Looking at the nameplate on the door that made no secret of the owner's identity, Uchiha Obito fell into deep thought.
That is Kakuzu, the rebel ninja who has survived from the first generation to the present.
Would he really run an office so openly?
...Perhaps it was a trap set up specifically to trap those ninjas with poor brains.
Uchiha Obito disappeared.
Humph, you think you can fool him with such a petty trick?
No way.
Yes, after a brief thought, Uchiha Obito decided that this "office" was a scam.
After all... how could there be a bounty hunter traitor who would openly announce his identity and even set up an office?
So he lay in hiding, preparing to search for Kakuzu's trace from a deeper and more hidden place.
—It’s also a little fun to see what happens to the fools who fall into such an obvious trap.
Uchiha Obito was very satisfied with his own wit.
In short, start looking in the most hidden and difficult to access places first.
I noticed someone approaching the door, pausing, and then leaving.
Kakuzu shook his head—another idiot who thought he was smart.
He has seen too many people like this recently.
He really didn't understand these people.
If you don't give it to him, he will find it by all means.
But if you just give it to them directly, they will say they don’t believe anything.
This is not okay, so what do these people want?
He shook his head and continued to look at the financial statements on the table.
——Although he held several positions, the position he applied for was the finance position. Kakuzu really liked and valued this position.
Although it may seem strange, the reason why Kakuzu has an office is actually very simple.
On the one hand, the Finance Office needs to be separated out, on the other hand...
He sells other services.
It’s not possible that there’s always a rush of people coming and going in a financial center, right?
So the situation occurred that other financial workers (and related information) were in one office, while Kakuzu had an independent office in another office.
One is consulting services.
Whether it is inside or outside the Yuyue store.
As long as it does not involve the operation (making money) of Yuyue Store, he provides consulting services equally.
And according to
Different information contents will be charged accordingly.
It ranges from one or two thousand to tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, and there is no upper limit.
And no matter inside or outside.
Internally, if new employees do not understand a process, they will be instructed.
To the outside world, he needs to know about the projects of the Ugetsu Store or the information that can be leaked, or even some ninja-related information (mainly information that he cannot use).
There is nothing he won’t buy.
The reason why Kakuzu was able to integrate into the Ugetsu Store so quickly was not only because of his strong strength, but also because he took only a very short time to understand every aspect and product of the Ugetsu Store.
He remembered and mastered everything from the functions of each department to the work processes, to each product - whether it was on sale or not, and even many of the craftsmanship involved.
It can be called a 'mini encyclopedia' of the Ugetsu branch of Wave Country.
It's impossible not to admire this ability.
And precisely because of his omnipotence, many people who have questions about their work but are too embarrassed to ask directly, or who have some ideas about their work and want to improve, will choose to seek his "paid consultation".
Isn't this just like everyone is studying but you secretly hired a tutor?
And the other one...
That's the bounty, of course.
The five major ninja villages have basically maintained reconciliation, and have also reached a settlement on some past bounties.
When faced with a traitor like Kakuzu who has no grudge against any ninja village (the ninja village he came from has no power to cause trouble for him) and now works diligently for the Ugetsu Store, everyone turns a blind eye.
After all, the trouble of looking for Kakuzu is far less than the income from working for Ugetsu's shop.
Between a traitor and the benefits of the entire village, anyone with a normal mind would know which choice to make.
Therefore, those who would come to the door would basically be various wandering ninjas or those who were rebel ninjas from other ninja villages.
Even if such a person dies, no forces at the level of the ninja village will come to cause trouble.
So this confused person with no backing became Kakuzu's 'extra income'.
The corners are very happy.
He originally thought that he would have to find time to go out .
Now it’s great. I can earn money from part-time job while sitting in the office.
Plus the occasional consulting fee.
That's three times the salary in the time of one job.
Plus the project bonus - just supervise and assist
If you transfer those people well and make them work hard, you can get an extra salary.
Yuyue Store is truly his paradise!
And Uchiha Obito is still conducting his exploration of the Land of Waves.
In order to get the conversation going, he even changed his appearance and moved closer to the group of people who were chatting and interrupted them.
