Want to Read ahead? Join my Patreon to get early access to 50+ advanced chapters!
> patreon.com/cw/MexxyWave
Fetching Water with a Basket
A moment later, the two shinobi below were clearly running out of stamina. Shirō uncorked a small bottle, took a smear of blood, and spread it across his palm.
"Summoning Technique: Black Snake!"
"Black Snake, restrain them."
"Yes, Shirō-sama."
The Black Snake slid forward the moment it answered.
The Black Snake was a rare serpent from Ryūchi Cave, specializing in genjutsu. Its Binding Illusion Technique was extremely potent—Blue Snake's Snake Binding Genjutsu had originally been taught by it.
Shirō and Orochimaru approached Ryūchi Cave summoning in very different ways.
Orochimaru preferred overwhelming force, calling forth massive swarms of snakes to supplement his ninjutsu. He rarely bothered with specialized individuals like the Black Snake or Gray Snake—after all, in areas such as genjutsu and restraint, Orochimaru himself surpassed them.
Shirō, however, was different.
Because of the limitations of his body, he could only reliably use Wind Release and pure chakra-based techniques. Yin and Yang Release were also theoretically available to him, but they were exceptionally difficult to master.
As a result, Shirō focused on contracting specialized spiritual beasts like the Black Snake to compensate for his shortcomings.
The instant the Black Snake descended, its illusion took hold. Both targets froze, their movements stiffening as the genjutsu bound them in place.
Seeing this, Shirō lightly leaped down and landed before them.
He walked forward while forming hand seals.
Once close enough, he placed a hand on each of their bodies.
"Sealing Technique: Evil Sealing Method!"
"All right. You've done well, Black Snake. Release them and return."
"Yes, Shirō-sama."
The Black Snake withdrew and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shirō's contracted beasts all treated him well. Whenever he summoned them, the workload was light and the compensation generous—so long as they weren't asked to devour people, most of their desires were readily satisfied.
Orochimaru, by comparison, also fed his summons well, but his snakes died far too frequently. Every time he summoned in bulk, a batch inevitably perished.
Fortunately, Ryūchi Cave was prolific. Otherwise, Orochimaru might truly have driven them to extinction.
With their chakra sealed, Shirō gestured toward a roadside boulder, signaling the two to sit.
They exchanged helpless glances, sighed, and complied.
They had no other choice. Their chakra was sealed, their stamina nearly gone, and judging from the sealing technique the masked man had just performed, his strength was anything but ordinary.
Resistance meant death. Obedience at least offered a chance of survival.
They knew which option to choose.
"Do you know Inoshita Toshiki?" Shirō asked, carefully watching their expressions. "Good. It seems you do."
"Then tell me his latest whereabouts."
Just as they were about to answer, a crisp pop echoed in the air.
Their eyes instantly went vacant.
Shirō had activated a suggestion spell.
From the moment he completed the sealing, every word and movement had been layered with subtle preparation for this technique.
Naturally, Shirō had no intention of relying on their conscious cooperation. If they didn't know the truth, they might fabricate information just to stay alive. Interrogating them separately would also be far less efficient than this approach.
Seeing the spell take effect, Shirō narrowed his eyes behind the mask.
"What is Inoshita Toshiki's latest information?"
"After being discovered by shinobi from Amegakure, Inoshita Toshiki has been under constant pursuit. He has now fled toward the border of the Land of Grass. His exact status is unclear. There are also reports that the Akatsuki organization is preparing to extract him and recruit him."
Shirō frowned.
That was not good news.
Although Akatsuki had not yet fully degenerated and its overall strength was still limited, Shirō was far more concerned about White Zetsu hiding in their shadows.
He had no desire to attract Madara's attention this early—especially not in matters involving Nagato.
It was best to keep his distance.
Generally speaking, White Zetsu clones were scattered throughout the shinobi world, but most of them only reported back to the main body when truly significant developments occurred.
To Madara, Shirō was currently insignificant—a minor variable not worth constant monitoring.
Nagato, however, was different.
Nagato was central to Madara's plans.
Any disturbance around him would immediately be noticed.
Shirō was not naive enough to believe that Madara, despite his advanced age, lacked contingencies. Otherwise, how could he have dared to implant the Rinnegan into Nagato in the first place?
Not to mention that, in the original timeline, there existed a special White Zetsu—Tobi—whose combat ability fluctuated depending on his host, making him a considerable threat.
After some thought, Shirō decided to abandon this mission.
It was regrettable to lose such a suitable subject—practically a low-spec Kakashi.
Shirō had originally wanted to observe how a user wielding all five elemental transformations performed in practice, to determine whether such a path would be viable for Kakashi.
But it seemed that effort would have to be shelved.
Stability came first.
He had established his Workshop near the Land of Rain precisely because of its chaos. Disorder provided opportunity—ample space for growth, experimentation, and concealment.
There were also many bounty shinobi in the region, and chaos made it easier to hide movements, ensuring his research could proceed smoothly.
Moreover, Shirō's Workshop was protected by layered barriers, rendering it nearly impossible for ordinary people to discover. He also possessed methods to screen out White Zetsu.
But this situation was different.
Nagato drew too much attention.
The risk was simply too high.
For a mere ten million, it wasn't worth it.
Besides, the Third Hokage was far more proficient in combining the five elemental natures. If Kakashi truly chose that route, Hiruzen would be more than sufficient as a guide.
Having made up his mind, Shirō didn't bother waiting for the two men to awaken.
He killed them cleanly, collected their bodies, and headed for the nearest Exchange.
Along the way, Shirō estimated his earnings at roughly twenty-five million ryō—nearly half of what he had accumulated over the past several years.
The harvest was impressive.
Only now did Shirō truly understand Kakuzu's obsession with bounty hunting.
The rewards were genuinely substantial.
For missions of comparable difficulty, Exchange bounties were usually at least thirty percent higher than village commissions—and sometimes even double or triple.
This was largely because village missions were issued by single clients, driving prices down further after the village took its cut.
The Exchange operated differently.
Bounties stacked.
If one party offered ten million and another offered ten million, the total became twenty million.
That was also why some individuals' prices kept climbing—they offended too many people, and their accumulated grudges naturally inflated their worth.
As such, judging strength purely by bounty was never accurate.
Even so, this windfall meant little to Shirō in the grand scheme of things.
It was barely a drop in the bucket for his Workshop's construction.
The later stages would be even more expensive—especially the fabrication of puppets.
And these basic construction expenses were only the surface.
The real costs lay in the two experimental zones, whose facilities consumed staggering amounts of capital.
Most of the required equipment could only be obtained through underground channels, where prices were absurdly inflated.
He had no choice.
Shirō possessed no official procurement routes.
On paper, his only viable connection was Orochimaru.
They had conducted transactions before, and Orochimaru could certainly facilitate access to such resources.
But until Shirō possessed sufficient means of self-preservation, he had no intention of deepening that relationship.
---
For Advanced chapters:
patreon.com/MexxyWave