Chapter 52: The Treasure Hunters

The day of parting always arrives too soon. Bai Mu looked at the pitiful reward of just one hundred gold coins; in the end, Xiao still took Yu Ba with him. Only he held any lingering attachment to the Village Hidden in the Rain. As for the dozen or so other girls, they could hardly be called ninja and brought no reward at all.

"Thank you for all these days of trouble. If you ever come to the Village Hidden in the Rain again, let us host you next time," Yahiko said, shaking Bai Mu's hand. Over the past few days, Bai Mu had treated the three of them to meals every day, and they had each gained several pounds compared to when they first left the village.

"Mm, when you get back, Yahiko, take this chance to experience the things you've never done before. Be good to yourself," Bai Mu said, giving Yahiko's shoulder a hearty slap.

Yahiko couldn't help but feel that Bai Mu's words had a hint of sarcasm.

"Konan, if you have someone you like, you should say it soon, so everyone doesn't keep guessing," Bai Mu said earnestly.

Konan's cheeks flushed slightly. Both of them were so outstanding—one sunny and handsome, the other a silent, gentle soul. How could she possibly choose?

"Nagato, take this bag of oranges for the road. It's getting cold, so remember to wear more thermal underwear—preferably the fireproof kind," Bai Mu said, stuffing a bag of oranges into Nagato's hands.

This guy's heart was as small as a louse's egg, able to wipe out even the eleven clans of Hanzo. Bai Mu knew he had to tread carefully around him.

"…Thank you." Nagato was so taciturn that it was hard to imagine how dull the Akatsuki would become once he became their leader.

…

After sending off the three Akatsuki, Bai Mu found there was little point in lingering in this godforsaken town. He decided to take the group of idiots, whose minds had been clouded by the legend of the Uchiha treasure, and head toward the Village Hidden in the Stones.

Bai Mu reasoned with Kakuzu for half a day before convincing him that the treasure was enough for several lifetimes, making minor rewards not worth the trouble. He explained that Konoha was still strong and they needed allies, not lone wolves.

Only then did Kakuzu agree to travel with the group instead of targeting their bounties. The misfits of the town, won over by Bai Mu, also agreed to let Kakuzu join the treasure-hunting party—after all, he really was formidable.

The mornings in the town were unusually lively; the line at the Fat Dog Tavern stretched all the way to the exchange office.

"Granny… we really can’t take you," Bai Mu said, pinching the bridge of his nose in pain. What kind of people were these? From eighty-year-olds to toddlers barely three or five, all wanted to follow him in search of the Uchiha treasure.

"I don't want a single coin, I just want to see the treasure piled like mountains and uncover the secrets of immortality before I die. I want to feel young again…" The eighty-year-old granny leaned on her cane, grinning toothlessly.

"Alright, alright, if you can keep up, you’re on the list," Bai Mu sighed, not wanting to argue, and had Shangji record her name.

He looked farther down the line.

The lame, the mute, the deaf, the blind, the one-armed, old men, children…

Heavens, what kind of crowd was this? Was he building a beggar’s guild or running a charity?

…

In seven days, almost every resident of the town had heard Bai Mu’s pirate tales. Even those who hadn’t heard the stories knew about the secret of the Uchiha treasure.

One big mouth after another spread the rumors, and now they had grown wild: what Bai Mu described as the Uchiha clan’s treasure, enough to rival nations, had been twisted into secrets of immortality and youth-restoring techniques.

For heaven’s sake, if Lord Madara himself could grow old, how could there be a secret to eternal youth that he wouldn’t use?

Many of the people weren’t after the treasure for wealth, but were instead drawn by the romance of the pirate spirit—they simply wanted to set out on the journey.

"This can’t go on. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is here. I need to be more selective. You there—the short guy selling popcorn… yes, you, come here." Bai Mu pointed to a dwarf barely a meter tall, lugging a set of blackened exploding barrels. Bai Mu had even bought popcorn from him a few days before.

"What’s your name?"

"Explosion Release: Fierce!" The dwarf tore off his shirt, showing off his muscles, and fired a shot into the sky with his iron popcorn barrel. Houses within ten meters shook, and he himself was flung away by the forceful recoil.

(Cue image of the dwarf crewman from Pirates of the Caribbean.)

"Congratulations, you’re hired," Bai Mu said awkwardly, pinching his nose. Then he pointed at another, a legless man: "You there, the limping beggar—what’s your name?"

He’d seen him begging on the roadside days ago, and had suspected he was just hiding his leg.

"Windless Step: Swift!"

The lame man actually took off flying!

"Sir, please come in."

Bai Mu realized: the odder their appearance, the stronger they were.

"You’re too slow at this. Let me pick," Kakuzu said impatiently, stepping to the front of the line—a single glance told him the bounty on each head.

"Five hundred thousand ryo—pass."

"Four hundred thousand ryo—pass."

"One hundred thousand ryo—out of the way."

"A million ryo—pass."

…

A bounty didn’t always reflect strength, but anyone with a high bounty and poor skills was already dead. With Kakuzu’s method, the process became instantly efficient.

…

By noon, they’d recruited over two hundred ninja of various abilities—not a huge number, not even enough for a single squad in the Village Hidden in the Stones, but in the shinobi world, it was already a considerable force.

There were even three S-class jonin mercenaries, on par with Kakuzu, who joined after hearing Bai Mu’s pirate tale.

The "Black Rose Treasure Hunters"—that was the name Bai Mu gave the little organization. Their purpose was clear: not a political group, but a band that fought for wealth alone.

Their emblem was a half-rotten skull entwined with an exotic black rose.

"Everyone, toward the treasure… Forward!"

In history, this day became known as the Uprising of the Fat Dog Tavern.

…

They looked like a band of ragtag bandits, a mob in tattered clothing, straggling toward the Village Hidden in the Stones with no formation at all.

"Shangji, didn’t you want to go to Konoha? Why are you coming along?" Bai Mu asked, lounging comfortably on a donkey cart.

Behind him, a jumble of horse carts, ox carts, and even dog carts trailed along—refugees would have looked better; half the cargo was barrels of wine.

He had no experience with armies, but knew enough to realize that without supplies, they’d never get far. They weren’t a regular force; there was no discipline. Wine was the soul of this motley crew—three days without drink and half would desert.

Empty ideals couldn’t sustain their passion for more than a few days.

"Bai Mu…"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Captain!" Bai Mu was especially insistent on this title.

"Alright, Captain. It’s just that Konoha isn’t accepting anyone yet, so I thought I’d join the adventure. Searching for treasure is exciting, and besides, with half the town gone, the tavern would have no business anyway. Dad decided to close it down," Shangji said, also sitting on a cart. Since she’d grown up keeping the tavern’s books, the poor girl had become Bai Mu’s secretary.

What leader didn’t have a secretary? Now that was proper style, Bai Mu thought.

"What? Your father’s here too?" Bai Mu sat up in fright, looking back just in time to meet the kindly smile of the one-eyed elder.

"Heh heh… heh heh…" Bai Mu still remembered the words Shangji’s father had said as he pressed a knife to Bai Mu’s side: Whoever makes Shangji unhappy will never be happy for the rest of their life.