The following day, Raizen received an envelope from a mail carrier.
Puzzled, Raizen opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Its contents were roughly as follows:
Boss Raizen, this is Kakuzu. I served as your guard recently. Regarding your high-reward mission to seek heirs, I am quite interested. I have specifically prepared eighteen women of exceptional beauty for you. Please come to the black market we visited last time to discuss the details of this collaboration.
Reading the letter, Raizen wore a peculiar expression.
This old man Kakuzu actually found eighteen women for me to have children with?
This was completely unexpected. Lord Kakuzu truly lived up to his reputation as the "Super Financial Manager" who would eventually amass a fortune for Konan; his ability to grasp business opportunities was absolute.
With several of his current wives now pregnant, Raizen indeed needed to consider the next batch of children. His initial "Seeking Heirs" advertisement had attracted many... well, let's just say it was like looking for a needle in a haystack to find someone suitable.
He wondered if these eighteen women found by Kakuzu would meet his standards. Raizen's taste was exceptionally high; out of over a thousand applications last time, he had only selected ten. It was a literal "one in a hundred" selection process.
After finishing the letter, Raizen decided to meet with the old miser. He had money, and Kakuzu loved making it; there would be plenty of opportunities for cooperation between them in the future.
After informing his household, Raizen set out in a horse-drawn carriage. He deliberately chose not to use the Flying Raijin to avoid raising suspicion. If he were to appear at the black market immediately after receiving the letter, any observant tracker would realize he possessed some form of instant-teleportation technique.
Moreover, using a carriage served another purpose: if he truly liked any of the women, he could drive them home directly without wasting time looking for another vehicle.
Raizen had barely left Konoha when Kabuto Yakushi followed him.
Truly, a gift from the heavens, Kabuto thought, leaping between the branches of the great trees.
I was wondering how to find a chance to test him, and now he's stepped out of the village of his own accord, handing me the opportunity on a silver platter.
Since he's out of Konoha, there's no need for mere testing. I'll just kidnap him and take him away. But we're still too close to the village gates; I'll wait until he's further out before I strike.
About half an hour later, the town was finally in sight. There was no one else on the road, only Raizen's lone carriage.
Now.
A kunai, wrapped with an explosive tag, streaked toward Raizen's carriage.
Sitting on the driver's seat, Raizen immediately heard the ominous sizzle behind him. He reacted instantly, leaping away from the carriage.
BOOM!
The roof of the carriage was blown apart. The horse, terrified, bolted down the road, dragging the flaming wreckage of the frame behind it.
Raizen landed gracefully to the side, his gaze fixed on the nearby woods.
Shush-shush-shush!
Three more kunai flew at him, all wrapped with explosive tags. Raizen leaped again to dodge.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ground where he had just stood was cratered by the blasts. Re-landing, Raizen locked onto a specific tree.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Raizen shouted.
"Hmph."
Kabuto Yakushi let out a cold snort and stepped out slowly, adjusting his glasses with a look of supreme confidence.
Raizen recognized him instantly, but spoke nonetheless: "Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"
"My name is Kabuto Yakushi, a loyal servant of Lord Orochimaru. My master has matters to discuss with you. I must ask you to come with me."
"A servant of Orochimaru?" Raizen feigned shock. "Orochimaru is a rogue ninja of the Leaf. You dare show your face before me? Aren't you afraid I'll notify Konoha and have you captured?"
Kabuto smiled confidently. "We are far enough from the village now. Even if you fire a signal flare, it would take reinforcements at least half an hour to arrive. That is more than enough time for me to subdue you."
Raizen sneered. "You're quite confident. Aren't you afraid of failing?"
"Raizen Uchiha, a Genin of the Leaf who has spent years away as a merchant... your strength is at most that of a Chūnin. I am quite confident in my ability to handle a Chūnin."
Raizen stared at him. "I'm curious—why is Orochimaru suddenly interested in me?"
For years, Orochimaru hadn't spared him a glance. This sudden interest was suspicious. Raizen suspected that Danzo had leaked his information to the Sannin. In this timeline, Orochimaru had likely already encountered Itachi in the Akatsuki; after being humiliated by Itachi's eyes, his obsession with Uchiha bodies would have reached its peak.
Danzo's previous attempt to ambush him had failed, and since then, the elder had been quiet. He was likely waiting for Orochimaru to do his dirty work.
Now, Orochimaru had sent Kabuto. This guy had probably been lurking in Konoha for a while. When Raizen left in a carriage today to meet Kakuzu, he had provided Kabuto with the perfect window.
Raizen narrowed his eyes, his mind piecing the puzzle together. That's likely the gist of it.
"Lord Orochimaru has always been curious about the Uchiha clan. That is why he sent me specifically to invite you," Kabuto said. If he could convince Raizen to come quietly without a fight, he wouldn't waste the effort.
"I'm quite interested in Orochimaru as well," Raizen said.
This wasn't a lie. He was genuinely interested in the "mad scientist," particularly his Reanimation Jutsu (Edo Tensei). With it, he could bring back his "older brother," Fugaku Uchiha.
While Raizen thought Fugaku's choices had been foolish, the man had been his brother in this life and had doted on him—he was essentially a "brother-complex" guardian. With sufficient strength, Raizen would definitely choose to revive him, allowing Sasuke to reunite with his parents.
"Since you are interested, why not come with me now to meet Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked.
Raizen shook his head. "I'm interested in him, but now is not the time for a meeting. I'll seek him out myself when I have the time."
"That is a pity. It seems I have no choice but to use force," Kabuto sighed.
"Hmph. As it happens, I was looking for someone to test my strength against."
Inside Konoha, Raizen had to hide his power. But out here, revealing a bit of his strength was no issue. Using Kabuto as a sparring partner to gain combat experience was perfect.
Kabuto was an enemy of the Leaf; even if he gauged Raizen's strength, he certainly wouldn't report it to the village. At most, he'd record it in his little info cards. Furthermore, showing some strength to Kabuto now would give Raizen more bargaining chips when he eventually dealt with Orochimaru.
Only the strong have the right to negotiate with the strong. To the weak, people don't even grant a second glance.