During the day, Yōkō trained the new squadron members in the Anbu. At night, he investigated Senju Rinoki's movements.
Whenever Senju Rinoki went out, he was always accompanied by six guards. He either stayed deep within the Senju compound or went to the Hokage Building.
Since the battle at Ushiga Mountain, Uzumaki Mito's impending death had become a mystery.
The urgency for the Nine-Tails' transfer and sealing had lessened, but the entire Senju clan remained very tense.
Yōkō hadn't been able to find Tsunade's whereabouts; he didn't know where she had gone. After operating on Black Gorilla, Tsunade had disappeared.
In the afternoon, Yōkō left the Anbu early and went to the izakaya.
"Kyōi, lend me your property deed."
"What do you need my property deed for?"
"I see you've recovered a bit too well lately. Come on, let's go to the backyard and teach you a lesson."
An hour later, Kyōi got out of bed on wobbly legs and went to the drawer by the bed to find the property deed.
"You're such a plague... I suppose I need to write you a letter of authorization too?"
With the property deed and the letter of authorization, Yōkō headed to Konoha's only bank, the Daimyō Bank.
The money he earned through life-and-death struggles in the Anbu was all spent at the Tsurugetsu Izakaya. Now, using the izakaya's property deed to get a loan wasn't too much to ask, right?
If he died on the night of the 14th this time, everything would revert to the last full moon.
Any loan would be wiped clean.
Yōkō's golden finger, Mochizuki's Arc, seemed to create a parallel world every month.
In this parallel world, Yōkō took Kyōi's property deed.
In the next parallel world, it would start over again from the previous full moon.
Yōkō found a manager and asked, "Manager, using this property deed, what's the maximum loan I can get?"
"That mainly depends on how many years you can borrow for. The longer the loan term, the higher the interest rate, and the larger the loan amount. May I ask how old you are?"
Yōkō said, "I'm 18 this year. I'd prefer a 60-year loan."
"Haha, young man, you have a sense of humor, but not much of one." The manager said, "The average lifespan in Konoha is 45 years, so the maximum you can borrow for is 45 minus 18, which is 27 years."
"27 years will have to do then. Give me a 27-year loan."
"Wait." The manager said, "Are you a shinobi?"
"Yes."
"Then you can't borrow for 27 years. The average lifespan for shinobi is 31 years, meaning you can only borrow for a maximum of 13 years."
"Fine, 13 years it is then."
Yōkō thought to himself, It's not like I plan to repay it anyway.
The manager added:
"Don't rush, young man.
The Daimyō Bank, through detailed statistics, found that the average lifespan for male shinobi in Konoha is 27 years, and for female shinobi it's 35 years.
If you were a medical-nin from Konoha Hospital, you could borrow for 13 years.
If you are an ordinary combat shinobi, you can only borrow for 9 years."
This Daimyō Bank really has a lot of talent.
Yōkō said angrily, "9 years! Calculate how much I can borrow!"
The manager looked at the property deed and the letter of authorization, did some quick calculations, and finally said:
"You can borrow 8 million Ryo, to be repaid over 9 years.
Young man, you must train well and enhance your strength. If you die next month, we will directly confiscate your property, understand?"
Yōkō thought, Well, you'd better be quick about it. Next month I might not be in this parallel universe anymore.
After I'm gone, I won't care if this parallel universe is flooded.
After leaving the Daimyō Bank, Yōkō went to a ninja tool shop.
Explosive Tags cost 10,000 Ryo each. Buying too many at once would attract village investigation. He bought 40 tags in batches each day, slowly stockpiling them.
800 Explosive Tags were enough for Yōkō to squander.
In the original story, it was said Konan had 600 billion Explosive Tags. Clearly, Kishimoto's math was taught by a kindergarten art teacher.
He knew nothing about numbers.
After returning to the izakaya, Kyōi didn't ask Yōkō what he had done with her deed.
Late at night, the sound of crutches appeared.
