"Oh? There are actually snakeberries?"
"Kazuyama, you were summoned by me, so don't forget that I get a share of the snakeberries too, right?"
Tagitsuhime's voice rang out with a smile.
Finally free from the spinning sensation, Kazuyama looked at the snakes before him, then nodded to the Snake Princess. He took out a scroll and released two baskets of snakeberries.
"Here, I bought them specially in the Land of Waterfalls."
"Oh, right, Seirin, take me to Kinrin. I left something with her."
Seirin, completely captivated by the snakeberries, didn't hear a word Kazuyama said. Instead, Tagitsuhime scooped up some snakeberries and spoke.
"You mean the 15 carts of goods?"
"Yes, the 15 carts of goods I looted from Kumo."
Tagitsuhime nodded and turned toward the depths of the snake cave.
"Follow me."
As Kazuyama followed her inside, a massive golden snake soon appeared before him.
"Kinrin, Kazuyama is here."
The golden snake slowly lifted its head, flicking its tongue as it eyed Kazuyama.
"My snakeberries, or you can forget about the goods."
Kazuyama smiled helplessly and took out his last scroll, instantly summoning three more baskets of snakeberries.
"Two baskets are what I promised you earlier. As for the last one, Tagitsuhime, I need you to do me a favor."
"I've already found a buyer, but I can't deliver the goods myself. I need you to summon them here for me."
Hearing that it was such a simple request, Tagitsuhime grabbed the last basket of snakeberries and hugged it in front of Kinrin.
"No problem, it's a piece of cake! Just a moment."
She then took hold of Kazuyama's right arm and lifted his sleeve. The next second, she bit her finger and began drawing on his arm.
Before long, a circular pattern emerged on his skin.
Before Kazuyama could ask, Tagitsuhime explained,
"This is the contract pattern for the Ryūchi Cave. I've infused it with my unique Senjutsu power. With this, you can summon creatures from the Ryūchi Cave at will, and you can even transport goods yourself."
Kazuyama looked at the faint red pattern on his arm and thought to himself—doesn't this look exactly like the one his sensei, Orochimaru, had?
Except this one was far superior.
"Hmph, Orochimaru's was just something he carved for the sake of summoning. It's not the same as mine."
"Without the permission of the Sage of Ryūchi Cave, he could only summon the snakes he had a contract with—Manda, specifically."
"But with my pattern, you can summon any snake in Ryūchi Cave if you wish."
Kazuyama was ecstatic. This was an incredible gift.
But just as he was about to celebrate, Tagitsuhime poured a bucket of cold water over him.
"Of course, you need to ask for permission before summoning. Hehe."
"Forget about forcing it to come."
Kazuyama, who had been overjoyed just moments ago, immediately fell into despair.
"Tagitsuhime, could you please speak a little faster next time? I was so happy for nothing."
"Forget it. With this, the goods are settled."
"Send me away. I still plan to go back and soak in the hot springs."
Upon hearing this, Kinrin, Seirin, and Tagitsuhime, who were eating snakeberries, all looked at him strangely.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Tagitsuhime smiled. "You brat, going for a bath? You're not planning to peep, are you?"
Kazuyama, whose innermost thoughts had been exposed, kept a straight face.
"Nonsense, I'm a gentleman. How could that be called peeping?"
"How can you say something so vulgar about such an elegant activity?"
"Fine, I'm leaving! Bye, everyone!"
Back at his residence, Kazuyama looked at the pattern on his arm. The more he examined it, the happier he became.
Smiling, he went to take a bath.
At the same time, in Konohagakure.
Orochimaru arrived at a brick building by the river outside the village.
"You're here."
A man in civilian clothes slowly stepped out of the building.
"Is the information you passed on true?"
"Heh heh heh, absolutely."
"Kekkei Genkai?"
"Yes. The news came from the branch in the Land of Waterfalls. The corpse has been recovered and will be delivered to the Land of Fire soon."
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with excitement.
It was his doing—retrieving ninjas with Kekkei Genkai through the black market.
"What Kekkei Genkai? Do you have details?"
"Yes. Kumo Jōnin, Toroi. Magnet Release."
Orochimaru was slightly taken aback.
Toroi? He knew him.
But when did he die? Who killed him? And was he really sold to the Bounty Station?
"You don't believe me? I didn't believe it either when I first got the news, but it's true."
Orochimaru nodded. The Bounty Station could be trusted when it came to information.
"Heh heh, good. Notify me when the corpse arrives."
The man in civilian clothes nodded.
Then, silence fell over the brick building once more.
Orochimaru sped through the night, still pondering the Bounty Station and Toroi.
Something felt off about all of this, yet he had to trust the Bounty Station's intelligence.
But no matter how resourceful he was, he could never have imagined—
His own apprentice was behind it all.
Even his joy would soon turn to nothing.
The next day, Kazuyama once again arrived at the Bounty Station, still disguised as Mahiru.
"Gentlemen, have you prepared the money I asked for?"
The same two black-clad men from the previous day were there. They nodded.
"Then prepare to receive it."
Under their watchful eyes, he bit his finger and smeared his blood on his arm.
Instantly, white smoke filled the Bounty Station.
The black-clad men quickly activated the ventilation system, expelling the smoke.
When it finally cleared, all 15 carts of cargo had appeared.
"The full cargo is here. Count it."
Kazuyama walked to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
The two men exchanged glances before carefully inspecting the goods.
They were just as meticulous as Kazuyama was when counting money.
An hour passed before they finished.
"There's quite a lot: kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and some military rations."
"My estimate—about 30 million ryō."
Kazuyama, nearly dozing off from exhaustion, instantly perked up at the mention of 30 million.
"Alright, hand over the money."
One of the men nodded, placing a chest in front of him.
This time, Kazuyama didn't bother counting. According to his calculations, Toroi's fake death wouldn't last much longer.
He needed to disappear fast—before trouble found him.
And the moment he took the money box, a sudden system prompt sounded.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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