Chapter 41 That Man's Faith Is Money
"White Fang is dead?"
When the Third Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village heard this news, he wondered if the Sand Village's Anbu had made a mistake.
It wasn't that he doubted the strength of the other ninja villages, but the Third Kazekage believed that apart from the current Five Kage, there seemed to be no ninja capable of restraining Konoha's White Fang.
On the front lines of battle, the Third Kazekage wasn't concerned about White Fang's destructive power.
However, this was a blade that could penetrate deep into enemy territory, an unstoppable force.
Especially because Konoha's high-ranking officials were skilled in using this blade. They never put it on the front lines of battle; instead, they operated with elite squads for sabotage operations behind enemy lines. During times of war, this strategy had even made it so the Sand Village could hardly guard its own rear.
At critical moments, it could deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.
Over the past few years, the squad he led had a one hundred percent success rate, and many influential figures in the ninja world, from merchants to nobles, specifically requested Sakumo to complete their tasks in a very detailed manner.
This was an unparalleled level of trust.
Now, the news from the Anbu was that Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, had died. The Third Kazekage's initial reaction was disbelief.
How could such a formidable ninja suddenly die?
"Was he killed by someone? Shinobi from the Hidden Cloud, perhaps?"
The Third Kazekage's expression turned somber.
Though he was a little unwilling to admit it, the Sand Village's overall strength ranked lower among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Right after Konoha came the Hidden Cloud in terms of strength.
Most of the ninja from this village respected power and action, possessing terrifying combat will.
If someone could kill Konoha's White Fang, it was most likely a ninja from the Hidden Cloud.
"Actually, that's not the case, Lord Kazekage. The Konoha's White Fang... died by suicide."
"Suicide?!"
After this Anbu from the Sand Village spoke, the Third Kazekage's expression became extremely odd, with an incredulous disbelief in his eyes.
Suicide?
How could that be possible?
Could that Konoha's White Fang really die by suicide?
How was this even possible?
What are those people from Konoha up to?
Are they trying to manipulate something? Some conspiracy against the other four villages?
"This is how things happened, Lord Kazekage."
This Anbu presented the collected intelligence to the Third Kazekage.
The Third Kazekage carefully examined the scroll from beginning to end five or six times, ultimately confirming one fact—
Konoha's White Fang had died.
The Konoha's White Fang, who had given him such a headache, had died.
He had already been prepared to sacrifice the elite ninja of the Sand Village to perish together with Konoha's White Fang. But now, that risky plan was unnecessary. The Sand Village's ninja didn't need to take the dangerous task of killing Konoha's White Fang with their lives.
For an instant, the Third Kazekage even entertained the idea that Konoha's high-ranking officials might actually be their allies.
Though the origin of the incident wasn't recorded in detail, the Third Kazekage could still infer some of it.
Konoha's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was nearly fifty years old and was at the age to consider choosing a successor.
Konoha's White Fang, the Sannin, and some other Konoha Jonin were all powerful contenders for the position of the Fourth Hokage.
This was simply an internal political struggle within Konoha.
"...,"
The Third Kazekage sighed.
The White Fang of Konoha... his death was truly unworthy.
As he felt a mixture of relief and sorrow due to the removal of a major enemy, he realized that this could serve as a warning.
No matter how powerful a village was, it couldn't adopt the "sacrifice loved ones for revenge" method to gain political leverage.
The procedure for the election of the next Fourth Hokage needed careful scrutiny to avoid repeating Konoha's mistakes.
However, thinking about it, he felt there probably wasn't anyone like that in the Sand Village, and he himself was currently in the prime of his life and not yet at the time to elect the next Kazekage.
With this thought, the Third Kazekage felt somewhat relieved.
"Pass this news on to Elder Chiyo. White Fang led his squad to kill her son and daughter-in-law. Now that White Fang is dead, this can be seen as settling that score for her."
"Understood."
After the Sand Village's Anbu left, the Third Kazekage let out a sigh and retrieved a scroll from his drawer, laying it out on the table. His gaze was focused as he examined the contents of the scroll.
This scroll contained a comprehensive plan for attacking the Fire Country and restraining Konoha's forces.
It included invasion routes, supply passages, resource acquisition points, and detailed action plans—everything was meticulously recorded.
One crucial segment was crossed out.
