When it came to the most efficient and fastest way to make money through assassination, after looking through the register, Yubi's first choice... was definitely the Daimyos of some small countries.
After all, in the current Ninja World, many small countries lacked a Ninja system and were simple monarchies.
Even if the Daimyos of these small countries had raised some armies, their overall combat power had an unbridgeable gap compared to Ninjas; even if they hired some Rogue Ninjas or Rogue Ninjass, Yubi was still confident in turning them into corpses.
It's just that... setting aside the wars of the Ninja World, the political landscape was also very complex.
Many small countries had diplomatic relations with major nations and were protected by the Five Great Ninja Villages...
To stabilize their status in the Ninja World and maintain sufficient influence and say, including considerations from economic and trade perspectives, the Five Great Ninja Villages would also spare no effort to help some small countries or small Villages.
For example, for the current reconstruction of Konoha, craftsmen and people from other industries from some small countries were invited.
If the relationship wasn't good, who would go?
These small countries, or small Villages, could submit commissions to the Five Great Ninja Villages to request assistance.
Those with better relationships might even directly pay to hire the Ninja armies of the Great Ninja Villages... In short, it wasn't that simple.
Killing a Daimyo was a small matter, but the trouble that followed would be hard to handle... What if they were the underling of one of the Great Ninja Villages?
There were dozens of countries, large and small, in the Ninja World, but the overall landscape basically revolved around the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Therefore, after thinking it over and adhering to the principle that less trouble is better, even though the price was lower, with his abilities, he could make up for it with quantity... Yubi set his sights on the 'nobles' of some small countries.
Killing just one or two wouldn't be enough to affect a country's national situation or alarm the other Great Ninja Villages, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Moreover, not all small countries had diplomatic ties or historical connections with major nations.
For instance... his first target.
A noble named Uchiyama in the Land of Waterfalls.
Don't be fooled by the Land of Waterfalls' small size; they had the Takigakure Village, and Takigakure Ninja's level was not weak; the Village even possessed a Tailed Beast.
Under the circumstances back then, being able to receive a Tailed Beast from Hashirama during the first Five Kage Summit was enough to prove the Takigakure Village's extraordinary nature.
Not to mention, the Land of Waterfalls was sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, yet after two consecutive Ninja World Wars, neither the country nor the Village had been significantly affected, which showed their strength.
Many small countries had vanished along with the flames of war in the Ninja World.
Friction in the Ninja World didn't just exist between major nations; small countries fought even more fiercely in private.
For example, the Land of Necks...
Of course, the most classic case was definitely the Land of Whirlpools, which had deep ties with Konoha.
But the Land of Whirlpools was essentially 'ganged up on,' and the flames of war were swift and fierce; in such a situation, even if Konoha wanted to lend a hand, they had to weigh the consequences.
Furthermore, sometimes the will of the Village couldn't decide whether to send troops.
It also depended on the Daimyo's wishes.
As for his current mission, Yubi could guess who had posted the bounty.
It was likely related to the Land of Mountains.
No wonder Konoha was under immense pressure during this Ninja World War.
Because in addition to facing the other four Great Ninja Villages, even a small country with little presence or size like the Land of Mountains had actually taken the opportunity to attack the Land of Fire. Then... the Land of Mountains was dealt with by Takigakure Ninja, beaten so badly they couldn't hold their heads up, and their national strength plummeted.
As a result, while the Land of Mountains became well-behaved, they certainly harbored a grudge against the Land of Waterfalls.
Therefore, Yubi believed that the Land of Mountains was the most likely benefactor behind this mission.
If he took out this minor noble, Takigakure Ninja would likely suspect the Land of Mountains as well.
Yubi was very familiar with the route to the Land of Waterfalls.
It still involved passing through the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass, but after entering the Land of Rain, he found that... even though the Ninja World War had been over for quite a while, the chaos within the Land of Rain had actually increased instead of decreasing.
It was completely different from what was seen in other countries.
As the various Ninja Villages lifted their blockades... trade began to flow, and the number of people and merchant caravans on the roads gradually increased.
The atmosphere had settled somewhat, giving off unmistakable signs of a return to peacetime.
But within the Land of Rain, almost no traveling merchants could be seen... even merchants from various countries intentionally avoided the Land of Rain, taking detours.
It was much like what he had seen and heard when he first entered the Land of Rain with Arai; various local factions and rebel groups were fighting tooth and nail... more critically, the situation in the Land of Rain had further deteriorated, leading armed organizations that 'fed' on war to also begin entering the Land of Rain.
The end of the Ninja World War had caused some people to lose their markets, so they ended up gathering within the small Land of Rain instead.
"That old ghost Hanzou seems like he's ready to retire... he doesn't care about anything, letting his trusted subordinates run amok below using his prestige. The more they oppress the people, the more people will rise up and rebel. The battlefields spawned from this have instead attracted more flies, making the situation even more complex..."
Yubi thought to himself.
To be honest, even he couldn't bear to watch anymore.
He didn't know what Hanzou was thinking. In Yubi's eyes, Hanzou had basically started with a perfect hand and held the protagonist's script; with his strength, if he had taken drastic measures to govern the Land of Rain, it would definitely be a different story.
One can only say that people have different personalities and ideas.
"Could it also be related to Madara..."
Yubi was a bit suspicious.
This time entering the Land of Rain, Yubi specifically went to the lake where he, Arai, and Sasori had bumped into Jiraiya and Konan, and searched nearby for the 'little house' where they lived, but because time was limited and he couldn't find it... he gave up.
Two years ago, Yahiko and the other two should have completed their training and parted ways with Jiraiya.
Of course, Jiraiya hadn't taught the three of them his own secret techniques; he had merely trained them to be excellent Ninjas and unearthed their potential.
...
A few days later, Yubi settled in a town within the Land of Waterfalls.
He disguised himself as a merchant and submitted his endorsement documents.
That is, forged identification.
These things were all stolen by him on the way.
Next, after confirming the location of the target's mansion, he acted alone late at night.
Like a ghost, he entered the noble's estate.
Throughout the entire courtyard, inside and out, there were samurai guards holding weapons, and along with other servants, there were dozens of people.
Yubi didn't act immediately.
With his speed, these ordinary people would never be able to discover him.
He planned to wander around first to see if there was anything valuable.
After a while, having briefly looted some supplies, he finally appeared and headed straight for the courtyard where the noble lord was located.
Moonlight spilled down, and in the dim courtyard, outside the target's door, sat a Ninja guard cross-legged.
This person seemed to sense something, his eyes just opening from meditation.
Only to see a dark shadow closing in, passing right by him.
He wanted to shout but found he couldn't make a sound.
His head spun as it hit the ground.
Meanwhile, the mysterious man in black had already pushed open the door to the noble's room where he was deep in sleep and walked inside.