The next morning, a subtle atmosphere permeated the Ninja Academy classroom.
Iruka Sensei stood at the podium, his eyes noticeably red and swollen, and his voice much softer than usual. When Choji secretly stuffed potato chips into his mouth, to everyone's surprise, Iruka merely sighed softly. "Don't do it again. I'll give it back to you after class." This unusual behavior stunned the entire class.
"Why is Sensei so easygoing today?"
"Could he be sick?"
The students whispered, but only Naruto, Satsuki, and a few others who had attended the birthday party last night exchanged knowing glances.
During class, Iruka began to explain the basic Ninjutsu, the "Three Body Techniques"—Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, and Clone Technique. For ordinary students, these were essential courses that required diligent study.
"Boring..." Satsuki rested her chin on her hand, listening with utter boredom. Children of the Uchiha clan had already mastered these basic Ninjutsu before entering the Academy.
Naruto seemed to listen attentively, nodding cooperatively from time to time. But no one knew that, at this very moment, outside Konoha Village, one of his Shadow Clones had already begun its mission.
Although his main body was still sitting obediently in the classroom, Naruto's thoughts had already soared far away.
— — — — — —
The humid air of the Land of Hot Springs enveloped him. Naruto stood in a familiar room he hadn't visited in a long time, feeling the distinct hot spring aroma, so different from Konoha. More than a year had passed since his last visit, but the Flying Thunder God Technique allowed him to instantly traverse the distance with just a thought.
The sign for the [Dog Hot Spring] Inn was still prominent, but now the place had undergone tremendous changes. The lodging he had casually chosen back then had now been completely bought by Hizashi—no, to be precise, the entire street had secretly become the property of the [Cinder] organization.
"To raise funds for the organization's operations, Hizashi has completely entered merchant mode, huh..."
Naruto gazed at the neat shops outside the window, each displaying the uniform [Dog Hot Spring] branch sign. As the leader of the organization, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed—apart from bringing back the Uzumaki mother and daughter, he was practically a hands-off boss. Hizashi, on the other hand, had been working tirelessly to earn money for the organization.
After gaining the power of the Nine-Faced Beast, Naruto decided to formally begin recruiting members for the [Cinder] organization. He activated the Jutsu formula mark left on Hizashi, and soon, Hizashi, having released his Transformation Technique and returned to his original appearance, appeared before him.
"Menma-sama." After bowing respectfully, Hizashi began to report on recent developments to Naruto, who was transformed as Menma.
First, regarding the construction of the organization's base: it had been completed according to Naruto's requirements, costing several hundred million ryo in total, excluding land prices. It fully met the standards of being easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Uzumaki mother and daughter were currently housed there. Furthermore, over the past year, Hizashi himself had been responsible for teaching Karin basic Chakra manipulation methods.
Next was the tracking report on key observation targets.
Deidara of Iwagakure had not yet officially defected, but villagers' dissatisfaction with his explosive art as the Tsuchikage's disciple was escalating.
The whereabouts of the missing puppet genius Sasori of the Red Sand from Sunagakure remained unknown.
The Bloody Mist policy in Kirigakure was still ongoing. Not long ago, the Kirigakure Jonin Zabuza Momochi had failed in his assassination attempt on the Mizukage and had since defected.
"As for the last one, the whereabouts of a bounty hunter named Kakuzu..."
Hizashi took out a scroll from his pocket, densely filled with Kakuzu's recent black market transaction records and activity trails.
— — — — — —
"Boom—!"
A deafening explosion echoed through a forest somewhere in the Land of Fire. After the smoke cleared, rebel ninjas' bodies lay scattered everywhere. In this wreckage, a strangely shaped middle-aged man was dragging a corpse dressed in leader's attire.
The man's upper body was bare, revealing grey-green skin covered in eerie stitches. He wore a black mask that covered half his face, revealing eyes with horrifying black sclera and green-glowing pupils. The stitches writhed like living things as he moved, sending chills down one's spine.
"Hmph, is this all there is?" He kicked the corpse at his feet. "No wonder it can't even fetch a decent price on the black market... But it's just a small fry I dealt with along the way anyway."
This statement, combined with his unique appearance, made the man's identity obvious.
Kakuzu, a living fossil in the Ninja World.
This legendary rogue ninja from Takigakure had once been sent by the village's higher-ups on a near-suicidal mission: to assassinate the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
The truth about that battle was widely debated. Some said he indeed engaged in an earth-shattering duel with Hashirama, ultimately falling to his Wood Release secret techniques.
