Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Thirty million taels.

This is indeed a sum of money that requires time to count and calculate.

When Sakura, Ino, and Choji heard the time when the Akatsuki duo left, they all exchanged a silent glance.

If they left at the normal time, it would be a little difficult to catch up with the ninjas who had stopped moving normally after the corpses had been removed from their path within one or two hours.

But if it's only been about thirty minutes, they might still be lingering in the town.

“Ino…”

Sakura felt a little tempted; she thought she could try to catch up with the two members of "Akatsuki".

But Sakura didn't forget that when Kakashi left the team, Ino was the acting captain who decided how the three of them should act next.

Ino was also thinking about it.

"I will use my techniques to investigate."

It didn't take Ino long to make her decision.

By using the Mind-Turning Technique to possess a flying bird, one can conduct investigations silently.

Ino looked at the black market manager and said, "Focus on the key details and repeat to me the information you know about those two guys named Kakuzu and Hidan."

Compare the information relayed by the black market leader with the information given in the first response.

It has been confirmed that the information provided by the person in charge of the black market is most likely true.

The black market manager suddenly collapsed to the ground.

The reason the black market boss fell into a coma was naturally because Ino used the Yamanaka Clan's Mind-Body Series secret technique on him.

"He won't wake up anytime soon, so we'll keep him tied up here until we finish our intelligence gathering on Akatsuki. Then we'll come back and bring him back to Konoha for more systematic intelligence gathering."

Ino and Choji tied the unconscious black market boss to a pillar in the morgue.

"Let's leave. This intelligence gathering is over."

Regarding Ino's decision.

Sakura and Choji had no objections.

The three of them immediately walked out of the morgue and headed towards the exit of the black market, preparing to leave.

Just as the three were about to reach the exit, Ino reached out and stopped Sakura and Choji from going any further.

"and many more!"

Ino sensed multiple chakra appearing in front of the black market exit.

"...This chakra..."

Ino could clearly identify one of the chakra emanations.

The next moment, blue lightning flashed from the gate at the entrance to the black market.

The lightning burned the talismans on the back of the gate the moment it touched them.

The gate, reinforced with talismans, lost its defenses and became an ordinary, heavy door.

The door was pushed open from the outside.

The boy standing outside the door exchanged glances with Choji, Ino, and Sakura behind the door.

"...!!"

Sakura stared in disbelief at the boy who had disappeared for three years and now appeared before her so easily.

Over the past three years, everyone has grown from innocent children.

The boy's past appearance in Sakura's memory has become his present appearance.

Black hair, white kimono.

"...Sasuke."

Sakura's excitement was impossible to hide.

"It's you guys."

The boy outside the door held the Kusanagi sword, its blade still crackling with lightning. His slightly indifferent tone contrasted sharply with Sakura's reaction.

……

"It really was you guys."

A deserted corner of a town not far from the black market.

Naruto thus "unwittingly" intervened in the fight, standing between the two sides.

Behind Naruto are Konoha ninjas.

During the Chunin Selection Exams three years ago, Naruto met examiners Kotetsu and Izumo Kamizuki, who he had only met once, as well as Aoba Yamashiro, a character Naruto knew from the original work but had never met.

And, the Jonin leading Team 10—Sarutobi Asuma.

Asma's condition was far from good; his entire upper body was charred black, and his burns were extremely severe.

In front of Naruto were the Akatsuki's immortal rogue duo, dressed in black robes embroidered with red auspicious clouds.

He covered himself up completely, revealing only a pair of dark red eyes with white sclera showing.

Hidan, standing in a circular ritual circle encased in a simple triangular line drawing, had his skin turn pitch black and white lines appear on his face and other bones—like a skull graffiti.

This strange appearance already indicates that Hidan has entered the state of casting his unique curse, the curse of the Death Possession Blood.

"Hey! You brat, why did you suddenly interrupt my ritual of praying to the great god and offering sacrifices?!"

Hidan, who was performing the Jashin ritual, was furious at Naruto and Karin who suddenly appeared before everyone.

