Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

Kakashi smiled.

Just as he was about to leave, Sasuke stepped in front of him, his expression complicated.

"You've met him."

"Mm... We've crossed paths before."

Kakashi nodded.

"But I'll explain that later. Let me finish this first."

Seeing Sasuke's expression, Kakashi instinctively raised a hand as if to scratch his head.

Then he remembered he was currently using Itachi's appearance.

The motion instantly triggered Sasuke's reflexes.

The moment Kakashi lifted his hand, Sasuke had already drawn a kunai.

Kakashi awkwardly lowered his arm and pretended nothing had happened.

Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Sasuke. I see...

Watching the exchange, Mei quietly pieced together the relationship.

The Bounty Exchange was one of the most unique organizations in the shinobi world.

Just as hidden villages accepted missions from various countries, the Bounty Exchange functioned as a place where jobs could be completed.

The difference was simple.

Hidden villages earned money through missions.

The Bounty Exchange earned money through death.

It accepted assassination bounties from all over the world.

The price placed on a target depended on status, influence, and reputation.

But one thing was certain—

There was no life they wouldn't put a price on.

And no assassination contract they wouldn't accept.

There was even an old rumor that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju himself, had once been listed on a bounty board.

According to the story, one brave soul had accepted the mission.

Unfortunately, after throwing a shuriken from eight hundred meters away, he immediately fled in terror.

Needless to say, the mission had failed.

Of course, nobody really believed the story.

Even if someone had attempted to assassinate the God of Shinobi, it certainly wouldn't have been for the bounty money.

After Hashirama's death, the rumor gradually faded into obscurity.

"Click. Click. Click."

Disguised as Itachi, Kakashi pressed a flushing mechanism inside a public restroom three times.

A hidden door immediately slid open beside one of the stalls, revealing a dark underground passage.

Why are these places always built beneath public toilets?

The one near the Land of Fire was exactly the same.

Does the owner have some strange obsession with this smell?

After washing his hands, Kakashi descended the staircase while silently complaining.

Contrary to expectations, the interior wasn't cramped at all.

It was enormous.

The underground hall stretched nearly ten meters high.

The walls resembled those of a morgue, lined with countless compartments large enough to store entire bodies.

"You."

The receptionist was a bald man dressed in unusual clothing.

His eyes lingered on the black cloak decorated with red clouds.

Then he glanced at the scratched Konoha forehead protector.

Despite recognizing the Akatsuki attire, he showed no fear.

"My partner visited here recently."

Kakashi spoke in a calm voice.

"Have you seen him?"

"Looking for someone?"

The bald man narrowed his eyes.

"You came to the wrong place."

"We don't help people find the living."

"We collect the dead."

"If your partner ended up here, you don't need to search anymore."

"...I see."

Kakashi nodded.

"Then let me see the latest bounty listings."

Hearing business mentioned, the man relaxed slightly and produced a fresh stack of bounty notices.

Most featured notable figures from the Land of Water.

Kakashi casually flipped through them before selecting one.

"This one."

He held it up.

"Is this the current price?"

The bald man glanced at it.

"That's right."

"She only reached that value recently."

"You picked a good time. A little earlier and the price would've been different."

Kakashi lowered his eyes.

The portrait showed a very familiar woman.

Mei Terumī.

Bounty: 50,000,000 Ryō.

That's already beyond the level of an ordinary jōnin...

And it's a recent update.

"I seem to remember Elder Genji having a bounty as well."

"Not anymore."

As expected.

Still disguised as Itachi, Kakashi deliberately continued browsing while asking a few suspicious and unrelated questions.

The receptionist was gradually becoming wary.

Just then, Kakashi heard faint sounds near the concealed entrance.

Without hesitation, he turned and left.

Several people were entering the facility.

One of them carried a tightly bound human-shaped bundle over his shoulder.

The newcomer froze when he saw "Itachi."

Meanwhile, "Itachi" merely glanced at him coldly before walking away without a second look.

"That's one of the Akatsuki..."

The man's mutter reached Kakashi's ears just before he disappeared.

After leaving the Bounty Exchange, Kakashi intentionally took a lengthy detour.

Only after confirming nobody was following him did he return to the team.

With a hand seal, he released the Transformation Technique.

The image of Uchiha Itachi vanished.

The familiar lazy-looking white-haired jōnin returned.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto immediately stepped forward.

"Did you find anything?"

"A little."

Kakashi glanced toward Mei before continuing.

"But there wasn't much information regarding the Akatsuki."

"Then wasn't it a wasted trip?"

"Not at all."

Kakashi smiled.

"If the Akatsuki are still operating within the Land of Water, the information will come to us."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes gathering intelligence doesn't mean asking questions."

Kakashi's smile widened.

"Providing false information can be just as effective."

"Next, we're going to leave surveillance here for a while."

As he spoke, Kakashi formed a seal none of the younger shinobi had seen before.

Then he bit his thumb and slammed his hand against the ground.

"Summoning Technique!"

Smoke erupted.

A moment later, a brown ninja hound with the weary face of a middle-aged salaryman appeared.

"A dog?"

"Hm?"

The dog looked around.

"Why'd you summon me, Kakashi?"

"Oh, quite a crowd today."

"Hello, everyone."

"It talks!"

Naruto pointed in shock.

Kakashi crouched and patted the dog's head.

"This is my ninja hound, Pakkun."

Pakkun immediately slapped his hand away with a paw before Kakashi could continue.

"Don't touch me without permission."

Everyone stared.

The dog had attitude.

"Pakkun will stay here and monitor the area."

Kakashi turned toward Naruto.

"Naruto, leave a Flying Thunder God marker nearby in a concealed location."

"Huh?"

Naruto glanced at Mei.

Seeing that Kakashi had no intention of hiding anything, he nodded.

"Got it."

"Pakkun."

Kakashi looked at his partner seriously.

"If anyone wearing black cloaks with red clouds appears nearby, memorize their scent."

As he spoke, he transformed once more, displaying the Akatsuki cloak for reference.

"I'll have Naruto bring you food and maintain contact."

"If you discover anything, don't approach them directly."

Pakkun sighed dramatically.

"That sounds like a terrible assignment."

"I get it now."

Naruto suddenly snapped his fingers.

"You disguised yourself as an Akatsuki member and intentionally left clues behind."

"You're trying to lure them out."

"Exactly."

Kakashi smiled approvingly.

"It's a very effective strategy."

"Fishing works best when the fish think they've found the bait."

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