Chapter 202: Konan, the Living Money Printer

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Two of my readers said the vote button isn't there for Powerstone. Do you have the same problem? I just want to know what is going on.

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"You're a ninja of Konoha, and not just any ninja—you're one of the most famous ones. Sure, you can kill a prisoner of war, but to humiliate one like this? Aren't you afraid of staining your reputation? You're still young!"

Konan remained calm, without a hint of fear, as she spoke to Uchiha Akira.

"I'm not worried. I've got thick skin," Akira replied, his expression serious.

"Then, aren't you worried about how this will reflect on Konoha? Is this how Konoha treats prisoners of war?" Konan pressed on.

"Fine. You've got a point," Akira thought for a moment and had no choice but to admit it.

Indeed, he wasn't just representing himself—his actions also reflected on Konoha.

"So, does she think she can negotiate with explosive tags in exchange for information?" Akira mused, understanding Konan's negotiating tactics.

After pondering for a while, Akira came up with an idea, a sly smile forming on his lips.

Why did he capture Konan in the first place? Was it really for her explosive tags? Not entirely. His primary goal was to get revenge on Nagato.

Nagato had turned Hinata into a vegetable, so in retaliation, Akira captured Konan to give Nagato a taste of his own medicine.

But now, Akira had an even better idea: What if Konan chose to stay with him voluntarily?

How would Nagato feel about that?

For a man, the pain of losing a wife was as intense as losing a father—it was one of the two deepest betrayals.

And this wasn't about killing his wife, but taking her away.

But how could Akira get Konan to willingly stay with him?

Simple—by feeding her little pieces of information. Information about herself, about Nagato, about the Akatsuki, and even about the entire ninja world. He would gradually reveal secrets to her.

The more she learned, the more she'd realize just how deep the secrets of this world ran, and she'd want to know even more.

In doing so, wouldn't she willingly stick by his side, unable to leave?

In short, it was like being hooked on a captivating novel, desperate to know what happens next.

Except here, the cliffhanger was the hidden information about the ninja world.

And as for the consequences of Konan leaking this information to the Akatsuki?

Akira wasn't too worried.

After all, the Akatsuki was full of endless twists and turns, with one boss after another.

If he could turn Nagato to his side and have him help deal with Madara and the Ōtsutsuki, that wouldn't be such a bad outcome.

"Alright then, let's make a deal." With his plan set, Akira nodded and agreed.

After thinking for a moment about the price of the explosive tags, Akira temporarily released the sealing chains that bound Konan. "Make me 10,000 explosive tags for now."

Feeling the temporary release of her seals, Konan wasted no time and began using her ability.

With a Kekkei Genkai-like power, combined with her unique Paper Jutsu, she quickly produced the 10,000 explosive tags, piling them up until they formed a huge stack—like bundles of hundred-yen bills, stacked high.

Looking at the pile, Akira couldn't help but think, This is better than a printing press!

"You know, these explosive tags are as good as money. Why don't you just sell them for profit?" Akira asked, genuinely curious.

Of course, there was another thought he didn't voice: Why make Kakuzu risk his life collecting money when you could just print it?

"Our goal in the Akatsuki is to bring peace to the ninja world, not profit from war," Konan replied seriously.

Even though the Akatsuki had done many questionable things, Konan had never wavered in her belief in the organization's original mission.

"Alright, if that's what you believe," Akira nodded, not saying whether he believed her or not.

"The truth is, during the early stages of the Akatsuki, we focused on staying hidden. Selling explosive tags in bulk would have exposed us too early to the entire ninja world," Konan added.

"So that's the real reason," Akira thought to himself, understanding now.

Akira didn't push the conversation further. After sealing the 10,000 explosive tags into a scroll, he looked at Konan and said, "Alright, now ask your question. What do you want to know?"

After a moment of contemplation, Konan asked, "I want to know how Nagato got the Rinnegan."

"His Rinnegan was implanted by someone else," Akira replied bluntly.

Both fell silent.

After waiting a moment and realizing Akira wasn't going to elaborate, Konan looked at him in confusion. "And? Who implanted it?"

