When setting out to capture a Jinchuriki, fuinjutsu is non-negotiable.
While Kitsuchi lacked Onoki's sheer dominance, he was meticulous with logistics and rarely made mistakes. The only reason there were no sealing specialists present at this exact moment was simply because Takeshi had sprinted ahead, leaving the support team in the dust.
As the signal flare sputtered overhead, Kitsuchi sat down and locked eyes with the black cat.
'Paid Sealing Services?'
'You damn cat, you're rotten to the core,' Kitsuchi thought, staring into those feline eyes. 'All you think about is picking pockets. The Tsuchikage is practically coming to blows with the Daimyo over budget cuts, and you're still trying to wring every ryo out of us? Do you have no conscience?'
Oh, right. He is a cat.
Kitsuchi felt a wave of melancholy wash over him.
Why did a cat care so much about money? He really couldn't understand it.
Kitsuchi had no way of knowing about Takeshi's grand ambition to establish a Holy Land. If he had, he would have been even more shocked. Since the Iwa-nin weren't willing to pay, Takeshi wasn't about to waste chakra summoning Kanna or flashing Minato in with the Flying Thunder God. Both the Reverse Summoning Jutsu and long-distance transmission required a considerable amount of chakra.
Why do work that offered no benefits?
But running into Kakuzu on this trip? That was a stroke of luck. The guy was walking money. His bounty would cover his City's full renovation and heating systems, with enough left over to throw a subsidy at Akatsuki.
Takeshi had essentially tricked Yahiko into setting up shop in the Land of Snow, tossing him a few million ryo was the least he could do as a gesture of goodwill.
More than that?
Absolutely not.
The Land of Snow was certainly not wealthy. While they possessed abundant mineral resources, the climate made it impossible to grow grain or crops on a large scale. Although they managed a meager harvest each year, it was far too little to sustain the population.
However, thinking about how the Land of Earth shared a border with the Land of Snow...
Takeshi pondered the map in his head. "Kitsuchi," he purred, "what's the financial situation like in the Land of Earth these days, meow? After paying out all those reparations, is there anything left in the treasury?"
"..."
Kitsuchi shot him a glare, refusing to answer such a painful question.
"Meow~ If you're short on cash, we can trade," Takeshi offered a friendly tip. "Grain, ninja tools, that sort of thing."
The Land of Snow usually purchased grain from the Land of Fire, but the war had drained Konoha's reserves this year. Moreover, the distance made shipping expensive, meaning the Snow Ninja Village was getting a raw deal buying exclusively through Fire Country channels.
In comparison, if the Land of Earth was willing to trade, it would be perfect. The shipping costs alone would be cut by more than half.
Kitsuchi weighed the offer seriously.
Selling grain wasn't impossible. But then he paused, this damn black cat was from Konoha. The Land of Fire was the breadbasket of the nations, their agricultural output far outstripped the rocky Land of Earth.
The Land of Fire needed to buy from them? It smelled like a trap.
He shook his head. "With the current strength of the Land of Earth, we have no need to sell off our grain reserves."
"Meow!"
'Fine then.'
Takeshi could tell the guy was just being stubborn. He was clearly tempted.
Takeshi decided he would send Yahiko over to negotiate later. There was a good chance they could squeeze a significant amount of food out of Onoki. With a steady grain supply, life in the Snow Ninja Village would be much easier.
A rustling in the distance announced the arrival of the three lagging Iwa-nin, who had finally tracked the signal flare.
"Kitsuchi-sama, over here..."
"It's handled," Kitsuchi announced. "You three, help seal the target so we can return to the village. And while you're at it, 'help' Takeshi-sama seal this one, too. 'For free'."
Kitsuchi leaned hard on the words "help" and "free."
'See?' his tone implied. 'Iwa isn't petty like you. We don't charge for every little breath.'
"Meow~ Very noble," Takeshi replied, cleaning a paw, completely unbothered. "But even if you do that, I'm not giving you a discount on the previously agreed-upon fees."
In Kakuzu's current state, whether he was formally sealed or just tied up didn't make much difference to Takeshi, sealing just made transport slightly less annoying.
"Kitsuchi-sama, then do we still..."
"Seal him!" Kitsuchi gritted out.
Even if they had to pay the extortionate fees, they still had to use fuinjutsu to secure Roshi and Kakuzu properly. Giving the black cat an excuse for revenge was too dangerous, the village couldn't afford the price.
Although Kitsuchi hadn't dealt with the cat many times personally, these were the hard-learned lessons of his old father.
In short: Don't provoke the cat.
Kitsuchi took the teaching to heart. In fact, the journey here had only reinforced the truth of it. Onoki was right, this creature was not to be trifled with.
"Meow~ You're very sensible. Go back and practice your ninjutsu, and you might make a decent next Tsuchikage one day," Takeshi said, patting Kitsuchi on the shoulder.
"I'll pass on the Tsuchikage seat. Not interested." Kitsuchi managed a tired smile. He had no ambition for the hat.
The sealing ninjas quickly went to work on Roshi and Kakuzu. Their job was simple enough, just layering on a few suppression seals. Usually, the hardest part with S-rank powerhouses like these was getting them to stop moving long enough to apply the ink.
Right now, however, both men were as limp as dead fish, offering zero resistance.
Son Goku was still roaring inside his host, but once the seals were applied, only Roshi had to listen to him. With the business concluded and the payment demanded, Takeshi grabbed his prize.
Kakuzu was a big shot.
Among ninjas, he was a legitimate powerhouse. Sure, rumor had it he only fought Hashirama Senju's Wood Clone back in the day, but that was Hashirama. Onoki had merely been thrashed by Madara once, yet people bragged about him being the "only ninja to face Madara" constantly.
Compared to the Tsuchikage, Kakuzu felt like the real deal.
Once Kitsuchi hauled Roshi away, Takeshi activated the Flying Thunder God and flashed directly to Orochimaru.
--**--**
Konohagakure, Orochimaru's Laboratory.
Orochimaru was deep into his research on the secrets of White Zetsu when space distorted behind him. He took a deep breath.
'Him again...'
Orochimaru temporarily set down his instruments.
In the blink of an eye, Takeshi materialized. Orochimaru had intended to complain about the intrusion, but his eyes narrowed as they landed on the bundle tied to the cat's tail.
'Who's this?'
"Kakuzu?"
It took Orochimaru a moment to place the face. This was a relic from Hashirama's era.
'He's actually still alive?'
His golden eyes lit up with intense scientific curiosity. He immediately crouched down to examine the prize. Kakuzu was currently in the "exhausted" stage of being head-sealed, completely unable to resist.
"It really is him."
"Meow~ Naturally. I was out on a mission, and it just so happened that he wanted to rob us. So I brought him back as a souvenir," Takeshi explained casually.
Orochimaru nodded slowly, his attention entirely on Kakuzu's physiology. But after a moment, he paused. Something about that story didn't add up.
'He wanted to rob you?'
'You have to be joking.'
'Surely, you robbed him.'
Who in the entire ninja world wouldn't give the black cat a wide berth these days?
Even Madara...
Well, they had tracked Shisui's chakra signature recently and confirmed that Madara had abandoned his original hideout.
Even Madara Uchiha had to make a detour to avoid this cat. If Kakuzu had any brains at all, he would have fled the moment he saw Takeshi. The only issue was speed, few in the ninja world could outrun Takeshi. Kakuzu was strong, but he wasn't fast enough.
Although Kakuzu was about to become a dissection subject, Orochimaru couldn't help but offer a silent prayer of sympathy.
That poor, miserable fool.
===============
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