"Hey?"
Wearing a loose blue yukata and sitting on a rooftop, the man noticed that the nearby commotion involved a sensor-type ninja. He looked a bit surprised, and his body turned into countless bubbles.
"Pop—"
After the bubbles burst, he vanished on the spot.
"Swish!"
Just seconds later, Link landed and sniffed the air, having channeled chakra to his nose—but there was no scent at all?
He was certain he had just encountered another ninja who could sense him. The person fled so sensitively—somewhat like the hunted "Bubble" user—but it could also be some other rogue ninja or Anbu. Being able to erase their odor entirely was quite a powerful concealment skill.
Link extended his sensory range again, covering most of the nearby streets in silence but found nothing. He personally scouted around, saw no one suspicious, and with dawn nearing, gave up for the time being. He returned to the inn to rest. From the start, he never planned on finding his target in just a day, so there was no need to rush.
Nothing happened overnight. The next day, he strolled alone through the streets of Nikko Shukuba. Summoning Uchiha Fugaku in broad daylight in a crowded town just to use the Sharingan would be far too conspicuous; if he wasn't using Sharingan, then it was better to rely on his own incremental chakra sensing.
Nikko Inn Town wasn't large. In just a single day, Link had circled the entire town. Apart from the four-person Suna team, he saw no other ninjas. Possibly some were in hiding. Unwilling to give up, he stayed in town one more day without finding anything, then left Nikko Inn Town to check the surrounding area.
Yet luck never came; over the next few days, he found nothing.
[If only I had a strong sensor-type ninja… Or maybe ninja dogs, ninja cats...?]
As Link traveled through the forest, he mulled over ways to boost his detection abilities. He couldn't keep relying on his nose forever. Channeling chakra to his nose was too rudimentary—no match for an Inuzuka's secret arts or a specialized ninja beast.
But rearing a ninja beast posed a big problem: his Summoning Technique was abnormal, so he couldn't summon it anytime he wanted. He would have to carry it with him, like Inuzuka Kiba.
Alternatively, traveling with a reconnaissance-type ninja was another possibility. It seemed feasible. Most of the time, he didn't do much of the fighting himself anyway—his Shadows and Rashōmon could settle most enemies. Facing a truly powerful foe, the Shadows could first carry off his "pet"—er, partner—to escape.
Hyuga clan wouldn't be bad. Aburame or Inuzuka would work too. Come to think of it, Team 8 fits perfectly…
I guess half of this plan to find a jinchūriki has already failed. Oh well, I have other fallback objectives.
Link paused, sitting on a branch to pull out his little notebook. If he couldn't locate the jinchūriki, digging up valuables wouldn't be bad either. With money, he could buy lab equipment and electronics, then return to his base in the Land of Waves—it had been a long time since he'd gone there.
…
A few days later, in a nearby town, at a certain pawn shop.
"These jewels—I can only give you one million ryō," said a middle-aged man wearing a monocle, having scrutinized the box of jewels for a while.
"Two million," Link replied.
The middle-aged man removed his monocle and shook his head. "Kid, I won't ask where you got these jewels, but I can only go up to 1.2 million."
Link remained unmoved. "Two million is my bottom line. You don't think those samurai at your door can handle me, do you?"
"Bang!"
The office door was flung open. The one-eyed samurai at the head of the group drew his blade, roaring, "You little brat! You think you're talking to— I'm—"
"Whoosh! Clink!"
A kunai flashed past, snapping the samurai's sword, burying itself into the floor, with the broken blade lodging diagonally right between the one-eyed man's legs.
Link spun another kunai on his finger. "Go ahead—keep talking. I'm listening."
"Two million it is," the middle-aged man said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He opened a drawer, fetched some keys, picked up that box of jewels, and stepped out.
"Ahem~" Link cleared his throat. "I want the currency in the Land of Fire ryō."
The man flinched, hurriedly left the jewels on the table, and rushed out. One of Link's shadows followed quietly at his heels. The several samurai clustered by the wall didn't dare make a sound; clearly, this little brat was quite a fearsome ninja. With that speed and power, killing them wouldn't take him long, so they held their tongues.
Link sat waiting in the chair. After a while, the middle-aged man returned with a pouch of money. As Link counted it, the man hesitated and said, "Sir… if these jewels of yours are placed in pawn under our deal, they'll likely be sold off as unclaimed collateral if you don't redeem them in time…"
A pawn shop in Japanese style was called a "shichiya"; "pledging" meant giving items in collateral, and "forfeiting" meant failing to reclaim them by the deadline.
"No problem." Link rose, lifting his counted money. "Just treat it like I sold them straight to you."
If he sold the jewels himself, maybe he'd get four or five million. But he simply didn't have time to shop around, and plenty of jewelers wouldn't take questionable goods—or they'd offer harshly low prices. Pawning them was simpler. These shops often ran secondhand stores for unredeemed items.
The middle-aged man forced a wry smile. He suspected Link might be some dangerous rogue ninja. Such a brazen style… He simply didn't bring up interest or other fees.
Link left with the money, but before exiting the town, he noticed someone tailing him from behind.
A ninja, huh?
He frowned slightly, sensing chakra use.
I really have sold too many things lately; it's inevitable to attract attention…
With help from his Mountain Drake, his mobility was extraordinary. In just a single day, he'd unearthed several hidden treasures in the vicinity of Nikko Inn Town—jewels, foreign money, and gold bars. Planning to move on from the village, he'd decided to flip them at local pawn shops. Given his strength, he wasn't afraid of being targeted, so he'd been somewhat reckless.
I still have a few gold bars left. Once I've taken care of this ninja tailing me, I'll dump the rest and then leave.
Feigning obliviousness, Link headed out of town into a small forest. A few seconds later—
"Thud!"
A flak-jacketed man was thrown to the ground by Link's shadows. Injured, he forced himself to look up at the kid perched on a branch. Before he could get a clear view, the shadows smashed his head to the dirt; dizzy, blood filling his mouth, his head was yanked upright again.
"Talk," Link said, hopping down to stand before him. "Who sent you?"
Without a sound, Link unleashed a genjutsu.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!