Tazuna nearly fainted on the spot when the number hit.

Ten million.

Ten million ryo... Even ten lifetimes wouldn't be enough to pay that back!

"Lord Hokage... please, I beg you, give us a way to survive! There is absolutely no way we can come up with ten million!"

Hirofumi Ito's lips curved into a smirk.

"Heaven values life! If ten million is out of the question, you can always offer something else to settle the debt. For instance, this very bridge you're about to build in the Land of Waves.

Our Hidden Leaf Village is very interested in that bridge. As Hokage, I have full authority to waive the ten-million commission fee. But the price is that once this bridge is built, it belongs entirely to our Hidden Leaf Village!

Once completed, the bridge will have absolutely nothing to do with your Land of Waves. Our Hidden Leaf Village will station ninja there, and we will collect tolls in varying amounts!

Kehehehe... Not a bad proposal from this Hokage, wouldn't you say?!"

Hearing those words, Tazuna nearly collapsed to the floor.

Why had Tazuna wanted to build this bridge in the first place?

Because Gato had seized control of the Land of Waves' maritime shipping, that's why. The Land of Waves was essentially an island nation, and because Gato had monopolized the shipping routes, anyone who wanted to sell goods or travel abroad had no choice but to go through Gato's shipping company.

And it was precisely that stranglehold on shipping that let Gato exploit the people of the Land of Waves without mercy.

That was why the bridge had to be built.

But if things turned out this way, wouldn't the lifeline of the Land of Waves still be in someone else's hands?

Out of the wolf's den, straight into the tiger's lair.

"Lord Hokage..."

"Hmm?! Don't tell me you're thinking of refusing, Mr. Tazuna?! This Hokage has already made concessions! It's just a crumbling bridge. You don't actually think it's worth ten million, do you?!

If Mr. Tazuna finds this so difficult to accept, then forget the whole thing! Next, we'll send your whole family to be reunited!"

"No no no! Lord Hokage! No problem at all! Absolutely no problem! Once the bridge in the Land of Waves is built, it will belong to the Hidden Leaf Village! No — wait — this is the Hidden Leaf Village's bridge!"

"Hmm... There is an old saying in our Shinobi World: those who read the times are wise.

It seems Mr. Tazuna is a genuinely worthy example of that wisdom!

Alright! Mr. Tazuna may leave now. We will handle the situation with Gato, including the ninja hired under Gato. From now on, the Land of Waves will no longer have Gato, and no one will ever again stand in the way of building the Hidden Leaf Village Bridge!

Kehehehe..."

With the matter settled, Tazuna shuffled out of the Hokage Residence looking like a soul that had left its body.

Hirofumi Ito turned to Minato Namikaze.

"Uncle Minato, I'll leave this matter to you! The Land of Waves may be a little weak, a little poor, but it's still a country. I'll leave it in your hands.

As long as we keep a firm grip on this bridge, the Land of Waves will be ours for the taking. The entire country will continuously generate wealth for our Hidden Leaf Village!

A single Gato, relying on the Land of Waves alone, managed to become one of the most renowned wealthy figures in the entire Shinobi World. The continuous stream of wealth this will bring us in the future is absolutely no small sum!"

Minato Namikaze nodded.

"Don't worry, Hirofumi! I'll handle it properly. The Hidden Leaf Village Bridge will be completed in the shortest possible time!"

"Right... Uncle Minato, don't forget about Zabuza Momochi, and the ninja with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai!"

"Understood."

Minato Namikaze nodded, then glanced toward Fugaku Uchiha.

"Let's go, Xiaohei. Time for us to make our entrance!"

"Understood, Dahuang."

And just like that, Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha set off to resolve this C-rank mission in the Land of Waves.

Ah, no, that's not right. The S-rank mission in the Land of Waves.

The three of them, Minato Namikaze, Fugaku Uchiha, and Tazuna, the one who had issued the mission, headed out together toward the Land of Waves.

