The continuous heavy snow completely disappeared after they left the Land of Iron.
The sky was blue, and the sea was azure.
Haruki and his group were on a sailing ship, heading east.
Their destination was the Land of Water.
It was a unique country with numerous islands, enveloped by mist and the sea.
It was truly isolated from the world.
In the original story, except for one or two The Great Ninja World Wars, there were hardly any storylines about the Ninjas from Kiri.
Even when there were storylines, they were mainly about the ninjas being controlled by Obito Uchiha and the various hapless members of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist.
"Kakuzu."
Haruki glanced at Kakuzu, who was fishing, and asked, "Have you ever been to the Land of Water before?"
"Yes, I have."
Kakuzu stared straight ahead at the sea. "There are black markets in every country, and the wanted people are different. I've been to the Land of Water a few times to earn bounties."
"Are you familiar with the person in charge of the black market in the Land of Water?"
"Of course, I'm familiar."
Kakuzu nodded and said, "If you want to put a bounty on someone, just tell me. You can save the cut taken by the black market."
"No middleman taking the cut?"
Haruki blurted out an advertising slogan from his previous life.
"You're right."
Kakuzu was slightly taken aback. He thought the term "middleman" was very apt. "I'm not boasting, but it's hard to find a better bounty hunter than me in the entire ninja world."
When it came to money, he could even talk to someone as annoying as Haruki.
Making money wasn't shameful.
Haruki couldn't help but laugh. "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I don't want to put a bounty on someone. I want to make a deal with the person in charge of the black market."
Kakuzu frowned and asked, "What kind of deal can you make in the black market other than putting bounties?"
"A huge deal worth several hundred million." Haruki looked mysterious and asked, "Want to know?"
"… Yes." Kakuzu followed his inner desire and told the truth.
"A treasure."
"What treasure?" Kakuzu's eyes lit up.
"That's what I want to ask you." Haruki inquired, "You've lived for so long. You must know what legends there are in the Land of Water."
"…"
Kakuzu's hands holding the fishing rod trembled slightly.
With his intelligence, he immediately knew what Haruki was talking about.
So you were just pulling my leg earlier?
He took a deep breath and said, "Legends are just legends. If it were real, it would have been found long ago. How could it be your turn?"
"Just taking a chance. Consider it something to do when bored." Haruki said casually.
Kakuzu was silent for a moment and then told a legend.
About several decades ago, the Water Daimyo had two sons who fought fiercely for the right of succession.
Their strength and talent were comparable, so the fight lasted for nearly a decade.
In the end, the younger Prince Fujiwara lost.
But he was not willing to give up. He took his subordinates and the looted treasures and left the Land of Water, planning to create a new country.
However, his fleet mysteriously disappeared, and no one ever knew its whereabouts.
"This story is a bit clichéd, but it's still not bad."
After hearing the story, Haruki pondered for a moment and then asked, "Kakuzu, take me to the person in charge of the black market when we reach the Land of Water."
Kakuzu nodded, not wanting to talk to him anymore.
He thought Haruki had some treasure, but it turned out to be a waste of his expectations.
It would be better to go fishing than to chat for half an hour.
Five days later, Haruki and the others crossed the sea and arrived in the misty Land of Water.
The reason they could arrive in such a short time was that Kakuzu couldn't stand having fish every day, so he took over the work of Kakashi and the other three and rushed all the way.
As before, Haruki rented an inn first.
Then he followed Kakuzu and met the person - in - charge of the black market in an ordinary izakaya.
An old man in his sixties or so, who was quite elderly.
This kimono - wearing boss obviously knew Kakuzu and greeted him when he saw him.
"Kakuzu, long time no see. You still look so young."
Kakuzu nodded faintly and then pointed at Haruki.
"His name is Haruki. He says he has something to talk to you about."
After saying that, he stopped talking and sat down at a nearby table.
"Haruki?"
A thoughtful look appeared on the old man's wrinkled face. "This name sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere."
"Haruki from Konoha."
Haruki sat across from him and reminded.
"Oh, oh, oh, so you're Haruki, one of the Twin Gems of Konoha."
The old man squinted his eyes and smiled. "You're really brave and skillful. If the people from Kiri Village find out, you'll hardly be able to leave the Land of Water alive."
"Aren't I with Kakuzu?"
Haruki's answer surprised the old man.
He glanced at the gloomy - looking Kakuzu, wondering how he got mixed up with Haruki.
Normally, Haruki should be Kakuzu's hunting target.
He remembered that some time ago, the bounty on Haruki really shocked the black market.
It had been a long time since they'd seen a ninja with such a high bounty.
But the money - grubbing Kakuzu actually held back from making a move?
This is like going to a teahouse with a lot of beautiful women. Instead of seizing the chance, one just sat there sipping tea.
In a teahouse like this, the so - called 'tea' and 'water' have other implications.
"Sir, what do you want from me? Are you here to place a bounty on your enemy?"
The old man snapped out of his thoughts and got down to business.
"No, I'm here to improve the black market's performance."
"?"
The old man thought he was having an illusion because of his old age.
In all his years, he'd never heard of someone coming to the black market saying, "I'll help you increase your business."
Oh!
Haruki wasn't surprised by the old man's reaction.
If it weren't for Kakuzu and his fame as one of the Twin Gems of Konoha, he'd probably have been thrown out.
But he wasn't lying.
The black market, that is, the exchange, in his opinion, was very similar to various platforms in his previous life.
Especially a certain e - commerce platform.
The black market charged fees according to customers' needs and posted bounties.
And ninjas or samurai completed the bounties with their own abilities.
Although this platform was more bloody for both sellers and buyers, it had something in common.
After Haruki mentioned a method similar to big - data price comparison, Kakuzu's gaze at him gradually became menacing.
According to his idea, the black market would handle bounty hunters and regular customers differently.
Bounty Hunters need to create personal profiles, clearly stating their approximate strength, the number of bounties they've completed, the time required, and so on.
Regular customers will be classified as VIP members and can enjoy various discounts. For example, they can get a discount on bounties and have priority in selecting bounty hunters.
Back and forth, Kakuzu could imagine the price - cutting competition among bounty hunters to take on big jobs.
"Brilliant!"
The old man couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration. The numerous strategies Haruki mentioned made him feel fresh and new.
After running the black market for decades, how much wealth had he missed out on!
"Besides, there's a way to make those with bounties on their heads stop being terrified or hating the bounties, and instead feel proud of them."
Under the old man's astonished gaze, Haruki said that those with bounties on their heads could be classified into Four Emperors, Seven Warlords of the Sea, Supernovas, etc., based on the bounty amount. Then he told the old man an enhanced version of the One Piece story.
Although the old man didn't believe it, it didn't stop him from agreeing to Haruki's plan.
Taking the legend of the Fujiwara treasure in the Land of Water as a gimmick, they would intensively promote One Piece and cause more chaos.
No matter what happens, the black market will always be in an invincible position.
The more chaos there is, the better the business will be.