This segment was the annihilation of Konoha's White Fang.
Now that Konoha's White Fang had died, there was no need to allocate so many resources to this segment.
The excess manpower could be diverted to other key segments.
"If only the Sannin were like White Fang..."
As he spoke, the Third Kazekage realized his thoughts were a bit fanciful.
White Fang and the Sannin were on opposite sides within Konoha's faction, and they had completely different political capital.
In any case, the death of Konoha's White Fang was something worth celebrating.
"Finish work early today and go back for a peaceful sleep."
…
Other ninja villages gradually received the news of White Fang's suicide.
Their public responses varied—disdain, indifference, excitement.
However, many merchants and aristocrats in the ninja world were dissatisfied. After all, their tasks assigned to Konoha were still pending, and they had paid a hefty sum to hire White Fang for those missions.
Now that White Fang was gone, their tasks were being completed by other high-ranking Konoha ninja.
Although Konoha's leadership promptly decided to return the surplus funds from these missions, it still had a significant impact on Konoha's reputation.
To be honest, since the Hokage himself couldn't participate in missions, White Fang had become the public face of Konoha. Both nobles and merchants trusted his abilities and reputation as a Konoha Jonin. Moreover, their interactions were always pleasant. He not only protected their goods but also ensured their personal safety without any incidents.
Currently, there was only one high-ranking Jonin in Konoha capable of such tasks.
After conducting investigations, many aristocrats and merchants began questioning Konoha.
They didn't care about internal village struggles; they were only concerned about their goods and personal safety, and White Fang was exactly the person who could provide these assurances.
Now that White Fang was gone, the enthusiasm for Konoha would naturally decrease.
After an incomplete assessment, it was evident that Konoha's income from mission completions had significantly decreased compared to previous years.
In this context, there were rumors spread by other villages tarnishing Konoha's reputation, aimed at vindicating White Fang.
Unfortunately, Konoha's higher-ups had no choice but to bear the consequences.
…
With Sakumo's death, things settled down.
In the village, Shiroshi would inquire about Kakashi's situation or visit him in person.
Outside, he would have his subordinates look after Kakashi to prevent any accidents.
Shiroshi also rewarded these subordinates who secretly cared for Kakashi with extra pay.
After all, this wasn't an organizational duty; it was his personal matter, so he had to provide the funds himself.
During this time, Shiroshi also heard about something else.
The Konoha ninja saved by Sakumo had quietly ended his own life in a similar manner at home.
Shiroshi couldn't make a complete evaluation of this matter either.
In Sakumo's mind, he never blamed that Konoha ninja. Whether that ninja slandered him or not didn't matter; he didn't take the slander to heart.
There was no need for him to commit suicide. Like Sakumo, that ninja was just a sacrificial pawn in this political struggle—useful and then discarded, a tool.
Even if it wasn't that ninja, someone else would've done it, possibly even more ruthlessly.
The ninja had done nothing wrong; they were merely an unfortunate coincidence, selected as a 'spokesperson.'
"704 individuals... Excluding combat personnel and extra staff, there are only about 76 skilled technicians, right? Monthly expenditures, the organization's total income..."
In a hidden laboratory in Konoha, Shiroshi held information reported by Chudan.
It outlined the current scale of the organization's development up to this point—details about their bases in various countries, numbers, the salaries of each tier of personnel, and the organization's operations...
No, wait. The organization currently didn't have any operations.
The organization's funds were also maintained by the mines controlled by Rui.
According to the organization's accounts, funds were ample.
If not, they could simply sell one of the mines.
Even mines from smaller countries fetched a handsome price as many merchants competed to buy them, yielding substantial profits.
Currently, most of the organization's staff were extraneous personnel—potential members yet to be formally inducted. These individuals numbered around four hundred and were responsible for handling less important matters. They were not privy to the organization's core secrets.
Next were the combat personnel, all enhanced and modified humans by Shiroshi using natural energy.
They totaled more than two hundred.
Most were concentrated in the headquarters of the Demon Country, with a small portion involved in secret operations within various countries.
The elite squads, led by Chudan, were quite scarce and undertook highly confidential and significant tasks for the organization.
The remaining group consisted of technical personnel.
Among them, those engaged in research, including Shiroshi himself, numbered only six.
Most others were experts in different fields.
