Kakuzu sat there quietly, while in the woods behind him, several Anbu ninjas suddenly materialized on the tree branches. This was Konoha, after all; if the Anbu wanted to find someone within these borders, it was a simple task.
"Commander, target confirmed ahead," an Anbu member whispered.
Shinnosuke, wearing his mask, said softly, "I told you, when on a mission, just call me 'Monkey'."
"Yes, Monkey-sama," the Anbu member replied.
Shinnosuke: "???"
"Don't bother coming to work tomorrow," Shinnosuke said.
The Anbu member was bewildered. What happened? Did I just lose my job?
However, Shinnosuke didn't dwell on it. He commanded directly, "Disperse and secure the perimeter. No one moves without my order."
"Yes!" the other Anbu members replied succinctly.
The members moved to hidden corners, effectively surrounding Kakuzu. Only then did Shinnosuke step out from the forest.
"So you've come?" Kakuzu turned his head to look at Shinnosuke.
As the Commander of the Anbu, Shinnosuke possessed vast intelligence. Upon seeing Kakuzu's face, he quickly cross-referenced it in his mind. But after a full mental scan, he couldn't find a "matching" target. This meant he didn't recognize Kakuzu.
"It seems Your Excellency was indeed waiting for us," Shinnosuke said gravely.
"Judging by the gear, I take it you are the Konoha Anbu?" Kakuzu asked, looking at Shinnosuke's monkey mask.
"Indeed," Shinnosuke replied. There was no point in hiding something that wasn't exactly secret intelligence.
Kakuzu stood up and faced Shinnosuke. "No need to be so tense. I didn't come to Konoha with any ill intent. On the contrary, I've come with goodwill."
Under his mask, Shinnosuke's brow furrowed slightly. He was suspicious; so far, other than illegal entry, this man truly hadn't shown any hostility. He had even intentionally exposed his own tracks.
Still, Shinnosuke wouldn't lower his guard easily. In fact, the Konoha Anbu was currently operating at full capacity, with the entire village under high alert. Shinnosuke couldn't be sure how many unidentified individuals had entered the village. Perhaps the man in front of him was just a distraction?
Better safe than sorry. Shinnosuke was meticulous and responsible, his mind sharp.
"If there is no ill intent, could Your Excellency state your identity and purpose?" Shinnosuke asked.
Kakuzu didn't speak immediately, knowing other Anbu members were nearby. Instead, he let a slip of paper slide from his sleeve into his hand and flicked it toward Shinnosuke.
Shinnosuke caught the paper with a clean, swift motion. Though confused, he glanced at it, and his eyes widened in surprise. There were only three words on the paper, accompanied by a trace of lingering, condensed chakra, likely for a Summoning Jutsu signature.
Those three words carried significant weight:
Yorozuya! (万事屋, ten thousand + matter/business + shop/house)
"So, you come from there." Shinnosuke's wariness dissipated slightly.
As far as Konoha was concerned, their relationship with the Yorozuya was actually quite decent. Although Orochimaru had defected from Konoha to join them... the leader of the Yorozuya maintained a strangely harmonious relationship with the village. Konoha had no desire to provoke such an organization.
Kakuzu remained silent. Shinnosuke continued, "Then what is your purpose? What is this 'goodwill' you speak of?"
As he spoke, Shinnosuke raised a hand and made several signals. Immediately, the Anbu members hidden in the surroundings withdrew.
Kakuzu's refusal to speak openly proved the matter was important and shouldn't be heard by too many people. After a brief thought, Shinnosuke dismissed his subordinates. He was confident enough in his own strength; even if this Yorozuya member attacked, he wouldn't be taken down instantly. As long as he had a moment to breathe, he could summon his team for a counterattack.
Kakuzu waited a moment, giving the Anbu time to clear out. After a while, he spoke: "Not long ago, the Yorozuya received a request regarding your Konoha."
Kakuzu had no intention of introducing himself, nor did he intend to fight. Both were choices made to keep his identity hidden and maintain his low profile. To be honest, Kakuzu rarely did anything unnecessary. He came with "goodwill," knowing there would be no conflict or killing. If he fought, he would leave witnesses, which meant leaking his own combat data, something he refused to do. Unless Konoha forced his hand, he wouldn't engage. And if he did, he would leave no one alive.
