Land of Lightning, a certain coastal port city.
Under a leaden, overcast sky, a figure clad in a heavy black cloak moved slowly through the bustling streets. Kakuzu radiated an aura so oppressive that it felt like a physical weight, a "keep away" field that cleared a path through the crowd.
His green, lidless eyes scanned the pedestrians with a cold, predatory intensity, as if he were mentally calculating the price on every head that passed him. Passersby instinctively averted their gaze, shrinking away from the sheer malice emanating from the man.
Reaching a public restroom on the outskirts of the city, Kakuzu glanced around briefly before stepping inside. After knocking on a specific stall door in a precise rhythm, a hidden passage manifested in the corner. The dark tunnel spiraled down into the earth toward an unknown destination.
Kakuzu, a veteran of these shadows, descended the stairs with the ease of long habit.
The space below opened into a well-lit reception area. Two young women behind the counter immediately offered professional, rehearsed smiles. "Welcome."
"I'm here to collect a bounty," Kakuzu rumbled, his voice a dry, gravelly rasp.
"Of course. One moment, please." One of the girls bowed and hurried to fetch the manager.
Moments later, a bald man with a jagged scar across his forehead emerged, his face splitting into a greasy grin. "Ah, Lord Kakuzu! I've heard tales of your exploits for a long time."
"Hmph." Kakuzu offered a cold snort, indifferent to the flattery.
"Cut the chatter. I'm cashing in this one." Kakuzu produced a storage scroll and unrolled it on the floor.
Poof.
The corpse of a ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector appeared on the cold tiles.
"Let's see..." The bald manager flipped through a massive bounty ledger, cross-referencing the facial features with his data.
After a moment of searching through the Konoha section, he found his match.
"Special Jōnin of the Sarutobi clan... Bounty amount: eight million rye." The manager rattled off the details before kneeling to perform a physical inspection. He checked for the residue of Transformation or Genjutsu—Standard Operating Procedure, even for a gold-standard hunter like Kakuzu. Rules were rules.
"Verified. Lord Kakuzu." The manager stood and clapped his hands. Two attendants brought forward a heavy metal briefcase.
Kakuzu placed the case on the counter and flipped the latches. As he picked up the stacks of bills, his fingers began to blur in a rhythmic, lightning-fast count. A faint, rare upward curve appeared at the corners of his mouth.
Counting money was clearly his therapy; as he worked through the stacks, he let out a satisfied grunt. The manager signaled his men to move the body into a refrigerated storage locker in the wall and waited patiently. He had heard of this powerful hunter who insisted on counting every bill on-site, but this was his first time witnessing the obsession in person.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As Kakuzu reached the middle of his second stack, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairwell.
"Looks like business is booming today," the manager noted, looking up.
Kakuzu's counting hand paused. His green eyes shifted toward the entrance.
A mysterious figure descended the stairs, wearing a white, three-eyed fox mask. Long robes swayed with every step, and the newcomer radiated a bizarre, unsettling temperament.
"Tch. Amateur theatrics," Kakuzu muttered with a low sneer, though his interest was piqued. Many high-value targets wore masks to hide their identities, and Kakuzu lived to unmask them—preferably for a profit.
"Welcome, guest. This is the Third Bounty Station of the Land of Lightning. Are you here to post a request, or...?" The manager moved to greet the newcomer.
Menma's gaze lingered briefly on Kakuzu. Even under the cloak and hood, the green eyes and the unmistakable hobby of counting cash made him one of the most recognizable "brands" in the underworld.
"See how much this one is worth." Menma produced a storage scroll and wove a series of signs.
BAM!
The smoke cleared to reveal the corpse of the Cloud Envoy.
"Twelve million," Kakuzu stated flatly, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the value instantly.
"Ho! Lord Kakuzu has a sharp eye indeed." The manager pulled out the Cloud Village ledger and searched the twelve-million-rye bracket. There it was.
"This is... the Cloud Envoy, Kainu!" The manager's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
Only recently, Konoha had officially claimed that Kainu, leader of the Cloud delegation, had been murdered within their walls by a mysterious intruder and dumped in the Hyuga compound. The ensuing political fallout was a mess of accusations, with the Cloud demanding Konoha hand over the killer and Konoha insisting it was a third-party infiltration.
The manager looked at the masked figure before him and felt a sudden, sharp pang of trepidation. To kill a target in the heart of the strongest hidden village and escape clean... how powerful was this person?
Kakuzu continued counting his money, but his eyes never left the masked man. He was busy estimating: If this one has a bounty, how much would his head fetch?
"My Lord, may I ask how to address you?" the manager asked softly after verifying the body and signaling for the payout.
Menma considered the question. Since he planned to operate in the shadows for a long time, a pseudonym was a mechanical necessity.
"You can call me... Shura," Menma replied casually.
"Understood, Lord Shura. This is our Bounty Ledger for the current quarter. If you have any further interests, we welcome your business at any time." The manager handed over a thick booklet with both hands.
Menma took the ledger. Since he was heading to the Hidden Cloud anyway to "deliver some local specialties," he figured he might as well pick off a few more targets along the way for extra spending money.
"Your bounty, My Lord." The two girls placed a massive, heavy case on the floor and bowed deeply.
"Mm." Menma picked up the case. He didn't count the money. He didn't even open the latches. He simply turned and headed for the exit.
The Bounty Stations had a centuries-long history of neutrality; he doubted they would risk their reputation to shortchange him.
"Hey, kid. You aren't going to count it?" Kakuzu couldn't help himself.
As a professional "freelance accountant," his OCD was screaming. To take the money without a count was a sin; to not even look at it was an insult to the currency itself.
Menma paused and tilted his head. The three-eyed fox mask caught the dim light, reflecting a cold shimmer.
"You seem very interested in my money. Want to step outside and test your luck? If you win, you can take both cases." Menma gestured toward the exit with his chin.
The rules of the underworld were clear: Bounty Stations were "Safe Zones." Spilling blood inside would get you blacklisted.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Kakuzu grinned, setting his unfinished stack down and snapping his own briefcase shut.
He picked up his cash and followed the mysterious "Shura" toward the stairs.
The two walked out of the station, one after the other, the air between them thick with the scent of an impending storm.