"Ten thousand explosive tags will only get you that much information. If you want to know who did it, that'll cost at least a million tags," Akira responded with a smirk.

"You... you..." Konan gritted her teeth in frustration.

He had already said the Rinnegan wasn't Nagato's by birth, so of course, someone had to implant it. This wasn't news!

But judging by Akira's demeanor, it was clear the price was non-negotiable. Konan shook her head in resignation. "Fine. A million it is."

As she spoke, Konan raised her hand, ready to produce two million explosive tags.

"Wait, no rush. Let's do this when I actually need them," Akira said, raising his hand to stop her.

Flooding the market with too many explosive tags at once would drive down their value.

More importantly, Akira didn't want Konan to spill all the information at once. He wanted to drag it out, giving her a little bit at a time.

After all, this information was exclusive to him—it was a seller's market. Why rush?

"You... you..." Konan was utterly exasperated. She had agreed to his ridiculous demand, and now he was saying he didn't want the tags right away?

Without further delay, Akira reactivated the sealing jutsu, binding Konan's chakra once more.

"Alright, get some rest. And if you make any noise, I won't hesitate to seal your mouth too," Akira warned.

Konan wasn't one to argue endlessly. Though annoyed, she kept quiet and didn't say another word.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning, Akira, along with Naruto and their prisoner Konan, prepared to set off.

Though her body was bound with sealing runes and her chakra was restricted, Konan could still walk normally.

As Akira prepared to leave, Kazekage Rasa, along with his children and several high-ranking Sand Village officials, came to see him off personally.

Konoha had come to their aid when they needed it most, and the Sand Village was deeply grateful.

"Oh, by the way, Kazekage, the defenses of your village seem a bit lacking. I just happen to have a batch of explosive tags I can loan you temporarily," Akira said, turning to Rasa before leaving.

"Oh? That's great news! How many do you have?" Rasa's eyes lit up.

Explosive tags were valuable, after all—each one was as powerful as a C-rank jutsu.

They could be incredibly useful.

"I've got about 10,000 on hand. I'll give them all to you. At the standard market rate, they're worth around 2,000 ryō each. So that's about 20 million ryō," Akira said, pulling out the scroll containing the tags.

"Well... 20 million ryō is a bit tight right now, as you know, Sand Village isn't exactly flush with cash…" Rasa said, taking the scroll with a strained expression.

"Just tell me how much you can pay. I don't have time to haggle," Akira said bluntly.

"15 million, that's all the village can scrape together at the moment," Rasa admitted, clearly frustrated with the Sand Village's financial situation.

"16 million. Take it or leave it," Akira countered, his tone firm.

"Fine. 16 million it is," Rasa agreed, knowing it wasn't worth haggling over a million.

After the 16 million ryō was exchanged, Akira and his companions finally left the Sand Village.

"That was a steal! Akira's such a good guy. He gave us 10,000 explosive tags for just 16 million!" Rasa said, grinning as he watched Akira leave.

"Barely any cost to me, and I made 16 million. That's more than enough for a couple of weeks of life simulations," Akira thought, smiling to himself, satisfied with the deal.

Next to him, Konan rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Sneaky little fox."

Seriously, what was all that about having 'just the right amount of explosive tags' or 'helping Sand Village with its defenses'?

In truth, he had just pulled off a no-cost scam and made millions!

Rasa was probably thinking he'd struck a great deal, feeling grateful to Akira.

Ignoring Konan's thoughts, Akira now had almost 20 million ryō on hand. Remembering he hadn't yet started today's life simulation, he quickly extracted more chakra, enhancing his reserves.

Then, he began another round of life simulation.

In an instant, a million ryō disappeared, and Akira's life simulation began...

*************Important*******************

I'm back with this fanfiction! I didn't spend as much time on it as I would have liked because I was focusing on my other translated novel, "Naruto: Max Level." From now on, I plan to release two chapters per day. Additionally, I will add an extra chapter for every goal power stone I receive. The pace is in your hands!

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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 270+ at patreon.com/Emik01.