Chapter 98: Konoha, You Have Done So Many Bad Things!
Kenichi was caught off guard.
He had not expected Zetsu to charge him for information. Still, judging by that amused expression, it was obvious Zetsu knew things ordinary people did not.
Kenichi decided to ask anyway.
"I do not need much," Zetsu said, raising three fingers as he let out a strange chuckle. "Thirty million ryo will do."
Kenichi paid without hesitation.
Thirty million was a painful number, almost the size of a jonin's bounty, but he considered it worth it.
After talking with Sasori, Kenichi had started to believe that moving a test base into the sky was a genuine option. It would be safer, harder to reach, and far easier to hide from most threats. The moment he heard about Land of the Sky, Kenichi knew it was a thread he did not fully understand, so he wanted details.
Spending thirty million to buy clarity was not a bad deal.
Zetsu was efficient. He produced a prepared document and handed it over. It was not thick at all, only three light sheets of paper.
Kenichi took them and sighed.
"These pages are expensive," he muttered. Three sheets, ten million each. He had only earned six hundred million after blasting Kumogakure and severely injuring the Eight Tails. Intelligence work really was a terrifyingly profitable business.
"You will find it is well worth the price, hehehe," Zetsu said. He pocketed the money and left.
It was not that he cared about the money. But handing over information too easily was bad form, so he accepted a token amount and walked away as if it were routine.
Nagato did not interfere.
As long as internal deals and cooperation did not harm Akatsuki's interests, he had no intention of controlling them. Besides, Kenichi had brought in substantial gains this time.
Money was one part of it.
Fame was another.
Before this, the bounties Akatsuki received for war related missions were not especially high, and they often had to go looking for contracts themselves. Nagato also had no interest in exposing his strength, so he typically moved under another identity.
Now, some villages had begun trying to contact them in secret. Nagato simply played along, revealing nothing.
Kenichi unfolded the first page, and his brows lifted.
"The Land of the Sky was destroyed by Konoha?" He shook his head. "Konoha really has a lot of karma."
The report stated that the original Land of the Sky had been wiped out during the Second Shinobi World War, and Konoha had been the one to do it.
Kenichi could only sigh. Konoha really had done plenty of grim work. No wonder trouble kept coming to its doorstep later. Even Nagato would eventually go there and use Shinra Tensei.
If this hidden village resurfaced someday to seek revenge, Kenichi would not find it strange at all.
But the moment he saw that first page, he also understood something else.
If they had truly been wiped out completely, this information would not be worth thirty million. And sure enough, the material Zetsu provided confirmed there were survivors.
Not only that, Zetsu had learned the Land of the Sky might not be entirely gone. At the very least, he had extracted a key detail from one survivor. They had a secret weapon, something called Ancor Vantian.
They intended to use it to take revenge on Konoha.
Zetsu had captured the man and subjected him to harsh interrogation. In the end, the survivor did not know much. He only knew Ancor was described as a city in the sky, and that it was a secret of the Land of the Sky. He had heard rumors from his parents, nothing more.
After that, Zetsu investigated the ruins himself.
He found what looked like a group of buildings beneath the remains of the Land of the Sky. But he did not find any flying fortress, and he did not continue to chase the lead further.
Kenichi finished reading the three sheets quickly and scratched his head.
"The Land of the Sky" he murmured. "I do not remember it at all. So is this a plotline I never saw?"
He had not watched every flashback or movie from Naruto in his previous life, so he assumed this was something he missed.
Still, it was fine.
Now he had a location and a direction. When he had time, he could go check it himself. Or better yet, he could send Sasori first. Sasori had been the one talking about an aerial base in the first place. He should not refuse something like this.
Kenichi did not leave right away. Instead, he went to Amegakure and found Sasori while he was out buying supplies.
The moment Kenichi saw what Sasori was carrying, he took a slow breath.
No wonder Sasori was rich. He was buying computers in bulk.
"Kenichi, what do you need?" Sasori asked, glancing over.
Kenichi smiled and pulled out a sealing scroll.
"Sasori, this is the reward the Leader gave me. I was able to finish that job smoothly because you backed me up." He offered the scroll. "Fifty million ryo."
Kenichi's working class instincts from his past life were very clear on one point. When there is money to be made, it is better to share. It keeps business smooth and relationships stable.
Eating alone always came back to bite people eventually.
Sasori tried to refuse several times. He did not look particularly moved by money at all. But Kenichi insisted, and in the end Sasori accepted it.
Then Kenichi handed him the information he had purchased from Zetsu.
Sasori's eyes sharpened as he read.
"There are still people alive from the Land of the Sky?" He frowned slightly. "And this Ancor… is it real or fake?"
Kenichi nodded.
"I would call it fifty percent," he said. "But even that fifty percent is enough for a gamble. Their flying technology is strong. If this really is them, they might have something extraordinary."
Sasori hesitated for a moment, then nodded as well.
"I have been busy lately. But I can go check it later."
He was currently focused on improving Unit 01 with the guillotine he had obtained, and he did not want to interrupt that work.
Kenichi did not push. Things like this could not be rushed. Forcing it would only irritate people.
After a short conversation, and after Kenichi offered a few additional ideas for improvement, he left.
After this mission, he had specifically requested a period of rest from Nagato so he could focus on research, things like hybrid rice.
Nagato had agreed.
Kenichi also suspected that it helped that he had made Akatsuki a lot of money this time.
As he walked, Kenichi suddenly thought of something.
"Come to think of it," he muttered, "Sensei is still out on a mission."
He paused, then rubbed his hands together, excitement creeping into his expression.
"Does that mean I can do whatever I want?"
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