Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

Qingwu smiled and said nothing more.

The powerful senses brought by natural energy, along with an even more sensitive sense of smell, made him not want to stay in the sewer for even a moment longer.

Fortunately, not long after, the fat man stopped at a wall and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the hidden door opened.

The three entered the hidden inner space.

The underground gold exchange is an independent underground intermediary organization separate from the five major ninja villages. It is not directly governed by any ninja village, and the power behind it remains a secret.

The exchange went smoothly. After examining the body, the people at the exchange handed over the box of money after deducting their commission without any hesitation.

These are the rules of underground gold exchange offices: they only recognize corpses/certificates, not identities, and do not ask about the source of the money.

These special rules made it part of the underground order of the ninja world.

Moreover, their status is extraordinary. Even a ruthless member of the Akatsuki organization like Kakuzu in the original work would follow the rules of the underground gold exchange.

Qingwu received the money and immediately gave 200 million to the two of them.

Seeing that Qingwu kept his word, the fat and thin men wanted to befriend him even more, and Qingwu took the opportunity to learn more information from them.

The main business of underground gold exchange is bounty hunting, which is also the core and fastest way to make money.

The targets of the hunt include, but are not limited to: daimyo of various countries, nobles, high-ranking members of ninja villages, and leaders of powerful factions.

In addition, they also act as "intermediaries" for intelligence trading, the circulation of contraband, and even recruiting ninjas as mercenaries.

Qingwu's heart stirred, and he inquired about the "Three Holy Lands" from the people at the gold exchange.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any useful information.

The information about the three holy sites is beyond the scope of even the underground gold exchange.

Qingwu was not disappointed. Instead, he subtly inquired about the question he was most concerned about from the fat and thin men—the locations of the underground gold exchange offices throughout the ninja world.

This will allow him to make money through underground gold exchange shops while searching for Tsunade.

In the ninja world, what's least lacking is rogue ninja.

He even saw the bounty posters issued by Konoha for rogue ninjas, and Orochimaru's name was prominently listed.

As Qingwu's reputation in the ninja world grew, there was no longer any need to hide it, and Orochimaru was officially designated as an S-rank rogue ninja by his own teacher.

However... these are just for looking at.

No bounty hunter from the gold exchange would want to mess with someone like Orochimaru.

After leaving the exchange, Qingwu, whose wallet was full, returned to Tansaku Street.

He planned to stay for a full week before moving on to the next destination to continue being a target for exploitation...

Chapter 141 Tsunade's Trail

Muye Village

In the hospital ward, the faint smell of disinfectant was diluted by a gentle smile, and lighthearted conversation could be heard from time to time.

Xiyan's condition has improved a lot.

Hongdou is a very good friend, and I've been making time to talk to her every day lately.

Moreover, when Xiyan learned that Qingwu had just returned and left the village to find Tsunade, she was filled with gratitude.

Originally, she thought she could no longer be a ninja. When facing her teammates like Qingwu, her inferiority complex overwhelmed her, and she had an emotional breakdown.

Now, she has not only rekindled her hope, but when she thinks of Qingwu, she is filled with gratitude, and even her gaze towards the window has regained a touch of warmth.

To encourage Xiyan to talk more, Hongdou took the initiative to ask about the stories that happened during the Shadow Guard mission.

Thinking of the two weeks she and Qingwu spent alone together, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on Xi Yan's lips, and her eyes shimmered with tenderness.

When Anko learned from Yugao about the power of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, she was even more astonished.

"So Jinchūriki are that strong? They're legendary beings. You actually encountered one and survived. You're really brave, Yugao."

Who says Hongdou is only straightforward? This girl also has a gentle side.

Recalling that night, Xiyan's voice still carried a hint of lingering fear:

"That was the first time I had ever seen such power. The chakra was incredibly vast. We couldn't even get close to it. I... was too presumptuous."

Red Bean exclaimed, "That's what I admire about you! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare to get close enough to attack a Jinchūriki."

"Oh, don't praise me. In the end, we were only able to survive thanks to Qingwu," Xiyan said.

A look of reminiscence crossed Hongdou's face. "That guy Qingwu... he's actually grown to this level."

She and Qingwu were old classmates at the Konoha Ninja Academy. In her memory, Qingwu was just plain-looking, except for being a little good-looking.

