Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

"Hanabusa, I'll be heading to Konohagakure. Over the next few months, I'll rely on you to keep things in order here. If the glassware shows any signs of cracking again, replace it immediately," Kakuzu instructed as he observed the freshly replaced glass container, within which floated a piece of tortoise shell.

Hanabusa nodded seriously. "Understood, Kakuzu-sama. Leave it to me."

With her response, Kakuzu stopped wasting time. After packing his essentials, he prepared to leave. From the map, the Land of Fire was directly south—a short journey. However, before heading to Konohagakure, Kakuzu needed to deal with the Mizukage's corpse.

Since the death of the First Mizukage, Byakuren, his reputation had only grown, becoming a focal point of attention in the ninja world. Despite the seemingly calm surface, tensions ran deep beneath the surface. Kakuzu had no intention of drawing unnecessary attention to himself during such a precarious time.

His plan? Dispose of Byakuren's body far from here, creating a diversion that might stir trouble elsewhere while ensuring his own safety. After consulting the map of bounty exchange points, Kakuzu settled on the Land of Moon, a location nestled between the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. With its strategic position, it was plausible that even shinobi from the Land of Earth could become involved.

Once the body was discarded there, it would undoubtedly cause a stir in the ninja world. However, the majority of the suspicion would likely fall on the three great nations, keeping Kakuzu out of the spotlight.

Without hesitation, Kakuzu set out, traveling swiftly along the borders of the Land of Fire. After three days, he arrived at the Land of Moon.

When he finally spotted the bounty exchange point, Kakuzu couldn't help but scowl.

"What the hell... another toilet?"

Suppressing his irritation, he proceeded inside. Why did these people have such a fetish for hiding underground exchange points beneath restrooms? It was baffling.

Descending into the dimly lit basement, he was greeted by a shifty-eyed middle-aged man who clearly ran the place. Kakuzu produced a scroll and unsealed Byakuren's corpse before the man.

When the middle-aged man saw the body, his expression froze. He never imagined that the infamous First Mizukage, whose name had echoed throughout the ninja world in recent years, would one day end up in his bounty exchange.

This was beyond shocking. Once the news spread, this location would undoubtedly gain legendary status in the black market.

"Uh... This..." The man hesitated, raising his head as though trying to get a good look at Kakuzu's face.

But Kakuzu's mask concealed his features, and the cold gleam in his exposed eyes sent a shiver down the man's spine. He immediately realized that if Kakuzu had taken down the First Mizukage, killing him would be child's play.

Swallowing his words, the man hurried to retrieve the payment. Moments later, a large suitcase was placed before Kakuzu. "Here you are—7,100,000 ryo."

This was the largest sum Kakuzu had ever earned in one go. Feeling the weight of the suitcase, which was almost double his usual haul, Kakuzu felt an inexplicable surge of exhilaration—a strange sense of pride akin to that of a nouveau riche.

"You. Don't move, or I'll kill you."

The icy threat froze the man in place, but Kakuzu paid him no further attention. Sitting down, he opened the suitcase and began counting the bills, one by one.

Swish. Swish. Swish...

The rhythmic sound of bills being flipped filled the room. Time passed slowly, the monotonous counting seemingly endless. The middle-aged man, initially nervous, eventually grew drowsy.

That was until the end.

"7096... 7097... 7098..." Kakuzu's voice trailed off. Then, silence.

The middle-aged man jolted awake, his eyes widening in panic as Kakuzu's sharp gaze pierced through him.

"Where are the last two bills?" Kakuzu's voice was as cold as ice.

The man stammered, unsure whether to explain that Kakuzu might have miscounted or that he could have made a mistake when packing the money. However, he knew better than to say anything.

Kakuzu had already risen to his full height, his towering figure casting a shadow over the man.

Just then—

Boom!

The basement trembled violently.

"Heh, so you're trying to short me, huh?" Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement. His sharp senses told him that the tremor was caused by a nearby battle.

