Kakuzu's abilities were extremely well-rounded.
Through Takigakure's secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear, he stole the hearts of others everywhere he went. In gaining a long lifespan, he also obtained chakra with many different elemental attributes.
What was more, Kakuzu had lived for a very long time.
He was basically a figure from the same era as the First Hokage.
A long career as a bounty hunter had given him vast combat experience.
For the three young shinobi—Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kurenai Yuhi—he was an excellent whetstone.
Uchiha Yusuke made up his mind.
His first target would be Kakuzu.
...
At the border of the Land of Fire.
Changle Street 85, 2104.278.
The moment Tsunade arrived, she ran straight into a hot-spring bar.
Shiranui Genma and the other guards tried to persuade her, but without exception, they were immediately shot down by this young lady.
What's wrong with relaxing a little during a mission?
I didn't run straight to a casino—haven't I already given that old man plenty of face?
Even when slacking off, Tsunade was righteous and confident.
A bar was the easiest place to gather information.
Do you rookies even understand that?
Tsunade now held Konoha's financial power.
With her personality, how could she not take the opportunity to spend?
As the princess of the Land of Fire, Tsunade had been doted on by her elders since childhood.
Even Jiraiya, a ninja from a common background, often visited entertainment districts after work.
Compared to Jiraiya, Tsunade was even worse.
Tsunade openly went to enjoy herself, while the three guards stood there blankly, staring at each other.
Poverty limited their imagination.
Compared to big shots, their meager income was barely enough to support a family.
Tsunade played for three whole days.
Fortunately, even while indulging herself, the young lady didn't forget her job.
Her luck wasn't bad—after hanging around the bar for three days, she really did get some information about Orochimaru.
According to bystanders, someone resembling Orochimaru had recently been seen near Sunagakure.
With that clue, Tsunade immediately abandoned the idea of investigating Otogakure and turned to probe in Sunagakure's direction instead.
...
Uchiha Yusuke's squad followed Kakuzu's trail, and in the blink of an eye, they had already entered the Land of Water.
Ahead was a major crossroads, with wealthy merchants and daimyō coming and going in an endless stream.
Chasing him to a place like this didn't surprise Yusuke at all.
Given Kakuzu's style, taking his partner out to earn extra money on the side was a common occurrence.
Think about the original events—
Even when his assigned task was capturing tailed beasts, Kakuzu could still take Hidan over mountains and across rivers to the Fire Temple and kill Chiriku, a thirty-million-ryō bounty target.
Even with Tendo Pain keeping him in check, Kakuzu still did as he pleased more often than not.
If Kakuzu had ever seen Konan's six hundred billion paper bombs, he'd probably have risked his life to go fight Pain.
Not long after Yusuke and his group arrived, they obtained a crucial lead.
Not long ago, someone had attacked on the road and looted a passing merchant caravan.
Yusuke immediately understood.
Greed for money. Killing to steal.
That really did match Kakuzu's style.
It hadn't been long since the incident—there was a good chance the culprit hadn't gone far.
By Akatsuki's usual habits, they executed missions in pairs.
The only question was: who was Kakuzu's partner right now?
Judging by the timeline, Hidan—who believed in the Jashin religion—shouldn't have joined yet.
Uchiha Yusuke directly had his squad disguise themselves as traveling merchants.
To draw attention, he even deliberately exposed some obviously valuable goods.
This bait plan wasn't especially clever, but Kakuzu was very easy to hook.
Kakuzu was steady and calm, but also extremely arrogant and self-confident.
Sometimes, even if he knew it was a trap, he would still step right in without hesitation.
The Fire Temple was a perfect example.
As an ancient temple of the Land of Fire, the warrior monks of the Fire Temple were famous throughout the shinobi world.
Their unique Sage-like abilities made many petty criminals back off.
Even knowing the target was tough, for thirty million ryō, Kakuzu still took Hidan and barged straight in.
To Kakuzu, taking on some risk wasn't a big deal.
Profit—that was what mattered most.
As long as the wealth Yusuke displayed was tempting enough, Kakuzu had a high chance of being unable to resist.
