had shattered Natsu's last shred of composure.
"Don't come any closer! Stay away!"
A short while later, his subordinate returned, a strange expression on his face. He handed Dana a sealing scroll. "My lord," he reported, "there was indeed a strange body. It was very peculiar."
Dana took the scroll with the White Zetsu's body and, after another quick scan with his "pulse" vision, turned to the two of them. Nagato aside, who was this girl?
"We are mercenaries on a mission," he said. "The Ashen Bandits, as you called us. Who are you?"
"We're mercenaries too," Nagato said. "We were hired to exterminate some wild boars."
Dana looked at his eyes, curious. Were these ordinary-looking eyes really the legendary Rinnegan? But he wasn't stupid enough to try and gouge them out. As long as the information hadn't been leaked, that was all that mattered. There was no point in making contact with him now. He had already made all the necessary arrangements.
Just as he was about to let them go, a round head popped up from behind a cliff in the distance.
"Hey, you bad guys! I've already told the village chief to get help! You'd better let my... my sister go and run!"
The explosion had, of course, been heard in the village. Momo, who had been lying on the floor, had been worried. She had come with the villagers to investigate. The villagers had been afraid to get too close, but she had bravely insisted on going up the mountain. And the first thing she saw was Natsu being held captive. She could only try to scare them off. For a moment, she even forgot she was hungry.
She hid behind a large rock and shouted, "The village chief has 500 samurai and 1000 ninja under his command! They'll be here any minute to arrest you! If you know what's good for you, you'll leave now!"
Natsu gave an awkward smile. If Momo had made a more believable threat, she could have played along. But this... not even a dog would believe it.
Nagato's head shot up. "What?! Grandpa Chief is that strong?!"
Dana felt a headache coming on. If the village chief was that strong, why didn't he just go and overthrow the Daimyo?
The voice from the cliff, seeing that the people below were unmoved, continued to shout, "And we're with the Kitanouji Merchant Guild! You know the Kitanouji Merchant Guild, right? We just had dinner with Mr. Kitanouji yesterday! If he finds out what happened to my sister, you'll never leave the Land of Hot Water alive!"
Finally, a believable threat, Natsu thought. "That's right, that's right!" she said quickly. "We work for Mr. Kitanouji! We know him very well! We just had dinner with him yesterday! You're mercenaries, right? I can introduce you! Maybe he has a job for you!"
What is this? Dana thought. I'm the one who had dinner with Kitanouji yesterday.
Momo, seeing that the bad guys were still not letting her lady go, grew more and more desperate. She decided to play her trump card. "I'll tell you! My sister's fiancé is the strongest, most amazing supernova in the ninja world, Yotsuki Dana! His father is the richest man in the Land of Lightning, the Daimyo! Are you scared now?! You'd better let her go! Please, let my lady go!"
By the end, her voice was already choked with tears.
But now, it was the Ashen Bandits who were stunned. They all slowly turned and looked at Dana.
Even Kakuzu, who had been scribbling furiously, looked up with an amused expression.
"The strongest, most amazing supernova in the ninja world? Puhahahaha!"