The battle between the two didn't last long. The fight ended in under a minute.
So when Kabuto, Ren, and Mist arrived, Kakuzu was already lying in a crater.
Looking at the scene before him, Ren tilted his head. "Isn't he that expert who once fought the First Hokage? How come he went down so fast?"
Mist shrugged. "That story sounds totally made up, doesn't it?"
Inside the crater, Kakuzu felt his anger rising. What kind of language was that for a kid to use? Was he really the type to boast?
Kabuto spoke seriously, "Judging from the surroundings alone, he must be extremely powerful. When dealing with ordinary ninja, the teacher wouldn't need to make such a mess just to defeat them!"
Then, Kabuto looked at Seiki with admiration in his eyes. "Of course the fight ended quickly—the teacher is clearly far superior!"
Seiki warned solemnly, "Never underestimate any enemy. If I hadn't used my full strength, I might've been defeated by him already."
All three young disciples nodded earnestly, while Kakuzu inside the crater was left puzzled—was he really that strong?
"By the way, Teacher," Ren asked eagerly, "does this guy have a bounty? Maybe we can take his body and cash it in?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu secretly exhaled in relief—at least they wouldn't destroy his corpse.
But just as he thought that, he suddenly felt several seals appear on his body.
Then he heard Seiki, standing beside him, say, "Corpse? Oh come on, he's not even dead yet!"
Kakuzu was deeply shocked—did this bastard know he was faking?
"Senior," Seiki continued, "are you planning to stay on the ground forever?"
At this point, pretending to be dead had become meaningless.
Kakuzu opened his eyes and stood up, his face darkening.
The three youths looked at this scene in shock. Just like their teacher said—never let your guard down, no matter what.
"It seems my journey ends here."
Seiki smiled. "Senior, don't rush. I never said I'd kill you now."
"Then what do you want?"
"Based on your abilities just now," Seiki mused, "if I'm not mistaken... you should be Kakuzu, the rogue Takumi ninja who tried to assassinate the First Hokage and then defected?"
Before Kakuzu could reply, Ren, Kabuto, and Mist were already shocked again.
"He actually tried to kill the First Hokage!"
"If he survived after trying to kill the First Hokage, it seems the First Hokage isn't as powerful as legends claim!"
Although Hashirama's reputation was getting dragged through the mud, Kakuzu had no intention of defending him. He simply stared at Seiki. "So now what? You gonna lock me up or something?"
Seiki rubbed his smooth chin. "Well, since you're a rogue ninja from Takumi, I shouldn't overstep. After I send these kids back to Konoha, I'll take you along to Takumi."
Kakuzu perked up mentally, secretly thinking, *Escaping from those useless guys will be way easier than slipping away under this monster's nose!*
Meanwhile, Seiki himself was also secretly pleased. *I've been worrying about finding an excuse to approach Takumi. This guy landed right in my lap—it definitely saved me some trouble!*
After dealing with that group of rogue ninjas and collecting money from them to compensate the elderly couple who had suffered collateral damage, Seiki and his party continued on their way.
Perhaps due to the impact this incident had within the ninja circles, no one dared to tail them for the next few days.
Returning to Konoha, after telling Kabuto and the others to head off on their own, Seiki led Kakuzu toward the Hokage building.
All along the way, villagers greeted him warmly.
"Seiki is back!"
"Lord Seiki won't be leaving again this time, right?"
"Eh? Who's that person following Lord Seiki?"
"Looks like he's got that shady vibe—definitely not someone you can trust!"
Kakuzu's face darkened like a storm cloud ready to burst. He was the kind of person who'd get murderous over the smallest provocation. Being stared at like some kind of showpiece by so many people only stoked the fury in his eyes.
Shizune and others who had come upon hearing the news stopped before Seiki.
"Your skin is so dry, Seiki!"
"The weather in Sunagakure must've been brutally harsh!"
The two women focused on Seiki, while Asuma and others curiously examined the restrained Kakuzu.
"This guy must be really something—just his gaze alone gives me an invisible sense of pressure!"
"Right, his aura isn't something ordinary people could have!"
"If it were us back before we'd even seen real battle, we might actually have been intimidated by his stare!"
After comforting Kurenai and Shizune, Seiki explained, "It's no wonder he has such presence—he's that Takumi rogue ninja who assassinated the First Hokage over forty years ago and somehow survived!"
At his words, everyone looked stunned.
"What? He fought against the First Hokage?"
"He actually survived after pulling off an assassination against the First Hokage—who would've thought he was that powerful!"
As the group stared at him with shock, Kakuzu inexplicably felt annoyed.
His battle against Hashirama Senju certainly was his shining moment—he never boasted about it, but secretly took pride in it.
But these past couple days being shocked repeatedly by these bastards had left him strangely embarrassed. Was it really that surprising that he survived a battle with Hashirama?
With no trouble along the way, they went straight into the Hokage building.
Stepping into the Hokage office, Minato enthusiastically stood up.
"Seiki, you're finally back… Eh? Who's this?"
After Seiki explained Kakuzu's identity and background, Minato reacted just like everyone else previously.
"Huh? He actually escaped from the First Hokage?"
This time, Kakuzu finally couldn't take the 'insult' anymore. "Enough! Do you brats find it amusing to slander an elder like this?"
Minato, being an honest man, seemed slightly apologetic. "Ah? Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing this, Kakuzu's temple throbbed visibly with anger but he couldn't vent his frustration, so he simply turned his head aside.
Seiki ignored him and continued explaining, "Since Takumi did send ninja to assist us during the war, now that we've captured this rogue ninja they wanted, logically we should hand him over to them for processing."
Minato nodded in agreement. "You're right. He should definitely be handed over to Takumi. However, there's no need for you to handle the task of returning a rogue ninja on your own. You've been out on the road for ages—it's time you took a break."
"No, let me do it," Seiki shook his head slightly. "His strength is extremely powerful. His Taijutsu alone has already surpassed most Jonin. Even though I sealed his chakra, he's still not completely safe to handle!"
"Besides," he continued, "he's an old ninja who survived from the Warring States Era. We don't know what hidden abilities he might possess. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting anyone else escort him."
"I see…" Minato paused thoughtfully, then let out a sigh and clapped Seiki on the shoulder. "Then I guess I'll have to trouble you for one more trip!"
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