Ryan had become famous.
More specifically, the "Peacock King" had.
Granted, for now, that fame was confined to Yuba Town.
After all, the ninja world was vast, and communication nowhere near as fast as Earth. Sure, the major villages had some unique information relay techniques, but they didn't go around spreading random gossip.
So, for any story to circulate across the shinobi world, even ten days would be considered fast.
But this? This was something else.
A fourteen-year-old shinobi had killed an Iwagakure jōnin rogue without taking a scratch.
The underground community was in chaos.
In Yuba Town, bounty hunters who had previously considered targeting Ryan now looked pale with fear. Some remembered that burly bald hunter who had tried his luck and ended up as a corpse. One minute he'd walked out the door… the next, his dead body was back.
People stopped talking.
Ryan knew he was probably getting attention, but he didn't care. He wasn't here for fame.
He had two goals: training and making money.
That's right—money.
Hoshigakure was too small. Lacked talent. Lacked resources.
If he wanted to build it up into a true village, he needed both. Talent without funding was useless. You couldn't raise elite shinobi without equipment, techniques, and training facilities. While money couldn't buy everything, it could buy most of what he needed.
In the long term, commerce and trade would be ideal.
But Ryan knew he didn't have a businessman's instincts. If he did, he wouldn't have ended up unemployed after graduation in his previous life.
So for now, the best way to make money?
Hunt bounties. Lots of them.
S-rank targets were too risky for now. Failure was still on the table.
So he flipped through the A-rank section of the bounty catalog.
After a while, he found something promising.
Blackwood Taichi
Rogue ninja from Sunagakure
Jōnin-level
Bounty: 2.2 million ryō
Last seen near the village of Light Rain, just outside Yuba Town (May 26)
The next day, Ryan returned to the Black Bar.
He stepped inside amid a storm of shocked, confused, and awestruck gazes.
He slapped the catalog down on the counter and pointed.
"Tell me everything you've got on this guy," he said coolly.
The barmaid blinked, stunned. She hadn't expected him to be back so soon, let alone to already be after a new target.
"Who the hell is this kid? I've never seen him before…" one bounty hunter whispered to his companion.
"Shut up!" the other hissed, face turning pale. "That's the kid who insta-killed Bald Qiang yesterday! If you wanna keep breathing, watch your mouth. All it takes is one glare, and you'll be next…"
"What?! He's the one who killed Bald Qiang yesterday?"
The bounty hunter's face went pale, fear flashing through his eyes.
Bald Qiang was the bald man who got taken out at the entrance yesterday. Compared to him, this bounty hunter was barely stronger—if Ryan could instantly kill Qiang, he could probably end him just as easily if he so much as frowned.
Ryan, seated quietly at the bar counter a fair distance away, heard every word. His senses were razor sharp. When he realized that the man he'd casually eliminated yesterday was apparently known as "Bald Qiang," he almost burst out laughing.
That guy? With that chrome dome of his? Bald Qiang? Might as well call him Bear One or Bear Two!
"Duh! What other kid would dare walk in here like he owns the place?" the second hunter muttered, giving his pale-faced friend a pat on the back.
"I still can't believe he completed an A-rank bounty just yesterday… and he's already back for more today!"
A burly man shot a glance at Ryan's slim figure at the counter, his voice tinged with awe.
A swordsman nearby gazed at Ryan's small yet composed frame and sighed, "People like him… they're not from our world. There are always a few born geniuses in this world. All we can do is look up to them."
"Yeah…"
"No doubt about it…"
Murmurs of agreement rippled softly through the bar.
Ryan wasn't surprised they knew about his A-rank kill of Yamashima Kaze. The exchange hall must've reported it to the underground network, and from there the word had spread fast. That was just how things worked in this world.
Behind the counter, the same barmaid flipped through a thick notebook for a long while before smiling up at him. "Found it. But the intel will cost you twenty thousand ryō."
"Alright."
Ryan didn't hesitate. He pulled out a stack of bills and dropped it on the counter with a soft thud.
"The target hasn't been seen recently in any major city," the woman explained as she handed him the intel. "But based on rumors, he's probably holed up somewhere near the outskirts of Hundred Flowers City. If you want more specific info, you'll have to check the area in person."
Ryan's expression stiffened. His mood darkened slightly.
So he's not even in the city anymore…
No wonder the intel was cheaper than yesterday's. Without a precise location, the value naturally dropped. Even if the guy was spotted near Hundred Flowers City, finding him was still going to require legwork—and possibly even more money for updated clues.
Sighing, Ryan walked out of the black bar with a faint scowl.
Making money in this world was tough.
Being a bounty hunter wasn't all kill-and-cash. Most targets weren't just going to wander into your lap—you had to buy intel, track them down, verify it wasn't a trap… A good portion of your earnings went right back into costs. One wrong streak and you might break even or worse.
Still, even if Blackwood Taichi wasn't in the city proper, he was somewhere nearby. It was still an opportunity worth chasing. Especially since Ryan had spotted a few rare medicinal herbs in that region the last time he passed through.
Leaving behind the bustling streets of Yuba Town, Ryan slipped into a quiet forest outside the city. He activated the Peacock Sage Art, conjuring a pair of shimmering violet chakra wings. With a soft hum, his body lifted off the ground and became a purple streak in the sky, streaking toward the borders of the Land of Birds.