The first piece of news was about Heiyan defeating seven Sand ninjas in a row, after which he was summoned by the Third Hokage.
Then, someone—nobody knew exactly who—gave him the nickname "Little Tobirama."
Indeed, from his looks and presence to his Water Release techniques and even his Thunder God Sword, Heiyan looked just like the former Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
So naturally, the name caught on fast and started spreading all over the village.
The second piece of news also involved Heiyan.
It was said that the three top geniuses from Konoha's new generation would duel at the Valley of the End at precisely 2 PM, seven days later.
These three prodigies were none other than Heiyan—"Little Tobirama," who had shot to fame overnight; Fugaku Uchiha, the Number One Prodigy from the Uchiha clan; and Hiashi Hyuga, the prestigious heir of the Hyuga main branch.
This information was reportedly leaked by Pakura, Sunagakure's talented kunoichi, so the credibility level was very high.
According to what people found out, Hiashi himself admitted that he'd be facing Heiyan in a duel. Though Fugaku gave no response, he didn't deny it either—an effective confirmation.
Because of this, more than half the village became lively with excitement.
Not long ago, during the Chunin Exams, when things were getting most exciting, an unexpected tragedy forced the entire event to halt abruptly—an enormous letdown for the majority of the spectators.
They hadn't gotten their fill of excitement yet.
Now, however, Konoha's three greatest young talents were all gathering at the Valley of the End. No doubt about it—the fight would be way more exciting than the Chunin Exams, and the best part? Totally free to watch.
The appeal of this anticipated battle was obvious.
Therefore, people ran to inform each other, spreading the news further and further until the atmosphere was boiling hot.
From the Third Hokage down to regular villagers, all of Konoha turned their eyes toward this upcoming battle.
However, besides the citizens of Konoha, this battle match also drew the attention of some outsiders...
Within the Land of Fire, somewhere along a path.
Black Zetsu walked slowly down the road wearing a conical straw hat.
This was an extremely remote trail, surrounded by endless dense old-growth forests where wild beasts and birds occasionally appeared. After walking nonstop for two and a half hours, a street finally came into view ahead.
The street was desolate, with only a few ordinary houses and an unattended convenience store. On a nearby telephone pole perched several crows, whose occasional croaks broke the silence now and then.
"It's been a while."
Arriving at the end of the street, Black Zetsu stood in front of a tall building, murmuring nostalgically. Then, he directly entered the building and headed straight for the restroom.
Though not literally at the same time, it was indeed the same restroom.
Despite the air being thick with the stench of urine, for Black Zetsu, this odor smelled oddly familiar—nostalgic, even comforting.
A faint smile curved upon his lips as a rare expression of warmth surfaced on his otherwise emotionless face.
For behind the hidden door in this restroom lay the underground organization that he personally founded—the Golden Exchange.
The Golden Exchange consisted of five locations, each situated within one of the Five Great Ninja Countries.
Its function was that of a secret black market, circulating countless amounts of illicit money, confidential intelligence, and stolen goods that could never see daylight.
Of course, when talking about Golden Exchange's most distinctive service, it's definitely the bounty system. Here, as long as you have enough money, you can put a price on anyone's head—including even the daimyos of the Five Great Countries and the Kages of various villages.
Black Zetsu had lived for over a thousand years. To resurrect his mother Kaguya Otsutsuki, he'd laid countless schemes. How could someone like him lack his own forces, intelligence network, or source of wealth?
Without exaggeration, as the owner of the Golden Exchange, his power rivaled that of any daimyo or Kage in the Five Great Countries.
No matter how brilliant he was, at the end of the day he remained just one person. Therefore, once the Golden Exchange grew powerful, it naturally drew attention from the Five Great Countries.
Thus, the daimyos of each nation and the ninja village factions gradually infiltrated its operations, significantly diluting Black Zetsu's authority. This eventually evolved into today's situation—
five countries, five Golden Exchanges, maintaining mutual balance and silent recognition of each other.
Still, no matter what, the true master of Golden Exchange has always been Black Zetsu.
