Chapter 318

318. Chapter 313: Kakuzu, Who Holds Multiple Positions

Uchiha Madara, riding the Nine-Tails, galloped freely in the vast forest of the Land of Fire. Having been traveling day and night for a week, he calculated that if he traveled for another three days, he would be able to return to his old home. At that time, the Nine-Tails, this precious gift, would definitely bring Hashirama enough surprises.

"Snore~ Gurgle~"

However, the bursts of noise from his belly interrupted Uchiha Madara's reverie about a beautiful future. Remembering that he hadn't eaten for a day, he reached into his bag to grope, only to find that the prepared dry rations had long been exhausted.

"Looks like I need to find a place to resupply."

With the Nine-Tails in hand and no worries, Uchiha Madara thought about it, then called a halt to the sweating Nine-Tails, looked into the distance, and happened to see dots of fluorescent light, instantly feeling happy in his heart.

"You stay here and don't move, I'll go buy some dry rations~"

The Nine-Tails' huge size would only cause unnecessary panic if it appeared in a populated area, so Uchiha Madara ordered the red-eyed Nine-Tails to wait in place and chose to go alone.

The Nine-Tails, which had already been controlled, didn't dare to disobey, immediately tucked its tail and squatted on the spot, looking like an obedient husky.

"Performing well, I'll bring you a portion later~"

Seeing the Nine-Tails so cooperative, Uchiha Madara nodded with satisfaction, changed into an inconspicuous outfit, ran towards the direction of people, and arrived at his destination before long.

This was a small town with a large population. It was just dinner time, and every household was opening windows to cook. The tempting aroma of food made Uchiha Madara, who had been eating dry rations for several months, even hungrier. He turned a few corners and found a restaurant that was open.

"Boss, serve me all your signature dishes here."

With the thing he wanted most in hand, Uchiha Madara, in a great mood, decided to enjoy himself and said to the boss who was full of smiles.

"Alright~ How many people are there, guest?"

This restaurant had quite a few signature dishes, and ordering them all was equivalent to a banquet. The boss, seeing only Uchiha Madara, asked cautiously.

"Uh, just two of us, and another one is outside the town. Wait until I finish eating and pack it for him."

He was about to say just himself, but thinking of the Nine-Tails waiting outside the town, Uchiha Madara's brain twitched, and he stretched out two fingers.

Taking advantage of the gap in communication with Uchiha Madara, the boss looked up and down at the handsome man in front of him, his pair of small, thief-like eyes carrying an inexplicable color.

"The guest looks quite unfamiliar, are you from out of town?"

He stayed on Uchiha Madara's handsome face very obscurely, and then swept over his old clothes, and couldn't help but feel some concerns in his heart.

"Just passing through."

Uchiha Madara frowned upon hearing this. It was just eating a meal, why was this boss so long-winded? Could it be that he was worried he wouldn't pay for the meal?

"So it's a traveler. I'm really sorry, our shop has a rule that you have to pay after ordering."

The boss immediately understood. How could this poor-looking traveler in front of him be willing to order a table full of dishes? He must want to eat a free meal. He wouldn't be fooled!

"Heh! I've never heard of the rule of paying before eating."

Realizing the boss's thoughts, Uchiha Madara sneered with an unhappy expression.

"Sorry, our place is a major traffic artery. There are too many travelers coming and going, and it's inevitable that there are some guys who don't follow the rules. This is a small business, please bear with it, guest~"

Without showing any dissatisfaction, the boss arched his hands neither humble nor arrogant, and his words were watertight.

"Really long-winded, could I be short of this little..."

Although Uchiha Madara was unhappy in his heart, he expressed understanding. As he spoke, he reached into the backpack behind him to grope, but the more he groped, the darker his face became. The boss, who was good at observing words and expressions, immediately saw the clue, and the contempt in his eyes flashed by.

