The mission for Hong Zhong and Kakuzu was simple: infiltrate the Land of Lightning, clear out the Hidden Cloud's border outposts, and observe the village's reactions to gauge its internal state. That was all. Reportedly, this was a mission from the Land of Earth.
Three days later, in the Land of Frost, the two had completed their mission and were exiting the Land of Lightning. The Land of Frost, bordering the Land of Lightning, was the only land route into the country. Yong'en City, a prosperous border town near the Land of Lightning, became a stop on their return journey.
How to describe Yong'en City's prosperity? Hong Zhong's gaze swept over the bustling storefronts and finally settled on a vibrant red sign in the distance—the "Old Godmother Fast Food" restaurant! This alone was enough to be the standard for judging a city's or town's prosperity in the ninja world.
"You go to Old Godmother and get two sets of meals. I'm going to buy a newspaper!" As soon as they entered the town, Kakuzu spoke without warning, sending Hong Zhong on an errand.
"Alright," Hong Zhong nodded slightly, giving him a quick glance before looking away. Three days, and this guy really held his breath.Good. A subtle smile curved Hong Zhong's lips. He would just have to do a surprise inspection of the Old Godmother Fast Food restaurant to see if they were using day-old lemons.
Watching the red-clouded figure disappear into the crowd, Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. Over the past few days, he had carefully observed his teammate. His strength was average, about the same as his last teammate, and easy to handle.
He turned his attention away and walked to a colorful newsstand on the street corner. His voice was flat. "The Bounty Hunter's Bulletin." He tossed down a few cold coins and took the newspaper. Kakuzu's green eyes quickly scanned the prices.
At the very top was still Obito Uchiha. The situation in the Land of Lightning was still brewing, and his bounty had increased by another 200 million ryo. But Obito Uchiha was a guy who could kill the Raikage! Kakuzu was willing, but powerless. He could only wait for the next team mission, hoping to grab an arm or something. If they had a few more missions, he would eventually be able to collect all the parts of Obito Uchiha! At that point... 3.4 billion ryo!
Imagining a mountain of money, his fingers trembled slightly. He forced himself to suppress his boiling greed, his gaze continuing to scan downward with a morbid obsession. He saw many bounties that made him drool, but they were too far away. He could only jot them down in his bounty notebook and wait for a future opportunity to cash them in.
Suddenly, his eyes were locked on a name that was all too familiar!
Kakuzu: Bounty 28 million ryo!
He subconsciously tightened his grip on the newspaper. If only... if only he could turn in "himself"... The thought flashed for a moment, then was crushed by cold reality. What a shame! He couldn't kill himself, otherwise, he would have done it for the bounty.
He searched for a while longer and finally found it! In a corner of the newspaper, he found his new teammate's bounty.
"Identity Unknown - Suspected Rogue Shinobi - Hong Zhong! First Bounty: 5.2 million ryo!"
Time seemed to freeze. The noisy chatter around the newsstand, the scent of fried chicken from a distance, the cool morning breeze... all sounds, smells, and sensations suddenly faded. In his vision, there was only that string of cold numbers: 5,200,000!
In an instant, a murderous glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes, which were as green as money. Very good! The value of this fat pig probably won't increase any further. Now, the pig is finally fat enough to be slaughtered!
"Obito Uchiha, bounty 3.4 billion ryo," Hong Zhong said, his sunny face suddenly popping out from behind the newspaper. His voice was "innocently" teasing. "Kakuzu-senpai, you're still obsessed with him!" He took a sip of his Coke, holding two bags of fast food. He handed one to Kakuzu and, with sharp eyes, noticed another bounty. "Kakuzu-senpai, you're worth 28 million ryo. Tsk... that's a lot!"
Kakuzu's withered fingers discreetly rubbed against the paper, covering the corner where Hong Zhong's bounty was printed. He remained silent, letting his new teammate chatter away. He didn't like teammates who talked too much, but... the "fat pig" was about to die, so he might as well let him speak his last words.
