Chapter 34: A New S-Rank Bounty
Meanwhile—
Far away from the small village where Kenzo was recovering, information was already spreading through the underground world.
Black markets existed in every country.
Places where missing-nin, bounty hunters, and information brokers gathered.
Weapons.
Secrets.
And sometimes people.
Anything could be traded, as long as someone was willing to pay.
This time, however, a new bounty quietly appeared.
The information was limited.
Unknown male.
Approximately sixteen years old.
Black hair. Black eyes.
A short description followed, along with a rough sketch of Kenzo's appearance.
Extremely dangerous.
Last seen escaping the Land of Fire after killing two elite shinobi.
S-Rank Target.
Reward: 80 million ryō.
Naturally, nothing in the report mentioned the Uchiha clan or the Sharingan.
Konoha had no intention of letting such information spread.
The bounty network was mainly meant to help locate him.
As for the reactions of the bounty hunters—
Most of them simply treated it as another difficult mission.
With such a vague description, tracking the target would already be extremely difficult.
And killing an S-rank target from Konoha?
That was practically impossible for ordinary bounty hunters.
Still, many of them kept the sketch.
After all, even reporting information about the boy could earn them a large sum of money.
As the information spread across the underground networks—
It eventually reached the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain
Inside a tall building hidden within the endless rain, a woman quietly placed a small report on the table.
This was Konan.
Across from her sat Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki.
Konan spoke calmly.
"A new S-rank bounty appeared in the underground markets."
"It came from Konoha."
Pain slightly tilted his head, his gaze resting on the report.
An S-rank bounty was rare.
Especially one issued by Konoha.
At this time, the Akatsuki was still in its early stages of expansion.
The current members were Sasori, Kakuzu, and Orochimaru, along with the enigmatic Zetsu and the masked man who occasionally appeared.
Many of the later members had not joined yet.
Konan continued after gaining Pain's attention.
"The target's identity is unknown for now."
"However, if you wish to investigate further, we could ask Orochimaru. He might know something."
Pain shook his head almost immediately.
"Not necessary."
While an S-rank bounty from Konoha was unusual, it was not important enough to involve someone like Orochimaru.
"For now, we observe."
Konan nodded slightly.
Her thoughts were the same.
In the end, this was still a minor matter.
The two of them discussed it briefly before moving on to other topics—mainly funding and operations across several smaller countries.
Earlier — Konohagakure
After the bounty began circulating in the underground markets, the major clans inside Konoha soon became aware of it as well.
News of the deaths did not spread publicly throughout the village.
To ordinary civilians, Konohagakure looked exactly the same as always.
Nothing appeared unusual.
However, inside the clan districts, the atmosphere was different.
Certain people had already received quiet reports.
Two elite shinobi had died during a pursuit mission.
One belonged to the Aburame Clan.
The other belonged to the Yamanaka Clan.
The information had not spread widely yet.
But among the major clans, news like this rarely stayed hidden for long.
Yamanaka Clan Compound
Inside the Yamanaka compound, several elders sat around a long wooden table inside the clan meeting hall.
The room was silent.
A report scroll lay open on the table.
The current head of the clan, Inoichi Yamanaka, read the final line once more before slowly closing the document.
"Fū is confirmed dead?"
A shinobi standing nearby nodded.
"Yes."
"The report came from the Hokage's office this morning."
Silence filled the room.
Fū had been a capable shinobi.
Even within the clan, he had been considered one of their more talented members.
One elder spoke slowly.
"He was operating under Root."
"That means the mission details will remain classified."
Another elder nodded.
"That is always the case with Root."
Inoichi rested both hands on the table.
"Even so… he was still a member of our clan."
No one disagreed.
Clan members were not easily replaced.
Another elder spoke after a moment.
"The report says the opponent was a sixteen-year-old rogue shinobi."
A faint frown appeared on Inoichi's face.
"A sixteen-year-old killing two elite shinobi?"
"That is difficult to believe."
The shinobi delivering the report answered calmly.
"The Hokage's office confirmed it."
Silence fell again.
The prime combat age of most shinobi was typically between twenty-two and thirty-five.
For someone only sixteen years old to kill Fū while he was in his prime—
It spoke volumes about the boy's potential.
Finally, Inoichi spoke.
"We will request clarification."
"We are not demanding action."
"But the clan deserves an explanation."
Everyone present understood.
If Root was involved, the matter would not be simple.
Aburame Clan Compound
The reaction within the Aburame compound was far quieter.
The Aburame district was shaded by tall trees.
Even during the day, the area felt calm and dim.
Several clan members stood within a courtyard.
Small insects crawled along the wooden pillars and walls, moving slowly as if they were part of the structure itself.
A shinobi finished delivering the report.
"Torune Aburame is confirmed deceased."
The clan head remained silent for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
"I understand."
One younger member hesitated.
"Torune was one of our strongest members."
"Yes."
"He was."
Another member asked quietly,
"Should we request action from the Hokage?"
The clan head answered calmly.
"The Hokage is already aware."
"Further action is unnecessary."
The younger member looked surprised.
"But—"
The clan head raised his hand slightly.
"Torune chose his path."
"Root missions carry their own risks."
The discussion ended there.
The Aburame rarely displayed strong emotion during public matters.
However, small clusters of insects slowly gathered along the wooden beams above them.
Moving silently.
As if sensing the change in atmosphere.
Nara District
In another part of the village, the Nara clan had also received the information.
Inside a simple wooden office, Shikaku Nara sat behind a desk reading the report.
After finishing, he placed it down with a small sigh.
"That's troublesome."
A clan member nearby looked curious.
"Troublesome?"
Shikaku leaned back in his chair.
"Two elite shinobi dead during a pursuit mission."
"And the opponent is sixteen."
The clan member crossed his arms.
"You don't believe the report?"
Shikaku shook his head.
"I believe something happened."
"But the full story is probably missing."
He tapped the report lightly.
"Root mission reports rarely contain everything."
The clan member thought for a moment.
"What do you think the Hokage will do?"
Shikaku looked toward the window.
"Most likely?"
"He'll issue a bounty and let the problem disappear quietly."
"And if the boy survives?"
Shikaku shrugged.
His eyes still lazy.
"What a drag."
Beside that, he already had some suspicions about where the boy came from—
it was only a matter of time before his identity would be revealed.
And when that happened—
Shikaku sighed slightly.
"What a drag."
Hokage Tower
Later that evening, messages arrived at the Hokage's office.
Both the Yamanaka and Aburame clans had formally requested clarification regarding the deaths of their members.
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly read the reports.
This reaction had been expected.
He placed the documents aside.
"The clans are already aware."
Standing nearby, Danzō Shimura spoke calmly.
"That was inevitable."
Hiruzen looked out the tower window toward the village.
"The matter must remain controlled."
Danzo nodded once.
"The bounty has already been issued."
"That should satisfy them for now."
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment.
Finally he spoke quietly.
"Let us hope the problem ends there."
But both men understood something simple.
As long as the boy remained alive—
The problem would not disappear.
(A.N) Skippable
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