"N-no! It's not me, I swear! It's the armies of Konohagakure and Kumogakure—they're fighting again!"

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he looked up. A crack had appeared in the ceiling, and some unknown liquid began to drip through.

If he remembered correctly, the facility above this exchange point was...

Crap!

Twenty minutes later.

The ceiling finally collapsed with a loud crash, flooding the basement with water from the destroyed restroom above. The bounty exchange was effectively ruined.

Dragging the trembling middle-aged man with him, Kakuzu emerged into the open air, suitcase in hand.

The middle-aged supervisor's legs buckled in fear as he knelt before Kakuzu, trembling uncontrollably. He would never know that the loss of just two large bills could lead to catastrophic destruction. This time, however, the situation carried a hint of uniqueness.

Kakuzu's gaze shifted into the distance, as if he could see the looming fires of war. He tossed a suitcase onto the ground in front of the supervisor.

"Deliver this to the location I specified! Otherwise, your life is forfeit! Understand?"

The lifeless look in Kakuzu's eyes sent chills down the man's spine. He shivered, his teeth chattering as he nodded frantically. He knew all too well that Kakuzu could snuff out his life with a mere breath. To escape with his life intact was already a stroke of misfortune turned fortune.

The supervisor struggled to his feet, his body trembling, and nodded repeatedly, assuring Kakuzu he would deliver the money to the specified location. As for whether he would dare skim 7.1 million from Kakuzu? Heh, the entire shinobi world likely wouldn't have someone foolish enough to try.

After giving his instructions, Kakuzu vanished in a flash. When he reappeared, he was atop a steep cliff, overlooking a scene below. His body crouched slightly as he observed carefully.

Down below, two groups faced each other. One wore the standard green flak jackets of Konohagakure. The other group was more plainly dressed, donning white and deep-blue armor—clearly shinobi from Kumogakure.

Each side seemed to number in the hundreds, perhaps two or three hundred each. It wasn't a large-scale conflict, more like a skirmish along the border. These types of clashes were common—just enough to draw some blood and provoke accusations from both sides, followed by the inevitable war of words. Such incidents were almost routine along the borderlines.

But this time, Kakuzu noticed something particularly intriguing.

At the forefront of the Kumogakure forces stood a middle-aged man with dark skin and a head of curly hair. While this wasn't an unusual look for Kumogakure shinobi, this man's face triggered a memory in Kakuzu's mind.

It was unmistakable—this was A, the First Raikage.

Kakuzu's mind was razor-sharp when it came to money, and the face of a man with a bounty was not something he would forget. The First Raikage, known for his volatile temper and unpredictable personality, had seen his bounty skyrocket. The most recent bounty poster placed him at an astonishing 82.3 million ryo.

To be honest, this amount was second only to Hashirama Senju's 170 million and Madara Uchiha's 168 million—making the Raikage one of the most valuable targets in the shinobi world.

And now, here he was, personally leading an attack. This matched recent rumors circulating in the shinobi world: with Hashirama busy in the Land of Wind, the Raikage was looking to stir up trouble.

The Raikage's fierce expression and booming voice commanded the Kumogakure forces to charge at Konoha's troops. True to his reputation, he led the charge himself, his body crackling with lightning as he moved. The shinobi of Kumogakure had honed their Lightning Release taijutsu to perfection, and this time, the Raikage intended to teach Konoha a lesson.

On the other side, Konoha wasn't backing down. The leader of their forces, a man in his fifties, raised his hand and signaled for a counter-charge. The Konoha shinobi surged forward to meet their attackers.

Kakuzu squinted at the Konoha leader. He didn't recognize the man, but based on his attire and demeanor, Kakuzu had already formed a guess about his identity.

As the two sides clashed, the battlefield roared with the sounds of battle, thunder, and cries of defiance. Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with cold calculation, the flames of war reflecting in his unfeeling gaze.

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