The two of them quickly finished their fast food, but the spicy taste couldn't suppress the murderous intent churning within Kakuzu. Just then, they received another mission from their leader: infiltrate the Hidden Cloud Village and investigate the truth behind the Two-Tails jinchūriki's disappearance.
The Two-Tails? This was related to the organization's plan to capture Tailed Beasts! They returned to the Land of Lightning!
Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Raikage's death and the shock to the Hidden Cloud's leadership, the two slithered through the village's defenses like venomous snakes. Soon, two unlucky Hidden Cloud patrol shinobi were silently taken down and dragged into the shadows.
During the interrogation, Hong Zhong watched with great interest as Kakuzu, with his withered fingers, easily pried open the captives' mouths as if they were puppets. The conclusion was that the Two-Tails was very likely in Obito Uchiha's hands.
Snap!
Kakuzu cleanly snapped the captive's neck, the movement as practiced as breaking a dry twig. He paused for a moment and then casually discarded the body. These two lightning-style captives were too weak to be of use, not even as good as the "fat pig's" heart!
Just as the two finished cleaning up their tracks and were about to leave, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A dozen figures emerged from the forest and behind the rocks like ghosts! Cold kunai and long blades shimmering with lightning instantly formed a deadly net, trapping the two in the center.
"S-rank rogue ninja, Kakuzu! And that unknown Hong Zhong!" A Hidden Cloud jonin with a thick beard and dark skin stepped forward, his voice like thunder. "Put down your weapons! Surrender now! Or... we will kill you!"
"Unknown ninja Hong Zhong?"
A subtle eyebrow twitch from Hong Zhong. He glanced at the bearded jonin and silently marked him for death. He looked around; they were completely surrounded, and escape was impossible. But he had already anticipated this. It was a trail Kakuzu had deliberately left, and Hong Zhong had allowed it to happen. Was this old ghost finally getting ready to sharpen his knife for the slaughter?
"Kill everyone else!" Kakuzu's cold voice rang out like a death knell, and his index finger pointed directly at the bearded jonin. "Leave him!"
Hong Zhong, in a perfect show of "newbie" confusion, asked, "Huh? Why him?"
Kakuzu's head snapped to the side, and he gave Hong Zhong an impatient look, as if looking at a dead man. But perhaps fearing this "idiot" would mess things up, he squeezed out an explanation in a voice as dry as sandpaper rubbing against rock. "He's worth 12 million ryo!"
"Got it!" Hong Zhong nodded. 12 million? Though I don't lack that kind of pocket change... every little bit helps!
Boom! The shriek of a kunai with an explosive tag tore through the brief silence, and the battle instantly erupted! The crowd quickly split into two groups: Hong Zhong's side and Kakuzu's side. The Hidden Cloud shinobi, well-trained, formed a cordon around the two.
Kakuzu's withered face was expressionless, even with a hint of mockery. Facing the siege, he moved like a phantom, weaving through the lightning net. Each swing of his wide sleeve brought a shower of blood. Earth Spear hardening! Water Release slicing! Wind Blade decapitation!
A dozen minutes? No! Only a few breaths! The ground beneath his feet was already stained dark red, with severed limbs scattered everywhere. The last Hidden Cloud shinobi had his neck snapped as easily as one would crack an egg.
On the other side of the battlefield, Hong Zhong was seemingly "struggling," maneuvering under the assault of several Hidden Cloud swordsmen. But out of the corner of his eye, he accurately saw the end of Kakuzu's slaughter and the old ghost's leisurely pulling out of a body bag!
Kakuzu, like the most professional butcher, meticulously stuffed the 12-million-ryo jonin into the body bag, as if he were packing cargo.
Having done all this, he slowly turned to Hong Zhong's "stalemated" battlefield, his skinny hands quickly making hand signs. "Time to send you off, fat pig..."
"Combined Ninjutsu: Blaze and Wind Vortex!"
Fearing that his teammate wouldn't die, he had chosen the most powerful combined ninjutsu.
Boom! A torrent of flames swept across the area, instantly engulfing seven or eight Hidden Cloud shinobi and Hong Zhong!
