Kakuzu formed hand seals with both hands, controlling two masked black creatures—one fat, one thin. Their mouths opened, gathering chakra in the dark void of their throats, preparing to unleash Water Release and Wind Release.
Kakuzu combined the two into a new fusion technique: Ninja Art: Water Tornado.
The merging of Wind and Water Release created a swirling vortex, akin to a raging tornado, surging forward with immense force.
Seeing this level of combined ninjutsu, Tōshirō broke out in a cold sweat. He had no jutsu capable of directly countering such an attack, so he made the decisive choice—to run.
The Water Tornado was both fast and expansive, making it difficult to evade. Fortunately, the distance between them was great enough, giving Tōshirō enough time to escape.
Looking back at the sheer destruction caused by the Water Tornado, Tōshirō felt a lingering fear. He couldn't help but silently admire the technique. No wonder fusion jutsu were so powerful—they far exceeded ordinary jutsu in strength.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu was already launching another combination attack, this time fusing Wind and Fire Release. To an outsider, it would seem like he was trying to outright kill Tōshirō.
Realizing the danger, Tōshirō quickly shouted, "If you kill me, who's going to pay you for the training fees?"
The words had an immediate effect. Just as Kakuzu was about to unleash the jutsu, he hesitated. With a reluctant sigh, he stopped forming seals and cut off the chakra flow. The wind and fire in the creatures' mouths shrank and eventually vanished.
Tōshirō let out a relieved breath—if the fight had continued, things could've gone really bad for him.
Kakuzu then allowed the masked creatures to reabsorb into his back. Taking advantage of the pause, Tōshirō walked over and praised him. "Kakuzu, your strength is truly incredible. I really thought I was done for just now."
Kakuzu replied in his usual deadpan tone, "Just remember to pay up. I'm expensive."
Tōshirō was used to Kakuzu's money-obsessed nature. "Don't worry, I'll give you a price that will make you very satisfied."
Kakuzu moved to the side, picking up his discarded cloak from the ground. His response was indifferent. "Good."
Tōshirō, eager to flatter him, asked, "Kakuzu, what was that jutsu where you turned your whole body black? It looked incredible—you took my attack head-on without a scratch."
Kakuzu narrowed his green eyes and gave Tōshirō a long look. "What are you getting at?"
Tōshirō got straight to the point. "How much?"
Kakuzu was momentarily stunned. It was rare for him to be caught off guard. "What?"
Scratching his head awkwardly, Tōshirō said, "That jutsu is really amazing, so I was thinking… hehe…"
Kakuzu suddenly understood. "You went through all that just to ask me this?"
"I'll buy it for twenty million ryō. What do you say?"
"Ninjutsu is a ninja's way of survival. It's not something that can just be—"
"Fifty million."
"This isn't just about money."
"Eighty million."
"Fine. Just make sure you pay up."
So, it was about money after all.
"No problem!" Tōshirō grinned from ear to ear.
Kakuzu might have seemed cold and unapproachable, but once you got to know him, he was surprisingly easy to deal with—as long as you had the cash.
Before officially teaching Earth Release: Earth Spear, Kakuzu casually asked, "This is an Earth Release technique. With your Sharingan's abilities, you should be able to see right through it, shouldn't you?"
Tōshirō chuckled. "Yeah, I know."
Kakuzu glanced at him but said nothing.
After spending time with Tōshirō, Kakuzu had picked up on something—though Tōshirō never outright admitted it, Kakuzu was certain he didn't have an Earth chakra nature. In other words, he wouldn't be able to unleash the full potential of this jutsu.
Seeing Kakuzu's expression, Tōshirō explained with a smile, "I plan to study the technique and develop a similar one using Ice Release."
Kakuzu nodded in understanding.
In some ways, Earth Release and Ice Release shared similarities. Developing a new technique based on this wasn't entirely impossible.
Kakuzu smirked. "Spending such ridiculous amounts of money on a single jutsu... at the rate you burn through money, you'll be broke in no time."
