She pushed open the hidden door and stepped into the secret chamber — and sure enough, there was far more here than met the eye.
The Underground Exchange... naturally, most of them are built underground!
Though not always — there were exceptions, and this was one of them.
Shinji led the way down until they reached the main area inside.
It wasn't busy at all; on the contrary, it was quiet and deserted.
Partly because business had been hard to come by lately, and partly because of the location: it was remote, and aside from regulars, no one would go out of their way to come here.
Shinji didn't care. He knocked on the small service window and said straight out that he wanted information — specifically about the attack on the Land of Vegetables by Cursed Spirit-like monsters.
The person inside didn't beat around the bush and named a price.
Shinji nodded and paid. Once the money was checked and confirmed, the window was shut.
Less than two minutes later, it opened again, and a scroll was pushed out.
Shinji took it, opened it, and read right there.
It contained a detailed record of the entire incident — when it happened, how it unfolded, and exactly what took place.
It was so thorough you'd think their spies had been hiding there the whole time, watching everything.
He finished quickly. The details matched what he already knew, but added much more context, giving him a clear picture of how many enemies there were and exactly how strong they were.
He knocked on the window again. "Now I want the route those monsters took when they left. If you have their final location, even better."
Since they knew so much already, he saw no point in being polite.
With so many monsters and thousands of civilians taken captive, there was no way they had just vanished without a trace.
Given enough time, he knew he could track them down himself.
But time was exactly what he didn't have. No one knew if the captives were still alive — the longer he waited, the slimmer the chance of saving them.
The person inside looked slightly surprised, then quoted a price several times higher than before.
Getting this information had obviously cost them a lot, and now that they had a "willing customer," they intended to make a profit.
Shinji didn't mind the cost and paid immediately.
What he feared was them refusing to name a price — that would mean they didn't have the information.
The window opened once more, and another scroll was handed over.
He unrolled it to find a map, clearly marking both the retreat path and their final resting place.
This saved him a huge amount of work!
As he finished the transaction, the voice inside spoke up: "You planning to go rescue those people?"
"Of course… not. Saving people is just a side thought. My main interest is those… charming monsters."
At that, the person at the window grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth.
"This isn't the first time those creatures have done something like this. Others have tried to wipe them out before — even several Jōnin never came back. Those things aren't easy to deal with. You still want to go throw your lives away?"
"Oh? Hearing that makes me even more curious. When I've finished them off, I'll come back and tell you all about it in detail."
"Haha! I like you. But I don't care for stories. If you really pull it off, bring me the corpse of the strongest one. I'll pay you well for it."
"I'll do my best."
"What? You sounded so confident earlier — getting cold feet now?"
"I mean I'll try my best to bring it back whole. If I get a little too rough when I kill it… well, can't promise anything."
"Now that sounds like the Demon God Akagi. I believe you can do it."
Shinji paused. "Demon God Akagi? You know me?"
The man smiled mysteriously. "That's your new title. Plenty of people have already acknowledged it. And recognizing you? Not that hard — you haven't exactly been trying to hide who you are."
"I see. Well, since 'Demon God Akagi' doesn't sound too bad, I'll let you off the hook this time. You know what to say — and what not to say — about me."
The man didn't laugh it off. He replied seriously, "You have my word. You've done business with us many times, and we've always kept things smooth and safe. That's a fact, isn't it?"
"And to show our sincerity, I've got a gift for you — a kind of compensation."
"A gift?"
"A piece of information I think you'll find interesting."
"Go on."
"The word's out — you massacred Hidden Cloud ninja and killed the Daimyō of the Land of Salt. Before you even arrived here, Hidden Cloud officially issued a warrant for your arrest. The bounty is huge… it'll bring every hunter and mercenary running. And they came to us too — bought every bit of information we had on you. Heh heh."
Shinji laughed. "You people really have no limits. You sell me out one minute, then try to win favor with me the next. Aren't you afraid I'll tear your little rat nest apart?"
"Scared doesn't change how business works. We sell information to anyone who pays enough. If someone asked what color underwear the Hokage wears, we'd find a way to tell them."
"Pass. I'm not interested in an old man's underwear. Next time someone tries to buy intel on me… you know what to do."
"Heh heh. You see our good intentions, right? If there's anyone who doesn't want to see you dead, it's us. Our boss actually admires you and your companions. Someday, maybe we can work together on something… bigger."
"Interesting. But my rates are expensive."
The man smiled reservedly. "About the only thing we have plenty of here is money. So… don't hold back when that time comes."
Shinji gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'm leaving."
As they made their way back up, Tobi looked pleased.
With the bounty issued, the Cult of Jashin was now officially branded an enemy of the state.
There was zero chance Hidden Cloud would ever seek peace. Those warmongers held grudges like no one else — especially the Fourth Raikage…
Everything was falling perfectly into place.
Stepping out from the hidden passage, Shinji spotted Tamamo Hotaru all alone inside the toilet, acting suspiciously, pressing her ear against the wall.
What kind of weird habit is this? Isn't it dirty?
Kagetsu was waiting outside, refusing to come in.
When their eyes met, Tamamo Hotaru quickly stood up straight, utterly embarrassed. "I… I just wanted to… test how soundproof the walls are."
"In here?"
Shinji's gaze became strange. Who in their right mind would care about soundproofing in a public toilet?
Unless… Unless they watch videos while sitting on the pot, and don't want anyone to hear!
Tamamo Hotaru, completely unaware of where his mind had gone, wanted nothing more than to vanish on the spot. She had never been so humiliated in her life.
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