Chapter 87 That kid ran away with your Rinnegan
The northern part of the Land of Fire.
Unclaimed territory, mountain cemetery.
Deep within the graveyard cave, Madara Uchiha leaned back on a stone chair, his eyes closed, seemingly already dead.
Although he was once a legendary figure in the ninja world, on par with the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, even such a powerful figure could not withstand the power of time.
At nearly 80 years old, Madara Uchiha was already very old and frail. If it weren't for his connection with the Divine Tree behind him, he might have died long ago.
Even so, Madara Uchiha still only had some mobility within this cave, and even leaving was very difficult.
"I don't think I have many years left to live, so I need to make as many plans as possible in these last few days..."
Madara thought to himself, pondering his important plans.
The Rinnegan was placed on a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, the kind-hearted Uchiha descendant Obito Uchiha, secretly creating conflict throughout the ninja world...
As he was thinking this, two White Zetsu emerged from underground.
This is a clone of Hashirama created using the Gedo Mazo (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path), used to replace him in activities throughout the ninja world. It's a very convenient and useful taxi driver.
At least that's how Madara sees it.
White Zetsu, in his usual goofy manner, reported to Madara.
"Madara, the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Stone Village are fighting!
It's a bloodbath! Oh my, it's terrifying!"
"Ninjas are like weeds, being harvested and felled in large swaths!"
Hearing the two White Zetsu say this, Madara slowly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice:
"A ninja's life... has always been so worthless..."
"Especially for weak ninjas, a meaningless death is just a given for them."
"That's why we need to implement the Eye of the Moon Plan; it's the only way for ninjas to achieve a peaceful life."
Madara muttered to himself, while the two White Zetsu continued to quirkily reply with things like, "That's right, that's exactly it!" and "That makes so much sense!" Madara was too lazy to pay attention to these brainless Hashirama clones; he hadn't meant to tell them what he'd just said.
Madara said no more, and returned to White Zetsu Network.
"Continue the report. What other major events are happening outside? What is the overall situation?"
"Well, this happened before the war between Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Originally, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure were fighting fiercely in the Land of Rain. It was thought that it would develop into a protracted war, but it ended suddenly in just over a month."
"It ended suddenly? Why?"
"Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure have actually joined forces! Under the combined attack of three sides, Iwagakure is already overwhelmed! It's laughable!"
"Joining forces... but that Onoki kid is quite capable, he shouldn't be helpless and lose like this, right?"
"Iwagakure put up a really good fight, even bringing in the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, but it was no use.
They were still blown up by the Konoha ninja. I laughed out loud watching it!"
"I see..."
Madara felt weak and didn't have the patience to learn the details.
In any case, the ninjas of this era were far inferior to those of the Warring States period when he was young.
They were a group of weak juniors who were not worth his attention.
However, it wouldn't be good if the war ended all at once.
Only suffering can forge the strong; the ninja world must remain in chaos and constant warfare so that his chosen candidates can grow stronger...
"Oh, right, that kid who had your Rinnegan was kidnapped by that Konoha ninja who beat up the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, and now he's gone to Konoha with him."
"What?"
Madara opened his eyes again.
...
"Lord Mochizuki, this is just a small token of my appreciation!"
The merchant ship owner, a well-dressed, portly businessman, put a box full of cash on the table with a beaming smile.
The chief Souji glanced at it and estimated it to be about 300,000 taels.
This is equivalent to the reward for a typical A-level mission, which is quite a lot for gift-giving.
The Souji nodded slightly and smiled with satisfaction:
"Mr. Conado, you're too kind. I can't accept this."
"Of course! To have such an important person as Lord Mochizuki on my ship, I should certainly express my small token of appreciation!"
The Souji and the wealthy businessman Conado happily began exchanging compliments.
Because of the presence of the Misty Pirates, it would be extremely dangerous for ships to pass directly near the Land of Water.
Most ships detour southwards, far from the Land of Water, which takes a considerable amount of time to ensure safe passage.
However, there are always special circumstances where some people cannot afford to waste time and have no choice but to risk venturing into that sea area.
This wealthy merchant, Conado, was one of them.
He needed to rush to other countries to trade, so he had to save time and take the shortest route. That meant he had to risk traveling through the area where the Fog Pirates roamed.
For safety reasons, Conado even offered a hefty sum of two million taels to issue an S-rank mission to Konoha, requesting the hiring of Konoha's top experts to protect him.
Conado originally planned to invite two or three Jonin, along with a few special Jonin.
Unexpectedly, an elite Jonin from Konoha arrived!
This made him feel much more at ease, and he even added to his bet by secretly giving the chief commander an extra 300,000 ryo.
"Rest assured, Mr. Conado, those pirates are nothing but petty thieves.
As long as I am here, I will not let them damage this ship in the slightest!"
"I'm relieved to hear that you say so, Lord Mochizuki!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Conado left satisfied.
Although flying is definitely faster than traveling by boat, even if he could grant others the ability to fly like Onoki, the group wouldn't be able to fly fast without training.
More importantly, the sea is vast and they don't know how to control their direction.
If they deviate even slightly, they will go completely to the wrong place.
Since the Souji still chose to take a ship, he could also take on a mission to earn money.
Moreover, such a large merchant ship would easily attract attacks from the Hidden Mist Pirates, so he could just walk right into their trap and save himself the trouble of finding those guys.
This is a win-win situation!
Souji sent a message via communicator, and Sasori quickly arrived at his room. Without saying much, Souji pushed the box containing the money toward Sasori.
"300,000 ryo should be enough for you for now, right?"
Sasori glanced at the banknotes, but his expression remained unchanged.
"300,000 ryo?
With that little money, you can only make two or three ordinary puppets. It's really not much, and it will be used up very quickly."
"This is the reward for an A-rank mission, and it's only enough for you to make two or three puppets?
Is making puppets really that expensive?" The Souji was getting a headache.
"Of course, otherwise why do you think there aren't many puppeteers even in Sunagakure?
Especially since I have particularly high standards.
Even the most ordinary quality puppets that I make by hand are considered rare gems by ordinary Sunagakure puppeteers!"
"No wonder Sunagakure is so poor! It's all because of you guys playing with puppets! You're such a spendthrift!" Souji couldn't help but complain.
300,000 ryo of silver to make only two or three puppets? That's simply burning money! It's outrageous!
Sasori picked up the box and left, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"That's how it is with puppeteers.
Who told you to take me as your subordinate?
It's only natural that the leader is responsible for the equipment, supplies, and all expenses of his subordinates, right?"
"When I run out of money, I'll come back to you for more, so you'd better be prepared!"
"From now on, I'll rely on you to support me!"
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End of this chapter...