After all, Kakuzu was a man who had once attempted to assassinate the "God of Shinobi," Senju Hashirama—how could ordinary ninja possibly be worth his attention?
Before meeting Tendo Pain, Kakuzu had gone a long time believing he was invincible.
Among Akatsuki members, his strength might not rank at the very top, but his temperament definitely did.
Aside from Leader Pain, Kakuzu basically respected no one.
...
On the main thoroughfare—
Disguised as traveling merchants, Uchiha Yusuke and his group carried their packs along the road.
Suddenly—
Two mysterious figures wearing red-cloud cloaks blocked their path.
One wore a black face covering and stepped forward first.
It was Kakuzu—exactly the man Yusuke had been waiting for.
The other carried a massive blade and had an extremely ordinary, forgettable face.
He wore Akatsuki's cloak too, but no matter how you looked at him, he felt like a complete extra.
Staring at Yusuke's group, Kakuzu didn't hide the greed in his eyes at all.
He cleared his throat and spoke coldly.
"Leave everything you're carrying."
"And I can spare your lives."
Seeing this, Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kurenai all felt their spirits lift.
A mysterious Akatsuki member had finally appeared.
Before Yusuke could respond, the ordinary-looking man beside Kakuzu—carrying the blade—couldn't help complaining.
"Hey, Kakuzu."
"Leader didn't send us out to rob people everywhere, you know!"
Kakuzu glanced at his partner and said coldly,
"Who are you to point fingers at me?"
"Do you want to die?!"
Uchiha Yusuke sighed silently.
Kakuzu really was Kakuzu.
One disagreement, and he was ready to cut down his own teammate.
It was precisely because Kakuzu loved stabbing his partners that Akatsuki later paired him with Hidan—someone who couldn't die.
While Akatsuki's duo continued arguing, Yusuke's squad had already begun building up their momentum in secret.
Might Guy, acting as a caravan guard, was the first to lose patience.
With a strange shout, he charged straight at the Akatsuki duo.
"The enemy has finally appeared!"
"I, Konoha's Proud Blue Beast, will be your opponent!"
At the same time, black lines appeared on both Yusuke's and Kakashi's foreheads.
All muscle, no brain.
Announcing himself the moment he moved—truly worthy of Guy.
Might Guy came in fiercely, launching a flying kick at the pair.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Kakuzu formed seals on the spot, immediately using a hardening technique on his body.
The ordinary-faced man instantly drew his massive blade and blocked the attack.
Facing his opponent, Might Guy's fighting spirit surged. His face was filled with excitement.
That ordinary-faced Akatsuki member carrying a huge blade looked tall and powerful—perfectly fitting the image of a strong enemy in Guy's heart.
Burning with passion, Might Guy pulled out the nunchaku at his waist and flashed his bright, gleaming teeth at the ordinary-faced man.
Want to use weapons, huh?
Then I, Konoha's Proud Blue Beast, will accompany you to the end!
Kakuzu stood where he was, his face cold and ruthless.
Even though he hadn't joined the fight, he had already sensed something unusual.
That man had called himself "Konoha's Proud Blue Beast."
These people were very likely connected to Konoha.
Kakuzu was arrogant, but he still held a measure of respect for Konoha—the strongest hidden village in the shinobi world.
With the situation unclear, he decided to observe first.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ordinary-faced man's blade and Might Guy's nunchaku collided repeatedly. The battle between them was extremely fierce.
From the current situation, the two sides were basically evenly matched.
That ordinary-faced man was more capable than expected.
If Akatsuki had chosen him, he naturally had some real skill.
Watching the two fight fiercely, Kakuzu's face showed disdain.
This kind of battle was far too childish.
Dragging things out and wasting time—he really wanted to kill them both at once.
Everyone knew Kakuzu was an old man with no sense of shinobi honor.
When he got angry, he might even sneak-attack his own teammate along with the enemy.
...
While Might Guy and the ordinary-faced Akatsuki member fought fiercely, Kakashi and Kurenai simultaneously locked onto Kakuzu.
On the other side—
Kakuzu's expression was calm as still water as he stood off to the side, watching coldly.