Another rascal who wanted to eat a free meal. Fortunately, he had a discerning eye, otherwise he would have lost a lot.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara was in an extremely awkward situation. He had been sleeping in the open for a long time, so he hadn't discovered that his money had long been exhausted. Now, he probably couldn't even touch a single copper coin on his body.

"Guest?"

"I... I seem to have forgotten to bring money. Can you make it first, and I'll have my companion pay for it later?"

Uchiha Madara remembered that there was a backpack on the Nine-Tails' head, which contained some sundries for camping in the wild. At the very bottom was the scroll that Uchiha Gin gave him when they parted.

According to big cousin's urinary nature, he should have put some money in it. He could just split a shadow clone to take the package when eating.

"Hehe."

How could the restaurant boss believe this kind of nonsense? The flattering smile on his face instantly vanished. After sneering, he waved his hand at Uchiha Madara with disgust.

"Get out! I've seen too many guys like you. With hands and feet, you don't go to work, and you think about cheating and swindling all day long."

"You!"

Not expecting that he, the dignified Darkness of the Ninja World, would be mocked by a commoner like this, Uchiha Madara was so angry that his teeth were almost crushed. But the pride of a strong man made it impossible for him to take action against a commoner no matter what, so he had to glare at the boss hatefully and leave without looking back.

"Wait~"

"What's the matter?"

Suddenly, Uchiha Madara, who hadn't stepped out of the restaurant door, heard the boss's voice behind him and turned his head in confusion.

Could it be that this person was captured by his kingly aura and was preparing to treat him to a free meal?

"Hehe, young man, I see you have a good skin, are you interested in drinking a few cups with me? You can order whatever you want to eat then..."

Only to see the boss, who had a cold face just now, put on a strange smile. His pair of thief-like eyes looked at Uchiha Madara's handsome face unscrupulously, and his tongue couldn't help but lick his blackened lips.

Not expecting that this boss was also a person who took a different path, leaving the water road and only walking the dry road.

"Crunch!"

Never expecting that someone would dare to tease him so openly, Uchiha Madara, after a brief confusion, was almost angry to the point of his eyes turning red. His feet didn't hold back, and he actually stepped a big footprint on the threshold of the restaurant.

Even Hashirama had never said that to him!

"Ah!"

The boss, who was scared by Uchiha Madara's aura, realized that he had almost kicked an iron plate. He screamed in fear, and his over-developed back door didn't clamp shut, and his size and stool flowed horizontally instantly.

"Really unlucky."

Uchiha Madara, holding his nose, instantly lost his appetite and had no intention of punishing this commoner who offended him. After cursing, he vanished on the spot with a Body Flicker.

"Forget it, let's go back and get the money first."

Uchiha Madara, whose good mood had been ruined for the most part, had no impulse to continue shopping and decided to go back to the Nine-Tails to find the money before coming back to eat.

However, just as he was about to, a figure wearing a hood approached. Uchiha Madara frowned. Judging by his skills, this guy was definitely not an ordinary person, so he looked at the other party very vigilantly.

"Don't misunderstand, I just saw that you seemed to have encountered some difficulties, so I wanted to ask if you need any help."

A man's voice came from under the hood, and two eyes glowing with green light carried three parts of scrutiny and seven parts of inexplicable calculation.

"Who are you?"

Not relaxing his vigilance because of the other party's kind words, Uchiha Madara asked coldly.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not the same as that boss just now."

Clearly, this mysterious hooded man had witnessed everything that happened after Uchiha Madara entered the restaurant just now.

"A guy playing gods and ghosts, I don't need any help."

Seeing Uchiha Madara's unyielding appearance, the mysterious man took off his hood to show his true face, which was a very ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

His somewhat dark face carried some worldly wisdom, his eyes were a very rare green, and his sturdy body exuded an aura that Uchiha Madara found somewhat familiar.

"I am a bounty hunter."

"Bounty hunter? I don't have a bounty on me, what are you looking for me for?"

