Akaba poured a cup of fruit wine and raised it slightly. "I'm glad Master Kakuzu shares my view. Let's toast to reaching another consensus."
"Sure, celebrate all you want—but none of this toast business. I don't drink with brats."
Kakuzu poured himself a drink, clearly still seething over Akaba's refusal to save him earlier.
After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Now that we've reached an agreement, there are some things we need to clarify beforehand. I'll keep you updated on the intelligence concerning Madara entrusted to me, but likewise, if I run into danger, you better come save me."
The longer one lives, the more afraid of death they become. Especially now when Kakuzu has been enjoying life comfortably, he wants to live for many more years.
In the past, Kakuzu felt he could go anywhere without fear—who could possibly kill someone who had once faced off against the First Hokage?
Now came Madara. And suddenly, invincibility didn't feel so real anymore.
Unfortunately, strength triumphs over pride.
However, deepening cooperation with Akaba means sacrificing certain degrees of independence.
That was exactly what they would discuss next.
Akaba fully understood this. Danzo must have already suspected his collaboration with Kakuzu. With sufficient information and staying level-headed, that old fox's mind worked extremely well.
Therefore, naturally such requirements as intelligence exchange must be brought up.
Kakuzu had no issues with these terms at all. After all, gathering intelligence simply involved his subordinates—it required no real effort from him personally. Moreover, intelligence could also prove remarkably valuable under certain circumstances.
From this perspective, intelligence collection could even develop into a business.
Another point concerned refraining from attacking Konoha ninja—and especially avoiding lethal moves.
This condition suited Kakuzu just fine as well.
Konoha feared Kakuzu, yet Kakuzu equally respected Konoha's might. Particularly with Akaba possessing the Flying Thunder God technique and those bizarre genjutsu, provoking Konoha outright would result in total annihilation of all his foundations within the Land of River.
Obviously, staying out of any war was still the safest bet. Once both parties reached an agreement, Akaba departed Loguetown.
Soon afterward, Kakuzu picked up today's manga issue.
One Piece wasn't half bad.
When the plot entered Water 7, the story really began to get interesting.
But what the hell is this 'Naruto' crap? Are they seriously gonna expose all my secrets this early?
Kakuzu finished reading the smuggled Naruto manga while suppressing his urge to drag Akaba back immediately.
Although Akatsuki hadn't appeared much so far, last time Sasori removed his cloak before promptly getting killed off, while Deidara—somehow unreliable-looking—stayed safe by keeping his coat on.
From his observations, 'Removing your cloak means [Earth Grudge Fear] is as good as gone!'
Of course,
It wouldn't matter so much if this were merely fiction. But surely nobody would reveal their complete weaknesses in front of enemies like that, right?
What idiotic characters!
Kakuzu absolutely refused to believe he could ever be so foolish in reality—he'd have died ages ago.
Furthermore,
With you publicly revealing [Earth Grudge Fear]'s weakness, how am I supposed to walk around Ninja World anymore?
Kakuzu flipped through the pages with a storm brewing on his face. He finally saw the truth.
He was nothing more than a pawn for Naruto to level up—don't let that Rasengan Shuriken miss in this volume fool you; according to future events, "myself" will undoubtedly perish to that very move later on.
After realizing the truth, he couldn't help but feel that every page of this manga was filled with nothing but "tragedy." It felt like Akaba was whispering right into his ear, "I've already seen your death coming."
A warning?
Kakuzu couldn't tell for sure and honestly didn't feel like wasting time on useless guesswork.
He believed both Akaba and Madara would still need his strength. As long as he showed enough value, neither would actually try to kill him.
That's right.
During their reunion, Kakuzu keenly sensed that he probably stood no chance at all against Akaba now.
If he couldn't beat the man, then being a little more agreeable was only natural.
After leaving Loguetown, Akaba headed west along the route, releasing his sensing abilities while on the move, scanning for Madara's possible location. His sensing range had grown significantly; as long as Madara came within a certain distance, he would be detected immediately.
By the time he reached the border, Akaba had sensed where Madara was.
However,
The next second, Madara rapidly approached, arriving beside him in just a few breaths' time.
Without using [Flying Thunder God], Akaba knew there was absolutely no way he could outrun Madara.
Truly an old man going strong—he really had to say it:
Madara's impressive!
[Hashirama Cells] are impressive!
It's a shame they can't be popularized. Otherwise, once the Third, that perverted old man, gets older, he'd probably pay top dollar to get [Hashirama Cells] transplanted.
Akaba mused darkly to himself, also curious about what Madara wanted from him. Thus, he stopped moving.
If things turned into a fight, he could always throw the [Enma] summoning scroll given by the Third and escape using [Flying Thunder God]. Even if Madara used the power of the [Rinnegan], there would be no way to stop him.
Soon enough, Madara arrived in front of him.
He looked straight at Akaba and said, "Even with your Transformation Jutsu, you're just like the First back then—easy to spot the moment you show up."
"I can't possibly compare to the First Hokage," Akaba replied humbly with a slight smile.
"Indeed, you cannot."
Madara didn't catch the humility in Akaba's words because what Akaba said was actually the truth.
With a wave of his hand, Madara drew over a stone and sat down casually before saying, "Still, you're quite similar to us when we were young—full of vigor, talent, and most importantly, fearless."
Akaba slightly raised his eyebrows.
Fearless?
