Chapter 197: Bounty of Two Hundred Million

Inside the Da Ming Fu, the golden‑and‑jade splendid palace of the Lord of Lightning Country.

"Bang—!"

A precious celadon tea cup was smashed violently on the floor, the flying shards cutting a servant's cheek; blood seeped out, yet no one dared to move.

"Useless, all of you are useless!"

The Lord of Lightning Country's face turned ashen; he snatched the remaining cup from the desk and hurled it out forcefully.

He had just heard the servant's report.

The Second Generation Raikage entered the Thunder Country with the Konoha Delegation and will soon arrive at the Da Ming Fu.

This made the Lord of Lightning Country extremely angry.

"I sent him to assassinate Qianshou Feijian, and look at him, personally escorting the man back!" the Lord of Lightning Country gritted his teeth, the fury in his eyes almost materializing, "Since when did Cloud Hidden Village's ninja become Konoha's watchdog?"

The vassals kneeling on the ground broke out in cold sweat, none daring to lift their heads.

The Lord of Lightning Country spun around abruptly, his lavish robe hem sweeping the floor; he stared out the window, his clenched fist creaking.

"Qianshou Feijian..." he sneered, "Coming to the Da Ming Fu in person? Fine, do you really think my Thunder Country has no one?"

Since the Second Generation Raikage is unreliable, only the Dark Guard he trained can act.

In recent years, the Lord of Lightning Country has spent vast sums to recruit many powerful ninja, confident they can kill Qianshou Feijian!

He doesn't mind losing money; a few gold and silver are but a drop in the bucket for the Da Ming Fu, which sits atop mineral veins.

What he cares about is face!

Qianshou Feijian's actions are clearly slapping his face!

The illustrious Lord of Lightning Country has even been approached by an enemy Kage demanding compensation.

How will the Daimyos of other nations view him?

Those guys will probably be laughing so hard they lose their teeth; they'll likely never be able to hold their heads up again in the Daimyo circles.

All this must be blamed on Qianshou Feijian, and the Raikage's failure to assassinate him also bears responsibility!

"Send the order down," the Lord of Lightning Country said, calming his breath, his voice cold: "Send the Dark Guard to assassinate Qianshou Feijian..."

The so‑called Dark Guard are the wandering ninja he has recruited over the years. They're perfectly suitable for dealing with the Konoha Delegation!

Hmm, at least that's what he thinks.

"Yes!"

"Wait..."

The servant was about to leave when he was called back.

"Starting next year, Cloud Hidden Village's military budget will be cut by forty percent," the Lord of Lightning Country said coldly.

"L-Lord Daimyo!" a vassal in charge of finances finally raised his head, "Is this... is this too..."

"Too what?" the Lord of Lightning Country squinted, "Since the Raikage defied my orders, he must bear the consequences."

He slowly returned to the main seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.

"As for Qianshou Feijian..." a cold curve lifted his mouth, "Since he came to Thunder Country, don't think you can leave easily."

If Qianshou Feijian is killed, his face can still be salvaged, and he can use it to tell other nations that the Lord of Lightning Country's authority is not to be infringed!

The vassals inside the hall wore varied expressions, none daring to object.

Late night, Da Ming Fu Side Courtyard.

Several wandering ninja sat around the candlelight, their faces pallid. One of them clutched a freshly received secret order, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Assassinate... Qianshou Feijian?!"

The scar‑faced middle‑aged leader, his voice hoarse, repeated it, unable to believe his eyes.

"What a joke!" another man slammed the table and stood up, terror in his eyes, "That's the Hokage of Konoha, the God of Ninja's brother!"

"Isn't this sending us to our deaths?"

The room fell into dead silence, the weak candlelight reflecting their terrified faces.

Upon hearing the news, they felt the heavens collapse.

"Assassinating the Hokage, isn't that just because we think we have too much time?"

They are Special Jonin, recruited by the Daimyo with daily feasts and comforts; normally protecting the Daimyo's safety is fine, but assassinating the Hokage is just a death sentence, isn't it?

After a long while, the scar‑faced ninja inhaled deeply and rose slowly.

"Pack up," he whispered, "We can't stay at the Da Ming Fu; we run away tonight."

"But over at the Daimyo..." someone hesitated.

"Do you want to go assassinate the Second Hokage and end up a corpse, or flee tonight with the gold?"

The scar‑faced ninja sneered, yanking down the Ninja Tool Bag hanging on the wall, "Don't forget, we're hired ninja, not the Daimyo's death servants!"

The few exchanged glances, then sprang into action.

Da Ming Fu Warehouse.

"Take more; the Daimyo's money is endless!"

"This vase is nice, it's mine!"

"Wait, take this box of gold bars too!"

In less than half an hour, the Dark Guard originally tasked with protecting the Daimyo transformed into thieves looting the Da Ming Fu.

They lugged bulging bundles, slipped over the high wall under cover of night, and vanished into the vast forest.

"We're running, brothers, we're running!"

"Hahaha, with this money we won't have to take any missions for the rest of our lives."

…

Next morning at dawn, inside the Da Ming Fu Hall.

"Damn bastard!" the Daimyo's roar echoed through the spacious great hall.

He discovered this morning that the treasury had been completely looted.

Although the sum meant little to him, he loathed the feeling of being betrayed.

"Bring those people back!" he roared, smashing the tea cup in his hand, "I will tear their bodies to pieces!"

The vassals knelt on the ground, trembling.

A trusted retainer gathered courage and looked up, "Lord Daimyo, that... the matter of assassinating the Hokage..."

The Daimyo's expression darkened as he slowly sat back down.

The Dark Guard was clearly no match for Qianshou Feijian, so they fled with the loot.

To assassinate the Hokage, they would have to reconsider.

After a moment of silence, he said coldly, "Go to the Black Market, bounty one hundred million taels—no, two hundred million taels!"

……

The dim underground trading hall, candle flames wavering.

"Qianshou Feijian... two hundred million taels!"

Jiaodu stood before the bounty board, his breathing slightly rapid beneath the mask.

The amount, marked in cinnabar, seemed to turn into a little mountain of stacked gold coins in the wavering firelight.

His Adam's apple bobbed; it was his first time seeing such a high bounty.

To kill Qianshou Feijian, two hundred million taels would be in hand!

With that thought, he ripped the bounty notice off the wall without hesitation.

"The God of Ninja's younger brother?" he murmured, "Let me show you the power I've just gained!"

Having fused the Longyin Village secret art Chidō, he was confident he could kill Qianshou Feijian.

After all, Qianshou Feijian's strength wasn't as monstrous as Senju Hashirama's, so there was still a chance to slay him!

In Jiaodu's mind, the image of Senju Hashirama and the Uchiha Xiao Gui by his side involuntarily surfaced!

Back then he was defeated by that little Uchiha Xiao Gui; not only did he nearly die from Poison, he also inexplicably ended up owing a huge sum.

Because he needed to repay the debt, he became a Bounty Hunter.

As time passed and his wealth grew, Jiaodu began to enjoy making money.

Seeing the two hundred million taels bounty on Qianshou Feijian, wealth stirred his heart.

He prepared to give it a try.

……

……

ps: I tallied it up—on the 11th I owed 9 chapters; the power generation and gifts over these days sum to 5.5 chapters, count as 6. In total I owed 15 chapters, I've repaid 10 chapters these days, plus today's 2 chapters, making 12 chapters repaid, still owing 3 chapters. Finally the debt will be cleared, Ying ying ying…