Tōshirō shrugged. "Not my money, so who cares?"
Tōshirō's words left Kakuzu speechless—it actually made a lot of sense. After a brief silence, Kakuzu asked, "When do you want to start learning this jutsu?"
Tōshirō responded eagerly, "As soon as possible, of course."
"Alright." Kakuzu was a man of his word. He taught Tōshirō the hand seals for Earth Release: Earth Spear and even provided some key insights.
Once someone knew the hand seals, this jutsu wasn't particularly difficult for most ninjas.
Tōshirō memorized the technique and planned to pass it on to Tsunade when he returned to the village. With her talent, learning a B-rank jutsu shouldn't be too difficult.
After mastering Earth Spear, Tōshirō intended to learn more from Kakuzu—specifically about combining jutsu.
Due to his Earth Grudge Fear ability, Kakuzu was an expert in combined ninjutsu.
Kakuzu was surprised by Tōshirō's greed—learning Earth Spear wasn't enough; now he wanted to dig into combination jutsu as well. He shot Tōshirō a glance.
Tōshirō shrugged. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I won't pay you."
This sparring session with Kakuzu had given Tōshirō a clearer direction for getting stronger.
Mangekyō Sharingan, Kekkei Tōta, Sage Mode— these were all too far away. Instead, he decided to focus on something within reach: ninjutsu combinations.
Water Release + Ice Release Wind Release + Ice Release
Everyone knew that Ice Release was a combination of Water and Wind Release. Because of their shared nature, merging them directly into new techniques should be easier.
For example, Wind Release + Ice Release might produce techniques similar to blizzards.
As for Water Release + Ice Release, that had even more potential.
Of course, Tōshirō wasn't planning to simply freeze the water with Ice Release—that would be pointless. Instead, he wanted to combine water's fluidity with ice's defensive properties.
His inspiration came from the second stage of Susanoo. In this stage, Susanoo first develops muscles and tendons, then gains armor.
Among Water Release techniques, there was one called Water Release: Water Whip—a flexible jutsu that could be used like a whip.
Tōshirō wanted to incorporate this flexibility into Ice Release—to create a technique where water remained fluid but was reinforced with ice, preserving both defense and agility.
If he could achieve this level of combination, his control over Ice Release: Crystal Dragon Descent would take a huge leap forward, evolving into a technique comparable to the First Hokage's Wood Dragon.
After Tōshirō and Kakuzu abandoned their brief stint as kidnappers, they decided to go into legitimate business. But first, they needed a nation to support them.
In this world, running a business without government backing meant being crushed under outrageous taxes. To solve this problem, they planned to take control of the Land of Bears.
The Land of Bears was located south of the Land of Fire, near the coast. Since the Land of Fire was on the way, Tōshirō decided to stop by Konoha—and while he was there, he planned to teach Earth Spear to Tsunade.
"Up ahead is Konoha. I'll stop by the village for a few days, then I'll find you."
Kakuzu didn't react much to this.
Tōshirō separated from the group and walked through Konoha's streets. He didn't run into anyone familiar, so he headed straight for the Uchiha clan compound. There was nothing urgent to do at the moment, and he figured he could afford to visit Elder Itachi and remind people he existed.
Tōshirō respected the old man, who had always looked out for him.
When he arrived at Itachi's residence, he called out a few times—but got no response.
He didn't think much of it, assuming Itachi wasn't home. So, he casually asked a passing Uchiha clansman about Itachi's whereabouts.
Upon hearing Itachi's name, the clansman's expression turned sorrowful.
Tōshirō frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
For some reason, the man looked as if he were mourning a loved one.
After a heavy pause, the clansman finally said, "Ah… I guess you wouldn't know, Tōshirō. You've been traveling all this time… Elder Itachi passed away a while ago."
For a moment, Tōshirō's mind went completely blank.
"D-Dead!?"
(End of Chapter)
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