At this stage, Shiroshi felt that the organization had achieved a certain scale.
"After all, natural energy is more convenient for mass-producing combat personnel compared to chakra."
First, enhance their physical abilities; they can learn ninjutsu slowly. Even if they can't learn ninjutsu or aren't suitable to be ninja, combat personnel strengthened with natural energy can hold their own against lower-ranked ninja.
The organization's next plan continues to focus on expanding its manpower, recruiting talents from various fields.
Furthermore, the organization needs to establish companies to increase its income sources, relying on selling mines for sustenance is not sustainable.
The personnel are sufficient, and there are no issues with funds.
What they need now is someone skilled in business operations to act as the head.
After compiling a list, Shiroshi locked onto a person.
Their expertise was marked with the word 'business.'
"Gato... Let's have this person give it a try."
Just as Rui had said, throw the money out first and see what happens.
He didn't know when it started, but White Stone felt an unprecedented confidence.
This was the power called 'money.'
"Oh, the organization also lacks an accountant..."
Remembering something else, Shiuroshi realized that the organization needed someone adept at managing accounts.
Although someone was handling this, it lacked professionalism.
They needed a professional accountant.
…
In the Tea Country, there was a rundown tea house with almost no customers.
Beneath the tea house lay the underground exchange branch base.
Chudan and his team of five arrived here to communicate with the staff.
"We need to hire a finance professional."
Upon hearing Chudan's request, the staff were momentarily puzzled.
"Hire a finance manager?"
"Yes, can such a task be accepted?"
"It can be, but such tasks are relatively rare. Most of what we deal with here are corpses; we rarely deal with live individuals."
The underground exchange staff nodded, understanding the task Chudan was presenting.
Although the task was strange, they would do their best to meet the customer's needs, considering it was a customer request.
Given the information at their disposal, it wasn't difficult for them to find a finance professional skilled in the field Chudan was asking for.
"Just keep an eye out for us. If you find someone, I'll offer you a reward of two hundred thousand Ryo."
After Chudan issued the task and was about to leave, a staff member immediately responded, "Um, Mr. Chudan, please wait a moment. I happen to have a suitable candidate. Would you like to hear about it?"
What mattered most was making customers feel at home, not just the money.
Their underground exchange's principle was to ensure customers felt mentally and physically satisfied.
The staff convinced themselves with this reasoning.
"Oh?"
This staff member's attitude grew enthusiastic.
Considering that a reward of two hundred thousand Ryo was quite a sum of money for him, it made sense.
"Do you know about the legend of the Immortal from the Underground Exchange?"
"The Immortal?"
"It's a peculiar character who has been with the Underground Exchange for decades. It's said that their appearance has never changed, and they've always been an esteemed guest. I've heard people say that they're incredibly obsessed with money. Anything related to money, they scrutinize it to a degree that deters many. Many have joked that they shouldn't be a bounty hunter but rather a financial manager at a large company."
Chudan became intrigued.
"Who is this person?"
"A man named Kakuzu. I think he might be the finance manager you're looking for, Mr. Chudan. He possesses unparalleled experience in this field."
"Where can I find him?"
"He was here a few days ago. He usually stays in a country for a month or two, then goes to other places for hunts. He should still be in the Tea Country. Here's his photo."
The staff member retrieved a photograph and handed it to Chudan.
Chudan took the photo and put it in his pocket, unhesitatingly handing over a hundred thousand Ryo of banknotes to the staff member.
"If he's indeed the finance manager we're looking for, I'll give you the remaining hundred thousand Ryo."
"Safe travels, Mr. Chudan."
With a sincere bow from the staff member, Chudan's team of five left.
…
"In this world full of hypocrisy, the only thing you can believe in is money.
This is the life philosophy of someone who has been a bounty hunter for decades.
In his hands was a corpse, yet Kakuzu felt it wasn't just a corpse, but a weighty sum of money.
If this corpse were handed over to the Underground Exchange, it could fetch a high price of twenty million Ryo.
Since he embarked on his career as a bounty hunter, this fell within the range of high rewards.
This way, he had completed another significant deal.
Sure enough, in this cold and hypocritical world, only money could bring a hint of warmth.
Walking along a rural path in the Tea Country, he walked alone, the only one on this road.
