The night was silent, heavy clouds pressing down like a shroud.
Birds took flight, their wings beating against the darkness as they carried fragments of intelligence to every corner of the world! Upon closer inspection, one could see specialized shinobi with low-brimmed hats marked with numbers and telescopes mounted on their heads racing through the night.
"Post-Office Shinobi?"
In a loft above a ninja tool shop at the entrance of the underground black market in Yuyake City, Seiichiro Uchiha frowned. He looked down from the window.
"Those men came from the exchange... who spent such a fortune this time?"
The Post-Office Shinobi were a neutral organization serving lords, nobles, and hidden villages alike. This included the Underground Exchange. When a massive bounty was posted, these shinobi were hired to broadcast the information to every corner of the world so that bounty hunters could take the contract immediately.
Seiichiro couldn't sit still. He hurried downstairs and ordered his men to find out what had happened. Soon, the information—which the exchange made no effort to hide—was handed to him.
As he read the report, Seiichiro's face went pale.
"Ren Uchiha's intelligence has been made public for free!"
"Every technique, its counter-strategy, his next destination... and this massive bounty!"
"This is bad! We have to notify the clan immediately and stop Ren from leaving the village!"
By the next morning, thanks to the efficiency of the Post-Office Shinobi, summoning beasts, and carrier pigeons, a staggering 60-million-Ryo bounty sat at the top of every black-market list in the shinobi world.
Except for Konoha, where the delivery had been intentionally delayed, the name Ren Uchiha became known to countless bounty hunters in a single night.
12 years old. Konoha Jonin. Possesses high-speed regeneration, elite Fire Style, Taijutsu, and shuriken skills. Codename: 'Shura.' Participated in the Rain Country campaign and assisted the Yellow Flash in killing Ebizō of the Sand.
Bounty: 60,000,000 Ryo!
But the true danger wasn't the money—it was the public intelligence. A twelve-year-old Jonin was a "genius" who hadn't fully matured yet. Furthermore, the report speculated he might be the only "artificial Jinchūriki" in the world.
This immediately drew the eyes of predators. Elite Jonin like the future Asuma or Chiriku were only worth 30 million. Here was a twelve-year-old worth double that, and that wasn't even factoring in the value of the Sharingan or the Tailed Beast inside him!
The news shook the world. Rival villages couldn't let such a talent grow. Greedy hunters saw an easy payday. Schemers saw a unique research subject.
And then...
In the Land of Wind, amidst a howling sandstorm, a red-haired boy with delicate features and a high-collared black cloak stepped out of an exchange. This was the man who sparked the Third Great Ninja War, assassinated the Third Kazekage, and possessed the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
His hands were still stained with warm blood. It seemed that to pursue his "eternal art," the runaway Sasori occasionally had to take on dirty work to fund the high cost of puppet maintenance.
Sasori flicked through a thick dossier on Ren Uchiha. "High-speed regeneration... immortal even when vitals are pierced? And these descriptions of 'beautiful and dazzling' Fire Style techniques..."
His eyes lit up, a faint curve touching his lips.
"Art must be beautiful and long-lasting, capable of being passed down forever. Eternal beauty is art."
"If I turn him into a human puppet... with that self-repairing, regenerating property... once I remove the organs, skin him, wash away the blood, and add the mechanisms..."
"Hehe... he might be my most perfect collection yet. Ren Uchiha, hmm? How interesting."
Elsewhere, in the Land of Grass.
On the route where the Hidden Stone was retreating from the Mist front, a long-planned assassination was concluding. Ignoring the severed limbs and stepping through a pool of steaming blood, Kakuzu reached into the chest of a Stone Jonin and pulled out a fresh, beating heart.
Countless Earth Grudge Fear threads erupted from his palm, wrapping around the heart to consume and convert it.
"Phew..." Kakuzu exhaled. Suitable hearts were hard to find. After losing his Earth-attribute heart to that "broke brat" in the Land of Hot Water, he had traveled through several countries to find a replacement capable of the Earth Spear technique.
"Hmph! What a nuisance, wasting my time to make money!" Kakuzu adjusted his collar and tossed the corpse aside. He was already calculating his next contract.
Screee!
A bird cried out from the sky, and a scroll dropped toward him. Kakuzu caught it and unfurled it. His expression shifted to one of pure shock. It was information on the "broke brat" he thought he'd driven to his death—Ren Uchiha.
"The kid isn't dead?"
"New techniques? Undying body? And this... this description is exactly my Earth Grudge Fear secret technique! How did he learn it from me?!"
"And the bounty is 60 million?!"
Kakuzu fell into a deep silence. He was certain that the "Flowing Flame Greatsword" Ren had used was a suicidal forbidden jutsu. It should have turned him to ash. He had fled that battle only to avoid unnecessary damage, not because he couldn't have won.
To think the brat survived and stole his secret technique.
"Tch." Kakuzu looked at the massive sum at the bottom and the special invitation from the exchange. He narrowed his eyes, calculated the price, and then let out a cold snort.
"Fine. It's just one more trip. Even the judgment in hell answers to money. Suits me perfectly!"
Kakuzu turned and began sprinting toward the Land of Hot Water. A high-intensity killing intent, which even he didn't fully recognize, burned in his green eyes.
Thus, while Ren was still blissfully unaware, a double ordeal of "Art" and "Money" was quietly closing in on him!
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