"No—" The Hidden Cloud swordsmen who were caught in the vortex only managed to let out half a scream of despair!
Sizzle—
In an instant, Kakuzu smelled roasted meat.
When the flames subsided, only scorched earth and a few wisps of smoke remained. Kakuzu, like a vulture, leaped down from above, searching through the hot embers. 5.2 million ryo was not a small sum! He couldn't let it go to waste!
Soon, he found his target—a charred, curled-up fragment of an Akatsuki cloak, barely recognizable by its red-cloud pattern. A satisfied smile curved on his lips, and his withered claw reached for the remnant...
Splat—
A cold, icy light, without any warning, shot out from beneath the charred cloak fragment! It was precise! Vicious! Like a snake's fangs, it instantly pierced through Kakuzu's heart!
"Cough, cough!"
Kakuzu's body stiffened. His dark green pupils shrank into pinpricks! He looked down in disbelief—a long sword shimmering with eerie blue lightning was now completely embedded in his heart! He struggled to lift his head. The charred Akatsuki cloak fragment was pushed aside by an unharmed hand.
Hong Zhong, without a single scratch, stood up from the scorched earth of death. The "newbie" confusion on his face was gone, replaced by a cold, taunting scrutiny.
"Kakuzu-senpai..." Hong Zhong's voice was frighteningly calm. "When you're collecting a body... you have to make sure the target is really 'dead' first."
Pfft—
Kakuzu spat out a large mouthful of black blood. His body swayed, about to collapse completely, when a sudden change occurred!
Tear—
The tattered Akatsuki cloak on Kakuzu's back ripped open. A more solid, ominous black shadow, a Jiongu with a sinister mask, shot out with a silent scream! This was Jiongu, Kakuzu's true... immortal core!
"Hah—"
Spitting out another pool of black blood, Kakuzu let out a sneer. His wrinkled face showed no fear. Instead, it contorted into a twisted expression of pain and mad laughter. He had four lives, and even after losing one, he still had three! But this "fat pig"... this weakling... didn't get a second chance!
He struggled to lift his head, his cloudy green eyes filled with the mockery of a victor, ready to enjoy his opponent's final moments of terror... As his gaze met Hong Zhong's eyes, time seemed to freeze!
The "pure and foolish" black and white pupils had now transformed into... a pair of scarlet Sharingan?! Three black tomoe slowly spun, emanating a cold and familiar ominous aura!
...?!
In an instant, Kakuzu's memories of being dominated by the Sharingan came rushing back! It was a sense of absolute control, of being played like a pawn with no power to resist! Was this the masked man, the one who wasn't Tobi, the one who called himself Madara Uchiha?
Then, the familiar feeling came. Kakuzu found that no matter how hard he tried to move, his body wouldn't budge! The nightmarish experience returned!
It's over! It's completely over!
A profound sense of absurdity and the anger of being fooled overwhelmed him!
Cold! Trembling!
In broad daylight, Kakuzu felt his body go cold and tremble all over! It's you! That masked Uchiha! Why didn't you just say so?! Why the hell didn't you say you were that Uchiha?! I, Kakuzu... am a man who knows his place! When I see an Uchiha... I'd walk in the opposite direction! Pain! You set me up!!!
"I noticed your heart is different from others. You seem to have four of them," Hong Zhong said coldly.
Splat!
The long sword was pulled out with a harsh scraping sound!
The next second!
Splat!
It was thrust in again with the same deadly precision!
"Erghhh!" Kakuzu's body arched, like a fish pinned to a cutting board! His second heart... was officially destroyed!
Then, the same method was used again! Now, Kakuzu, who once had four lives, had only one left.
"It seems you only have one life left! What would happen if I were to give you one more stab?"
"Cough, cough—Splat!"
Spitting out another pool of thick blood, Kakuzu's previous calculations, arrogance, and anger were all now crushed into the finest dust of fear. He was still tough, though. His bloodshot green eyes glared at Hong Zhong, his teeth clenched, and he refused to make a sound!
