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Land of Earth, underground bounty exchange.
Taiichi's rough roar shook the already dilapidated building, sending dust drifting from the ceiling.
"What the hell are you all standing around for? Waiting to die?!"
He strode to the nearest counter and slammed the corpse down like garbage.
Thud.
"Code: Ren-Yin 361. Delivery complete! Bounty—now! I'm busy as hell!"
His words came fast and impatient. His fingers drummed hard against the wooden surface, the dull sound making his displeasure obvious.
The clerk he had singled out—a balding middle-aged man—jumped in fright. His face went pale. He quickly grabbed the ledger and began checking the body, hands shaking but movements careful and quick.
"Y-Yes! Lord Ryūnosuke! Right away!"
The clerk flipped through the records at top speed while answering in a cautious tone, terrified that even a moment's delay would anger this walking disaster.
He confirmed the corpse's identity, then pulled a heavy money pouch from the thick safe and respectfully pushed it across the counter.
"Please count it, sir. This is the bounty for Ren-Yin 361—three million seven hundred thousand ryō."
Ryūnosuke snatched the pouch, weighed it once in his hand, and stuffed it straight into his tool bag without bothering to count.
His fierce eyes swept coldly over the balding clerk and the other staff members still standing stiffly at attention.
"Hmph."
A single grunt from his nose was his version of approval.
But he didn't leave. Instead he leaned forward slightly, his shadow falling over the clerk, and lowered his voice. The impatience seemed temporarily pushed aside by something more important, though his tone remained blunt.
"Recently… anything new happening in the ninja world? Especially… places that aren't peaceful? Or any news about big shots?"
This was his real reason for mixing with these shady circles.
Posing as the bounty hunter "Ryūnosuke" wasn't just about using the exchange's network to gather unusual information.
It was also about diving deep into the ninja world's underworld to find any trace that might connect to Madara.
The violent brute act was only a disguise and a layer of protection. Inside, Matsushita Taiichi had never stopped thinking.
The clerk felt his scalp crawl under that stare and quickly searched his memory before answering at top speed.
"Reporting, my lord! The biggest news lately is still the war.
Iwa and Kumo are fighting fiercely inside the Land of Earth. Word is both Kage are personally commanding from the front lines.
Also, Konoha's western front seems to have reached a ceasefire with Iwa, though it hasn't been officially announced yet.
Everything else is just small-time rogue ninja bounties or ordinary search-and-retrieve missions—"
"War?"
Taiichi's interest sharpened. The Iwa-Kumo conflict… that was something he could use.
He kept the same impatient expression on the surface and barked, "That all? Nothing else? You think I'm paying you to waste my time with this shit?"
"Ah! There—there's more!"
The clerk jolted at the shout and suddenly remembered something.
"Our branch just received a rather unusual mission! Not the usual rogue ninja hunt or treasure snatch—this is a war mission!
They're openly recruiting bounty hunters to join the fighting! The organization behind it is filthy rich and the pay is extremely high, but… the danger level is also very high!"
"War mission?"
Ryūnosuke's eyes narrowed. Some of the violent energy around him seemed to pull back.
"Who posted it? Who are they fighting?"
"This… the client is very mysterious. They didn't sign it directly, and we're not allowed to reveal that anyway!"
The clerk lowered his voice, looking miserable.
"But judging from the assembly point and requirements… it's very likely Iwa secretly recruiting people to deal with Kumo!
The meeting point is in a dense forest outside a town on the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth. Base pay is the same as a normal S-rank mission. Then they add extra based on how many Kumo ninja you kill and their ranks. The more you kill, the more you earn!"
Grass-Earth border? Iwa? Fighting Kumo?
Everything clicked into place in Taiichi's mind.
Timing. Location. The client's intent.
Ōnoki already had a history of hiring bounty hunters. Taiichi had suffered from it before.
Given the current situation—
Iwa's front line was under heavy attack from Kumo and under massive pressure. They would do anything to bring in outside help.
Mass-recruiting bounty hunters in the open, without caring about face—that was exactly the kind of shameless move Ōnoki would make.
The thought of being able to mess around in the middle of the Iwa-Kumo war made Taiichi's blood heat up.
Without hesitation, he slammed his palm on the counter.
"I'm in! Give me the mission scroll!"
"Yes!"
Iwa-Kumo battlefield. A separate Iwa camp.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung in the air. The already sparse trees of the Land of Earth were completely gone here.