"That Kakuzu office..."
He just wanted to test it out.
If people don’t know, he just leaves.
If you knew - given these people's habit of bragging and chatting, you would at least have to tell them some relevant news, right?
Whether correct or not, as long as there is information, it can help make judgments.
However……
"Mr. Kakuzu, he's a really nice guy."
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito slowly formed a question mark in his mind.
Wait, what did you say?
"Last time I went to him because I didn't know how to do something, and he patiently talked to me for twenty minutes."
Although it costs money, isn’t it common sense that it costs money to give special treatment?
"If there's anything you don't understand or if there's any news you want to ask, you can always go find Mr. Kakuzu. He's there most of the day."
——In fact, most of the time it was his shadow clone who was there, but ordinary people couldn’t tell the difference, so they just thought it was him.
Uchiha Obito's mind went blank for a moment.
Is the person you are talking about really the same person as the one I know?
However, those people are still introducing enthusiastically:
"That's right. Whether it's technical or other information, you can go to Mr. Kakuzu."
“He really is our know-it-all here.”
“It may cost a little, but I promise it’s worth it!”
——It costs money.
That should be me.
But the more he thought about it, the more Uchiha Obito felt something was wrong.
Because all the information he had found out about Kakuzu really all pointed to that office that looked suspicious in every way.
Just knock on the door, pay, ask questions and get answers.
How can it be so simple???
How is that possible.
This must be just a bureau.
He left in a hurry, deciding to find someone in his own way.
The more important it is, the more hidden it is, and the more it needs to be concealed.
According to the principle of "hiding", Uchiha Obito found the shipyard of Wave Country.
To be precise, it is the 'laboratory'.
It is said that this is the most strictly guarded place in the entire Wave Country.
If there really is something, it must be hidden here.
He didn't believe that this was really some kind of research vessel or a means of transportation for studying the ocean.
How could a ninja, especially a famous one, focus on these things?
Impossible.
They must be using this name to do other things.
Just like they are 'Xiao'.
Whether it's the Hidden Rain Village or Akatsuki, don't they all say that they want to hide their true purpose and complete their own goals?
So, Uchiha Obito went.
He avoided the people passing by and the various offices on both sides of the corridor, and then... dived into the ventilation duct.
How could someone who sneaked in secretly walk out in the open?
Besides, which ninja would put the really important things out in the open?
So there must be a secret room or other hidden space here.
Corridors can be deceiving, spaces can be misplaced.
But if people don't want to die in there, they will definitely install ventilation holes.
Therefore, going through the ventilation duct is the only option.
Uchiha Obito was full of confidence, especially when he discovered that the ventilation vents really had other areas that could not be seen on the surface, he was shocked.
Sure enough, my idea was not wrong.
If Kakuzu really had a cooperation with Ugetsu Shoten in Wave Country, then he must have been hidden here by Ugetsu Shoten!
Uchiha Obito became very excited.
Yes, that's right, he has rigorous logic and clear thinking.
How could it be...wrong?
He rushed forward excitedly, but was forced back by a mechanism that suddenly appeared.
Although those mechanisms and methods seemed to be the work of a puppeteer, he became more certain of his guess.
Kakuzu must be hidden here.
And these mechanisms were installed to protect him, or to restrict him.
He was a ninja who had fought with the first generation before, so it cannot be overstated.
It is only normal to specially ask a puppeteer to do it.
——Besides, Ugetsu's store also has puppeteers as employees.
It can be considered as making the best use of things.
So Uchiha Obito was not discouraged by this. Instead, he became more motivated and started his invasion again.
Get through the mechanism and dismantle the puppet. If nothing works, you still have "Shenwei".
In this way, he broke into the back of the ventilation duct.
finally!
Uchiha Obito thought that after he went down, he would see the dark figure of Kakuzu.
However, what appeared before him was...
"Wooden container?"
In front of him were huge containers.
No, it's more like a cabin made of wood than a container?
Cabins of almost the same size were placed side by side in this huge space. In addition to the part that Uchiha Obito had just seen, there were many other parts of different sizes and shapes placed in various areas.