For a long time, he maintained secrecy about his whereabouts and never revealed his true identity to others. The high-ranking elders across nations feared possible repercussions and dared not act against him, only knowing that the master of Golden Exchange was an extremely mysterious figure who mustn't be provoked.
Black Zetsu strolled leisurely into Golden Exchange's underground trading hall.
Unlike the empty surface level, this underground space buzzed with noise and activity. Ronin, warriors, and bounty hunters crammed the hall, crowding around the mission posting and completion counters.
"Bring me the manager."
Black Zetsu showed a staff member a token representing his authority. Immediately, shock appeared on the employee's face. He became extremely respectful, backing away while bowing repeatedly before rushing off to find the manager.
Ten minutes later, in the VIP lounge.
Before Black Zetsu sat five white body bags lined up neatly in a row. Their zippers had already been opened, revealing the corpses inside.
"Sir," the manager bowed respectfully and carefully explained the origins of these bodies, "as per your instructions, all five of them had bounties exceeding 30 million ryō when alive. They were S-rank Rogue Ninjas, known shinobi, or unknown yet powerful experts who kept a low profile."
Black Zetsu listened indifferently while scanning the corpses with his eyes. Eventually, his gaze settled on a female corpse.
Though her eyes were closed and her face pale, her delicate facial features clearly showed she had been beautiful in life. Additionally, she had striking mist-blue long hair, and her figure wasn't bad either.
"This one."
Black Zetsu pointed toward the female corpse and said lightly, "Clean her up properly and dress her in new clothes. I'm taking her with me."
"Yes sir."
Upon hearing this, the manager immediately ordered his subordinates to follow Black Zetsu's instructions.
This guy's got some seriously weird tastes...
The manager stood aside, cautiously observing Black Zetsu while thinking inwardly.
After all, Black Zetsu had specifically picked an attractive woman from among the corpses and ordered her to be cleaned up and dressed before being taken away—all at a cost of several million ryō.
It easily led people to misunderstand.
Actually though, Black Zetsu didn't think much of it.
This so-called "person" was essentially nothing more than a puddle of liquid spat out by Kaguya—with no concept of gender whatsoever. Whether man or woman, they were all merely lowly creatures, despicable insects in his eyes.
He chose this female corpse simply because she was relatively young and had died not long ago, making her the most suitable sacrificial vessel.
That's right, a sacrificial vessel.
A sacrifice to allow an old wretch, barely clinging to life deep beneath the earth, to finally see the light of day and rise to the surface once again...
One day later.
In a secret underground facility southeast of Leaf Village.
Black Zetsu returned here, carrying the Kunoichi's corpse.
"What about that Uchiha brat lately?"
Seated on a tall stone chair, pretending to sleep, Madara Uchiha opened his single eye and asked casually.
"Fugaku Uchiha seems to have already adapted to the power of the triple-tomoe Sharingan. Truly deserves the title of genius," Black Zetsu praised.
"He hasn't even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan yet—dare call himself a genius?" Madara Uchiha couldn't help but sneer.
"He naturally can't compare with you."
Seeing the opening, Black Zetsu smoothly flattered, "However, with Fugaku's potential, becoming the next head of the Uchiha clan won't be difficult. He's actually quite a useful pawn who could eventually help us control the entire Uchiha clan."
"Hmm." Madara Uchiha gave a slight nod.
"Oh, by the way,"
Black Zetsu suddenly spoke up. "Two days from now, Fugaku has arranged for a final showdown with an opponent in the Valley of the End. Would you like to go watch?"
"No need."
Madara waved his hand dismissively, clearly uninterested in Fugaku.
But Black Zetsu's next sentence made him immediately tense.
"I heard that Fugaku's opponent is a genius nicknamed 'Little Tobirama'—he's practically mastered every ninjutsu technique of the Second Hokage, even acquiring the Thunder God Sword."
With his small round eyes rolling like beans, Black Zetsu added regretfully, "Given Fugaku's current strength, he'll probably lose to this Little Tobirama—maybe even suffer a crushing defeat."
"Little Tobirama?"
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