"Akatsuki… Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, Gojo?"
Looking at the intelligence report handed over by the Root ninja, Shimura Danzo frowned slightly, reading out the key names one by one.
At first, he was dismissive.
But the moment his eyes landed on Nagato's file—
His pupils shrank.
"The Sage's Eyes! Red hair!"
"How could someone like him possess the Sage's Eyes?!"
"Kin, are you certain this information is accurate?"
Danzo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down before asking.
The impact of those eyes was simply too great.
After all—
The last person to possess them was the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Now that they had appeared again, it was impossible not to think further.
"Yes. Our spy in the Land of Rain has personally witnessed those eyes."
Kin nodded firmly.
"Personally witnessed…"
"If we let that Nagato grow unchecked, he will definitely become an enemy of Konoha."
"In that case…"
Danzo clenched his fist and looked up at the large map of the ninja world behind him.
"Nagato must die."
After a pause, he spoke again:
"Can our agents assassinate him… and bring those eyes back to me?"
This—
Was the real reason Danzo hadn't pushed too hard against Hiruzen earlier.
Because he had indeed planted spies within Hanzo's ranks.
"That will be difficult."
"Recently, Hanzo ordered the Akatsuki to disband."
"Now Nagato and the others are scattered throughout the Land of Rain. Finding him will be extremely hard."
Kin replied quickly.
"Disbanded?"
Danzo froze.
A moment later—
He erupted in rage.
"That idiot Hanzo! Has his brain rotted?!"
"Doesn't he know there's someone with the Sage's Eyes in that organization?!"
"Isn't he afraid that person will grow stronger and kill him?!"
"Useless fool!"
In Danzo's eyes, Hanzo's decision was utterly idiotic.
If it had been him—
The moment he learned about those eyes, he would've already captured Nagato and prepared for transplantation.
"If the Akatsuki were still together, we could've wiped them out in one go!"
"But now they're scattered—how are we supposed to find him?!"
"Damn it!"
Thinking about the lost opportunity, Danzo slammed his fist onto the table.
"Since they've disbanded… then we'll use the black market."
"Place a bounty!"
"Whoever captures or kills Nagato will be rewarded… seventy million ryo."
He paused before stating the amount.
Seventy million.
It might only equal "two Asuma bounties" in later times—
But right now, before the Third Great Ninja War, inflation hadn't spiraled yet.
This was an enormous sum.
Nearly half of Root's total funds.
"Yes!"
Kin nodded and vanished into the darkness.
Soon after—
Nagato's bounty appeared across black markets and underground exchange stations.
—
Several days later.
After eliminating another rogue ninja, Gojo and Konan severed his head, used Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves, and entered an underground exchange.
Although the Akatsuki had disbanded on the surface, they still needed funds—
So the two had taken up work as bounty hunters.
Their targets?
Ninja who oppressed civilians and plundered the weak.
That way—
They earned money and cleansed the Land of Rain.
Killing two birds with one stone.
"New bounty?"
As soon as he entered, Gojo noticed the wanted posters on the wall.
But the moment he and Konan saw the face clearly—
Their expressions darkened.
It was Nagato.
"Seventy million…"
"Nagato's worth that much now?!"
Konan's face stiffened, her body tensing instinctively.
Sensing it, Gojo leaned in and whispered:
"Konan, don't panic."
"…Alright."
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her emotions and followed him to the counter.
Gojo handed over the severed head for verification, casually glancing around as he asked:
"That guy on the wall—why's he worth seventy million? That's the highest here, right?"
"Oh, him?"
"They say he's from the Uzumaki clan. That alone makes him valuable."
"Or maybe he's committed something huge."
"Seventy million isn't a joke. Either someone really hates him… or he's just that strong."
"Honestly, that one bounty alone equals everything else in this exchange combined."
The clerk spoke while inspecting the head.
"What? Thinking of going after him?"
"Let me warn you—if you're not strong enough, don't even think about it."
"Alright, confirmed. Here—five million ryo."
The clerk handed over a scroll.
"Thanks."
Gojo took it and left with Konan.
—
Once outside, heading toward the next town—
Konan dropped her transformation, her expression tense.
"I need to tell Yahiko and Nagato immediately."
"They're in danger!"
"Wait—Konan."
Gojo suddenly stopped, his gaze turning sharp toward the forest on the left.
"…What's wrong?"
Konan instantly pulled out a kunai, ready for combat.
Gojo stared into the trees and spoke calmly:
"You've been following us since we left the exchange."
"You can come out now."
"…Someone's there?!"
Konan tightened her grip.
A hoarse voice echoed from the forest.
"Heh… you noticed me."
"Kid, your sensing ability is pretty good."
The next moment—
A tall figure stepped out.
Green eyes.
A triangular head covering.
His entire face concealed, except for his eyes.
He stood there—
Watching them.
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