Tazuna was on best behavior the entire journey. Not a single drink.

These Hidden Leaf ninja were completely unlike anything Tazuna had imagined. They would send your whole family to be reunited at the drop of a hat, so acting high and mighty in front of them was simply out of the question.

After a stretch of travel, the three crossed into the Land of Waves. On a perfectly ordinary little path, a small puddle appeared in the road ahead.

Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha both smirked at the same moment.

"Dahuang — what do you say? You or me?"

"I'll handle it. These two aren't much. Probably not the Zabuza or the Ice Release user Hirofumi mentioned. Better to finish this quickly, we've still got Gato to deal with."

Tazuna hadn't understood a word of it. Tazuna hadn't dared to talk much with these two the whole trip, but had at least picked up their names, one was called Dahuang Namikaze, the other Xiaohei Uchiha.

Strange names, honestly.

They sounded no different from what you'd name a dog.

But in the very next instant, Tazuna's eyes went wide.

Because Dahuang, who had been standing right there a heartbeat ago, was simply gone. In a flash, the figure reappeared in the air directly above the puddle.

"Rasengan!"

BOOM!

RUMBLE...

The puddle erupted into a massive crater. Two ninja were sent flying out from inside it.

They weren't moving.

Minato Namikaze gave them a brief look and moved on without much interest.

"Their forehead protectors, they're from Kirigakure, Land of Water. Probably connected to that Zabuza."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded.

"Most likely. Just two small-timers. Let's keep moving."

Tazuna swallowed hard. Those two ninja hidden in the shadows, dealt with that easily?

No wonder they were the kind who would send your whole family to be reunited without a second thought.

Truly killing without batting an eye.

The three continued on their way. But after a short while, with a sharp, cutting sound,

SWOOSH!

An Executioner's Blade came flying out of midair and buried itself in a large tree with a heavy thud.

➤ Next: Since You've Asked So Sincerely

Chapter 202 - Since You've Asked So Sincerely

The Executioner's Blade tore through the air like a black bolt of lightning, sharp killing intent trailing in its wake as it slammed into the towering tree.

With a resounding THUNK, the blade buried itself dead center into the trunk. The handle shuddered, humming with low vibration.

minato namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha didn't react. The moment either of them saw the Executioner's Blade, they already knew, Zabuza Momochi had arrived.

And both of them were curious. Just how strong was this Zabuza? The entrance was certainly dramatic enough.

The next instant, Zabuza appeared in a flash, landing squarely on top of the Executioner's Blade.

Presence cranked all the way up. Nothing but contempt in those eyes.

"Well. I never expected Hidden Leaf Village ninja would be the ones who took this job.

What a disappointment...

I was expecting someone famous. Instead I get two nobodies I've never even heard of.

Dahuang and Xiaohei?!

Those names of yours are really something else...

Why on earth would anyone choose names that belong to dogs?!"

minato namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha said nothing. Then minato namikaze simply hurled a few kunai straight at Zabuza.

Zabuza didn't even bother dodging. Those kunai were veering off by a truly impressive margin.

"Hahahahaha! Are you two trying to make me laugh myself to death?! You can't even throw basic kunai straight?! How could the Hidden Leaf Village send useless trash like you to carry out a mission?! In that case... let me be the one to send you on your way!"

Zabuza was still cackling, then felt a surge of Chakra rising from behind.

A closer look confirmed it. The yellow-haired ninja who went by Dahuang had vanished.

What?!

A voice came from directly behind.

"Throwing tools and things like that... I'm honestly not great at it. Take this!"

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

Zabuza was sent flying. minato namikaze stepped smoothly onto the Executioner's Blade, the exact spot Zabuza had just been standing, and gave it a slow, deliberate stamp.

"Hmm... this really is a fine blade. No wonder Hirofumi Ito wants to put together the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

One hit. Several meters of air. Taking a Rasengan head-on didn't feel good at all, and that was minato namikaze holding back.