Rather than saying this is a 'secret room' where Kakuzu is hidden, it would be more accurate to say it is a 'workshop' specifically used to make these things.
Uchiha Obito: ...
"Where did this little thief come from?"
With the appearance of a low-pressure sound, all parts of the 'workshop' began to move.
The workshop shook, and various holes began to appear in the place where there was nothing originally.
All the mechanisms on the walls, the ground, and the ceiling were activated - although the original function of these mechanisms was actually to make and assemble the Ocean Star.
But how can a puppeteer’s things, especially those of a top puppeteer, have only one effect?
Anyway, no one has stipulated that the assembled mechanisms and props cannot have other functions.
See, isn't this useful?
Uchiha Obito's eyes that were exposed outside widened - how could this be a 'workshop'? This is simply a huge mechanism room!
Even a ninja would be torn to pieces by this kind of mechanism.
To be so vicious... He is worthy of being Kakuzu who has survived from the first generation to the present.
That's right, until now, Uchiha Obito still believes that this place is related to Kakuzu.
He even thought that this was a trap he had set up to send those ninjas recruited for the bounty to hell.
Yes, this is very Kakuzu, very Kakuzu.
Uchiha Obito even came up with a self-consistent logic.
But he came here to cooperate with others, not to be an enemy.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Obito hurriedly
call out:
"Mr. Kakuzu, I'm here to work with you!"
scorpion:……?
Are you sick?
You're looking for Kakuzu, why do you come to me?
Can't you see such a big 'Kakuzu Office'?
Blind!
But even though he knew the other party's purpose, Scorpion had no intention of letting him go.
The situation where you find yourself breaking into a confidential place and someone shouts that it is a misunderstanding and kindly shows you the way to end the matter is probably something that only happens in dreams.
You are talking to Kakuzu about cooperation, what does it have to do with me, Scorpion?
It's a felony for you to trespass into my workshop.
So Scorpion gave Uchiha Obito a good beating.
It even forced Obito to use Kamui to escape unscathed.
There was no way. The entire workshop was under Scorpion's control, which was equivalent to him being in a huge puppet controlled by his master.
...How do I fight this?
Even if Uchiha Obito had the Mangekyō Sharingan, he would not dare to be arrogant.
But in doing so, he also recognized the true identity of the owner of this workshop.
'Red Sand Scorpion' - this was originally one of the members they planned to recruit. They originally thought that Red Sand Scorpion would take the initiative to leave the Sand Village before long.
That was the best time for them to get in touch.
As a result, after waiting for a long time, there was no news of Scorpion's defection.
I thought I'd take the initiative, but when I found the person, I was attacked before I could say a few words.
The kind where if you walk a step slower you might get crushed to pieces.
It was enough to show that the other party really didn't show any mercy at all.
So the saying 'leave some room for each other so that we can meet again in the future' does not exist.
Put an end to your life today.
They were forced to slip away in disgrace.
After all, if things get really serious, they don't have the confidence to deal with the attack of an entire ninja village.
Later on, the Sand Village made a lot of money.
They had the people (including hired ones) and the resources. No matter how they thought about it, it was more attractive than their "Akatsuki", so they gave up the plan.
I didn't expect to meet him again in this situation and in this place.
Uchiha Obito had no choice but to retreat with holes in his clothes.
After putting away the mechanism, Scorpion pondered for two seconds, then pushed the door and walked out.
He was the one who was attacked and suffered some losses, so it is reasonable that he needs more materials, right?
Besides, this guy is here to look for Kakuzu.
Well, to round it off, this is the trouble that Kakuzu brings.
It's normal to pay compensation for the trouble you caused, right?
The more Scorpion thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense, and he quickened his pace.
He had no objection to partnering with Kakuzu, even though that guy was fussy and would always push for progress even when there was nothing to do, but a capable partner was always better than a useless one.
It's just that this guy is too stingy.
I will not miss any opportunity to save, even a penny.
That's a coin.
It’s been many years since Scorpio has dealt with such a small unit.
