In the early morning sunlight, Kiichiro stretched his back, let out a massive yawn, and lazily flicked the sleep crust from the corners of his eyes.
Ah~, Kiichiro thought, checking the dreamscape updates. I didn't expect that Mishu, who has only been a Rogue Ninja for a few days, would already encounter an underground celebrity like Kakuzu. It seems his new life is going to be quite entertaining.
Kiichiro shifted his thoughts back to his own situation.
Those two greedy old fogies, Ise Matsuzakato and Tsuchimitsu Toshio, actually issued an underground assassination mission against me just to save a tenfold profit penalty. Where is the basic, sincere affection between business partners these days? It's truly saddening, hehehe.
Despite his internal monologue, Kiichiro's face was plastered with a wide, predatory smile. There wasn't an ounce of sadness in him. Instead, he was happily calculating exactly how to deliver a devastating blow to the two merchants.
A heavy blow in three distinct categories: spiritual, financial, and physical.
Outside the manor, under the frantic direction of the butler Mikuri Tomokazu, the hired laborers had finished preparing dozens of heavy transport carriages.
Seeing Kiichiro walk out, Tomokazu gave the signal. The drivers cracked their whips, and the massive convoy slowly lurched into motion.
"Departure!"
"Young Master," Tomokazu fretted, wringing his hands as he walked beside the lead carriage, "are we really not hiring ninja escorts? The political situation has been incredibly turbulent lately, and grain prices are skyrocketing. I'm terrified this transport won't go smoothly."
Tomokazu was, as usual, a nervous wreck. Kiichiro, however, didn't care in the slightest. Spotting a steaming food box on the carriage bench, he wiped a line of drool from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't worry your pretty head, Tomokazu! I firmly believe in my own personal charisma. The people we meet on the road today will definitely be very, very good people!"
Tomokazu could only sigh miserably. "I pray to the gods you are right."
The morning air was crisp and fresh. Instead of sitting inside the luxurious cabin, Kiichiro sat cross-legged right on the roof of the lead carriage, happily munching on a warm meat bun while waiting for the Rogue Ninjas to ambush them.
"Oh my," Kiichiro mumbled, swallowing the last bite. "I've finished my breakfast and they still haven't shown up. So incredibly lazy. Do these assassins even care about completing their daily KPIs? They are an absolute disgrace to the mercenary industry!"
Leaving a single Shadow Clone sitting on the roof as bait, the real Kiichiro slipped back into the cabin to quietly practice his hand seals.
The convoy traveled for another hour until a wide, rushing river appeared ahead, spanned by an old stone bridge.
Is this the target? A masked ninja lurked silently beneath the water's surface, observing the convoy. As expected, just a fat, arrogant child, completely unaware of his impending death.
As the lead carriage slowly rolled onto the stone bridge, the submerged ninja drew a kunai and prepared to launch his ambush.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp, crushing pain in the back of his skull. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness instantly.
The convoy slowly rumbled across the stone bridge without incident. Only after they had passed did an unconscious body float to the river's surface.
Kiichiro's Shadow Clone emerged from the water, wiping his hands as he looked toward the retreating carriages.
"The original just sits in the cabin stuffing his face, while we clones have to run our legs off doing the actual dirty work. He really knows how to exploit his own workforce," the clone grumbled.
Having completed his task, the Shadow Clone voluntarily dispelled.
Receiving the clone's memories inside the cabin, Kiichiro held up a single finger. "First blood!"
After traveling a bit further, the road narrowed as it entered a dense forest. Over a dozen Rogue Ninjas, dressed in mismatched mercenary gear, stood perched on the high branches, waiting for the convoy.
"Target is in sight! Prepare to—Gkkh!"
The lead mercenary was suddenly yanked backward into the foliage, his neck snapped. The remaining Rogue Ninjas instantly grew tense, drawing their weapons and shouting into the shadows.
"Damn it! Who's attacking us?! Show yourself, you coward!" a mercenary yelled, his voice echoing through the silent forest.
"You want me to come out? Fine."
Dozens of Kiichiro's Shadow Clones stepped out simultaneously from behind every single tree, completely surrounding the terrified mercenaries...
By the time the slow-moving convoy actually entered the forest road, the battle was already entirely over.
Walking alongside the carriages, Tomokazu suddenly spotted a stray kunai glinting in the dirt. He immediately became hyper-alert, picking it up and rushing to the carriage window.
"Young Master! There seem to be ninja operating in this area! Should we take a detour?!"
Kiichiro took the kunai, inspecting it with a bright smile. "Oh, a careless traveler must have dropped it by accident! Let's keep it safe for him until he comes looking for it."
Seeing how completely carefree his young master was, Tomokazu felt a massive migraine coming on. He felt utterly helpless.
A few minutes later, Tomokazu found a discarded, blood-stained longsword in the bushes. He sprinted back to the carriage in a sheer panic.
