Chapter 51: The 150 Million Ryo Contract

Chapter 51: The 150 Million Ryo Contract

Nearly a month had passed since Danzo and the Third Hokage had secretly conspired together.

At the Uchiha Clan's compound, deep within Yusuke's private laboratory, a critical experiment was reaching its climax.

Inside the lab, Yusuke had activated the "Dual Polarity Curse Mark". His entire body was covered in black, flowing script, and six ghostly blue orbs slowly circled him, radiating an eerie light.

These six orbs were none other than pure Yin Release chakra he had extracted from the Nine-Tails through the curse mark—materials he was now using to attempt the creation of components required for the "Reverse Dual Polarity Curse Mark."

Standing within a sealing array etched with countless intricate symbols, Yusuke's hands moved in a rapid blur, forming seals at lightning speed.

"Yin Release Sealing!"

As he completed the jutsu, the six orbs of Yin chakra began to slowly converge at the center of the seal, fusing together into a shimmering, liquid-like mass.

Yet from his countless prior experiments, Yusuke knew this unstable form would only last a few brief moments. The instant he released the technique, the Yin chakra would disperse and revert to its original, amorphous state.

"I used to think like a typical shinobi—always trying to solve problems using traditional ninja methods."

"But now... I have the power of a Shinigami."

A tremendous pressure—spiritual energy, or reiryoku—erupted from Yusuke's body. Had any ordinary person been standing nearby, they would have likely collapsed under the crushing weight of it, their spirit broken.

Focusing intently, Yusuke manipulated his spiritual pressure, compressing it around the fluid mass of Yin chakra.

Under the intense force, the liquid form began to condense further, gradually solidifying—until at last, it crystallized into a tangible, ghostly blue crystal.

"It worked!"

Seeing the Yin chakra finally stabilize into a physical crystal filled Yusuke with overwhelming excitement. For three long years, he had searched for a way to materialize Yin chakra—and now, at last, he had succeeded.

Dismissing both the curse mark and the sealing array beneath him, Yusuke reached out and carefully took hold of the floating crystal, examining it closely.

"Using Yin Release chakra directly to forge the foundation material for curse marks... it's definitely viable."

"But the quality still isn't sufficient. I'll need chakra that's even purer and more potent."

"Once I master the initial stages of Bankai, I should be able to attempt summoning the Shinigami itself. If so, its spiritual essence would be the perfect Yin Release material for the Reverse Dual Polarity Seal!"

—

In a dark, cavernous hall illuminated only by the flickering of torches, a dozen stone pedestals stood arranged in a circle.

Several of them were occupied by spectral figures—projections of individuals clad in black cloaks adorned with crimson clouds.

At the center pedestal stood a shadowy figure with the legendary Rinnegan—the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain.

The other projections represented the current full members of the organization.

This gathering was made possible through Pain's "Magic Lantern Body Technique"—a jutsu that allowed Pain, acting as a spiritual receiver through his Rinnegan, to collect chakra-converted thought waves from Akatsuki members scattered across the world, projecting them here to enable real-time communication.

In modern terms, it was essentially an ancient version of a remote video conference.

"Oi oi, didn't we just have a meeting a while ago?

Why are we doing this again today?

I was planning to offer a proper sacrifice to Lord Jashin, damn it!"

A brash, complaining voice broke the silence.

The speaker was the newly recruited member of Akatsuki—Hidan.

"The new guy seems full of energy.

Let's hope this one doesn't get accidentally killed by you again, Kakuzu," an eerie, raspy voice followed, belonging to Orochimaru, who had joined Akatsuki three years prior.

"What? Me, killed by Kakuzu?

Don't be ridiculous!

I'm a devout follower of Lord Jashin! Even if every single one of you dropped dead right now, I'd still survive!"

Hidan huffed indignantly.

Indeed, in just the past three years, three of Akatsuki's full members had died—all of them Kakuzu's previous partners.

Not one had fallen to enemies—they had all been "accidentally" killed by Kakuzu himself.

And Kakuzu's explanation had always been remarkably straightforward: "Accidents happen."

"Honestly, this guy talks way too much.

I'd love to shut him up permanently."

"But his body really is something else...

Even I can't kill him completely,"

Kakuzu muttered, his tone calm but vaguely annoyed.

"Oh?

How fascinating.

Hidan, would you mind coming to me for a full physical examination?" Orochimaru licked his lips with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"I must admit, I'm interested too," another voice chimed in—this time from Sasori, who had been silently observing until now. Clearly, he was also intrigued by Hidan's so-called immortality.

Hearing Orochimaru and Sasori's remarks, Hidan exploded with rage:

"Oi oi oi!

You bastards, what do you take my body for?!

Believe me, I'll sacrifice the lot of you to Lord Jashin if you even try!"

Before things could escalate further, Pain's cold, emotionless voice cut through the chatter:

"Enough.

There's a new contract—one with an extremely high bounty.

I intend to dispatch four members for the mission."

At the leader's words, the bickering members immediately fell silent.

"A high bounty, huh?

How high are we talking?" asked Kakuzu, Akatsuki's self-appointed chief financial officer, his interest clearly piqued.

"One hundred and fifty million ryo," Pain answered flatly.

"To show sincerity, the employer has already paid fifty million upfront.

Once the task is complete, the remaining one hundred million will be transferred."

At that staggering figure, the hall fell into a stunned silence.

To put it in perspective—in the official bounty records, the Fire Daimyo's personal bodyguard Asuma Sarutobi, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, was valued at only thirty-five million.

Even the bounty for the Six-Tails' jinchūriki, Utakata, had only been fifty million.

The Akatsuki members were seasoned veterans of death and betrayal, yet even they couldn't help but be startled by such an astronomical sum.

"For an employer to offer one hundred and fifty million...

This won't be a simple job.

What exactly is the target?" asked a spectral figure bearing the massive executioner's blade from the Hidden Mist—the rogue ninja Jūzō Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Pain responded, his voice slow and deliberate: "It's an assassination.

More accurately, it's a trap—the employer will lure the target to a specific location.Our task is simple:

Annihilate the target once they arrive."

The Akatsuki members exchanged curious glances.

Just who was important enough to warrant a bounty this obscene?

"How distasteful,"Orochimaru chuckled, "Sounds like another political power struggle. Someone eliminating inconvenient obstacles, no doubt."

"Maybe it's one of the Kage? That would be perfect! Imagine offering a Kage's life to Lord Jashin! He would be so pleased!" Hidan said with manic excitement.

Pain scanned the group with his cold, dead eyes before finally announcing: "The target is a jonin from the Hidden Leaf Village—

Uchiha Yusuke, also known as the 'Blazing Blade.'

He is currently the strongest among the Uchiha Clan."

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