Hearing the other party expose his identity, Uchiha Madara frowned in confusion. Could it be that Senju Tobirama, that guy, didn't talk about morality and hung him on the black market bounty?

"Bounty hunter is just one of my professions, and at the same time, I am also a very honest loan shark."

Loan shark?

Uchiha Madara suddenly realized. So this guy was here to promote lending~

"I don't need it!"

Uchiha Madara, who wasn't really short of money, directly rejected the promotion of this strange guy in front of him.

"No, you do."

The bounty hunter who lent money didn't want to give up Uchiha Madara, this high-quality customer.

Just now in the restaurant, the aura that suddenly burst out from Uchiha Madara made Kakuzu, who was eating noodles and watching the show at a roadside stall, feel a chill in his heart. This man, who looked poor, was by no means an ordinary person and was very likely a ninja from a large village who had fallen into trouble, or a missing-nin.

Regardless of which one, as long as he could get on the line, there would definitely be profit.

So after Uchiha Madara came out, he followed him for the first time, first using the identity of a bounty hunter to strike up a conversation. If the other party was a missing-nin, he would definitely feel guilty, and he would directly take him down and send him to the black market to exchange for money.

But after Kakuzu exposed his identity, Uchiha Madara not only didn't feel guilty but was also extremely impatient. This showed that the other party was definitely a ninja from some large village who had fallen into trouble for some reason, and his other identity could come in handy.

"If the guest has any valuable items to mortgage, it only requires three hundred percent interest. Opportunity knocks but once~"

Kakuzu, who was tailing him, promoted tirelessly, making Uchiha Madara, who was already upset, even more irritable.

"Are you annoying, you guy? I said I don't need it!"

"Is there no mortgage? Then signing a contract is also fine, but the interest will rise to five hundred percent."

Thinking Uchiha Madara had difficulties, Kakuzu gritted his teeth and relaxed the lending conditions very generously. If someone who really needed it saw this, they would only kneel and be grateful.

"Get out!"

Really annoyed, Uchiha Madara's eyes flashed with a scarlet color, and cold pupil power overflowed for a moment. A simple Sharingan illusion was cast, preparing to give this annoying guy a lesson.

"Uh..."

Kakuzu, who was suddenly hit by the illusion, stood frozen on the spot, his green eyes instantly becoming dull. Uchiha Madara, seeing this, was too lazy to say anything more and turned to leave.

At this moment, in Kakuzu's consciousness.

"Fool!"

Chomei, who had been glared at by Uchiha Madara, was pointing at Kakuzu's nose and outputting crazily.

"You guy who wants money but not life, who do you dare to provoke?"

Recalling the unbearable past, the Seven-Tails wanted to lift Kakuzu's skull to see if it was excrement or excrement inside.

"God Beast-sama, who exactly is he, why are you so afraid?"

Kakuzu, who had been scolded for no reason, was not angry but asked with a curious face.

"That guy is Uchiha, I have fought against him, five-five split~"

The Seven-Tails was stunned for a moment, then narrated the non-existent fact in a very flat tone.

Five-five split, Uchiha Madara would cut it into five pieces in five minutes.

"Uchiha, so it's a person from Konoha..."

Kakuzu was also stunned. Mentioning Konoha, the unbearable memory of being almost sent away by the Wood Dragon surged into his heart again.

"Forget it, can't afford to provoke, can't afford to provoke."

In reality, Kakuzu, who had broken free from the illusion, looked at Uchiha Madara's departing back with some regret. It seemed he couldn't earn this money.

"But fortunately, there is a guy with a not-low bounty hidden in this town, which can be considered as stopping the loss in time."

Kakuzu didn't pass by here by accident. He had received news from the black market before that there was a ninja with a bounty in this town, but he didn't know where he was hiding. He had been investigating for the past few days. As for Uchiha Madara, it was just a coincidence.

On the other side, Uchiha Madara, who hadn't walked far, suddenly found that the original few pedestrians on the road had instantly become much fewer, and the remaining ones were also in a hurry. The strange behavior made him curious, so he stopped a passerby.