"Young Master! There must have been a brutal ninja battle here! Look, there's fresh blood on this blade! We absolutely cannot go any further!"
Kiichiro didn't even blink, taking exactly two seconds to concoct a bald-faced lie.
"Nonsense, Tomokazu! This is clearly from some civilian hunters having a wild barbecue. They used the sword to slaughter a wild boar, ate their fill, and simply forgot their carving knife in their food coma!"
Do you even believe the garbage coming out of your own mouth?! Tomokazu screamed internally.
Despite the butler's desperate, repeated pleading, Kiichiro simply wouldn't listen. Tomokazu genuinely felt that the Kuriarare family bloodline was at severe risk of ending today.
Not long after, Tomokazu spotted an unignited explosive tag lying innocently in the tall grass. Absolutely terrified, he ran to Kiichiro's window one last time.
"Young Master! This is a military-grade explosive tag! If it detonates, we'll all be blown to pieces! Please, I am begging you, order the convoy to stop!"
This time, Kiichiro didn't even bother lying. He snatched the explosive tag from the butler's trembling hands, pocketing it with extreme satisfaction.
"Do you know how much explosive tags go for on the black market?! I didn't expect such a lucrative, unexpected harvest just lying on the road! Hahahaha!"
Tomokazu was practically in tears. "Young Master, now is really not the time to care about profit margins!"
Kiichiro, however, was in exceptionally high spirits. He leaned out the window, urging his butler on. "Go take a closer look in the bushes, Tomokazu! Maybe you'll find something even more valuable! Hahahaha, hurry up and gather the loot!"
Protected by an invisible army of Shadow Clones, the convoy safely reached the merchant's massive granary facility without losing a single grain of rice.
Inside the main office of the granary, Ise Matsuzakato and Tsuchimitsu Toshio were enjoying a cup of premium tea when a subordinate burst in, reporting that Kiichiro's convoy had arrived completely unscathed. The two merchants were greatly shocked.
"How is that possible?!" Ise roared, his fat face turning purple. "We paid a premium price to the Exchange Office! Why didn't those useless Rogue Ninjas kill the brat?!"
Tsuchimitsu began to violently tremble. His face drained of color as he pointed a shaking finger directly behind his partner.
"Ninja... that brat Kiichiro... he hired even more powerful ninja..."
Ise whipped around and found himself staring at a masked young shinobi—who was, in reality, just one of Kiichiro's Shadow Clones.
The clone didn't waste a single syllable. He delivered a brutal, perfectly placed punch to Ise's gut, folding the massive merchant in half like a cooked shrimp. Ise slumped to the floor, instantly vomiting his premium tea.
Minutes later, the heavy warehouse doors were kicked open. When Tomokazu saw the scene inside, he was utterly stunned.
"What... what is going on here?"
Ise and Tsuchimitsu were lying face-down on the cold floor, their hands bound tightly behind their backs, groaning feebly. They were covered in severe bruises, clearly having been beaten within an inch of their lives.
Tomokazu looked at Kiichiro, finally connecting the dots. "Young Master... did you secretly hire a mercenary army?"
Kiichiro just smiled, neither confirming nor denying the butler's question.
"They hired assassins to murder me purely for a profit margin," Kiichiro said coldly, looking down at the groaning men. "Therefore, they must pay the absolute maximum penalty."
The reason he didn't outright kill the two merchants wasn't because Kiichiro was kind-hearted, but because keeping them alive yielded a far greater profit.
Besides the grain monopoly, these two men owned numerous other lucrative industries and properties. It was an immense amount of wealth, and keeping them alive just long enough to legally transfer the deeds was vital.
These industries were quite disorganized and legally complex. Moreover, Kiichiro didn't have the manpower to manage it all himself, so he planned to hand the bulk of the physical properties over to his new political patron, Nishio Takeki.
Because the merchants had struck first by hiring assassins, Kiichiro had a perfectly justified casus belli. Taking their wealth wouldn't be considered robbery in the underworld; it was the spoils of a failed assassination.
And with Nishio Takeki's official political endorsement, Kiichiro wouldn't have to worry about the local authorities or future retaliation.
As for Ise and Tsuchimitsu, after fully experiencing the soul-crushing agony of becoming entirely penniless, they would likely die quietly in some hidden slum. Even if Kiichiro didn't lift a finger, Nishio Takeki's men would ensure they were permanently silenced to tie up loose ends.
The matter was resolved perfectly. The great grain speculation was a massive, unprecedented success.
Tomokazu was thrilled that they were alive and incredibly wealthy, while Kiichiro left the tedious paperwork to his butler and disappeared into the shadows once again.
His hired informants had just sent an urgent message: they had officially pinpointed the exact location of his parents' killer, Kuroda Hiroki.
"Last time, because of Ay's annoying pursuit, I was delayed and didn't get to finish the job," Kiichiro muttered, his eyes cold. "This time, I absolutely won't let him get away."