"My name is Shūri, I'm in charge of the pawn shop—[Release!]"
The man claiming to be "Shūri" disrupted his chakra, dispelling the genjutsu. For a moment, his face looked blank. Once he regained awareness, he silently closed his eyes without uttering a word.
"Just a pawn shop worker?"
Link was skeptical. He certainly did not trust the words of a stranger. He was about to form seals to summon Uchiha Fugaku to probe with the Sharingan, when the man before him suddenly convulsed.
He was dead.
Link frowned, pondering for a bit. He sealed the corpse into a scroll. Death was not necessarily the end; Konoha's Interrogation Corps could extract all of a corpse's memories.
Even if the man had only tailed him for his money, there was no real need to commit suicide. Could it be he feared, once interrogated, others—family, friends—would be dragged in?
That was logically plausible, but Link felt uneasy. The abrupt tailing and this death felt as if there might be deeper secrets. With Link's own strength, aside from a handful of monstrous enemies, there wasn't much to fear.
[If it's connected to the pawn shop, forget it. I'll just bring that gold back to the village.]
He changed plans on the fly, abandoning the idea of fencing stolen goods locally.
[I'll have one last look at Nikkō Shukuba, then leave. Seems unlikely I'll find Utakata now.]
He still hadn't let go of the intel from "Hermit Purple" nor of that strong chakra he sensed on the first night.
[After this, maybe I'll visit Nekobaa's tool shop. I still have a batch of foreign currency to spend. Going to the Fire Country bank is more complicated, and I'm not sure if Nekobaa would be willing to help me purchase electrical equipment or whatnot.]
After a bit more thought—bearing in mind a potential encounter with a jinchūriki, and the stalking ninja incident—he decided not to seal all his money into a scroll. Instead, he kept plenty on his person, specifically splitting it into three pouches. All of it met the "capture-usable currency" standard for his Binding Jutsu.
Preparations ready, Link soon set out with his Shadows.
…
"Flap flap"
A few minutes later, a crow perched in the treetop—busy grooming its feathers—took flight into the sky.
Immediately afterward, a half-black, half-white face emerged from the ground.
"Itachi sure has his eye on that brat, doesn't he?" Black Zetsu's tone was a little mocking.
White Zetsu spoke excitedly: "Hey, do you think Itachi might strike at Kakuzu for Link's sake? If those two fight, it'd be quite a spectacle!"
Black Zetsu ignored his companion and sank silently back underground, mulling things over:
[Why did Link suddenly start looking for a jinchūriki? Where did he get that photo's intel?]
He had monitored that unusual Konoha kid all along—whether in Konoha or traveling outside—yet he never seemed to have an intel network, nor ever meet with informants. He'd somehow ended up with a picture of the Six-Tails jinchūriki, out of nowhere.
It was suspicious enough that Black Zetsu had to think carefully.
[If it's some mutated jutsu or "Summoning Beast," then he becomes even more important.
Tobi has been stalling the collection of Tailed Beasts. Possibly…]
…
Nikkō Inn Town.
When Link arrived, it was nearing midday. He wasn't really expecting to catch his target now, so he took his time, first finding a ramen shop and sitting down. Right after he placed his order—but before the ramen arrived—
A man in a black robe entered the shop and walked straight over to him. As he moved, he removed his hood, revealing the face of Sasori of the Red Sand. Link's Shadows instantly rose to their feet, encircling him.
"?!"
With this sudden development, the bustling noise in the ramen shop fell silent at once. A few well-traveled customers quietly pressed themselves against the walls to avoid getting caught in potential crossfire.
Link turned around. He did not immediately have his Shadows attack; his thoughts were on how Sasori had managed to find him. Maybe he had Shinobi from Sunagakure?
Sasori stood motionless, showing no hostility. "I have no intention of harming you," he said.
"Isn't it a bit late to say that now?" Link rose, tapped the counter, and called, "Just set it down, thanks."
The ramen shop owner, holding the bowl Link ordered, was stuck at the counter, frozen in dread. Hearing Link's words, he gave a sigh of relief, put down the ramen, then turned and disappeared into the back kitchen.
"Your movements are exposed. The Akatsuki are on their way," Sasori said, expressionless. "We have the potential to cooperate—money, ninjutsu, intel—I can offer all of them."
Ever since Sasori had transformed himself so early into a human puppet, he had tirelessly expanded his personal power. Using his "Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique" to cultivate spies, he'd planted operatives all across the shinobi world. Having regained his Third Kazekage puppet and reconnected with Sunagakure, he had plenty of confidence to name whatever price Link demanded.
Link stayed silent. He neither needed nor cared about partnering up per se, but forging an alliance with an S-rank rogue ninja would damage his standing with both Konoha and Suna. Any arrangement made in secret would be a liability.
"If I captured you and handed you over to Sunagakure, wouldn't I likewise get a huge payout in money and jutsu?"
"I'm no longer a wanted criminal. You can verify with Sunagakure." When Sasori mentioned his own village, his tone was detached. "We—" He paused, gazing sideways at the entrance. "It's too late."
"Heh, you sure got away fast." Two figures in black robes patterned with red clouds appeared in the doorway. One had silver-gray slicked-back hair and carried a savage, triple-bladed scythe. A crazed grin spread across his face: "I wanna sacrifice this brat to the gods right now!"
"Hidan, don't let your guard down. He's the Konoha's Link with all those dangerous ninjutsu. Otherwise, you might die," said the masked man next to him. His greenish eyes glinted greedily at the target.
"Sasori, you're meddling?" the masked man demanded.
Sasori gazed at them impassively. From his sleeve, he withdrew a scroll, gripping it. "If I recall correctly, the leader ordered you not to touch him. Are you two going to defy the leader's command?"
"Hmph!" Hidan's face twisted with arrogance. He stepped forward, saying, "Sooner or later, I'll curse that damned leader to death too."
"Kakuzu, let's defect together!"
His brash voice carried: "Everything's so restrictive—it's driving me nuts."
With his downward-hanging hands slowly turning black, Kakuzu's face betrayed little emotion; his back bulged where it couldn't be seen from the front. In a mild tone he said, "So it looks like this time you'll stand against us."
"Hidan, leave it to me—"
"That kid's heart will be mine."
"Oh, and Sasori… I heard you lost your real body fighting that brat. Just because we used to be in the same organization doesn't mean I'll show mercy. You'd best—"
Kakuzu's shoulder suddenly strained the fabric; from that bulge emerged a bizarre blue-white masked face, opening its mouth toward those inside the shop.
"Jiongu?!"
A fierce gust surged forth, enveloping even his comrade Hidan.
~~~
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