Kakuzu raised his head to glance at the sun in the sky; it was almost noon, and the sunlight was a bit glaring.
Just as he turned his gaze back and continued walking forward, five figures suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.
The leader was none other than Chudan, just like the Underground Exchange staff member had mentioned. Whenever he visited a country, he would stay for a period of time. Now was precisely his activity period in the Tea Country.
It took a day to finally locate the renowned bounty hunter known as the 'Immortal' in the Underground Exchange.
"You're Mr. Kakuzu, right? We are—"
"Wait."
Kakuzu interrupted Chudan's words, gently placing the corpse on the ground. Amid the curious gazes of Chudan's team, he casually pulled out a small booklet from his pocket.
Every page of the booklet held a portrait, a name, and a bounty amount.
At the beginning were the current Five Kage, followed by famous ninja from various countries. In the earlier pages, there was also the name 'Sakumo Hatake' with a bounty of one hundred and ten million Ryo.
One of the highest bounties outside of the current Five Kage.
However, this page was smudged by Kakuzu.
Because White Fang of Konoha had died, this bounty had come to an end.
He kept flipping the pages, and the five figures led by Chudan exchanged glances, unsure of what he was searching for.
Kakuzu looked up at Chudan while flipping through the booklet, his eyes glowing with a certain obsession for something.
However, even when he reached the last page, he couldn't find information about Chudan.
Kakuzu furrowed his brows and then took out another booklet from his pocket.
The previous booklet contained bounties of ten million Ryo or more.
The booklet he now produced listed bounties of less than ten million Ryo, mainly mid-to-low-range bounties.
Finally, on the last page of the booklet, he found the target.
"Finally found it. So, it was here all along? The name is Chudan, and the bounty is five hundred thousand Ryo... A rather cheap head."
No wonder he found it familiar but didn't see it on the high-bounty list.
"..."
Chudan didn't know what to say.
Bounty hunters from the Underground Exchange being offered bounties by the Underground Exchange was a common occurrence.
Therefore, at times, they had to be wary of attacks from their peers.
His entry into the Underground Exchange was a relatively recent affair, only in the past two years. Moreover, his fame wasn't substantial; receiving a half a million Ryo already meant they thought highly of him.
"Your strength seems decent; you should have great potential for growth. For now, keep your head attached to your neck. When your bounty increases in value, I'll come looking for you."
Kakuzu commented impartially.
The five hundred thousand Ryo reward was, to be honest, a bit too meager considering the man's strength before him.
Judging from his flawless posture, his market value was at least six million Ryo now, maybe even higher.
It would be a pity to kill him now.
Chudan: "..."
Ignoring Chudan's reaction, Kakuzu put the two booklets back in his pocket, lifted the corpse from the ground, and prepared to leave.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Kakuzu. We're here to offer you a position."
Slightly exasperated, Chudan had to explain this way to Kakuzu.
"An offer?"
Kakuzu seemed to find the term intriguing. He stopped his departure, turned to scan Chudan again.
"We plan to establish a company. Currently, we're in need of a capable finance manager. The compensation is negotiable and quite generous. You'll only need to regularly handle our company's financial matters each month."
"How much money are we talking about?"
Kakuzu directly clarified the reward.
Whether it was a bounty mission or a job offer, for him, as long as it made money, it was good.
Besides, they weren't asking him to join some chaotic organization. They just needed his help to find financial issues and loopholes in their company.
He was an outside financial specialist who took on the job without any obligation to follow orders. If he could take on bounty missions and make a good side income, there was no reason to refuse.
"Settlement once a month, with rewards ranging from five hundred thousand to one million Ryo."
As for whether he would receive five hundred thousand Ryo or a million Ryo a month, that depended on his ability. That's what Chudan's message conveyed.
"I've reserved an extra income of twelve million Ryo per year."
Kakuzu's tone was calm, but he had great confidence in his financial skills.
"Truly remarkable self-confidence. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation. We will send someone to draft a formal contract later. Is that acceptable, Mr. Kakuzu?"
Chudan smiled faintly.
"Up to you."
Kakuzu walked away with the corpse, without any delay.
Chudan watched Kakzu leave, finding him an interesting character.
He then took out some information about Kakuzu.
His reputation and capabilities in the Underground Exchange ranked high, making him a virtually impenetrable defense and bottom line.