"Old countryman, what happened?"

The person stopped was a middle-aged man with an honest look. He first looked at Uchiha Madara, who was unfamiliar, in surprise, and then opened his mouth to say,

"Little brother, are you from out of town?"

"A traveler passing through."

"Sigh~ Then you'd better leave before it gets dark. Every time it's the end of the month, ghosts will appear here."

Speaking of ghosts, the middle-aged man's eyes were full of fear, and his body couldn't stop trembling.

"Ghost? What did he do?"

Having lived so long, Uchiha Madara hadn't seen such a thing as a ghost, so he chose to get to the bottom of it.

"When night falls, the ghost will abduct people on the street who haven't gone home."

The middle-aged man said while nervously checking the sky. As the sun slowly set, he couldn't care about explaining to Uchiha Madara anymore, stepped up, and ran towards his home.

Uchiha Madara didn't continue to ask, but looked at the setting sun with great interest. He wanted to see what kind of sacred thing this so-called ghost was.

"Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Just as Uchiha Madara was waiting for the night to fall, an old man passing by shouted at him.

"I'm just passing through."

Replying faintly, Uchiha Madara, who didn't care at all, didn't continue to pay attention to the old man.

"Really, come with me!"

Seeing Uchiha Madara like this, the old man was anxious on the spot, grabbed him, and walked towards a courtyard.

Uchiha Madara, who didn't want to cause more trouble, thought about it, didn't choose to resist, and followed the old man back to his home.

Arriving at the old man's home, Uchiha Madara looked at the house, which was not simple, and didn't say much. The old man looked at the sun that hadn't set outside the window, patted his chest with lingering fear.

"Seeing you are young, don't lose your life."

"Is there really a ghost?"

Uchiha Madara raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

"So you know!"

"Just found out."

"Sigh~ Then let me tell you well."

The old man, seeing Uchiha Madara's curious appearance, first sighed, then got up to pour him a cup of tea, sat upright, and spoke slowly.

"I used to be the mayor of this town, but I have retired to enjoy my old age."

"Oh?"

Not expecting that the old man in front of him, who didn't look like much, used to be a local parent official, Uchiha Madara sipped the clear tea and found that it was indeed something that ordinary families couldn't afford to consume.

"Our town belongs to the traffic artery of the Land of Fire and was once prosperous. Five years ago, ghosts suddenly appeared in the town, and it gradually became desolate."

When the old man talked about the town, there was a proud light in his eyes, but when he mentioned ghosts, he became like the middle-aged man before, leaving only fear.

"Have you all seen that ghost?"

"Only seen the figure, haven't seen the true face."

The old man shook his head.

"Those who have seen the ghost's true face are all dead."

"How do you know they are dead?"

Not even knowing what the ghost looked like, how could they be sure that the abducted people were dead.

"There are remains..."

The old man paused, a thick look of horror appearing on his face.

"Remains mixed with excrement, those abducted people were eaten alive by the ghost!"

Eating people?

Uchiha Madara frowned, instantly guessing the ghost's true body. In his impression, those who eat people are nothing more than wild beasts, so the ghost's true body is most likely some kind of powerful wild beast.

"Could it be done by a wild beast?"

Thinking of this, Uchiha Madara put forward his conjecture.

"No... not a wild beast, that ghost, he wears clothes and can speak human language."

Humans eating humans!

Uchiha Madara was no longer calm. Even in the era of war, things like humans eating humans were not common, let alone now in a peaceful era, how could someone feed on their own kind.

"Have you not sought help? Like ninjas."

After thinking for a while, Uchiha Madara asked. If it was really a vicious incident of humans eating humans, this town should have issued a mission to seek help from ninjas.

"Sought before, but went missing, and most likely were eaten too."

The old man, as the former mayor, naturally knew everything about the town. When the abduction incident first occurred, they had issued a mission and had ninjas come to execute it.

