Given the sheer level of animosity directed toward him—and the political reality that a direct state-sanctioned assassination would be too provocative right now—the identity of the person who posted the bounty was obvious. No evidence was needed; one only had to look at the facts.
Who blew up whose home base? Who was forced into a humiliating peace treaty?
The dots connected themselves.
Yamashiro Aoba's memory probe continued. His "vision" followed the three Fuma ninjas to a hidden Bounty Station (Exchange). Sound, images, and perspective were funneled through the jutsu, making it feel as though Aoba were experiencing the event firsthand.
He watched the three mercenaries accept the mission to infiltrate the Land of Fire. Then, the station master specifically handed the leader a second parchment. After reading it, the leader passed it to the subordinate—the very one currently tied up in the cave.
Through the captive's memory, Aoba saw the text of the bounty and began to read it aloud for the squad:
Name: White Yaksha; Kamishiro Ui (Suspected)
Affiliation: Konoha, Land of Fire
Age: 12–15 years
Gender: Suspected Male
Physical Traits: White hair, white mask.
Height: 150–155 cm.
Combat Traits: High-level no-seal Lightning Release; Summoning Jutsu.
Strength Estimate: Special Jonin or higher.
Bounty: 5 million Ryo for death; 10 million Ryo for the corpse.
The memories after that were just the trek to the border—nothing of high tactical value. Aoba pulled his hand away from the prisoner's forehead, exhaling deeply as he ended the taxing technique.
"There was a sketch of you too," Aoba added, wiping sweat from his brow. "No face, obviously, but every other detail matches."
The intelligence was a strange mix of vague and precise. Without a photo, a bounty hunter would have to rely on identifying traits, but "High-level no-seal Lightning Release" was a rare skill. How many ninjas in the world could cast high-rank lightning without weaving a single sign? How many of those were in their early teens?
If you narrowed that down to Konoha, the name "Kamishiro Ui" was the only answer.
The source was almost certainly Sunagakure (the Sand). The details likely stemmed from Ui's "performances" on the desert battlefield. It was now clear that the Fuma leader had recognized him the moment he flared his Chidori Nagashi.
I really haven't been careful enough with the no-seal jutsus, Ui thought. Even Minato Namikaze had been taken aback by it. It was a "signature" in a world where survival often depended on anonymity.
The price jump for a corpse—from 5 million to 10 million—was also easy to explain. Many young prodigies didn't achieve their strength through natural growth; they were often the results of secret drugs, hormones, or biological experimentation. To the person who posted the bounty, Ui's body was a treasure trove of biological data. They wanted to know what kind of "secret medicine" allowed a brat to wield such power.
Everything in the report was a logical, professional assessment of a target. Everything, that is, except one detail.
"Hold on," Ui said, his tone shifting toward a certain kind of frustration. "I'm not going to complain about the price, but... 'Suspected Male'? What is that supposed to mean?"
Kurenai and Aoba stayed silent, but they both looked at Ui's face—specifically his unusually fair, smooth skin. Their eyes said it all: I mean, look at you. "Suspected" is a generous term.
It's just my skin! It's a perk! You think I asked for this? No refunds, okay?! Ui swallowed the outburst. He couldn't say that out loud.
But Asuma, the son of the Hokage and the "chosen heir" of the Will of Fire, was never one to shy away from the truth. Using the tone of a thirty-year veteran smoker—a man who had been married, divorced, remarried, and divorced again—he spoke with the weary, convincing authority of someone who had tasted all the bitterness the world had to offer:
"What does 'Suspected Male' mean? The meaning is quite clear, Ui."
"..."
"It means: 'Suspected Female'."
The logic was flawless. Ui found himself utterly speechless.
Best to change the subject before I lose my mind, he decided.
"Cough. Anyway, the bounty is my problem. Don't let it distract you. Let's focus on the mission."
The young Konoha ninjas turned their attention back to the map. The reconnaissance would continue. Per Ui's orders, they stayed in the mountain cleft for several hours, resting and allowing their chakra and wounds to stabilize.
When night finally fell over the Land of Rain, shrouded in thick fog and endless rain, they prepared to move. The darkness was suffocating—a physical representation of the danger ahead.
As for the prisoner... the four Konoha ninjas were people of conscience. They didn't do anything inhumane, like turning him into rations. They were merciful. They simply slit his throat while he was still trapped in the Genjutsu.
The Fuma ninja died in his sleep, silent and painless.
It could be described like this: Has it started yet? No... it's already over.