When it came to the concept of money, no one had a better reputation than him.
This was the unanimous assessment of those who knew him in the Underground Exchange.
A man who wouldn't betray money and wouldn't be betrayed by money.
…
Two days later, Kakuzu received a set of documents.
They were sent by the man named 'Chudan.'
Aside from specifying the type of work he was to undertake, the duration, and the salary, everything was clearly laid out.
After a quick look, Kakuzu had a general understanding of what he needed to do and the workload involved.
It didn't require too much time, but it did demand careful handling by a highly professional individual. There couldn't be the slightest oversight.
Because the amounts involved were substantial.
A minor lapse could lead to financial vulnerabilities and cause issues for the company's operations.
Afterward, Kakuzu also familiarized himself with some information about the newly established company and its industry.
The company was called "Ziyuanhua Pharmaceutical Technology."
It encompassed research and development, production, and sales of medicinal products.
From this, one could deduce that it was a money-making company primarily focused on pharmaceutical sales.
They had already developed a dozen or so new drugs that were ready for the market. Mass production was underway, and soon they could be sold externally.
The company's main customers were the various nations of the shinobi world.
The company's headquarters were located in the Land of Demons.
And Ziyuanhua was the national flower of the Land of Demons. Naming the company after it implied a close connection to the official authorities of the Land of Demons.
Perhaps they had already established a connection with the official authorities and were operating as a neutral state, providing convenience.
In the shinobi world, the Five Great Nations took the lead, followed by special neutral nations like the Land of Ghosts and the Land of Iron.
Then there were the small nations.
Among the small nations, there were distinctions between strong and weak, and significant hierarchical divisions.
There were small nations with shinobi villages and those without. The disparity in their national strength was considerable.
Neutral nations were somewhat unique in this context.
Unlike the small nations oppressed by the Five Great Nations, they had independent cultures, sovereign nations, and armed organizations to protect them.
They neither participated in the wars between the major nations nor were they affected by them.
After going through all this, Kakuzu nodded slightly.
In this era of frequent battles and chaos, establishing a company in the Land of Demons was indeed a wise move.
Since the company hadn't officially gone public yet, Kakuzu wasn't in a hurry to handle their accounting.
Instead, he took out the bounty list and looked for the targets listed.
High-value bounties had always been his hunting targets.
As for the mid to low-value bounties, being on the list meant they had potential.
Potential meant they could appreciate in value.
So, bounties below ten million Ryo were not his immediate targets. He would wait until they couldn't appreciate any further before hunting them down to maximize his earnings.
Disposing of these potential earners too early would only decrease his income.
Being a bounty hunter required long-lasting patience to wait for the value of one's prey to increase.
Take the case of that "Chudan." Even though he had just fifty thousand Ryo on his head now, Kakuzu believed that in a few years, that value could increase by several tens of times.
By then, it would be a good time to take his head.
As for the issue of Chudan being his employer...
Helping him with accounting and using his corpse for money weren't in direct conflict.
The financial management task was based on Chudan's principles and bottom line, which he would meticulously fulfill.
However, he couldn't afford to miss out on bounties with the potential for significant appreciation.
Therefore, the two didn't necessarily clash.
Kakuzu tucked the list into his pocket, and in his hand, he held not a corpse but a black leather box filled with money.
He carried the black leather box filled with money, setting out on the path to hunt down bounty targets once again.
He didn't feel lonely because he had money accompanying him on the journey.
Money was his faith.
It brought him the final warmth of humanity.
Today, it didn't matter whom he killed or how many people he killed.
Tomorrow, when he was killed and by whom, it wouldn't matter either.
Being alive wasn't happiness, and death wasn't worth lamenting.
What mattered was that he was now on an exceedingly bright path of making money.
Deep within a world riddled with distortion and war.
Because...
In this world where only money brought radiance, everyone was already beyond redemption.
This was the realization of an old man marked by scars, who had survived for decades in the world, experienced betrayal and evasion, and embarked on a path of continuous killing to make money.
He carried the leather box filled with money, left the crowd, clashed with all conventions, and went against the grain.
Then, he left the small town, walking on the rural path illuminated by the setting sun. His silhouette grew longer and longer, gradually fading into the distance.
From start to finish, Kakuzu was alone on the road.
(Chapter End)