The entire area was a dull yellowish-brown. Any rare patch of green that managed to sprout between the rocks was quickly trampled flat by passing shinobi.
Ryūnosuke—or rather, Matsushita Taiichi wearing the tall, violent skin of "Ryūnosuke"—arrived at the camp along with the other recruits.
The camp was already crowded. This wasn't a disciplined military gathering. It was a chaotic mix of greed, wariness, and the aura of desperate men.
Scarred faces, missing eyes, vicious tattoos, forehead protectors weathered or stained with old blood—
Over a hundred bounty hunters had gathered here. Real "hyenas" of the ninja underworld.
Ryūnosuke's arrival—his nearly two-meter frame packed with muscle and radiating undisguised killing intent—immediately caused a stir and wary glances.
No one dared underestimate this recently risen "human beast."
"Damn, he's huge—"
"Is that 'Ryūnosuke'? The one who's been making a name for himself at the exchange—"
"Stay back. That guy's bad news. Heard he kills people over nothing—"
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Taiichi ignored them. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
He stood with his arms crossed, his disguised fierce eyes calmly scanning the so-called "comrades."
These people were definitely not ordinary small-fry shinobi.
Each one carried strong presence. Their eyes held the cold ruthlessness of men who only cared about profit and had long stopped fearing death.
A hundred-plus of them gathered together—this was a force any hidden village would have to take seriously. No wonder Iwa had decided to use them.
Before long, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a face as resolute as stone walked over, escorted by a squad of Iwa shinobi. It was Huangtu, jōnin of Iwa and son of the Third Tsuchikage.
His arrival instantly silenced the entire camp.
Every bounty hunter's eyes locked onto him—assessing, greedy, and carrying a trace of reluctant respect.
Huangtu stopped. His deep voice rolled out like thunder, direct and without any wasted words.
"Heroes of the bounty world! I am Huangtu. On behalf of Hidden Rock, I welcome you all!"
His gaze swept the crowd like lightning. The powerful pressure made some of the weaker bounty hunters tense up.
"I know why you're here—profit! Generous profit! Rest assured, Iwa will not mistreat any warrior who bleeds for us!"
A rock shinobi stepped forward and unrolled a large scroll with a flourish. It clearly listed the bounty amounts for killing Kumo ninja of different ranks.
From tens of thousands of ryō for genin all the way up to millions for jōnin. Certain special Kumo shinobi even had their own marked prices.
Karui: ten million ryō. Darui: five million ryō.
The dazzling string of numbers instantly lit greedy fires in most of the bounty hunters' eyes. Heavy breathing and suppressed excited growls echoed through the forest.
This was the carrot dangling in front of them.
Then Huangtu's tone suddenly shifted. The previously mild voice turned as hard as granite.
"However!"
His voice rose, carrying the unquestionable authority of a major village.
"The battlefield is not a game, nor is it your usual solo hunting ground!
Here, Iwa's will is iron law!
Once you accept the mission and take the deposit, you become warriors hired by Iwa.
Any act of desertion, disobedience, or trying to fish in troubled waters and steal war spoils—"
Huangtu paused, his sharp gaze lingering for a moment on a few particularly unruly-looking individuals. A powerful wave of chakra pressure spread out.
"—will be treated as betrayal! I'm sure you've all heard how Iwa deals with traitors. We will handle them immediately and without mercy!"
This was the stick.
The cold killing intent swept over everyone like a real wind, extinguishing some of the excessive excitement that had been building. Everyone felt a chill.
Carrot and stick. Huangtu handled both with practiced skill.
He warned the potential troublemakers while using the massive bounties to firmly hook the ambitions of these desperate men.
The more you kill, the more you earn!
The words acted like a spell. Most of the bounty hunters' eyes once again flashed with bloodthirsty light.
"Now, follow me! Go claim your wealth and glory!"
Huangtu waved his large hand and turned without another word, leading his Iwa troops toward the real battlefield at high speed.
Over a hundred bounty hunters followed like a pack of wolves that had smelled blood, howling as they ran.
Taiichi blended into the crowd. His tall frame stood out sharply. He wore Ryūnosuke's signature savage grin on his face, but inside he was coldly analyzing the storm that was about to hit.
When they crested the final ridge, a deafening roar of battle—shouts, explosions, and the clash of jutsu—crashed into them like a tsunami, overwhelming every sense.
The sight that greeted them made even these hardened bounty hunters suck in a sharp breath.
A shinobi army battle was nothing like individual fights.