So even though the progress has been smooth along the way, and even if you can really say there is a small profit (compared to the coordination work or the resources wasted by the useless people), Scorpio can't help but feel a little unhappy.
Now that the opportunity is in his hands, how can he not take a little revenge?
So Scorpion approached Kakuzu, who was calculating how much money he had earned recently and whether he should raise his salary appropriately.
Kakuzu:?
"Impossible, your application is rejected."
Why do you want to cooperate with me?
If you say you want to cooperate with me, does that mean I must cooperate with you?
"Besides, it's too arbitrary to conclude that we are related just because he said he wants to cooperate with me. If I can find out now that the other party actually wants to cooperate with you, then doesn't that mean he is related to you as well?"
Scorpion blinked:
"But he didn't say that."
"He didn't say it, so who knows if he really thought so? Maybe he wanted to cooperate with you at first, but was frightened by your brutal attack and gave up temporarily?"
In short, it is impossible to ask him to pay.
It's impossible in this lifetime.
As long as he was still alive, he would not allow any expenditure to be wasted.
Not even a coin.
Scorpion snorted angrily.
——He knew that this stingy guy would not give in.
"You don't have to report anything else, but the damaged mechanisms and bearings must be replaced. These are essential in the construction of the Ocean Star."
"……knew."
Although Kakuzu is proficient in various techniques, he is not good at puppetry, or the construction of the Ocean Star.
As for technology, he was only able to understand the blueprints, so it was difficult for him to judge the precision instruments specially made for Scorpion.
Of course he wanted to question it, but considering that if it was true, the delayed construction would cause the Ugetsu Store (and him) to lose money, he had no choice but to give in.
I approved the note for the repair fee with a heavy heart.
At the same time, I also kept an account with that guy I had never met before.
What kind of cooperation is this? You've caused him to lose money before we even discussed it. If you don't make up the money, don't blame him for taking it himself!
Uchiha Obito, who was hiding, suddenly felt a chill.
He couldn't help rubbing his arms because of an unexplained chill.
He really felt that this place was incompatible with him, otherwise why did he get beaten up after arriving here without getting anything done?
...Although he wasn't actually injured, he was beaten just as he opened his mouth. Who could be happy about that?
However, even with such a problem, Uchiha Obito did not get discouraged.
Finding Scorpion's workshop proves that there really is a "secret place" here. He was just unlucky this time, and he didn't have the help of Black Zetsu.
The next time I find a place like this, it will definitely be Kakuzu's hiding place!
Yes, that must be it!
Uchiha Obito, keep up the good work!
On the other hand, Yu Yue's plan to acquire the photo studio and recruit makeup artists has also been finalized.
If all goes well, everything will be in place next month.
Therefore, for Ugetsu, the next task is mainly to plan the photo shooting of the scenic spots - Sand Village and Sea Paradise. There is also the improvement of the camera and makeup.
Although in modern times people basically go to specialized styling studios instead of doing it themselves, Yu Yue still has some impressions of some techniques and principles.
When the time comes, we can find some experienced people to think about it, and it shouldn’t be a big problem.
So the main thing is the improvement of the camera.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a little more expensive in the early stages.
The first target users of these improved products were not ordinary people, but aristocratic tycoons who had higher requirements or demands.
This group is well-known for only looking at results and not price.
The sky-high prices of ordinary people are just ordinary prices in their eyes.
Plus the freshness.
The more expensive it is, the better; the more expensive it is, the more it meets their needs.
So Yu Yue is not worried that it will be expensive.
The same is true in the later stages.
When technology is innovated, old technology can be mass-produced and prices can be lowered, and the public can enjoy the previous products. The aristocratic tycoons also have new products such as 2.0/3.0 to use.
Isn’t this also the case with cameras in modern society?
An ordinary person can buy a camera they want for one to two thousand, or three to five thousand.
Rich people also have cameras and lenses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to choose from.
A ninja world is totally possible.
Bring happiness to the people and provide the nobles and wealthy with better quality enjoyment that is more in line with their status and worth.
It's perfect.
After many twists and turns, this improvement task finally fell into Chiyo's hands.
