Chapter 23: The Man in the Tiger Mask Meets Kakuzu by Chance    

In the end, Zabuza chose to leave with Haku, taking his giant sword with him—the Kubikiribōchō. The sword, however, was left beside Sasuke just in case.

But who could guarantee that Zabuza would truly give up on the sword? After all, the future is unpredictable.

As for the sword itself, Sasuke didn't have much affection for it. Not only was it heavy and cumbersome, but apart from its ability to recover by absorbing blood, there was nothing remarkable about it. This trait obviously didn't align with Sasuke's fighting style.

For Sasuke, whether a weapon is useful or not isn't the key factor. What matters more is that it looks cool. Suddenly, an idea flashed in Sasuke's mind: 'Maybe I could forge my own sword.'

'When I return to Konoha, I'll have to learn blacksmithing skills,' he decided.

At the moment, Zabuza still needed time to recuperate before he could go to the black market to collect his bounty. So, Team 7 decided to stay in the Land of Waves for a while longer.

Sasuke didn't really want to return to Konoha so soon anyway. After all, leaving Konoha hadn't been easy this time. In Konoha, everything needed to be done carefully and discreetly. Any slip-up could easily catch the attention of Danzo, the one-eyed shadow of the village.

Until his strength grew further, Sasuke didn't want to attract too much attention or act too boldly. However, once he stepped outside the village, he could finally relax a little.

Meanwhile, Naruto had been deeply motivated by Sasuke's performance. Sasuke had managed to defeat a formidable opponent like Zabuza, while Naruto had struggled to even keep up with Zabuza's speed. Driven by this, Naruto began training with his shadow clones day and night, practicing the Rasengan in hopes of improving his strength quickly.

Sakura continued her dedication to studying medical ninjutsu.

As for Sasuke, after consulting with Kakashi, he decided to visit the underground black market to broaden his horizons.

Kakashi gave Sasuke a stern warning. The underground black market was filled with dangers. There, rogue ninjas from across the world gathered. These rogue ninjas followed no rules, morals, or codes of conduct. Killing, stealing, and robbing were common occurrences. Ultimately, rogues were desperate individuals who would do anything for profit.

In the end, Sasuke promised Kakashi that he would only send a shadow clone to the black market. Relieved by this promise, Kakashi gave Sasuke detailed information about the black market.

In a hidden corner of the Land of Waves, Sasuke used the letter Kakashi had given him to activate a secret entrance by blowing into a specific spot. A hidden door appeared before him. Sasuke entered without hesitation, though it wasn't his real body but a shadow clone disguised by a transformation jutsu.

This shadow clone sported a unique appearance: spiky hair hanging behind him, a tiger-striped mask on his face, and a black cloak draped over his shoulders, giving him an intimidating aura.

The underground market was spacious but dimly lit. Scattered figures moved about, many of them wearing masks—likely black market workers.

At that moment, a staff member was attending to a special guest—a ninja with green eyes, wearing a black cloak adorned with red clouds, and carrying a corpse on his back. It was none other than Kakuzu, who was there to claim his bounty. Kakuzu, always driven by money, was either on his way to kill or collecting his reward.

One of the staff members approached Sasuke's shadow clone. "You must be new here. What can we do for you? We offer a variety of services, from completing bounty missions to buying and selling intelligence and even secret techniques. Whatever you need, for the right price, we can provide it."

Sasuke spoke in a controlled, quiet voice. "What kind of secret techniques do you have? Show me something special."

The staff member immediately handed over a large book filled with listings. As Sasuke flipped through it, he saw various ninjutsu, but most were low-level and common techniques. Occasionally, a high-level jutsu appeared, but its price was absurd.

None of the listed techniques were particularly unique or valuable. They were mostly basic elemental jutsu, nothing that would interest Sasuke, who could copy nearly anything with his Sharingan. Why bother paying for something he could acquire himself?

Frustrated, Sasuke sighed. "Is this all you have?"

The staff member, a bit embarrassed, replied, "Special techniques are hard to come by. Most are closely guarded and rarely appear on the market."

Sasuke asked a few more questions, but none of the answers met his expectations. "Your black market seems pretty lacking," he muttered.

Irritated, the staff member snapped back, "What you're asking for is rare. We don't have it."

Sasuke frowned, thinking for a moment before asking, "Do you have chakra metal? The type of metal that can be infused with chakra?"

In the original work, he remembered that the Kusanagi sword was made of such a metal. Only a sword forged with this material could effectively conduct chakra and wield significant power.

The staff member perked up. "We do have that. Are you interested in buying now?"

Sasuke, unfazed, replied, "No, just prepare some for my next visit."

With that, Sasuke left the dark, damp underground market, breathing in the fresh air as he emerged outside.

Suddenly, a voice called out behind him: "You there! Stop!"