The abduction of the Two‑Tails Jinchūriki from the Hidden Cloud Village by an unknown force was never made public — the incident was deliberately covered up.
Likely reasons included the Raikage's reluctance to suffer such humiliation openly.
Additionally, he wanted to avoid letting the outside world know how "weakened" the village had become.
Indeed, after successive large‑scale battles, even the Hidden Cloud — known for its militaristic, battle‑hardened ways — had suffered heavy losses; people were dying every day.
The last conflict alone had been enough to severely deplete their strength and resources.
Had it not been for that, Kakuzu and Muramasa would never have succeeded so easily — even with the help of an inside spy and Muramasa's ability to control corpses with his cursed blade.
Another factor was that the Hidden Cloud did not place much value on Cursed Spirit remains. Their research priorities were quite different from those of other nations.
While others were still obsessing over secret techniques, forbidden jutsu, and biological cloning, the main focus of research in the Hidden Cloud was mechanization.
Chakra + Machinery.
Just look at the massive Chakra Cannon they eventually developed — that alone tells you exactly where all their research funding went over the years.
Because Cursed Spirit corpses were not highly regarded, and the Two‑Tails Jinchūriki was usually kept in the almost uninhabited mountains behind the village, Kakuzu and Muramasa found the perfect opening to strike.
Nevertheless, the facts remained: the Hidden Cloud had lost both a Jinchūriki and its pride. Secret investigations and manhunts were underway.
---
Shinji knew nothing of these events yet.
But news from the Underground Exchange brought him an unpleasant surprise.
"Wait a minute… that Special Grade Cursed Spirit's corpse only has a mouth? None of the other facial features grew at all?!"
Shinji had come back to the Exchange immediately upon receiving the report.
He was stunned — and deeply suspicious that they were trying to pull a scam and cheat him out of his share.
Old Eighth smiled helplessly. "It's true — I swear. Look here — these photos were sent urgently from headquarters. On its face, there's nothing but a mouth… and two little branch‑like things growing where the eyes should have been."
Shinji took the photos and saw — sure enough — it was exactly as described.
What rotten luck… I really can't catch a break.
He put the photos down, resigned himself to the situation, and said: "Fine. Since what I wanted isn't there, give me back what I gave you."
His demand was entirely reasonable. If they couldn't deliver what was promised, they had to return his "payment".
After all, that Crystal Heart alone was worth a huge amount of Cursed Spirit Points.
Old Eighth looked even more embarrassed. Secretly, he had cursed out everyone in the upper management a dozen times over. But he still had to explain and resolve the mess.
"The thing is… that Cursed Object you gave us — we already tested it and put it to use. We can't give it back."
Shinji remained calm, not rushing or getting angry. "Logically, that makes no sense at all. You messed up, couldn't deliver the goods you promised, and now you want to keep the 'deposit' I gave you? Do I seem too easygoing lately? Have I suddenly turned into a vegetarian or something?"
Beside him, Sasuke drew his Grass‑Cutter Sword in perfect coordination, activating its special effect. Crackling, flashing lightning surrounded the blade — quite an intimidating sight.
Old Eighth quickly forced a smile. "Of course not! We've always had a great partnership — we wouldn't ruin that over one deal."
He sighed. "Look… here's the truth. That Crystal Heart was already given to someone else as payment for another job. We're not making excuses — we literally can't get it back."
"None of us expected that after we finally got the corpse, none of the parts you wanted would actually be there. This was an absolute fluke — the worst‑case scenario."
"That's why I received orders from above: we can negotiate a compensation plan that satisfies both sides, and then let this whole matter drop."
Shinji chuckled. "Fair enough. I'm not an unreasonable man. So tell me — what kind of compensation are you offering?"
Old Eighth perked up immediately. "Here's the first option: even though those specific parts you wanted aren't available, the corpse itself is still here.
If you're still interested, you get first pick of any other parts.
Even if they're worth more than what you agreed on — we'll still give them to you, as a gesture of sincerity and apology."
This offer held absolutely no appeal for Shinji.
I wanted the eyes of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit!
Without the eyes, what use were other parts?
Preserve them in alcohol or something?
…Well, maybe that could be interesting sometime in the future.
But back to the point.
"Next," Shinji said without looking up.
Old Eighth knew instantly this idea was rejected. He had been prepared for that. If there was really any acceptable substitute, it would have been mentioned earlier instead of almost causing a fight.
"Option two: we treat it as if we bought your Crystal Heart at a premium price. We can pay you in cash, or trade you other items of equal value, or even grant you any reasonable request that is within our power."
This one sounded much more sincere and fair.
Shinji nodded slightly to show he was considering it.
He wasn't obsessed with getting that exact heart back. If they were willing to compensate him fairly, trading it for other Cursed Objects of equivalent value was actually even better.
And of course… with such a good opportunity, he wasn't going to let them off lightly. He might even make a significant profit out of this.
Right now, Shinji preferred the second option. But he didn't decide immediately — he wanted to hear everything first.
"Any more options?"
"If neither of the first two works… then there's only one last way. We will deliver to you the eyes, nose, and ears of another Special Grade Cursed Spirit the next time we obtain one. But if you choose this, there's no telling how long you'll have to wait."
It could be soon… or it could take ages. In the end, it might just turn out to be an empty promise.
Shinji rejected it instantly without a second thought.
"Fine. Just my luck. Consider that Crystal Heart sold to you. I don't want money. Give me a fair, reliable trade arrangement, and we're done. Otherwise… I'll smash this place up first, then hunt down every single person behind your organization one by one."
He looked Old Eighth in the eye. "You know I'm capable of doing exactly that."
Old Eighth swallowed hard. He knew this was the moment to prove his worth and negotiation skills.
"How about this: one for three. I'll give you three Cursed Objects in exchange."
"Not good enough. You know perfectly well what that Crystal Heart is capable of. The garbage‑grade Cursed Objects you'd give me simply don't compare."
"Four objects! Plus an extra five million ryō in cash!"
Shinji was tired of haggling over every single item. He said bluntly: "Final offer: six Cursed Objects. Then it's over. I don't care if they're useless or junk — just give me six."
Old Eighth tried to bargain again, starting to say "Five…" — but one sharp glance from Shinji sent chills running down his spine, and he fell silent.
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