Chapter 65: Value—Two and a Half Asumas

Uchiha Nagi didn't haggle, directly taking out the Ninja World currency he had from before his escape and counting out two thousand Ryo to hand over. The shopkeeper then gave him a small booklet, on which were printed the heads of wanted individuals and their prices.

The technological level of the Ninja World wasn't low, so it was even printed in color. Uchiha Nagi flipped through it. The black market had thoughtfully categorized the ninjas, with rogue ninjas from the major villages ranked at the very front.

From Konoha, the highest bounty was for himself. Uchiha Nagi smirked—fifty million Ryo. Two and a half Asumas. Asuma's bounty seemed to be twenty million? And Itachi was ranked after Asuma, at fifteen million.

The reason for such different prices was likely that Asuma had the 'Hokage's son' bonus, while Itachi, despite his immense strength in slaughtering an entire clan, Konoha was unwilling to pay too much for... As for himself, it was obvious: the Third Hokage and Danzo were desperate to kill him, the fish that slipped through the net, so they kept raising the price, all the way to fifty million.

"Tsk tsk, two and a half Asumas already. They're really rich~" Uchiha Nagi said sarcastically.

Flipping further, he saw some rogue ninjas from other villages. Among them, Momochi Zabuza from Kirigakure caught Uchiha Nagi's attention. He was wanted by the Land of Water for his failed assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage. Kirigakure itself was experiencing multiple rebellions, with many Kekkei Genkai clans involved and currently being purged on a large scale.

Uchiha Nagi compared the timeline. He couldn't remember everything with computer-like clarity, but he still recalled that Orochimaru had abducted Kimimaro during the Kaguya clan's rebellion. Should he get involved?

"Have you heard? Recently on the black market, there have been many missions to acquire Kekkei Genkai orphans," a few wandering ninjas were whispering.

"Why such missions? Of course, it's because of the Fourth Mizukage's great purge. Many Kekkei Genkai clans in the Land of Water are being cleansed, so naturally, many have fled."

"Now, the other major countries, including some smaller ones, are offering big money for these scattered Kekkei Genkai clan members. Once they're brought into their villages, tsk tsk, in a few years, a new Kekkei Genkai will be born."

One of the wandering ninjas, with a scar on his face, sneered, "That's not for sure. Didn't Konoha wipe out its own Uchiha clan more than a year ago? Tsk tsk, it's said they killed everyone from the elderly to the children. So ruthless."

"Yeah, such a powerful Kekkei Genkai clan, wiped out just like that. I heard that since then, no clan has dared to defy Konoha's Third Hokage."

"Let's go stake out the borders of the Land of Water. See if we can get lucky and pick up a few escaped Kekkei Genkai members. Selling them to the black market will make us rich."

The more the wandering ninjas talked, the more spirited and excited they became. Not just them, even a few ninjas who had defected from major countries looked tempted. After all, when you're out and about, everything costs money. Even if ninjas could hunt for food and drink, paper bombs, kunai, and soldier pills still required money. And what about healing medicines? These were all special supplies, unavailable in ordinary civilian shops. Shops that did sell them were basically run by merchants who were also ninjas. One couldn't always rely on stealing and robbing. So, even a great hero on the road couldn't escape the need for money.

Then let's go.

Uchiha Nagi closed the booklet. He definitely wanted to collect the Kaguya clan's genes. Moreover, he was also interested in obtaining the Edo Tensei ninjutsu from Orochimaru. With Edo Tensei, digging up graves and making deals with the dead would be much easier than dealing with the living.

Uchiha Nagi remembered that Haku also seemed to be from one of the purged clans, though it was earlier. His mother had fled, changed her name, and hidden for several years, even marrying and having a child. But where was he?

Apart from knowing it was on a bridge, Uchiha Nagi had no clue. The Land of Water was so vast, with so many bridges. What kind of heaven-defying luck would it take to find this child? Forget it, he'd just go directly to the Land of Water and look for Kimimaro.

This child, Kimimaro, had awakened his Kekkei Genkai too early and ended up with a genetic disease, dying prematurely. However, Uchiha Nagi had a different idea. If he could supplement the defects in Kimimaro's genes, could he save him? A Kage-level prospect, with even greater potential than Haku, and fiercely loyal—missing out on such a subordinate would be a lifetime regret.

Orochimaru couldn't cure Kimimaro's genetic disease because he lacked sufficient information. But Nagi was different. He knew that the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku shared the same ancestor. If he could acquire a pair of pure Byakugan for Kimimaro to implant, coupled with medical techniques, perhaps he could resolve his genetic illness.

At that time, would the purest form of an atavistic Shikotsumyaku user, like that fellow on the moon, directly soar to the Six Paths level? Hamura and Hagoromo, though twins, inherited different abilities—one from their mother's clan, the other more like an inheritance of the God Tree's power. But essentially, they shared the same parents; their inherited genes had merely taken different paths.

No sooner said than done. Uchiha Nagi closed the booklet and headed to a ninja supply shop in town to purchase some items, including a map of the Land of Water. For this overseas island nation, maps weren't as difficult to buy as those for the Land of Fire or Land of Wind. Islands were simple; once you set out to sea, there were paths everywhere. Defending against incursions was futile. Moreover, most ninjas from the Land of Water were predominantly Water Release users. Even if Konoha launched a sneak attack, they'd still have to travel by boat. And fighting Water Release ninjas in a place surrounded by water was asking for a disadvantage. This was why, while the continental ninja nations fought until their brains were splattered, the Land of Water had managed to preserve its full strength. Its geographical advantage meant it didn't need to worry about others attacking.

"That'll be, for two hundred paper bombs, six hundred each, a total of one hundred twenty thousand. These few kunai and shuriken, consider them a gift." The shop owner squinted, rubbing his hands gleefully as he settled the bill with Uchiha Nagi.

Uchiha Nagi bought some paper bombs, a few kunai, and shuriken. As for soldier pills, he didn't plan to buy them here. Soldier pills from a small place couldn't be guaranteed; their quality was indistinguishable from their appearance, and he feared getting diarrhea. Uchiha Nagi planned to buy them in a larger city. Paper bombs were relatively simpler; substandard ones couldn't have Chakra sealed into them to become explosives. But even so, the items in this small town were outrageously expensive. In a large city, a paper bomb cost 300 Ryo, but here the price was doubled. Uchiha Nagi couldn't help but curse "profiteer" inwardly.

After Uchiha Nagi left, a few figures quietly followed him. They had seen him take out his money when he made the purchase...