"Came? From Konoha?"

If a Konoha ninja went missing, Uchiha Madara felt he had to pay attention to this matter.

"Konoha? There was no Konoha at that time, the one who accepted the mission was a wandering ninja."

It had only been four years since the establishment of Konoha, and the time when the ghost appeared happened to be before the establishment of Konoha. At that time, the ninja system was very chaotic, and there were many ninjas from small clans wandering around, accepting some inconspicuous small missions to maintain their livelihood.

"Then after Konoha was established, have you invited anyone?"

Hearing that it wasn't a Konoha ninja who was eaten, Uchiha Madara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Invited, we issued a B-rank mission, the Konoha ninja adults have arrived in the town today, and they should be investigating the clues of the ghost now."

The old man drank a cup of tea, a look of relief appearing on his face. The strength of Konoha ninjas was obvious to all, and this time they should be able to completely eradicate the ghost trouble.

"Huh?"

Uchiha Madara's heart tightened upon hearing this. He hadn't prepared to deal with Konoha fellow villagers yet.

"Is it convenient to reveal what kind of people the ninjas from Konoha are?"

"I remember, it was a middle-aged ninja who looked like a monkey, and brought several half-grown children..."

On the other side,

In a courtyard specially prepared by the current mayor, Sarutobi Sasuke sat seriously on the tatami, and in front of him sat six children full of excitement, who were Uchiha Gin's "beloved disciples".

"Hiruzen, did you find any intelligence during the day?"

Sarutobi Sasuke asked his good eldest son first, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

As an elite jonin-level ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke didn't need to accept such a B-rank mission, but due to the after-school homework left by Senju Tobirama, he had to bring these children out to execute a mission that wasn't dangerous.

"Sarutobi clan leader, I assigned practical missions to several children, but I really couldn't spare my time, so I had to trouble you to supervise and escort them."

Senju Tobirama, who was burying his head in hard work at his post, said to Sarutobi Sasuke, who had been summoned, with a very apologetic tone.

Actually, this white-haired guy just wanted to be idle for a few days. Uchiha Gin was forced to take the position of clan leader because Uchiha Izuna was on paternity leave, leading to the energetic F6 having no one to discipline them.

Senju Tobirama was now the village branch secretary, and his workload was so large that even his shadow clones couldn't handle it, so he had no mind to teach students, so he had to arrange extracurricular homework and let the powerful Sarutobi Sasuke escort them.

"Father... Father-sama, I..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was asked, tightened his little face, preparing to open his mouth.

"You must address me by my position when you are outside!"

"Received, Captain Sarutobi, we investigated during the day and found that the owner of the largest restaurant in town has a problem."

"Oh? What problem?"

"Everyone says he likes to eat people, especially young men. I think this is a very important clue..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen reported the gossip he heard during the day to Sarutobi Sasuke seriously, making his old father's blood pressure soar and his fists harden.

"Sigh~ Very good, do you have any other intelligence?"

Forcibly suppressing the urge to implement family law, Sarutobi Sasuke turned to ask the other children.

"No~ No~"

The other little ones were executing missions for the first time and had no concept of collecting intelligence at all.

It seems that the Konoha Academy is imperative, and the quality of ninjas must be cultivated from a young age, otherwise having strength without ability will only harm themselves.

"That... I have an intelligence that I don't know if it's intelligence~"

Uchiha Kagami hesitated for a moment and raised his hand.

"Okay, Kagami, you say."

Looking at Uchiha Kagami's nervous little face, Sarutobi Sasuke showed a smile that he thought was kind. This was Gin-sensei's nephew, he had to protect him well.

"Before us, another ninja accepted the same mission, but went missing."

"Is that all?"

Sarutobi Sasuke had already learned this intelligence from the mayor, so it couldn't be considered effective intelligence, but Uchiha Kagami being able to discover it already belonged to over-fulfilling the homework.

"I also investigated that the missing ninja was named Kaminari." (End of chapter)