WUM 212 (Patreon)

Chapter 212:Conan’s Procurement

In the deserts of the Land of Wind, Conan was flying through the air while Zetsu scouted underground.

For several days now, the two had been combing the borders of the Land of Wind, following scattered rumors in search of Sasori of the Red Sand.

However, because Sasori had long been on the run from Sunagakure’s ANBU and was extremely cautious about his movements, even Zetsu had been unable to locate any trace of him.

Perhaps due to the dryness of the desert climate, the aloe-like White Zetsu particularly disliked this environment—especially burrowing beneath the scorching sands, where the heat rapidly drained his stamina.

Three days later, Zetsu finally refused to continue the search. “I’m heading back to Akatsuki immediately. I can’t hold out in this desert any longer.”

“My stamina drains too fast here. You can fly, but I can’t,” he argued—not exactly a convincing reason, but his tone made it clear he was done.

And with Conan around, he never had the chance to slack off. If he didn’t take this opportunity to escape, when would he? No one could make Zetsu stay—except for Mother.

Before Conan could even respond, Zetsu slipped underground and disappeared, leaving her no chance to speak.

Still, Conan couldn’t pursue him even if she wanted to.

She knew all too well what kind of organization Akatsuki had become. Aside from herself and Nagato, everyone else—Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi, Jūzō Biwa—were missing-nin. Expecting loyalty and integrity from a group of renegades would be absurd.

But Conan herself could not simply abandon the mission midway. She continued her search for Sasori. Normally, Akatsuki’s intelligence work was handled by Zetsu—or obtained through Kakuzu purchasing information from bounty stations.

That made Kakuzu’s financial role crucial, since in the shinobi world, nothing could function without money.

However, Conan and Nagato had kept one of Akatsuki’s income sources secret: the sale of explosive tags. Conan possessed a unique advantage in producing them—her Paper Release allowed her to mass-produce explosive tags quickly and efficiently.

This had become Akatsuki’s true main source of income. Kakuzu’s earnings from mercenary work alone were nowhere near enough to sustain Amegakure’s development.

Meanwhile, Kakuzu was hard at work like a diligent honeybee, traveling with a merchant caravan from the Land of Rivers toward the Land of Wind.

Though Sunagakure was poor, Rasa had likely mined some new gold dust by now—Kakuzu was expecting to make a tidy profit.

As he savored the thought of a big payday, a sheet of white paper drifted down from the sky—imbued with a familiar chakra signature. Kakuzu glanced at it and immediately broke into a cold sweat.

“You all keep heading toward Sunagakure,” he said quickly. “I have something to take care of.” He gave a subtle signal to Uchiha Tekkō.

Tekkō instantly understood and raised his guard.

Once the caravan was far enough away, Conan descended from the sky.

“Kakuzu, what are you doing in the Land of Wind? I thought the leader sent you to monitor the war between Konoha and Kumogakure?” Conan asked from a distance, sending a message through her Dance of the Shikigami.

Kakuzu’s first instinct was panic—had the leader discovered his “betrayal”? Was Nan here to confront him?

“I took a bounty station mission to escort a merchant caravan from the Land of Rivers. Their destination happens to be Sunagakure,” Kakuzu replied evenly.

He then closely watched Conan’s reaction. If she showed even the slightest sign of suspicion, he would immediately look for an opening to eliminate her.

After all, the moment he saw her paper note, Kakuzu’s mind had already compared Akatsuki’s leader, Nagato, to his new employer, Uchiha Akira of the Land of Rivers.

One had the Rinnegan, the other a Mangekyō Sharingan.

A normal person would naturally side with the wielder of the Rinnegan—the power of the Sage of Six Paths himself.

But Kakuzu had chosen without hesitation: his employer, Uchiha Akira. To him, money was the only true faith. His “boss” was generous—unlike the leader, who even docked his mission pay. The outcome was obvious.

“Do you know the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers?” Conan asked, not noticing Kakuzu’s unease. The old man was over eighty—his poker face flawless—and her attention was elsewhere.

“I don’t know the Daimyō personally,” Kakuzu said. “But this caravan works directly for him. Their leader can arrange an introduction if needed. Why do you ask?”

Kakuzu exhaled in relief. It seemed Conan had met him purely by coincidence. There was no need for a fight—and truthfully, he doubted he could even catch Nan.

In the entire shinobi world, flight was nearly as advantageous as space-time ninjutsu. If she couldn’t win, she could just fly away—practically unbeatable.

Since Conan hadn’t realized his double dealings, Kakuzu certainly wasn’t going to risk angering the leader.

“I heard that the Land of Rivers developed a medicine called antibiotics that can cure many diseases. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is. The medicine exists, but it’s not cheap. The Land of Rivers’ caravan includes it in their current shipment to Sunagakure.”

“Would it be possible for Akatsuki to purchase some?”

Amegakure, now under Akatsuki’s control, was staffed entirely by new recruits that Nagato and Conan had brought in.

With the Land of Rain’s constant humidity, its citizens were far more prone to illness than elsewhere, and the damp climate made recovery difficult.

Conan had received intelligence reports about antibiotics—highly effective medicine capable of treating many conditions. She wanted to learn more about the Land of Rivers and its products.

Now, encountering Kakuzu’s caravan was the perfect opportunity to ask.

“Of course it’s possible to buy, but the price is steep,” Kakuzu said. “Both Iwagakure and Konoha have already purchased large quantities at premium rates.”

Conan’s eyes lit up at the good news.

“Kakuzu, handle this purchase for me, would you? Since you’re already dealing with the caravan, it’ll be easier that way. Tell me how much funding you’ll need—I’ll prepare it.”

“At least eighty million ryō,” Kakuzu replied smoothly. “How long will it take for the organization to gather that much? I need to notify the merchants in advance.”

Kakuzu finally relaxed completely.

“Eighty million? That’s not much. Give me half an hour—I’ll bring you the cash,” Conan said. For someone as wealthy as her, that amount was nothing.

She didn’t even notice Kakuzu’s twisted expression as she flew off.

Eighty million ryō, easily handed over—while he was still being sent out on underpaid missions. Kakuzu couldn’t help but feel cheated.

“Is the organization really short on money?” he muttered bitterly, thinking of all the profits he’d turned in. The thought was painful.

But then he remembered—he was technically a traitor now. That brought him some comfort.

At least he’d get a cut of this medicine deal. Truly, sticking with Uchiha Akira, his generous employer, was the right move—that’s where the real money was.

As for Conan’s six hundred billion explosive tags… Kakuzu still had no idea where she got the funding.

Even if he worked another hundred years, honest labor would never get him that rich.