The Bloody Mist Village.
Kakuzu stopped a short distance from Kirigakure and frowned slightly.
News of Kirigakure's sweeping reforms had been spreading like wildfire.
Just the reforms alone had brought in tons of sponsors.
Whether it was the daimyo or shady rich people behind the scenes, a surprising number of them had invested in Kirigakure.
Until recently, Kirigakure had always been known for staying secretive and closed off. The village was always covered in thick fog, and hidden assassins lurked everywhere.
But now, it looked nothing like how he remembered it.
The year-round mist had been cleared away, and a water park had even been built along the coast. The sound of laughter echoed all around.
"It's not just sponsorship money—they must be making a fortune with all these people coming in..."
Kakuzu's face was mostly hidden behind the high collar of his Akatsuki cloak, only his dark green eyes showing.
He had a sharp nose for money, and whoever was behind Kirigakure's transformation had to be raking it in.
Before this, in the Land of Water—or anywhere else in the world, really—no village had ever tried to change itself like this.
It was practically wide open to the outside.
He couldn't figure out how they'd managed to convince all the old, stubborn folks in Kirigakure.
Curious, Kakuzu walked toward the village gates, where cheerful villagers were handing out flyers.
There were even two smiling women standing right at the entrance.
"Welcome to Kirigakure! Entry is six ryo. For the hot springs, water park, and lodging, please pay separately."
"For any other requests, please show proof of appointment."
Kakuzu looked inside thoughtfully. The ticket price was actually pretty cheap, which meant it was aimed at a wide range of people.
Tickets cost money, and the activities inside cost extra too. This place really knew how to make money.
And the ticket fee was basically all profit.
With thoughts racing through his head, Kakuzu took the ticket and walked into Kirigakure Village.
That part about needing documents for "other requests" was actually a secret code used only in Kirigakure.
You could buy that "code" on all kinds of black markets, but it was expensive. On the surface, the place looked like a water park and hot spring resort.
But in reality, it was a safe house.
Kirigakure was full of skilled assassins. If someone was after you, you could pay to hide here.
Since the village was known for producing assassins, letting assassins handle other assassins made people feel a lot safer.
They took money from both the good and the bad. There were plenty of people lining up to hand over their cash.
Inside Kirigakure Village, it was full of life. The shops had been renovated and the whole place smelled like money.
But because the money vibe was so strong, it gave off this strange feeling of luxury and excess.
Kakuzu looked past the busy streets toward the tall Mizukage building.
He couldn't help but wonder who the genius behind all this money-making really was.
...
Hatake Satoru had his own finance office right next to the Mizukage's. There was even a door built into the wall between them.
That way, Hozuki Mangetsu could move back and forth easily—especially since both offices were way too big.
Hatake Satoru sat on the desk, clearly bored, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the Anbu run back and forth at the door.
Ever since the village started making money from tourism, Hozuki Mangetsu had stopped taking on some assassination jobs.
After all, those jobs were dangerous and didn't even bring in as much as a single day of village business.
So most of the Anbu, who were always busy with missions before, now spent their time running the water park and hot spring resort.
"Last month, the hot springs and water park made 101,220,000 ryo. Shop street rent totaled 1,420,000 ryo."
"Room rental income isn't fully counted yet. We currently have 45 open businesses."
"We also sent 400 ryo to the Uzumaki family in Konohagakure last month."
"Costs and expenses…"
The Anbu usually kneeled while handing over a thick stack of income and expense reports, reading them out quickly at the same time.
Hozuki Mangetsu used to just be a student who hadn't even graduated yet, so he didn't really understand money—just that this was a lot.
Meanwhile, Genshiro and Ao were standing off to the side, shocked by the numbers and swallowing hard.
Seriously—since when did Kirigakure Village make this much in a single month?!
Even during wartime, when assassination jobs were everywhere, they could barely make this much in one month.
Sure, there were still other records and accounts to consider, but just looking at the income—it was over ten million ryo?!
An S-rank mission brought in a little over 100,000 ryo, so this was like doing over a hundred of those in one month.
When ninja took missions, they usually made big money— even a D-rank job started at 500 ryo.
Hatake Satoru had set the ticket price super low, but that part was pure profit.
Everyone had to pay it, whether they planned to spend more or not.
Just then, an Anbu rushed in holding a few photos, hurrying over to Hozuki Mangetsu and Hatake Satoru.
"We caught images of the person you mentioned before, regarding the clothes."
"A man in a black cloak with red clouds, wearing a straw hat."
Hatake Satoru and Hozuki Mangetsu leaned over to look at the photo together.
Even though they only charged for tickets, Kirigakure still checked the people who came in.
Especially at times like this, when the gates were wide open—it was the perfect chance for strange people to sneak in.
Like spies from other villages or assassins with missions—
They could get in as long as they paid, but everyone at the entrance had to get their photo taken.
If anyone looked suspicious, they were reported straight to the Mizukage.
If Hatake Satoru was in the office, he had the same authority.
Of course, most of the time, Hatake Satoru was out hanging around with regular people.
S-class rogue ninjas were definitely flagged as top-priority threats, and while others might try to hide their identity or blend in,
the Akatsuki walked around like a boy band with those flashy outfits, basically screaming "I'm an S-class criminal" with their clothes.
So naturally, the report came in right away.
"Kakuzu, huh..."
The guy in the photo clearly had unusual eyes—black sclera and green pupils.
What's he doing here?
Hatake Satoru raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.
Kakuzu wasn't really known for having any ties to the Hidden Mist. As far as he remembered, the guy just had a thing for money.
Could it be he heard this place makes a lot of cash and came to check it out?
"Well—if anything weird happens, report it to us right away."
"And keep an eye on where he goes. If he starts heading toward the shelters on purpose, report that too."
Hatake Satoru casually handed over a photo showing Kakuzu's full face.
"Yes, sir."
The Anbu took the photo, nodded, and vanished right away.
The Hidden Mist had just gotten rid of its old "Bloody Mist" reputation—whatever Kakuzu was here for, they couldn't afford to take any chances.
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