Stepping onto the land of Kirigakure, Anya stopped rushing and slowed her pace. The ever-present thick mist surrounded her, and moisture filled the air. This time, however, it lacked its usual bloodstained scent, as if returning to a more natural state and giving off a strangely serene haze.
"Why did you stop? Don't tell me you're lost," Orochimaru lazily teased from atop Anya's shoulder.
Anya casually asked while recalling past events, "Uncle, how much do you really know about Kirigakure?"
"Not much," Orochimaru smoothly replied. "Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure has always been relatively obscure. Internally, the village was in chaos due to continuous conflicts among various powerful clans. It also possessed the largest number of Kekkei Genkai bloodline limits, which significantly contributed to internal instability. To reduce these conflicts, starting under the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki, the village implemented secrecy policies to minimize the effects of these bloodlines. Later, following the example of the Second Hokage, they established a Ninja Academy and the Anbu, gradually restoring peace."
"That's what you call 'not much'? Come on!" Anya, initially asking out of habit, now listened intently.
"However," Orochimaru continued, "after Gengetsu Hozuki and Iwagakure's Mū perished together during the First Great Ninja War, the Third Mizukage took power and everything regressed—actually becoming worse than before. Due to the secrecy policy, paranoia spread among villagers. Eventually, orders were issued to hunt down those with Kekkei Genkai suspected of causing instability. From then on, Kirigakure became known as the Bloody Mist Village."
Hearing this, Anya thought of Haku's plight. Without this policy during the Blood Mist era, she likely would never have met him or shared such an extraordinary connection.
Orochimaru suddenly sighed. "It was right here that I met Kimimaro. Truthfully, in my eyes, he surpassed even Sasuke. Such an extraordinary talent wasted too soon..."
Anya sensed genuine emotion behind Orochimaru's words—an unusual occurrence for him.
"You must've come to Kirigakure for more than just capturing Kimimaro," Anya asked curiously.
"You understand me well," Orochimaru chuckled. "Certainly more than just him. With so many Kekkei Genkai around, I captured quite a few, though very few survived until today. The only one I still remember is Suigetsu Hozuki."
"What ability does he have that allowed him to survive your experiments?" Anya showed interest.
Orochimaru answered plainly, "[Hydrification] – a secret inherited ninjutsu passed down through generations of the Hozuki clan. It enables the body to transform into liquid form, rendering physical attacks ineffective."
Anya's gaze turned cold as she questioned, "Is he the son of Kisaragi Hozuki, the first-generation member of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist?"
Orochimaru looked surprised. "You even know that?"
"I've encountered [Hydrification] back in my early days. It gave me quite some trouble."
Thinking back to the original Seven Pursuers, Anya could hardly contain his hatred. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, he had been unable to seek revenge. Now, after rebuilding his physical form, he learned that during the Third Battle, four of them had been eliminated by Might Duy, and the remaining three had died as well—Biwa Juzo had joined Akatsuki and died during a mission, Raiga Kurosuki fell to Konoha ninja, and Fuguki Suikazan was killed by Kisame. Thus, the original Seven Pursuers were entirely wiped out, leaving Anya's hatred with nowhere to vent, bottled up deep inside.
Seeing that Anya was interested in this person, Orochimaru began a detailed introduction: "By the way, his [Hydrification Technique] has a certain degree of counter against your [Sword Art]. In his childhood, he was known as the prodigy [Ghost Man Reincarnated], a sword genius just like you."
Anya smirked tightly: "Give us a chance to meet. I'd love to spar swords with him."
At the same time, Suigetsu Hozuki, who had already followed Sasuke out of the mountains, suddenly shivered, as though locked onto by something horrifying.
Outside a temple destroyed by fierce battle, Kakuzu carried a lifeless priest on his back, walking step by step toward a certain location. Behind him came Hidan's impatient voice: "Hey, I'm really about to lose my temper at you."
Kakuzu replied indifferently: "I'm taking this corpse to the Kinto Exchange. Money is the most important thing."
As they made their way toward the Kinto Exchange, Hidan never stopped his complaints.
Unable to bear it any longer, Kakuzu finally stopped and said: "Trouble? Earning money is also part of the mission."
Hidan waved his hand carelessly: "Okay, okay, I know. The organization entrusted you with fundraising. But these ill-gotten gains are only for collecting Tailed Beasts anyway."
Although Hidan was foolish, after working with Kakuzu for so long, he understood his partner's personality too well. "Mission" was just an excuse; Kakuzu was clearly out for extra profit. Hidan couldn't help but wonder how much money his partner had secretly earned—he was always busy making money.
Arriving at the Kinto Exchange, Hidan showed absolutely no interest. He went in, took a few glances, and walked back out, then sat idly by the entrance.
Kakuzu carried the corpse inside. Soon, a suitcase appeared before him.
Although confident that no one would dare pull tricks with the money, Kakuzu still carefully opened the case to count it. The way he counted so proficiently made one feel sorry for him—he clearly belonged to the kind of person who'd count money until his fingers blistered.
"Three million, the amount is correct."
A staff member of the Kinto Exchange said: "We'll leave these kinds of deals to you in the future, buddy."
Kakuzu replied: "I won't be back for now. I need to head to Konoha to search for the Jinchuriki."
It's not just Akatsuki—the brat also needs a Jinchuriki to carry out his plan. At present, most of the Tailed Beasts have already been collected. Once the plan is completed, both organizations will merge, and all the money will be under Kakuzu's control. Thinking about how much that would be in total, Kakuzu couldn't help but start calculating.
Outside the Kinto Exchange, Hidan heard footsteps and thought Kakuzu had come out, saying: "Too slow."
The sound of something cutting through the air came. Without time to think, Hidan raised his scythe instinctively to block and deflected the incoming shuriken. Just as he was about to counterattack, two enemies lunged at him from both sides. Meanwhile, his feet were trapped by the Shadow Possession Jutsu, leaving him completely immobilized.
"Puchi..."
The Ninja Blade pierced through his body. The sharp blade stabbed into Hidan.
"Ahhh, it hurts! Who are you people?"
Hidan's voice startled the Konoha ninjas who had come to attack him.
At that moment, Hidan noticed a belt with a flame-shaped mark on the waist of the ninja who had first attacked him. "This symbol… It looks like the emblem of a guardian ninja."
Kakuzu, who had already been hiding nearby, leaped forward and shattered the Shadow Possession Jutsu binding Hidan. He glanced around and addressed the Konoha ninjas who had arrived: "We're here to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. We don't want unnecessary trouble. Get lost."
Hidan exclaimed in surprise, "Hey Kakuzu, this isn't like you. You're actually giving up easy money?"
Kakuzu did not respond. His reasoning was simple—most of them were rookies from Konoha. If one of them meant something to the kid, and he killed them, there might be complaints later. Such a small bounty wasn't worth going that far. Next time, he'd simply ask the kid directly for it.
If he remembered correctly, this guy was named Asuma—worth 35 million. When the time came, asking the kid for 40 million shouldn't be a problem. That's how it'll go.
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