Chiyo, who was spending her days leisurely, slowly typed a question mark.
——I am proficient in puppets, and I also have some knowledge of mechanical devices and the like.
But that has nothing to do with the camera.
Chiyo tried to explain, hoping that Miss Ugetsuki would understand.
Camera improvement is not the same as puppetry. Although they are somewhat related, they are in two completely different directions.
Just because she knows puppetry doesn't mean she can definitely do it.
However, before she could explain, the two children beside Yu Yue.
Pharmacist Kabuto and Bai came over.
The two young men with red lips and white teeth, each with their own unique characteristics, looked at him with eyes of expectation, longing and admiration.
“How, how…”
"If it's Chiyo-sama, then it must be possible!"
"That's right, such a small matter will definitely not be difficult for Master Chiyo!"
"Chiyo-sama is the one who taught Scorpion-sama, how could it be impossible?"
"Master Chiyo is indeed a powerful ninja known throughout the five great ninja villages!"
The two of them sang in unison, blocking Chiyo's words.
——You have already said all the good and bad things, so what else can I say?
Unless Chiyo can save face and just give up.
'Can't', 'No', 'Can't do it'.
But for ninjas, they can lose their heads and bleed but they cannot give up their face.
She could only swallow back what she had said before.
"I see."
Now that things have come to this, how can there be any chance to say "no" to her?
Miss Yuyue
Let’s not talk about that.
Her eyes swept across Yakushi Kabuto and Shiraishan.
The two cute boys, each with their own characteristics, were still looking at him with sparkling expressions.
Noticing her gaze, they continued to praise her:
"That's so kind of you, Chiyo-sama!"
"I knew Chiyo-sama could do it!"
"I wish I could be as good as Chiyo-sama."
——Even though I know this is a sugar-coated bullet.
But who can resist the plea of ​​such a cute boy?
Although she didn't know about the existence of the 'Beauty Trap', Chiyo had already felt its horror.
So, the thing about "seduction" really works for everyone, regardless of gender or age.
After watching this whole process, Yu Yue nodded continuously.
Yes, these two are really good.
In addition to his job, he can also use his appearance to his advantage.
When they grow up, they will become the backbone of Yuyue Store.
Yu Yue is really looking forward to their future more and more.
Speaking of children,
"By the way, how's that kid who volunteered before doing?"
"He's still in the Land of Water to receive basic education... After completing basic studies, he will probably go to Kakuzu-sama for an internship."
Uchiha Shisui quickly retrieved relevant information about 'Taketori Kimimaro'.
"That's fine too. Let him do some light work first to recuperate."
Thinking of the thin appearance of the boy when he came, Yu Yue sighed.
Although she has many underage employees, they all eat well, sleep well, and are well-maintained by her.
Nothing like that kid.
"Wait for a while to get used to it before starting the rotation."
Ugetsu has made arrangements for Taketori Kimimaro.
On the other side, a white-haired and white-skinned boy, also wearing the uniform of the Ugetsu Shoten, stood between Kakuzu and the masked man.
"The Bamboo Cutter Clan..."
"Since you know, just surrender."
This was Taketori Kimimaro's first job, and he took it very seriously.
The young man stared at the man opposite him, ready to suppress him directly if he made any rash moves.
"That won't do."
The masked man laughed.
"I still have things to do - so, Mr. Kakuzu, can we get started?"
Although he responded to the boy's words, the masked man obviously didn't take him seriously. Instead, he just stared at Kakuzu who was standing behind him.
Kakuzu tilted his head indifferently.
"Just tell me what you want to say."
"That……"
Uchiha Obito was delighted, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted again.
"etc!"
"……ha?"
The only thing that was exposed in his eyes was a hint of confusion.
What on earth is this for?
"Before we talk, you should pay the bill for me first."
???
Uchiha Obito was confused.
What did I do to deserve the bill?
I haven't finished speaking yet.
"Also, there is a fee for answering."
Jiao said quickly without any stumbling:
"Since this is your first time, I can give you a 9.9% discount - the specific price will depend on the problem, so just let me know if you accept it."!