After all, Hirofumi Ito had been clear beforehand: bring Zabuza Momochi back to the Hidden Leaf Village alive.

Otherwise, that Rasengan would have landed squarely on Zabuza's skull.

Zabuza staggered upright and wiped the blood from the corner of the mouth.

"Damn it! Who are you two?! No one with power like this is some unknown nobody! That jutsu just now — I didn't feel even a trace of Chakra fluctuation! Who are you people?!"

minato namikaze smiled. That signature smile.

"Ah... my name is Dahuang. That one is Xiaohei. We're here to complete our mission for the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hehehehehe... and while we're at it, to bring back the owner of the Executioner's Blade.

Our Hokage is quite interested in you, after all!"

Zabuza's tension spiked. This yellow-haired ninja was unquestionably powerful, there was a real chance of not being able to hold out. And the Executioner's Blade was sitting under that opponent's foot.

Only one option left.

Take down the companion. The one called Xiaohei.

Take Xiaohei hostage, and there would be leverage to negotiate.

"Hiding in Mist Technique!"

The technique activated instantly. Within a hundred meters in every direction, impossibly thick fog erupted from nothing.

"Hehehe... so how would you like to die?! Should I crush the bones first?! Or sever the arms? Or just cut the head off outright?!"

Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan opened in an instant.

Not a trace of panic in that fog.

Fugaku Uchiha had already sensed Zabuza closing in.

The very moment Zabuza lunged to seize Fugaku Uchiha, a faint red light flashed through those eyes, and the pupils shifted into the pattern of a great pinwheel.

"Susanoo!"

Before any of this, Fugaku Uchiha had already transplanted the eyes from Fugaku Uchiha's own living days. And not just Fugaku Uchiha alone, Mikoto Uchiha as well.

Both had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan before dying. Those eyes had been taken away by their child, Itachi Uchiha.

Now Itachi Uchiha had returned to the Hidden Leaf Village, and had brought back one of Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan eyes, along with both of Fugaku Uchiha's and Mikoto Uchiha's eyes.

And so Shisui Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, and Mikoto Uchiha, all three had fused their own eyes back and evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

No more risk of going blind from using the Mangekyō Sharingan.

And beyond that, even Itachi Uchiha had transplanted those eyes. The Mangekyō had already evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan as well.

Zabuza, kunai in hand, lunged with a clang straight at Fugaku Uchiha.

The Executioner's Blade was gone. The kunai would have to do.

Then Zabuza froze.

An enormous, terrifying creature had appeared directly in front of those eyes.

What in the world was that thing?!

Fugaku Uchiha commanded the Susanoo, and it reached out and closed its grip around Zabuza.

"Strength is average — but you have the tools of an elite jonin. That's acceptable enough. Add in the Executioner's Blade, and the overall power isn't too weak."

Inside the Susanoo's fist, Zabuza thrashed and struggled with everything available. It didn't matter. There was no breaking free.

"Damn it! Who are you two?! Ninja with power like this can't be nobodies! Dahuang and Xiaohei are absolutely not your real names!"

The Hiding in Mist Technique had already dispersed.

minato namikaze walked over, Executioner's Blade in hand, and glanced across at Fugaku Uchiha.

Then the two of them started trading lines, back and forth, just like that.

"Since you've asked so sincerely!"

"Then we'll be gracious enough to answer!"

"To prevent the Shinobi World from being destroyed!"

"To protect the peace of the Shinobi World!"

"Carrying forward the Will of Fire — of love and truth!"

"minato namikaze!"

"Fugaku Uchiha!"

"We are Xiaohei and Dahuang, traveling throughout the Shinobi World!"

"Hidden Leaf! The tomorrow of the Will of Fire is waiting for us!"

➤ Next: Taking Back the Money That Belongs to Our Hidden Leaf Village