The earth itself was screaming. The ground was no longer whole—it was a scarred wasteland left behind by countless powerful jutsu.
Massive rock fissures, hundreds of meters of blackened lightning-scorched earth, deep gullies carved by violent water flows, forest remnants still burning with inextinguishable flames—
The air was thick with choking smoke and nauseating blood. Even breathing felt heavy and sticky.
At the heart of the battlefield, another kind of nightmare was unfolding.
"ROAR!"
"AWOOOO!"
Soul-shaking beast roars echoed across the sky.
Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, a massive lava ape wrapped in molten chains, swung its fists and howled, sending waves of fire raining down.
It was currently locked in a brutal fight with Matatabi, the Two-Tails—sleek, fast, and wreathed in ghostly blue flames.
Lava and cat-fire collided, sending shockwaves that left nothing peaceful for kilometers around.
On another part of the field, Kokuō, the Five-Tails—a pure white steam-covered beast like a moving mountain—was ramming into the much larger Gyūki, the Eight-Tails.
Gyūki's tentacles whipped like giant lashes, tearing through the air with piercing shrieks.
Kokuō countered with its hard horns and explosive steam bursts.
The ground cracked and collapsed beneath their feet.
Four Tailed Beasts. This was the first time since the Third Great Ninja War began that four Tailed Beasts were fighting on the same battlefield at once.
Their battle was devastating—and decisive. Whichever side gained the upper hand first would shift the entire war.
Yet beneath the Tailed Beasts, another figure dominated the battlefield.
A human moving at extreme speed and wielding terrifying power.
Third Raikage — A.
He was like a humanoid tyrannosaurus, wrapped in a blinding Lightning Release chakra cloak. His body trailed streaks of brilliant blue lightning as he smashed through Iwa's positions.
He didn't need flashy jutsu. His "Hell Stab"—called the strongest spear—and his Lightning Armor—called the strongest shield—were more than enough to tear through anything in his path.
BOOM!
Solid Earth Flow Walls shattered like paper in front of him.
"AAAAHH!"
Several Iwa shinobi who tried to form a defensive line were pierced straight through—bodies and weapons exploding together—under the power of the Hell Stab.
Wherever the Raikage passed, he left behind a trail of broken rock and charred corpses.
No one could slow him down for even a moment. He was like a red-hot blade stabbing deep into Iwa's defenses, unstoppable.
His presence greatly boosted Kumo's morale while crushing Iwa's.
The bounty hunter unit was not thrown directly into the meat-grinder that was the central battlefield.
Huangtu knew these undisciplined mercenaries would only be cannon fodder against Tailed Beasts and the Raikage.
Their real value lay in surprise attacks and harassment.
Soon, orders were given.
The hundred-plus bounty hunters were quickly split up and dispersed like drops of water into sand, mixed into various elite Iwa squads that had already been prepared.
Their mission was clear: move around the flanks, attack Kumo's relatively weaker supply lines, support units, or side positions. Relieve pressure on the main front and create chaos.
Taiichi was assigned to one Iwa squad.
However, this squad's mission was unusually deep and dangerous.
They were ordered to infiltrate the area near Kumo's main camp and carry out harassment and sabotage—trying to draw some Kumo forces back to defend.
On the surface, Taiichi grinned savagely and slapped his chest, saying he would handle everything.
That arrogant, bloodthirsty look made even the Iwa jōnin leading the squad frown.
Soon, Taiichi's squad encountered Kumo shinobi.
At that moment, the Iwa jōnin finally understood why Ryūnosuke could afford to act so arrogant.
The instant the enemy was spotted, Ryūnosuke charged out first.
Earth Release: Rock Armor — enhancing his body.
Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears — breaking the enemy formation.
Earth Release: Earth Clone — confusing their vision.
He released all three jutsu with incredible speed while still moving with Body Flicker.
By the time he actually reached the enemy, his fists—moving like battering rams—were already smashing everything in sight.
By the time the Iwa squad was ready to join the fight, the entire Kumo team had already been wiped out by him alone.
Even the hot-tempered Iwa jōnin could only swallow his pride. In the ninja world, strength was everything.
What the Iwa jōnin didn't know was that Taiichi hadn't just defeated one Kumo squad.
While they were distracted by the battle, he had already swapped places with his shadow clone.
In other words, everything the Iwa jōnin had just witnessed was done by Taiichi's shadow clone.
His real body had already used Earth Release to slip away—heading straight for the main battlefield.
This was his true purpose for coming here.