"I must have... been rude," Kakuzu's voice was hoarse as sandpaper, each word accompanied by blood foam. "I failed to recognize your true form immediately..."
"Oh?" Hong Zhong's eyebrow raised slightly, the mockery in his scarlet eyes almost overflowing. "It seems... those 'unpleasant' memories have finally caught up with you?"
Over the past two days, by communicating with his other clones, Hong Zhong learned that Six-Tails had a history with Kakuzu. To prevent the ninja world from having another Uchiha clan member, he, Hong Zhong, had to take responsibility for the sins Six-Tails had committed! As for why he had pretended to be Obito Uchiha earlier? It was because he had heard that Madara Uchiha was still alive, and he wanted to use this method to meet him.
Splat!
The long sword was thrust in for a fourth time. But this time, it avoided the last, weakly beating heart!
"It's good that you remembered..." Hong Zhong's voice was like a demon's whisper in Kakuzu's ear. "It saves me... from having to introduce myself again."
The muscles on Kakuzu's blood-stained face twitched. His green eyes were a mix of fear, unwillingness, and a resigned despair. Seeing him like this, Hong Zhong was a bit unclear about what exactly Six-Tails had done to him that was so unforgettable.
But Hong Zhong didn't plan to kill this Kakuzu. The Akatsuki organization was already short-handed, so there was no need to reduce their numbers further. However, the necessary procedures couldn't be skipped!
Buzz—
A pair of strange Rinnegan appeared.
"You—" Kakuzu was so shocked he almost screamed, but at that moment, Hong Zhong's black hand had already covered his brain!
Memory extraction!
Three minutes later.
Wow! This Kakuzu was truly a living fossil of the ninja world! His experiences, his belief in money... it was all quite something!
However, after this series of events, Hong Zhong was sure that it would be difficult to modify Kakuzu. A person like him would surely lose their original personality if he was modified. Since that was the case, he would spare his life for now.
Besides, this guy's ability to make money was truly terrifying! Why not let him continue to be a highly efficient money-printing machine?
With a slight thought, Hong Zhong completely sealed away some of Kakuzu's memories and then switched back to his Sharingan.
"You should be familiar with my procedure, right?"
Kakuzu's bloodshot green eyes were blank for a moment... then, as if struck by lightning, "I understand! Ransom for my life! I know the rules!"
"Good," Hong Zhong said, nodding in satisfaction as if inspecting goods. "Your life is now priced at 400 million ryo. Your life won't be your own until you have paid every last coin!"
"Cough, cough—" Kakuzu choked and coughed up a pool of blood at the number. But... in the depths of those cloudy green eyes, after the extreme pain and fear, a nearly insane, twisted obsession of a miser suddenly ignited!
400 million ryo! This was a ransom for his life! But... money could be earned again! A life, once lost... was truly gone forever! As long as he could survive, 400 million... he, Kakuzu, would pay it even if he had to sell all his assets!
"Cough, cough, cough—pfft!" He coughed up another bloody froth but forced out a twisted grin that was uglier than a cry. "400 million ryo, I'll pay it!"
"Here."
Plop.
Two pills fell in front of Kakuzu. Seeing the two red Ryoja-gan pills, a familiar scene flashed before his eyes again.
"Old price, 1.6 million ryo a pill."
"Cough, cough!" Kakuzu coughed up more blood. He really wanted to say that he had some Ryoja-gan pills in his ninja pouch, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
"And!" Hong Zhong grinned and pointed at the body of the bearded jonin that Kakuzu had already packed up. "I went through a lot of trouble to take down this body! Kakuzu! Does a bounty just jump into my pocket automatically?"
"Kakuzu?" I'm almost 90 years old! And... didn't I take him down?!
"Cough, cough!" Kakuzu almost coughed up more blood. In the end, he could only choke out, "I understand!"
After taking the Ryoja-gan pills and recovering, Kakuzu slung the body over his shoulder and followed Hong Zhong.
As they walked away, Kakuzu's back became more and more hunched.
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