Fortunately, the Konoha Anbu Commander didn't seem like a hothead looking for trouble.
As soon as Kakuzu spoke, Shinnosuke's heart tightened. The Yorozuya received a request regarding Konoha?
What kind of organization was the Yorozuya? Their motto was that they would do anything for money, even helping with homework. But because they had established their reputation with such ferocious methods, they were widely regarded as a "violent mercenary organization." Kakuzu and Jūzō had been taking high-risk assassination contracts across various nations.
Thus, Shinnosuke understood immediately: someone wanted to hire the Yorozuya to cause trouble in Konoha.
"Please, elaborate," Shinnosuke said.
"We cannot disclose the employer's identity. To be honest, my presence here already somewhat violates the Yorozuya's code of conduct. If it weren't for the fact that our boss has a good relationship with Konoha, I wouldn't be here at all," Kakuzu said, scoring some points for Diarmuid.
Shinnosuke reaffirmed in his mind that the enigmatic Diarmuid did indeed hold some goodwill toward Konoha. He was friends with Jiraiya; he had saved Kushina during the Nine-Tails incident when she should have died; and Kakashi claimed he was a "good friend" of Tsunade. This visit only confirmed those suspicions.
While Shinnosuke was lost in thought, Kakuzu continued: "Someone requested that we assassinate the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Yorozuya has already rejected the request. However, Diarmuid believes the other party might not give up. Considering the Third Hokage is a fellow shogi enthusiast of his, he specifically sent me to inform you."
Was Diarmuid actually friends with Hiruzen?
Obviously not.
Was he friends with Danzo?
Clearly not.
Diarmuid's policy toward Konoha was driven entirely by interest. Danzo wanted to be Hokage, and Diarmuid supported him to an extent to gain benefits from him. But if Danzo actually tried something reckless, Diarmuid wouldn't lift a finger to save him.
The reason Diarmuid leaked the news to Hiruzen was also driven by interest. He knew the old man was already wary of Danzo. Based on the original timeline, Danzo would almost certainly attempt the assassination anyway, and Hiruzen, even without a warning, no longer trusted him. The attempt was doomed to fail.
Since that was the case, Diarmuid chose to side with the "winner."
After finishing his talks with Orochimaru and Danzo, Diarmuid sent Kakuzu to act as Hiruzen's "eyes." This move didn't yield immediate profit, but it undoubtedly built immense goodwill. If Hiruzen continued to rule Konoha for the next decade, and the high-ranking officials viewed Diarmuid and the Yorozuya as "pro-Konoha," the future benefits would be endless.
This was a simple "icing on the cake" for Diarmuid, but for Konoha, it felt like "delivering charcoal in a snowstorm." Once Danzo's assassination attempt failed, Hiruzen would have to acknowledge that he owed Diarmuid a massive favor.
Meanwhile, Diarmuid had paid nothing but a message delivered by Kakuzu. It was an incredibly cost-effective move.
The only one suffering was Danzo. He had happily tried to hire the Yorozuya to kill Hiruzen, only to be rejected. Worse, he couldn't have imagined Diarmuid had so little professional ethics that he'd turn around and sell him out to his target.
Kakuzu said the employer's identity was "inconvenient to disclose." But at this point in time, there weren't many suspects who would do such a thing. In fact, as soon as the words left Kakuzu's mouth, Shinnosuke already had a name in mind:
Shimura Danzo.
There is a saying: If you can't find the suspect, look at who benefits the most. If Hiruzen were killed now, Shinnosuke was certain Danzo would find a way to seize the Hokage's seat.
Thus, Kakuzu's "inconvenient to disclose" was, in Shinnosuke's ears, as good as reading out Danzo's ID number.
A thousand thoughts passed in an instant. Shinnosuke snapped back to reality and said, "I see. This is indeed a matter of grave importance to Konoha. You have our thanks, and the thanks of the Yorozuya."
"It's nothing," Kakuzu waved a hand. Then he added, "Diarmuid said that while friendship is friendship, a reward is still expected."
Shinnosuke: "???"
Diarmuid would have been very certain he never said that.
Though surprised, Shinnosuke nodded. "Naturally. Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. Konoha will provide a satisfactory reward."
Only then did Kakuzu nod, his mood brightening. If he wasn't going to get a fat payout out of this, why would he have bothered coming to Konoha for Diarmuid in the first place?
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