Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Kakuzu's Border Raid
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In the northern borderlands of the Land of Fire, a black shadow darted through the forest.
Kakuzu's black robe billowed under the moonlight, like a specter come to reap souls. Under the cover of night, he charged into a merchant caravan's campsite.
The caravan's guards—a ragtag group of wandering ninja and samurai—were huddled around a campfire, polishing their ninja tools, completely oblivious to the god of death bearing down on them.
Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear silently tore through the night. Five chakra threads latched precisely onto the throats of the three nearest ninja.
These wandering ninja were mostly only genin-level at best, and the samurai were even less impressive. They could handle ordinary folk or bandits, but against an elite jonin like Kakuzu, they were nothing more than vegetables to be chopped.
"Enemy attack!"
The shrill alarm cut off as soon as it began, blood spraying across the tent canvas.
The entire camp descended into chaos. The caravan guards didn't even catch a glimpse of their foe before they were effortlessly slaughtered.
"Damn it! Who the hell are you?!"
The caravan leader stumbled out of his tent, his eyes bulging in shock at the sight of his goods engulfed in flames. He was utterly furious.
As for the dead and wounded wandering ninja, samurai, and caravan hands—including the rogue ninja captain skewered by an earth spear—they meant nothing to him.
But those goods were worth a fortune!
Whoosh—
A kunai whistled through the air, embedding itself in the flag of the "Sakamoto Merchant Group" right at the leader's feet, nearly severing his toes.
"You've got three days to get out of the Land of Fire."
Kakuzu's black-robed figure emerged from the shadows, his raspy voice addressing the caravan leader.
"You bastard! I'm a merchant with special authorization from the Land of Fire's daimyo!"
The leader was still shouting.
"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you."
Kakuzu drew his kunai and slowly approached the leader.
A pair of green eyes gleamed with murderous intent amid the roaring flames. The entire camp was ablaze, surrounded by severed limbs and the cries of the wounded.
The leader couldn't hold it together anymore. He collapsed to the ground, a foul mix of shit and piss leaking from his pants as he wailed,
"I... I'll go right now... Please spare me, sir..."
"Hmph. Remember, three days."
Kakuzu snorted lightly and vanished in a flicker of body flicker.
Gazing at his goods burning in the inferno, the leader slumped in a pool of blood, feeling like the sky itself had fallen.
The capital of the Land of Fire.
Inside Gato Company's headquarters, a crystal chandelier illuminated the account books in exquisite detail.
When Kakuzu burst in through the window, Gato—wearing his little spectacles—was in the middle of tallying a sum.
"Hey, hey, hey! Can't you stop coming through the window every time?! You've broken it seven times already!"
Gato looked up at the dusty, travel-worn Kakuzu, his eyes full of complaint behind his glasses.
Before he could finish, a heavy scroll thudded onto the account ledger on the desk.
"The Sakamoto caravan has been dealt with."
Hearing Kakuzu's report, Gato hurriedly picked up the scroll and whispered,
"You didn't kill the guy, right?"
Though the rival merchant leader was just an ordinary man, any big-shot trader doing cross-country business in these chaotic times had noble backing. They might even have ties to ninja clans.
So Gato just wanted to drive them out and burn their goods, making his own inventory even more valuable.
No noble murders meant no major investigations.
Of course, if things escalated to a do-or-die showdown, Gato wouldn't hesitate to send assassins—or wipe out the entire rival merchant group.
A man who clawed his way to global tycoon status in this age of strife wasn't some saint.
"Same as always. Warned him first. He agreed to leave the Land of Fire, so I spared him."
Kakuzu sank into the sofa opposite, leaning back.
"The money."
His green eyes then fixed on Gato.
"Don't worry, you'll get your cut!"
After verifying the scroll—commercial secrets seized from the rival Sakamoto Merchant Group—Gato pulled a chest from under the desk and personally handed it to Kakuzu.