Bounty Station?
Sasuke knew of this organization. It existed long before the shinobi villages and had been around for centuries.
"Why not just return to Konoha to take missions?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.
Senju Tobirama gave the reason. "The Bounty Station has bounties from shinobi all over the world. The number of assassination missions it handles far exceeds Konoha's, and the rewards are generous."
"If your assassination fails, it won't affect Konoha, and the money can be used to fund Uchiha's restoration. Isn't that ideal?"
Sasuke was tempted.
Rebuilding the Uchiha clan in Konoha was his dream now. To compensate the surviving clansn, he was determined to give them the best living conditions. That would take a massive amount of money.
Not to ntion the huge debt he owed Naruto, which also needed to be repaid.
But Sasuke still had doubts."Are you sure it pays its bounties? Do they really have that kind of backing?"
"I've done my research."
Senju Tobirama revealed the truth. "The Gold Exchange is jointly backed by daimyō from many nations. It was created to check the growing influence of shinobi villages. You don't need to worry about the funding. They will never default."
"Alright." Sasuke made up his mind. "I'll inform Grandma Sumi and the others. We'll leave tomorrow."
"Go."
Watching Sasuke's back as he left, Tobirama was thinking about how Konoha should handle the Uchiha clan going forward.
During his ti in the Land of Snow, he had observed how the Uchiha were living in the Snow Shinobi Village and slowly realized the flaws in his previous thinking.
Extre personalities were not solely a result of bloodline, but the product of many complex factors.
Back then, he had assigned the Uchiha to the Military Police Force out of necessity. Forcibly dispersing them would have only provoked rebellion.
But things were different now.
These survivors were like phoenixes reborn. Their personalities were far from the old Uchiha. The people they hated most were himself, the Third Hokage, and Danzō.
And because Yami had saved them, their hatred toward Danzō wasn't as deep.
In the future, once Uchiha Itachi was eliminated and they returned to Konoha, they would be Yami's staunch supporters. With Yami in charge of reform, there would be no obstacles.
Tobirama just hadn't decided which path to take yet.
Should the Uchiha fully integrate like the Senju had, or keep the clan system intact with a focus on bloodline purity through limited in-clan marriages?
He'd have to discuss it with Yami later.
Seven days later, Sasuke and Tobirama returned to the main continent and arrived at the Gold Exchange's hidden location in the Land of Fire.
"Are you sure it's here?" Sasuke looked at the entrance in disbelief.
Without a word, Tobirama walked in. Sasuke had no choice but to follow.
They pushed aside a wooden panel in the n's restroom, revealing a hidden passage. Sasuke wanted to ask what would happen if a woman ca to take a mission, but in the end, he stayed silent.
After entering, a staff mber greeted them.
"We'd like the latest bounty list."
"Please wait a mont."
The staff opened a small box, pulled out a booklet, and handed it to Tobirama. The Gold Exchange didn't ask for nas or thods. As long as you brought in the target, they paid.
Tobirama didn't waste words. He led Sasuke away from the Gold Exchange imdiately. He didn't want to spend another second in that place.
"Choose your own target. I won't interfere in your missions, and don't think I'll be there to save you."
Sasuke flipped through the bounty book, ignoring Tobirama's sharp tone.
He was used to it by now. Tobirama was probably the person who hated the Uchiha most in the world. If Sasuke took offense at every insult, he would've died of anger long ago.
He flipped to the final pages. The higher the bounty, the more dangerous the target.
This matched his usual nature. He looked down on weaklings and only wanted to kill the most dangerous, highest-valued targets.
Eventually, political figures began to appear—even daimyō—though none from the five great nations. Sasuke figured this was exactly as Tobirama said. The Gold Exchange was a tool of the five major nations.
Then, when he turned to the very last page, his eyes widened.
[Shimura Yami: Konoha's Shinigami, Fifth Hokage. Extrely dangerous. Proceed with caution. Bounty: 10 billion.]
Ten... 10 billion?!
Sasuke stared in disbelief, carefully counting the zeroes again.
Tobirama noticed his reaction, ca over, and glanced at the page. He simply nodded.
"Not bad. Better than my brother in his ti."
Sasuke asked curiously, "Senju Hashirama? What was his bounty back then?"
"If I rember right, it was 1.45 billion."
"That low? Then isn't Yami's 10 billion fake? Even the five great nations couldn't afford that."
