章 242: Chapter 241: The Golden Slug
"Feeling any better?" Yuto asked as he pushed open the door, placing a basket of oranges beside the bed.
Kakuzu let out a couple of grunts, his voice unusually hoarse.
"You really took a heavy hit," Yuto sighed. "Your body isn't holding up well... Eh? Why are you getting so worked up? Sit down, sit down." He patted Kakuzu on the shoulder. "In a few days, once you're able to move around, we'll head back inland and get you a new heart while we're at it."
At that moment, Konan walked into the medicinal-smelling room and closed the door behind her. "Yuto-sama, the heads of the four major ports—Shell, Driftfish, Starlight, and Whitehead—are requesting an audience with you."
"They recognized me? Makes sense, I did use Murakumo Slash yesterday," Yuto chuckled. "Turn them down. I'm not someone who meets with just anyone."
"Wait..." Kakuzu spoke up suddenly, his raspy voice tinged with urgency and helplessness. "You want me to join the Akatsuki for money, don't you?"
"Mhm," Yuto admitted openly. "We've done a lot over the years, and Amegakure's reserves have run low."
"How much are you short?"
"I need enough to buy half of the Land of Fire."
"...That's quite a sum. Relying solely on bounties from assassinations, there's no way to accumulate that much. But you could make the Tower Merchant Guild a reality."
"Are you suggesting we open a fifth port here? But the initial investment..."
"Let the four major ports and the bounty stations foot the bill. They wouldn't dare disagree," Kakuzu sneered. "A heavy hand is needed for moments like these."
"Good!" Yuto waved his hand grandly. "You're in charge of this. You and Arai will stay here."
"If you trust me, then I'll take care of it."
"Of course, you're a precious comrade I struck down with lightning, how could I not trust you?" Yuto waved dismissively. "Rest up. I'll have Konan arrange your meeting with the heads of the four ports. Oh, and there's a black cloak with red clouds under the bed—it's quite stylish, wear it."
As Yuto and Konan walked toward the door, just as they were about to close it, Kakuzu spoke again. "Yut...No. Boss, What is your true goal?"
"World domination," the man who was no longer a caged bird turned back and said softly. "To create a perfect world, the one I envision. That's all."
"A perfect world, huh." Kakuzu leaned back against the pillow, a fleeting gleam of longing flashing through his pale green eyes. "If that's the case, I'd like to see it for myself..."
---
Earth Grudge Fear, a forbidden technique that enhances vitality, along with the first-class medical treatment from Yuto, meant Kakuzu's injuries healed remarkably fast.
In just a few days, Kakuzu was back on his feet.
He and Arai would remain here, using the name "Moon God" to intimidate the four major port conglomerates and the bounty stations into relinquishing profits, establishing the fifth major port, ushering in a new era where the Akatsuki would make a fortune.
While Kakuzu and Arai dealt with the merchants, Yuto and Konan had already left the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Shinobi with Lightning, Wind, Fire, and Water affinities." Strolling along a forest path, Yuto spoke lazily. "Bring those four hearts to Kakuzu, then we'll return to Amegakure."
"Yes, Yuto-sama. But where are we getting these hearts from...?"
"Go to the bounty station. Follow the bounty list and kill one a day. Including travel time, we should be able to wrap it up within a week."
Since Kakuzu had become an ally, Yuto couldn't just sit back and do nothing. At the very least, he had to help the man regain his hearts.
"Yuto-sama, do we need to conceal our identities?"
"Probably. Otherwise, it'll be too much of a hassle." Yuto scratched his chin thoughtfully. "What should I go by this time... Hm, Sukuna? Dio?"
As he mused, Yuto suddenly sensed something. Biting his tongue, he pressed his hand to the ground.
With a puff, a white cloud of smoke from the Summoning Jutsu billowed out, and a slug the size of an arm appeared.
"Yuto-kun," a gentle female voice said. "You have a letter."
"Thanks, Katsuyu-sama." Yuto patted the little slug's pale gold body and took the scroll.
Two years ago, when the deep sea waters flooded underground, the giant slug's massive body burst apart. However, her astonishing vitality wasn't entirely lost. The slug sage sacrificed many years of accumulation and shedded her bloated form, and successfully floated to the surface, where Yuto found her.
She had lost most of her strength but managed to escape the endless, dark seclusion underground. As time passed, the Slug Sage quickly recovered. More importantly, she could now maintain a small size without uncontrollably growing larger.
This tiny golden slug was the sage's true form, but in terms of power, she was no different from the one summoned by Tsunade during battles!
In the terminology of Yuto's past life's webnovels, She was "Reincarnated."
"Let's see... ha!" Yuto unrolled the scroll and chuckled. "As expected of a Hyuga."
"Yuto-sama, what is it?"
"Sae Hyuga, my spy in Konoha. He just returned to the village and immediately leaked classified information to me. What a delightful kohai."
Konan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Your clan member became your spy? Forgive me if this is out of line, but Yuto-sama, how did you manage to turn him?"
"An offer he couldn't refuse." Yuto ran his finger across his neck. "I gave him the hope of killing me."
---
"He is good at hiding. He should be called Thunder Mouse instead of Thunder Tiger." A one-eyed man dressed in a crimson robe stood atop a tree trunk, squinting into the distance as he spoke to his companion below. "Anyways, Master Sasori, can you locate that guy?"
"I'm a puppeteer, not a tracker," Sasori of the Red Sand, also dressed in crimson, manipulated a puppet mechanism crawling on the ground. "This is your specialty... Ao, hurry up and do your job."
Standing in the tree, Ao chuckled and removed the black eyepatch covering his right eye.
Under layers of seals, his right eye was a pure white Byakugan.
He formed a hand seal, his veins bulging as the 360-degree vision activated, allowing him to see everything clearly.
"I found traces... Master Sasori, shall we go?"
"It was a wise decision for our leader to bring you out of Kirigakure and into Our Hidden Organization," Sasori praised. "After the task is done, remember to take Thunder Tiger's head to the bounty station. We've severely wounded him, so he won't be able to cause any trouble, but we should still be cautious."
"You won't come with me to kill him?"
"No," Sasori slowly turned, disappearing into the ground. "The leader has summoned me."
(End of Chapter)
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