The feast concluded, and the guests departed one by one. After seeing everyone off, Raizen was quite intoxicated. With the help of someone—he wasn't quite sure who—he took a bath and fell into a deep sleep.
In a certain small hidden village.
Kakuzu and Hidan stood over a captured ninja.
"Where are the women of your village?" Kakuzu asked, his brow furrowed as he stared down at the man. Lately, every village they raided seemed devoid of any exceptionally beautiful women. It was as if all the beauties had vanished overnight.
The ninja spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at them with fury. "You'll never get a word out of me."
"Oho, a tough nut to crack, eh?" Hidan licked his lips, raising his triple-bladed scythe. "I guess you won't talk unless I use some... persuasion."
With a swift, brutal motion, the scythe swung down. Blood sprayed everywhere as the ninja's legs were severed. A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the clearing.
"Will you talk now? If not, the arms are next," Hidan sneered.
"Just... just kill me!" the ninja gasped through the agony.
"Hmph, you don't get a quick death without talking," Hidan countered, raising his scythe again.
Faced with the descent of the blade once more, the ninja's will finally shattered. "I'll talk! I'll talk! The women from the nearby small villages... they've all fled to the Five Great Nations for sanctuary."
"Sanctuary? From what?" Kakuzu asked.
"Word spread... that there are two maniacs specifically hunting down beautiful kunoichi from the small villages. Every woman of high beauty is terrified. They've gone to hide in the capital cities of the Great Nations for protection!"
"Two maniacs? Kakuzu, is he talking about us?" Hidan laughed, clearly amused.
"Damn it! Who leaked the information?" Kakuzu's rage flared. "If I find out who it was, I'll rip out their heart myself."
In his fury, he brought his foot down, crushing the ninja's neck and ending his life instantly.
Hidan wiped the blood from his scythe. "Well, Kakuzu, looks like the business is drying up. Lately, we've only found average-looking women, and that Uchiha Raizen guy won't give us a dime for those. Maybe we should go back to the black market for other bounties? We need to keep a low profile around the capitals of the Great Nations."
Kakuzu thought for a moment. "It must have been one of those monks who survived. They must have sent word to these small villages."
He was incensed. Such a lucrative business, ruined by a whistleblower. He had planned to fleece the Uchiha for every Ryo he was worth, but the supply chain was compromised.
"So, where to now?" Hidan asked.
"To the Land of Fire," Kakuzu replied. "The deadline for the next payment from Uchiha Raizen is coming up. Time to collect."
As they traveled, Hidan spoke up out of boredom. "Hey, Kakuzu, I heard from the organization that the Leader... Konan... she went to the Uchiha to 'accept a mission.' Is it that mission?"
At the mention of Konan, Kakuzu recalled being pummeled during their encounter. He grumbled, "The Leader is so unfair. She was clearly tempted by the reward, yet she still beat me up for suggesting it."
"Maybe it's not what we think?" Hidan mused. "Maybe she's on a different mission."
"What other mission could offer a reward that would tempt her?" Kakuzu countered. "Even an S-rank mission with a million Ryo wouldn't be enough to make the Leader move personally. We have plenty of hands in the organization—why would she go herself? It's definitely the 'Seeking a Child' mission. I'm 100% certain. If I'm wrong, you can cut off my head and kick it like a ball."
Hidan paused. "...What? You make a bet and use my head as the collateral? What do you take me for, Kakuzu? You think I'm easy to bully? Believe it or not, I'll blow up a few of your hearts right now and make you waste time finding new ones."
"I'll snap your neck before you even touch a heart," Kakuzu said coldly.
"Who are you looking down on?!" Hidan huffed. "Want to go right now? Let's see who's stronger!"
Kakuzu kept walking, ignoring the idiot. To him, making money was the only thing that mattered. A day without profit was a day wasted.
"Hey! Kakuzu! Wait for me! Are we doing this or not? Say something! Why are you walking so fast? Are you scared of me? Hey! Kakuzu! Hear me?! Wait up!"
Seeing Kakuzu's disappearing silhouette, Hidan cursed under his breath and hurried to catch up.
A month after Uchiha Mirai's full-month celebration, Momoko gave birth again. This time, she gave Raizen a bouncing baby boy.
[Ding! Reward: 0.5 Kakashi-units of Chakra, Pupil Power +10, Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu.]
Looking at the child in his arms, Raizen was overjoyed. He finally had a son! He was starting to worry if he was only capable of producing daughters. He named the boy Uchiha Juzo (Uchiha Thirteen).
A month later, Raizen hosted yet another grand banquet.
Shikamaru Nara sat at the table, chin in hand. "I'm starting to think... Sasuke's uncle isn't losing money on this 'Seeking a Child' mission. In fact, he might be turning a profit."
Ino Yamanaka looked puzzled. "No loss? No way! He pays at least a million Ryo per child. Momoko-san is a kunoichi—I heard her first child cost him three million! How is that not a loss?"
"Yeah, Shikamaru, how does that work?" Choji asked, equally confused.
Shikamaru sighed, explaining his logic. "He might pay for the first child, but the second one is a different story. Momoko-san joined the Uchiha, changed her surname, and is on their registry now. As an Uchiha member, having children for the clan is expected."
"But even the first one was three million Ryo! I've never seen that much money in my life," Ino argued.
"Think about it," Shikamaru countered. "He paid three million, but what happened when they got married? He hosted a massive banquet. Then another for the first child. And now a third for the second child."
"Uchiha is a prestigious clan. All the families in the village come to these events, and none of them would dare bring a small gift. The gift money from three high-end banquets alone has likely covered that three million Ryo."
"So, Sasuke's uncle isn't losing money—he's actually making a fortune through social etiquette."
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