Hidan, Kakuzu, and Konan were the ones in the shadows.
The three Akatsuki members wore the black cloaks patterned with red clouds.
"Hey, hey, hey…"
From the darkness, Hidan was the first to break the silence.
He crouched atop a weathered boulder, his signature bloodstained triple-bladed scythe resting lazily on his shoulder. His silver hair stirred slightly in the rising night wind…
"Those guys down there don't look like rogue ninja to me, you know?"
"Neat gear, disciplined movement, their ambush positions are pretty professional… Tch. They've really got the guts to snatch my money?"
"It's not yours," Kakuzu's hoarse voice cut in. "It's mine."
Akatsuki's de facto accountant leaned back against a rock wall. In the dim light, his green eyes glinted with something abnormal.
His fingers were trembling.
Not from fear, but from sheer, uncontrollable excitement.
"Twenty-three billion…"
Kakuzu murmured to himself, so softly it was like sleep-talking. "Twenty-three billion… twenty-three billion…"
He chewed on the number over and over.
Each time he repeated it, the green light in his eyes burned a little brighter.
"You, of all people…" Hidan turned his head with open annoyance. "You've been chanting that the whole way! Like some kind of monk."
"It's just twenty-three billion. Why're you acting possessed?"
Kakuzu slowly turned to stare at him.
"You idiot…"
The words squeezed out between Kakuzu's teeth. "You don't understand what that number means…"
If the loudmouthed partner in front of him didn't have an immortal body, Kakuzu would've already wrapped him up with his threads and stuffed that nonstop mouth full of the filthiest crap imaginable…
No. That would be too kind.
He should stuff it with gold bars.
Let him experience what it felt like to be choked to death by wealth.
Kakuzu's breathing quickened slightly.
When he'd first heard that number from the leader, his mind had gone blank for a long moment…
For a monster who'd lived more than ninety years, who'd seen the Warring States end and watched the Five Great Nations rise, that kind of lapse was rare.
All these years, he could account for every last job he'd ever done.
From the tens of thousands of ryō he'd made assassinating a petty noble's political rival in some backwater country…
To the hundreds of millions he'd earned taking down a true powerhouse…
The feel of every coin, the texture of every bill…
He remembered them all.
But twenty-three billion…
Kakuzu's green eyes flickered wildly in the dark.
How many minor nations' treasuries could that buy out?
How many top-tier shinobi units could it hire?
How many obscene-profit industries could it invest in?
"In a lifetime…" he heard himself rasp, "you still couldn't earn enough…"
On the other side of the shadows, Konan remained silent.
She stood at the highest point. The paper flower pinned in her hair quivered faintly, and her steel-blue hair streamed in the night wind like flowing water.
Her flawless, icy face showed no emotion, as if none of this had anything to do with her.
But if you looked closely…
You'd see a tiny, almost imperceptible ripple deep in her purple eyes.
And her hands at her sides…
Were clenched into tight fists, nails biting hard into her palms.
Twenty-three billion?
In her head, the number instantly converted into a different unit: explosive tags.
How many could that buy?
A hundred thousand?
A million?
Or… ten million?
She could almost see the scene…
Explosive tags pouring down like snow, blotting out the sky, swallowing the earth…
Turning every enemy, every obstacle, every injustice…
Into the finest dust.
For that plan. For Yahiko and Nagato's ideals. For a world that no longer knew war…
Money was never enough.
"Hey, hey, hey…"
Hidan's voice yanked her out of it. "So when are we moving? If we keep waiting, it'll be daylight!"
He tapped the rock irritably with the handle of his scythe.
Knock, knock.
"Those Sand guys look pretty weak. And that new Kazekage's probably some useless clown, right? Camping here is basically asking to die."
"If you ask me, we charge down now, grab the money first, then offer every last one of them to Jashin-sama…"
"They're Iwa," Konan finally said.
She lifted a hand and pointed toward the vague silhouettes in the mountain hollow below.
"Their combat style, their disguises, their formation layout… it's too similar."
"Even if they try to cover it up, that Earth Country stench still leaks through."
Hidan froze for a second.
Then he let out an exaggerated, "Huh?"
"Iwagakure? They came all the way to Wind Country to rob money?"
"That's shameless as hell! Even more than we…"
He paused, baring a grin. "Even more brazen than us!"
"Doesn't matter," Kakuzu cut off Hidan's noise.
He'd finally cooled down a little from his frenzied calculations.
"Whoever they are… the money is mine."
There was a calm in his voice that made your skin crawl.
"Anyone who tries to take it from me, I kill them."
"Iwa, Suna, I don't care. No one gets to—"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Konan ignored both of their insanity.
Her gaze moved back and forth between the canyon and the mountain hollow, her mind calculating at full speed.
"Let them clash first."
She made her decision, voice still level.
"Iwa will strike. This kind of chance? They won't let it go."
"Suna chose to camp here. Either they're stupid, or they're confident… Either way, it doesn't matter."
Konan's purple eyes narrowed slightly.
"When both sides are battered, we move."
"Our targets are… that Kazekage named Teizawa, and every wagon carrying the valuables."
She paused, then added, flat as ice:
"Anyone who gets in our way dies."
Hidan licked his lips, thrilled.
"Then I'll make sure to properly introduce them to my Jashin faith…"
"With a spectacle this big, Jashin-sama's gonna love it!"
"How about we start with that Kazekage? A Kazekage's blood has to feel amazing as an offering!"
Meanwhile, Kakuzu had already started muttering again.
"Twenty-three billion… twenty-three billion…"
"How many fūinjutsu (sealing) scrolls would it take to pack all of that… Should we go back and prep some spares first…"
Konan didn't speak again.
She refocused on what was happening below.
The night was deep now, and the campfire in the canyon looked painfully lonely against the darkness.
Iwa's strike should be coming any moment…
And just as Konan predicted…
The night fully swallowed the canyon.
In the Sand camp, the bonfire crackled.
After days of tense marching and a string of nonstop attacks, this brief looseness felt all the more precious…
Food simmered in a pot, giving off a rich aroma.
Hard rations were crumbled and soaked into hot soup.
Occasionally, there were low jokes and exhausted sighs.
The sentries still held their posts.
But it was hard not to have their focus pulled by the warmth of the camp.
Someone stole a glance back at the fire.
Someone unconsciously breathed in the scent of food.
Someone checked their ninja tools in the firelight, hands moving just a little slower than usual.
And right then—
Iwagakure's first wave of infiltration began.
(End of Chapter)
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