He pointed at Naruto with his long scythe, which had three curved blades, and shouted his dissatisfaction.

"who are you?"

On the contrary, Kakuzu, who was watching the battle at Hidan's request, calmly and collectedly inquired about Naruto's identity.

Kakuzu's gaze fell on the kunai at Hidan's feet. It was the kunai that Naruto had shot that had stopped Hidan's "suicide."

This allowed Sarutobi Asuma, the Konoha ninja with a bounty of 35 million ryo, to survive.

Chapter 29 Four-way Conflict

"Looks like I'm 'worthless'."

While Kakuzu was keeping an eye on Naruto, Naruto was also watching Kakuzu and Hidan's reactions.

As expected... the importance of the Nine-Tails led Konoha to conceal specific information about Naruto, the rogue ninja—although Naruto was defined as a rogue ninja, information about his ninjutsu and appearance was hidden.

Kakuzu, that money-grubbing guy who always carries a "bounty list," actually doesn't know Naruto.

The immortal duo clearly didn't take the kunai that landed next to Hidan seriously.

However, after the Konoha destruction plan, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, who were originally responsible for capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in the Akatsuki organization, also appeared in Konoha as in the original story.

Did Itachi Uchiha also fail to discover Naruto's ninjutsu information?

Or does it mean he didn't "say" anything?

Naruto leans towards the idea that Itachi Uchiha didn't "say" it, as he was ultimately a standard "village-first" ninja.

But I never expected that Sarutobi Asuma still couldn't escape his fate.

It's July now, and according to the original timeline, Konoha and Sunagakure should be preparing for the joint Chunin Exams.

Surprisingly, Gaara is still safe and sound, but Asuma has encountered the immortal duo ahead of time.

The current situation is similar to the Chunin Selection Exams three years ago. The general direction is the same as the original story in Naruto's memory, but there are always subtle differences in details such as characters or time.

For example, right now, the four people in this town are not only the Undead Duo and Asumaban.

And there's something that shouldn't have been here in the first place—

—Sound Ninja.

No, Naruto has already defected from Konoha, so Orochimaru can no longer use Naruto as a Jinchūriki to leverage Konoha's power and kill someone else to deal with Akatsuki.

It would be reasonable for him to send his own men to personally deal with the uncontrollable potential trouble of "Akatsuki"...

The four figures that Naruto had already sensed appeared immediately after Naruto's arrival.

Just now, when Naruto used the Wind Sweeping Dawn Technique to conduct a wide-range perception near the black market.

They were also wondering who these chakras surrounding Sasuke were.

Their proactive revelation has actually cleared up Naruto's doubts.

That's interesting. How come these guys didn't die?

Kabuto was killed by Naruto three years ago, while the Sound Four are still alive and well.

"Is that the bloodline limit that Kabuto Yakushi mentioned called 'Dual Demon Attack'?"

Karin whispered to Naruto, having learned quite a bit from Kabuto Yakushi, who had been resurrected through Edo Tensei, over the past three years.

The fact that the Snow Country is located in a remote corner of the country will not broaden their horizons.

Naruto also stared at the half-human, half-ghost figure, and at the location of the ghost figure...

...He is the younger brother, Sakon, who is the one who takes the lead in the actions of the two brothers, Sakon and Ukon.

What about Ukon?

Naruto remembered that the two brothers shouldn't be separated for long periods of time.

When the brothers fight separately, one of them will feel exhausted when one of them has almost depleted his chakra. He will then need to merge his body and recover by sleeping.

"That blond guy is watching us. Is that Sasuke-sama's former comrade?"

Kidomaru, with six arms, looked back at Naruto defiantly.

Jirobo, who was fat but also looked sizing up Naruto, said, "To be Sasuke's ally, that guy must be very strong."

"That guy looks like a good-for-nothing. He can probably only put on a show in front of the bespectacled girl next to him with poor eyesight."

Unlike Kidomaru and Jirobo, who were curiously observing Naruto, Tayu, with her light red hair, also focused her attention on Kakuzu and Hidan.