Others said he merely threw a shuriken from eight hundred li away and was chased for three days and three nights by Hashirama's Wood Clone...
However, with the passing of Senju Hashirama, the true course of that battle remained a mystery forever.
Yet, when Kakuzu miraculously survived the God of Shinobi and returned to Takigakure with his battered body, he was met with the charge of "defeated deserter" and a cold prison cell.
At that moment, a burning rage consumed the last shred of loyalty in Kakuzu's heart. He had willingly challenged a god for the village, only to be met with betrayal and infamy.
Hatred spread through his chest, eventually transforming into decisive action—he broke free from his cage, stole the village's forbidden Jutsu, and mercilessly harvested the hearts of all the higher-ups.
The [Earth Grudge Fear]—this blood-soaked forbidden Jutsu became Kakuzu's eternity. By stealing others' hearts and Chakra natures, he not only mastered all five basic elemental releases simultaneously but also gained near-immortality.
Kakuzu, who had lived since the very beginning of the ninja villages, gradually came to understand the cruelty of eternity over the long years. Finally, on this endless path of immortality, he found the only companion that would never betray him.
Money.
Those currencies would not age, would not die, and would not vanish in the river of time. Their eternal value perfectly matched Kakuzu's immortal life. From then on, he became the most feared bounty hunter in the black market—he didn't care about the target's good or evil; as long as the reward was generous enough, anyone could become his prey.
"There are fewer and fewer good targets lately... It seems I'll have to leave this country for a while."
Kakuzu, dragging his spoils, hurried along the forest path, preparing to go to a nearby exchange office, contemplating his next itinerary.
"Roar—!"
A deafening beast roar suddenly came from ahead, shaking the leaves from the trees. Kakuzu abruptly looked up, only to see a giant white tiger leaping out of the bushes, its huge, sharp claws swiping towards him.
"What the hell is that?!"
His combat instinct awakened instantly. Kakuzu unhesitatingly dropped the corpse in his hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest. The Earth Release: Earth Spear hardening Jutsu immediately covered his entire body, his skin instantly becoming as hard as rock.
"Bang!"
The white tiger's sharp claws struck Kakuzu's arm with a loud clang, like metal colliding. The immense impact sent him sliding back several meters, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.
"This is... a Summoning Beast?"
Kakuzu narrowed his green-glowing eyes, warily examining the strange beast before him. Before he could counterattack, the ground beneath his feet suddenly glowed with an eerie purple light, and complex sealing Jutsu formulas spread across the ground like living things.
Sealing Jutsu?!
Kakuzu's rich combat experience allowed him to make an instant judgment. He exerted force, taking a big leap backward. The moment his toes left the ground, the purple sealing array fully formed.
"Screech—!"
However, a clear cry pierced the sky, and a crimson Vermillion Bird swooped down, its wings trailing flames in the air. Before Kakuzu could adjust his posture, he was fiercely knocked back to the ground by the scorching impact.
"Boom!"
Amidst the rising dust, Kakuzu's body was deeply embedded in the ground. Kakuzu felt the intense pain radiating from his body. He struggled to prop up his upper body, while quickly analyzing the situation before him.
These monsters' strength far exceeded that of ordinary Summoning Beasts. Fighting one or two alone might still offer a chance of victory, but if he had to face more simultaneously... His gaze swept around.
As the smoke gradually cleared, Kakuzu's face completely darkened. His worst fears were confirmed.
Not far away, a man in a long robe and wearing a fox mask stood silently. On either side of him, nine giant beasts of various forms were lined up: the White Tiger and Vermillion Bird he had just fought, as well as the coiled Azure Dragon, the heavy Black Tortoise, the winding Golden Serpent, and several immortal-like humanoid presences. Each one exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.
"Damn it..." Kakuzu's voice was squeezed through his teeth, "Someone as important as you would actually attack me? That doesn't align with your ideals, does it, [Cinder]?"
The voice from beneath the mask came calmly, "Immortal Ninja Kakuzu, I have come to welcome you as a member of [Cinder]."
Kakuzu's pupils suddenly constricted. He slowly straightened up, the burned black stitches twisting on his skin, emitting a faint "creaking" sound.
"Heh..." Kakuzu suddenly let out a cold laugh, "It seems my price is much higher than I imagined. But unfortunately, I'm not interested in your ideals. Right now, only money can attract me."