Kakuzu was a reasonably good judge of character. Years ago, he had undertaken an epic mission: the assassination of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Upon arrival, he had been so far overwhelmed by Hashirama's "unrivaled elegance" and heroic aura that he decided such a hero should not be recklessly killed. Consequently, he tossed a shuriken from eight hundred miles away, ostensibly to let Hashirama know he was being spared, and promptly beat a retreat.
Over the years, he often reflected that if it hadn't been for his momentary spark of mercy, Konohagakure wouldn't even exist today.
In any case, as one of the seasoned veterans of the shinobi world, Kakuzu's intuition was sharp. Since defecting from Takigakure, he had roamed the world alone for over fifty years, treading almost every inch of the Five Great Nations and encountering countless individuals.
Yet, this man before him, Diarmuid, still filled him with wonder. He couldn't quite fathom how someone with such poise and presence ended up as the boss of an Exchange Point. It felt entirely out of place.
"Rodriguez Diarmuid." The name felt alien to the shinobi world. Here, people mostly bore names like Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, or Ohnoki, surnames followed by given names. "Rodriguez Diarmuid" didn't sound like any shinobi clan. However, having both a surname and a given name meant he wasn't a mere commoner.
Indeed, the hierarchy in this world was arguably more rigid and cruel than that of the One Piece world. No matter how chaotic the One Piece world was, even with the Celestial Dragons existing, most civilians lived like actual human beings and had channels for upward mobility. One could join the Marines; there were many "commoner" Admirals. In fact, most of the powerhouses Diarmuid knew had fought their way up with blade and gun, lacking any noble or prestigious background.
In the shinobi world, however, if you were a commoner, upward mobility was virtually non-existent. Classes were fixed; commoners weren't even permitted surnames. For instance, the future Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. "Namikaze" wasn't his surname and "Minato" his given name; his full name was simply "Namikaze Minato." He lacked a clan name entirely.
Theoretically, it should have been impossible for him to become Hokage. It wasn't that he lacked talent, but rather his background. He was a commoner. How could a commoner ninja, no matter how powerful, suppress the great shinobi clans of the world? Especially in a place like Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, a literal gathering ground for prestigious clans: the Senju, the Uchiha, the Sarutobi, the Hyuga, the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio… each an ancient house producing heroes for generations.
Minato was lucky, however, because his lineage of mentorship gave him an edge. He was the grand-disciple of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Sarutobi clan was essentially the fourth most powerful clan in Konoha, sitting just behind the three ancient lineages of the Byakugan, the Sharingan, and the Sage Body. His master was Jiraiya of the Sannin, and his lineage could be traced back to the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
From the perspective of mentorship, Minato was "pure-blooded." This was the fundamental requirement that allowed him to succeed as the Fourth Hokage. With that support, his brilliance during the Great Ninja War allowed his merits to translate into the Hokage seat. Otherwise, had he not been Jiraiya's student, he never would have sat in that chair, no matter how strong he was.
While Kakuzu found him curious, Diarmuid's generosity, leading with two crates of gold, instantly brightened his mood. Kakuzu had only one standard for making friends: they had to be richer than him. Diarmuid was undoubtedly richer, vastly so. Therefore, he was more than willing to be Diarmuid's friend.
"Diarmuid, is it?" Kakuzu responded, then continued, "I heard you've been waiting for me? Is there something you need help with? Just say the word, as long as the money is right..."
"Hahaha! I like a man who gets straight to the point. Don't worry, the money will definitely be right!" Diarmuid laughed heartily. Seeing Kakuzu made him genuinely happy.
In the year 1520 of the Sea Calendar, that brat Luffy had officially graduated from the Marine Academy and been appointed a Marine Captain at Headquarters. Diarmuid, being his senior, had naturally gone to celebrate. But while he was drinking with the Marine bigwigs that evening, a sudden surge of energy hit him. Before he could even prepare, he had "ascended" right then and there!
When he opened his eyes again, he was in the world of Naruto. It took him about two days to confirm his location and realize that the Third Shinobi World War had just begun. War was everywhere, and the shinobi were fighting with relish. Their combat was more cruel, more shrouded in darkness.
Upon arriving, he immediately felt something was off. This world felt "stronger" than the One Piece world. Before arriving, Diarmuid hadn't known where he was going; he thought he might return to Earth. He had considered the Naruto world as a possibility, given its fame.
Before arriving, Diarmuid had assumed the power systems were comparable. He figured there might be a gap when facing top-tier legends like Hashirama or Madara, but overall, the systems shouldn't differ much. A standard Jonin might not necessarily beat a Marine Vice Admiral. Even the Five Kage, unless they were monsters on Hashirama's level, might not be able to defeat a Marine Admiral.