"Who said this was one person's bounty?"
Tobirama snorted coldly. "Yami defeated Kumo, destroyed half of Iwa, and injured Suna. He's made enemies of nearly all the major villages. They're too afraid of the Land of Fire to act openly, so they contributed funds in secret. That's how this bounty ca to be."
Sasuke's mouth twitched. As expected of his teacher Yami. Offending so many forces at once...
As his student, he couldn't fall behind.
Feeling fired up, Sasuke flipped to another page. "I've decided. This one."
Tobirama frowned after seeing the na. "No. The Fire Temple is part of the Land of Fire. They're allies, serving the daimyō. Now's not the ti to cause a rift."
"Then this one." Sasuke reluctantly switched to a different noble target, who was said to be protected by two jōnin.
Tobirama didn't object this ti.
As the two prepared to leave town, they overheard so passersby chatting.
"Did you hear? The Fire Temple is shutting down for a year. People can't go burn incense or pray anymore."
"Of course. My wife was planning to go offer prayers recently, but then the news broke. Now she'll have to wait ten years."
"I heard it was Konoha's Hokage who did it. He beat up the monks."
Sasuke turned to look at Tobirama.
Tobirama:
Damn Shimura Yami!
…
Outside Konoha Village.
Boom!
In a mountain range, deafening roars echoed repeatedly.
Yami sat cross-legged atop a massive Buddha statue over 100 ters tall. His hands were pressed together in a seal as the statue delivered punch after punch to the ground, shaking the earth.
A long, wide gorge had been carved out across the terrain, stretching for dozens of kiloters.
Yami hadn't co out here for no reason. He was training in the Sage Mode he had developed.
Thanks to the inspiration from the black bead, his Sage Mode had made a significant breakthrough.
Humans couldn't absorb natural energy directly without entering a still ditative state. So Yami added a new step: using a seal to absorb natural energy first, then drawing the energy from the seal into the body to rge into Sage Chakra.
His new Sage Mode had been running continuously since morning, and there was no sign of exhaustion.
And now, he had combined the strengths of all three great Sage clans. His perception, speed, and strength had all reached frightening levels.
A new option, Perfect Sage Mode, had appeared in his [Status Panel], and its proficiency had reached Excellent.
To further improve it, he needed to boost absorption efficiency and fusion speed.
Seeing this, Yami chose to train manually for now instead of spending bond points. It was better to save those for bloodline enhancents.
Two hours later, Yami opened a 50-ter-wide tunnel that led straight toward Konoha, then dispelled the Buddha statue.
He was creating a new river system to bring more water into Konoha, making the ecosystem more prosperous.
As Hokage, his duties lay in governance and strategic planning. Construction and maintenance could be handled by other shinobi. He wasn't Konoha's laborer.
Once the river was filled with water, the surrounding hos and land would belong to him. Whether sold or rented, it would generate massive inco.
"Master, wipe your sweat."
Hotaru, who had been waiting nearby, rushed over with a towel and tea the mont Yami dispelled the Wooden Golem.
After he drank the tea, she leaned forward slightly with her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly. "Master, I've already learned Vacuum Sphere and Wind Cutter. When will you teach more ninjutsu?"
The Dohatsuten Forbidden Technique had already been removed by Yami, and the scars on Hotaru's back were healed, leaving her fair and flawless once again.
Far from being dejected, Hotaru felt relieved after losing the Forbidden Technique. She beca more cheerful and loved acting cute in front of Yami, making Karin and Hinata feel a growing sense of crisis.
Hinata was too shy, Karin's tone wasn't as sweet as Hotaru's, and… her figure wasn't as well-developed either. Both girls were increasingly anxious.
Yami naturally rubbed Hotaru's head. "Ninjutsu is only supplentary. What you need now is to improve your physical strength so you can withstand more Hashirama cells. That'll raise your upper limit and let your ninjutsu beco stronger."
"Oh…"
The girl pouted but still nodded obediently.
After all, no beautiful girl liked training taijutsu and getting sweaty.
But since it was Yami's request, Hotaru would do it without complaint or slacking off.
Back in the Hokage's office, Izumi looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "You're just in ti. There's sothing you need to decide."
Yami walked over, picked Izumi up, and set her on his lap. Glancing at the scroll on the table, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Gaara… is the Kazekage now?"
(To be continued.)
***
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