Senju Kaede entered the izakaya on his crutches.
He didn't go to the bar but found a table and sat down in a high-backed booth.
Yōkō glanced over; Senju Kaede's face was ashen, his eyes hollow.
Not long after, Kamochi also entered, carrying a long cloth bundle.
Kamochi's steps were heavy. He looked around and found Senju Kaede shrinking in the booth.
Unwrapping the bundle revealed a prosthetic leg.
Seeing the prosthetic, Senju Kaede understood something.
"My son didn't die by a spy's hand! Do you know something?!"
Senju Kaede stood up on one leg, frantically shaking his friend's shoulders, his eyes bloodshot.
Yōkō recalled a mission record he saw in the Anbu this morning: a young man from the Senju clan had been killed by a spy.
The matter of Senju Kashiwa's contact with Uzumaki remnants had been investigated by the Anbu. He didn't know which battalion carried out the silencing mission.
"Shh!"
Kamochi cut off Senju Kaede's agitated shouts.
Fortunately, the izakaya was noisy, and most people's attention wasn't on them.
Senju Kaede came to his senses, sat down silently, rolled up his pant leg, and began attaching the prosthetic.
His hands trembled uncontrollably at first, then became exceptionally steady.
After the prosthetic was fitted, both men's faces were filled with resolve.
They raised their glasses in silence, drained them, and left the izakaya.
Yōkō put down his glass and quickly followed.
Senju Kaede and Kamochi slowly walked towards the Senju compound.
Kamochi asked, "Are we really going to confront him?"
"What else? Should my son die for no reason? I could accept him dying on a mission, on the battlefield, but I cannot accept him dying in a dark alley of Konoha."
"If we bring this into the open, the Senju clan and the village will completely fall out. It might even lead to a terrible civil war."
"So what? My son is dead; what more do I have to fear? What's your stance? If you're scared, you can go back. I'll go see the Clan Head alone."
Kamochi's face was filled with reminiscence: "Me... I actually preferred your younger sister. Who doesn't like them young? It was only because your older sister couldn't get married and I felt sorry for her that I pursued her."
"You bastard!"
The two middle-aged men quickened their pace.
At a street corner, Yōkō landed using the Body Flicker Technique, blocking their path.
Senju Kaede and Kamochi instantly grew tense.
This youth was a regular at the izakaya.
They exchanged a glance. Had this youth figured something out?
Yōkō said directly, "Do you want to confront Clan Head Senju Rinoki and say that Danzo and the Anbu facilitated the destruction of the Uzumaki clan?"
Instantly, kunai appeared in their hands, and they charged at Yōkō from two directions.
Kamochi was alright, but Senju Kaede was too slow.
Yōkō formed hand signs with both hands: "Summoning Technique!"
After a puff of white smoke, a Spear Egret appeared on Yōkō's shoulder.
Senju Kaede and Kamochi halted their charge instantly.
Uzumaki Yuka was the leader of the Uzumaki remnants. If these two knew anything about it, they would recognize this summon.
Yōkō glanced into the distance and said, "This isn't the place to talk."
Arriving deep in a forest, Yōkō said:
"On the 14th of next month, we will go together to see Lady Uzumaki Mito. I am an inside agent for the Uzumaki clan. The summon, the Spear Egret, can vouch for me."
"Why wait until the 14th of next month?"
"That's confidential. This matter involves too many parties. Exposing it now could split Konoha, or even lead to the annihilation of the Senju clan. In short, just listen to me."
Kamochi pulled Senju Kaede aside and talked at length with him.
He had heard Senju Kashiwa mention the Uzumaki clansmember he met in the Land of Grass; her summon was indeed a Spear Egret.
Senju Kaede came before Yōkō and said, "We believe you. We'll wait until the 14th of next month to act."
Yōkō had secured two powerful reinforcements.
With Senju Kaede as an inside agent, finding Senju Rinoki would be much simpler.
...
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(End of Chapter)