However, after spending some time here, he understood the situation better. In terms of raw combat output, the average powerhouses of both worlds were close. But in terms of "World Tier," there was a significant gap. The energy in the Naruto world was far more vast, and its upper limits far exceeded those of the One Piece world. If someone's combat ability was lacking, it wasn't the world's fault; it was a personal failing.
Furthermore, since arriving, Diarmuid felt a sense of being an "outlier," a feeling of being rejected and suppressed by the world. It wasn't about good or evil; it was likely the world's instinctive suppression of an anomaly.
Where did this suppression come from? Diarmuid hadn't fully figured it out yet, but he suspected it was Natural Energy, one of the most fundamental and powerful forces in this world. According to the Three Great Sage Regions, Natural Energy exists in all things and is the foundation of the world. It is everywhere, yet invisible and intangible. If one lacks the aptitude, they can't even sense it.
This force formed the basis of Senjutsu. The so-called "Sage Mode" was merely an extension of Natural Energy. Thus, Natural Energy was effectively the foundation and the "Law" of this world.
Diarmuid, of course, lacked this. He came from the One Piece world; Devil Fruits and Haki were his system, his "Law." They were naturally incompatible with the Natural Energy of this world. Consequently, he was being suppressed.
However, the world seemed to possess a certain degree of tolerance. The suppression wasn't overly harsh. Though it had drastically reduced Diarmuid's strength and made many of his powers feel inaccessible, he had begun to integrate. He felt himself changing, and the suppression was slowly ebbing. Perhaps it would take time, or perhaps a specific catalyst, to fully unlock his potential.
One sign was "assimilation." In the One Piece world, he had the standard Admiral height of three meters. Now, as he used the Rokushiki techniques to control his body and harmonize with the flow of this world, he had slowly shrunk to just over two meters. Though still striking, he was no longer an impossibility. If things continued, he might even return to a standard height like Kakuzu's 185cm.
Upon arriving, Diarmuid's first thought had been to serve in Konoha. In the One Piece world, Diarmuid had experienced a complete soul transmigration, living from birth to adulthood. Having spent over forty years there, he was effectively a native. He had deep emotional ties to that world, considering it his home and final resting place.
But as for the Naruto world? To be honest, once he realized he could travel between worlds, he viewed this place merely as a tourist attraction, a stop on a journey. He was a passerby. Expecting him to invest deep emotions into this familiar yet strange world was out of the question.
From the moment he confirmed where he was, Diarmuid had set his mind: he was here to acquire greater power and better resources. The power system of the Naruto world was undoubtedly more refined and high-end than that of One Piece. From a broad perspective, there was so much to categorize: Chakra nature transformations like Fire Release and Water Release, stylistic differences between Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, and even grander concepts like the Ninshu and Senjutsu.
Ultimately, it all boiled down to two pillars: Spirit and Body, or rather, Yin and Yang. The epitomes of these were the Sharingan and the Sage Body. One was extreme Yin, the other extreme Yang.
So, why go to Konoha? Because Diarmuid was interested in the Sharingan, the Sage Body, and even Wood Release. It just so happened Konoha had them all. What a coincidence. Moreover, Konoha was the strongest of the Five Great Villages, with the most complete facilities and systems. Every generation of Hokage was exceptional, and Konoha held the most comprehensive repository of Ninjutsu in the world. Their Second Hokage was practically an inventor of Forbidden Jutsu.
One reason Diarmuid judged this world's power level to be higher was the Second Hokage's Edo Tensei. It represented the power to bridge Yin and Yang, life and death… something inconceivable in the One Piece world.
Of course, that was just a theory. The idea was great, but Diarmuid soon realized it was impractical. Joining Konoha's hierarchy to absorb their knowledge from within was harder than climbing to the heavens. During the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha's regulations were already quite perfected. Diarmuid appearing out of thin air and trying to blend in? Impossible. Especially during wartime; he'd likely be arrested as a spy the moment he showed up. Even in peacetime, he might get in as a merchant, but he'd never join the core system.
From this perspective, Konohagakure, and the other villages of the Five Great Nations, were extremely xenophobic. They lacked trust. In most cases, they operated on the principle of "better to kill an innocent than let a guilty one go." They were especially ruthless toward spies. Furthermore, the big shots of this world possessed numerous ways to extract information and memories from a brain. If he slipped up and got caught, wouldn't his status as an "alien" be exposed? He'd be sliced into specimens! Even that old fossil Madara might crawl out of his hole just to see what was going on!
After realizing this and hitting a few literal walls, Diarmuid abandoned the idea of joining Konohagakure. It simply wasn't realistic. If he were a five or six-year-old war orphan, maybe. But as he was now? No.
This left him with an embarrassing problem: he had nowhere to learn! He knew many fancy Ninjutsu and remembered many secrets, but he had no way to get started!