Chapter 43: The Price of Greed
The Guide's Adam's apple bobbed violently. His initial fear was gradually replaced by an emotion known as 'greed.' Having spent years in the black market, he had seen more bounty posters than he had eaten meals.
That technique—there was no mistake!
"Impressive, truly impressive!"
The Guide clapped as he stepped out from the bushes. The flattery on his face had vanished, replaced by a sinister smirk that suggested he held all the cards.
"I thought you were just Ninjas from some small Village, but I didn't expect to catch such a big fish."
The Guide toyed with a Kunai in his hand, his eyes wandering over Yahiko. "A remnant of the Uzumaki Clan, and a high-grade specimen who has mastered that legendary'Sealing Jutsu.' If I sell this to Iwagakure or Kumogakure, tsk tsk tsk, that bounty would be enough for me to live a life of luxury in the Land of Hot Springs forever."
Yahiko turned around and looked at him as if he were an idiot. "And?"
"And?" The Guide chuckled and held up three fingers. "I'm not an unreasonable man. I want Hush money. I'll pretend I never saw you and give you a path to survival."
In his view, while these three had some strength, this was the Land of Grass's territory. As soon as he sent a signal and the Grass Ninja main force arrived, these three wanted criminals wouldn't be able to escape even if they had wings.
No one wanted to provoke a pursuit by a Local power; this was the source of his confidence.
Yahiko didn't speak, only tilting his head to look at Deva Path Pain.
"Give it to him." Deva Path Pain's voice was devoid of emotion.
To a god, secular things like money were as meaningless as dust. If a few pieces of scrap paper could avoid slaughter and save time to capture the next Spirit Beast, Nagato didn't mind.
"Double." Deva Path took a thick stack of bills from his robes and tossed them casually onto the muddy ground. "Take the money and get lost."
The bills scattered across the ground, stained with mud.
The Guide froze for a moment.
He clearly hadn't expected the other party to be so straightforward.
Seeing the attitude of the three, the greed in the Guide's heart instantly swelled like wildfire.
Since they were this rich, why only ask for double?
"Hahahaha!"
The Guide stepped on the stack of bills, grinding them hard with his toe, his expression becoming distorted and arrogant. "Double? You think you're dealing with a beggar?"
He pointed at Yahiko's nose, spit flying everywhere. "It seems you haven't figured out the situation yet! Right now, I'm the one giving you a chance to live!"
He pointed at the scroll Animal Path had just put away. "That Spirit Beast, I want that too! Otherwise, I'll fire the Signal flare right now!"
As he spoke, he pulled a red Signal tube from his robes and held it high, his face filled with the insolence of a petty man who had achieved his aim. "If you know what's good for you, get on your knees and offer it up with both hands, otherwise..."
"Sigh."
A light sigh interrupted his blustering.
Yahiko rubbed his temples with some helplessness; his gaze was like he was looking at a moth actively jumping into a fire pit.
"See?" Yahiko spread his hands, his tone full of irony. "I told you, trying to negotiate with scum like this is an insult to one's intelligence. In this world, some people just don't understand human speech."
The Guide's face changed, instinctively sensing something was wrong. His finger suddenly hooked toward the pull-ring of the Signal tube. "You want to make a move? Too late! I'll just—"
King Crimson!
Vroom—!
The colors of the world instantly inverted, turning into an eerie dark red.
Time was forcibly deleted for three seconds at that moment.
In this excised fragment of space-time, the process of the Guide pulling the ring, the flare ascending, the Grass Ninja assembling... all these causal processes were erased by the hand of that red-and-white, hideous Stand.
Only the final result remained.
Time resumed its flow.
—now call people to kill you!"
The Guide pulled hard with his hand.
However, the expected ascent of the Signal flare did not happen.
Because his hand, along with the Signal tube, was still resting at his waist.
No.
To be precise, he felt a chilling sensation in his chest.
The Guide looked down.
He discovered in horror that a fist—a fist wrapped in a dark red phantom—had pierced through his chest at some unknown point.
The fist had entered through his back and protruded from his front, and the palm was even clutching his faintly beating heart.
"Wha...t...?"
The Guide's mouth hung open as blood mixed with fragments of internal organs poured out.
He had clearly seen that red-haired man standing ten meters away... Why?
When did he get here?
How did I get hit?
Except for Yahiko, no one could answer him.
"In this world where only the results remain," Yahiko leaned close to the Guide's ear as it gradually lost focus, whispering like a demon, "your greed is your Epitaph."
The Guide's corpse slumped to the ground like mud. In those wide-staring eyes remained the final confusion and fear of this world.
Yahiko flicked the blood from his hand, and the phantom of King Crimson behind him slowly dissipated.
Deva Path Pain stepped forward, those Rinnegan eyes scanning the corpse on the ground without a trace of emotion.
"Although his brain wasn't very bright and he was a fence-sitter with no principles," Deva Path knelt down and pressed his hand against the corpse's forehead, "this body is actually better than expected."
"Which Path is it suitable for?" Yahiko asked.
"Preta Path," Nagato gave the answer. "Fittingly, this greedy face can be put to good use absorbing Ninjutsu."
With that, Animal Path took out another sealing scroll and swallowed the corpse that had been blackmailing a god just moments ago, like it was trash.
"Let's go."
Yahiko stepped over the blood-stained bills without a single glance.
The wind blew across the meadow, and the wild grass once again covered the bloodstains.
The Land of Grass was still the Land of Grass. One less greedy Ninja was like one less weed—inconsequential.
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