Something about that word just sounded unsettling.
"A manga filled with secret info from multiple hidden villages, glamorizing ninja life for regular folks to read and enjoy? That's one seriously bold—and dangerous—idea."
Madara paid no attention to Akaba's expression and went on as he pleased.
Akaba got what Madara was saying.
In the eyes of ordinary people, ninjas are mysterious and powerful figures—hard to reach or understand. Even a basic ninja rank like a genin holds huge status among regular folks.
Yet this manga completely exposes the social hierarchy of the ninja world.
Ninjas vary in strength, rank, and morality. There are endless conflicts and rivalries. Ninjas aren't morally superior—they're just physically stronger than normal people.
The strong come first, and bloodline determines all.
This, according to Madara, was the true essence of this manga.
"It's not only about bloodline. Even small nations producing numerous outstanding experts still cannot defeat powerful countries. When smaller nations attempt to challenge the rules, the major powers will unite to protect their interests."
Madara glanced at Akaba.
Actually, he originally only wanted to talk to Akaba about the Goro Goro no Mi, but after reading the latest manga chapters, he couldn't help but want to voice his thoughts. Plus, there was a subtle idea forming in his heart.
Akaba completely understood this feeling.
When a lonely old man lives alone for too long and suddenly gets a visitor, he always wants to share some of his usual thoughts with that guest.
Akaba was simply the unfortunate kid who got caught.
He used Earth Release to conjure up a seat — a trick he'd picked up from Shinnosuke.
Madara ranted enthusiastically, ticking off points one by one. If he had lived in Akaba's world, he'd have been a top contributor on a Q&A platform like Quora. However, right now, Madara only had Akaba as his audience.
After listening for quite a while,
Akaba couldn't help interrupting, "Lord Madara, did you wait here so long just to say all this?"
"Of course not. I just wanted to see when you'd finally lose patience."
Madara replied indifferently.
His voice sounded impatient, though Madara himself remained emotionless.
Then, he stood up and kicked aside the stone beneath him, asking, "Your lightning ability should be the power of a Devil Fruit, right?"
"Oh?"
Akaba looked at Madara and properly displayed a surprised expression.
"The Goro Goro no Mi enables someone to control nearly divine lightning powers. That's exactly why you dared to come rescue people here in the Land of River despite knowing I'm here, relying on this ability and the Flying Thunder God technique."
His voice feigned shock, even though his expression betrayed nothing.
At this point, however, Akaba gradually guessed Madara's intentions.
This guy ate the Whispering Fruit. While in the manga this fruit could only hear thoughts people willingly shared, in Madara's hands it clearly functioned very differently than in a naïve user's.
The chat was just a front — the real goal was intel.
That entire conversation beforehand was meant to gradually lower Akaba's guard, making him believe they were merely having a "chat."
Realizing this, Akaba quickly devised a solution.
For someone who mastered Genjutsu like him, hiding his true emotions wasn't difficult at all. Therefore, he appropriately exaggerated his "shock" and said, "I didn't expect you figured it out. Indeed, my bad — I shouldn't have directly used abilities straight from the manga."
Madara frowned slightly.
This outcome didn't entirely match his expectations.
He paused briefly before continuing, "No, I figured it out because I've also acquired a Devil Fruit — specifically, the Ice-Ice Fruit from your manga."
"Ice-Ice Fruit?"
Akaba feigned "surprise" and "concern" again.
Next second, he wasted no time and immediately escaped using the Flying Thunder God technique.
Madara made no move to capture him, frowning while contemplating how Akaba's emotions had initially seemed calm but then suddenly fluctuated wildly.
That little brat set a trap for me!
"Forget it — it was just an experiment anyway. But if even Zetsu couldn't block my perception, then this kid is really suspicious."
Madara secretly pondered.
Black Zetsu was definitely superior to Akaba regarding spiritual strength alone. However, Black Zetsu didn't know Madara possessed this ability, thus lacking any defense, making it easy for Madara to detect his emotions. Yet, when dealing with the Whispering Fruit, Madara hit a wall with Akaba.
Perhaps this kid knows about his ability?
Madara thought deeply for a moment, still unsure about the situation.
He couldn't really be blamed for feeling suspicious. After all, Akaba was the creator of One Piece. That kid might just know a way to distinguish Devil Fruits.
After thinking for a while, he turned and headed toward the Land of Wind.
Black Zetsu had definitely hidden many things from him, but one point was correct—the Third Kazekage of the Land of Wind was definitely worth leveraging.
Meanwhile, Akaba returned to the caravan's shop.
He had just finished masking his emotions, but upon returning, he realized he'd acted too hastily when facing Madara. He'd overdone it in several moments and worried Madara might've noticed something off.
But it wasn't all on him.
Madara had first played the role of a lonely old man living rough. Akaba hadn't suspected anything like that at all. By the time he figured it out, it was already too late.
Seriously though,
What kind of stunt were you trying to pull with your Whispering Fruit? And who were you trying to impress with an [Ice - Ice Fruit]?
Obsessed with image?
Don't you worry everyone in the Ninja World will laugh at you if they ever find out!
Akaba sat there for a moment, not knowing where to start ranting.
After thinking for quite some time, he felt like he'd gathered enough information. He thought it would be better to head back early.
After all, he could roughly guess the situation in the Land of River and Madara's direction. There was no point lingering here anymore—it would be safer to return.
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