From beginning to end, he showed no intention of taking action.
Kakuzu only cared about money. Whether his teammate lived or died, he couldn't be bothered to care.
Kakashi and Kurenai exchanged a glance.
Since the enemy wasn't going to attack first, they might as well strike first.
In an instant, the two formed a tacit understanding.
With Kakashi's signal, Kurenai swiftly began forming hand seals.
"Dog—Snake—Monkey—Ox…"
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Kakuzu, absorbed in watching the fight, suddenly felt the scene before him blur.
He couldn't help muttering,
"This is… genjutsu?!"
Sensing something wrong, Kakuzu immediately circulated chakra to resist.
Genjutsu was one of a shinobi's compulsory studies. Kakuzu had fought countless battles—he naturally understood it well.
However, Kakuzu underestimated Kurenai's strength.
He did break free of the genjutsu in the end, but it took a considerable amount of time.
In that brief window, Kakashi had already circled around behind him.
Kakashi had spent a long period in ANBU, and his assassination techniques had long reached the point of perfection.
Visible blue chakra gathered in his palm with a crackling hiss, and Kakashi's shout followed.
"Lightning Cutter!"
Kakuzu, snapping back to awareness, immediately sensed danger closing in.
He used every bit of strength he had to evade, but it was already too late.
Amid the roar of thunder, Kakashi aimed straight for the vital point, instantly piercing through Kakuzu's heart.
Kakuzu couldn't believe it.
I… got ambushed from behind?
Just who's the one with no shinobi honor here?!
Kakashi's eyes were cold as he spoke flatly,
"What a pity."
"Your body-hardening technique—I've already seen through it."
"From your seals just now, it should be Earth Release nature transformation, right?"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Kakuzu's eyes.
"To see through my hand seals instantly—and to have such powerful Lightning Release…"
"So that's it… you're the famous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, aren't you?"
Kakashi nodded lightly.
"To deduce my identity from just that much information…"
"Seems you're no ordinary opponent either."
"It's over."
Kakuzu slowly knelt down.
Seeing that, joy surfaced on both Kakashi's and Kurenai's faces at the same time.
Everything was going smoothly.
Next, as long as they found a way to capture the other enemy alive, this mission would be perfectly complete.
Just as Kakashi and Kurenai were about to relax, Uchiha Yusuke's warning suddenly reached their ears.
"Don't let your guard down."
"He's still alive."
Kakashi and Kurenai's expressions changed at once.
Still alive after having his heart pierced?
What kind of opponent was this?!
Even though it felt unbelievable, Kakashi and Kurenai still chose to trust Uchiha Yusuke without hesitation.
An Akatsuki member highly valued by Konoha possessing some extraordinary ability… did seem reasonable.
Very soon, Yusuke's words were proven true.
Under Kakashi's and Kurenai's shocked gazes, Kakuzu—his heart pierced through—stood back up.
He had originally wanted to play dead and launch a sneak attack, but he hadn't expected to be exposed with a single sentence.
Kakuzu stared at Uchiha Yusuke, his eyes full of doubt.
Earth Grudge Fear was Takigakure's secret, never-passed-down technique!
How could he know I'm not dead yet?
A profound, inscrutable smile appeared at the corner of Uchiha Yusuke's mouth.
Reality had surpassed Kakuzu's understanding.
No matter how hard Kakuzu racked his brain, he would never be able to deduce the truth.
With Yusuke's reminder, Kakashi and Kurenai narrowly avoided disaster.
Thinking of the severe consequences that could come from carelessness, both of them felt a lingering fear.
If Uchiha Yusuke hadn't warned them just now, they might already have fallen into the enemy's trap.
Even if they didn't die, they would have been badly injured.
For shinobi, mistakes like that were fatal.
At that thought—
Kakashi and Kurenai immediately raised their vigilance to the highest level.
This enemy in front of them was not simple.
They absolutely could not make the same low-level mistake again!
Kakuzu sized up Kakashi and Kurenai, then glanced at Might Guy still locked in battle with his partner.
A flash of understanding suddenly crossed his mind.
So that's how it is.
These people… are all Konoha jōnin!
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