I've lost count of how many times I've felt this way.

Hongdou looked dejected; the gap between her and her old classmates was really widening.

Yugao shared the same sentiment.

Although they were not classmates, she was even a year younger than Qingwu and Yiruka.

But when they teamed up to do missions, she was the captain and the strongest member of the team.

now……

When this topic came up, the ward fell silent for a moment.

A breeze brushed past the window sill, carrying the fresh scent of fallen leaves.

Looking at the swaying branches and leaves outside the window, Xi Yan silently hoped in her heart—hoping that Qing Wu would return soon, hoping... that she could stand up again.

……

The September wind carried away the last trace of autumn warmth, which vanished in an instant.

Qingwu stayed in the hot spring town of Yu-no-kuni for a week.

He scoured every gambling den and tavern in town, asking bartenders and gamblers alike, but only managed to glean some fragmented old news. He then packed his bags and set off for the next destination.

Tsunade is hard to find. Even the underground gold exchange only had information about her appearing a few months ago.

A ninja of that caliber, if they deliberately want to hide their tracks, is impossible for anyone to track down easily.

The information gathered by the underground gold exchange was that Tsunade, after her gambling addiction flared up, lost for three consecutive days in a gambling den in the Land of Hot Springs before disappearing into the night.

It's only at times like this that Tsunade would allow her actions to remain in the public eye.

Furthermore, while Tsunade is a gambler, gambling isn't the only thing in her life.

She also has a child in tow.

Shizune was in the same year as Kakashi, but of course, she graduated much later than Kakashi.

Shizune is the niece of Tsunade's lover, Dan Kato. Tsunade later became her guardian, taking her on a journey of travel and learning.

Looking at it from a future perspective, Shizune was the most mediocre of the three legendary ninja disciples.

However, it's also possible that Tsunade simply didn't teach her properly—perhaps because she didn't want Shizune to stand out…

After all, mediocrity often means security...

In October, Qingwu continued his journey north, traveling throughout the entire Land of Thunder.

Now, both of his "aliases" have gained a certain reputation in the ninja world.

One is a "fat sheep," and the other is a "puppet."

The former was left in various gambling dens, while the latter was left in the bounty hunter group in underground gold exchange offices.

The "fat sheep" in the gambling den were bait he threw out, just to entice Tsunade's gambling addiction.

As long as the name spreads far enough, it will eventually reach Tsunade's ears, attracting this veteran "easy target" to come over and try her luck.

The "puppet" of the gold exchange was the foundation of his business.

Using this identity, he could quickly earn bounties throughout the ninja world, supporting his act as a "fat sheep."

He could also use his identity as a bounty hunter to travel between countries and gather information about Tsunade without being bound by his identity as a ninja village.

That day, after settling the bounty for killing the rogue ninja at a gold exchange in the northern part of the Land of Lightning, Qingwu stuffed the heavy money bag into the sealing scroll and turned to enter the largest gambling den in town.

As I pushed open the door, a warm, pungent smell of alcohol mixed with the aroma of cigarettes wafted in.

Where is that big, fat sheep?

"Aren't you coming today?"

"That's possible. Based on the timing of the past two days, they should already be sitting at the gambling table by now."

"Tsk, you know what, those two big bombs only feel like they truly belong when they're placed on the gambling table..."

"Hey hey hey..."

A few joking remarks from the gamblers startled Qingwu.

Big Thunder? A woman? A gambler?

Could it be...?

Suppressing the pounding in her heart, Qingwu strode over to the table, tapped the edge of it, and said in a deliberately casual tone:

"Brothers, the 'fat sheep' you just mentioned, is she a woman? Does she come to the gambling den often?"

The gamblers were taken aback when they saw he was a stranger.

Then someone grinned and said, "What? This brother's here to gamble too? You don't even know the notorious number one fat sheep from a few days ago?"

Another person chimed in:

"The woman with long, light yellow hair is very eye-catching and has a great figure. She's more generous than the men, but her luck is terrible. She loses every time she comes."

"Hahahahaha..."

The gamblers burst into laughter; it seemed that the "big fat sheep" had brought them quite a bit of money.

Qingwu was overjoyed, now basically certain that the "fat sheep" they were talking about was Tsunade.

"That's strange, why haven't they come yet?"