106: Bird

Bird

It had been three days since Jun left the village. Finally, he had crossed the border between the lands of fire and grass.1

Sitting in the middle of a small clearing, he used sticks to puncture fish and mushrooms before stabbing them into the ground, letting them roast.

While he waited, he gazed at the forest around him. The last time he'd been in this country was back in the era of warring states.

The trees were enormous, blocking almost all sunlight, and had giant mushrooms protruding out of their bark.

As the pleasant smell of cooked fish reached his nose, Jun relaxed. 'You don't realize how much you miss camping alone until you do it...'

Memories of when he was just a little brat resurfaced in Jun's mind. Back then, he remembered being on guard at all times, since there could be an enemy in any corner. It was partly thanks to the ongoing state of war that he could refine his skills so much as a ninja.

Taking out his bingo-book, Jun read Kakuzu's information. Not much was known about his abilities, but there was news about him being sighted near Kusagakure in the past few weeks.

'It says here that he's an expert bounty-hunter... Interesting.' The book detailed Kakuzu's personality, stating that he had an unhealthy adoration for wealth. Witnesses reported that he was known for mercilessly slaughtering people who tried to scam him, as well as always going for the targets with the highest value on their heads.

Although the information was quite vague, for Jun, this was enough. He had a feeling that this person would grant him some much-needed fun.

Taking out a scroll, Jun opened it and read through its contents. Inside was a list of important people wanted in the black market, and how much they were worth. He had gotten it from one of the Anbu's bodies back in the village.

Skipping to the 'land of grass' section, Jun searched for people that Kakuzu you might be interested in. From his 'known' track record, he never went for people worth less than five million Ryo.

Only two targets fitted that description. One was a prominent politician, and the other was a missing-nin from Kusagakure.

The former was the most expensive, his head valued at a sum of ten million Ryo. As for the missing-nin, his assassination would grant a reward of six-million.

Although money was of zero value to Jun, he could only sigh at how lucrative the black market was. A Jonin would get paid between a million and five million Ryo for an S-rank mission, rarely going over that range.

As for bounty hunters, they could make much much more money by carrying out an arguably simpler task.

Then again, the illegal nature of the business justified its pricing... Since the bounty-hunters, as well as the individuals and organizations that put out the bounties, were all wanted.

'He'll go for one of them.' According to the reports, Kakuzu was sighted around this area in the past few weeks. 'It'll probably be the politician...'

The politician in question was Uesugi Minamoto, a member of the grass country's council, and a person close to its daimyo.

Judging by Kakuzu's profit-oriented nature, Jun deduced that he would go for the higher-value target first. With that in mind, he rolled the scroll back up and placed it in his back pouch. he then took out a small piece of paper and brush, before writing down a message. After finishing, Jun took out another scroll and used it to summon a small hawk.

Seeing Jun, it squeaked eagerly. Smiling, the Chunin took his message and wrapped it around the bird's leg. "Deliver this to the village, hm?"

Hopping on his forearm, the hawk squeaked once again before departing at top speed. These were specially trained birds from Konoha, given to all Chunin or higher level ninja before they left on a mission.

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Special thanks to Frozoka Swaggins, God Erebos, and Daniil!

Don't forget to drop some stones!

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