Watching the bounty hunter casually pick up the heart and tuck it under his cloak, Kazahana Dotō didn't dare ask what came next.
This man was truly terrifying.
The effortless way he wielded five different nature transformations left Dotō in awe—but what frightened him more was the man's utter lack of hesitation when it came to killing. At this point, Dotō was even worried that this monster might suddenly turn on him.
Perhaps sensing Dotō's unease, Kakuzu spoke up politely.
"Don't worry. I'm a professional. Until the mission is complete, I guarantee my employer won't suffer so much as a scratch!"
Hearing this, Dotō couldn't help but shudder.
(You'd have been better off not saying anything! Now it sounds like you're going to kill me the moment the job is done!)
What he didn't understand, however, was that for someone like Kakuzu, employers were valuable.
Because they were the ones who paid him.
Killing an employer would ruin his reputation in the bounty-hunting world.
No one would hire a man who betrayed his clients.
"Alright, let's go retrieve the princess now."
"And Dotō-sama... don't even think about skimping on my payment."
With that, Kakuzu dashed off in a certain direction.
Left behind, Dotō hesitated, staring at his retreating figure before finally gritting his teeth and following.
---
"Halt!"
Kakuzu swaggered into view, eyeing the group before him. After a quick assessment, he nodded approvingly.
"No wonder your men failed, Dotō-sama. These are Konoha's new Ino-Shika-Chō. If your lackeys had managed to take them down, that would've been surprising."
"Who are you?"
Since the enemy hadn't immediately attacked, Koyuki thought there might still be room for negotiation.
"A great bounty shinobi—Kakuzu!"
After answering, Kakuzu looked Koyuki up and down before nodding again.
"Good, no injuries. That'll raise Dotō-sama's satisfaction. Maybe he'll even increase my reward."
Muttering to himself, he then addressed Koyuki directly.
"Just stand there and don't move. Once the fighting starts, I'll try not to hurt you."
What the hell was this guy talking about?
Koyuki felt like her attempt had been wasted.
She had intended to use her words, to make this man understand that she was the rightful heir to the Land of Snow, while Dotō was nothing more than a usurper.
But instead, this man was an idiot—or perhaps a lunatic.
Were all shinobi like this now?
Staring into Kakuzu's eerie, inhuman green eyes, Koyuki took a few steps back.
"Leave this guy to us, Hikari-senpai!" Shikamaru stepped forward confidently.
As the heirs of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, they had grown stronger.
Some no-name bounty hunter wasn't worth their concern.
"Such ignorant brats. When I fought the First Hokage of your village, your parents hadn't even been born yet." Kakuzu casually dropped the bombshell.
"W-What?! The First Hokage?!"
Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji stared at Kakuzu in shock.
Konoha had been founded sixty years ago. That meant this man had to be at least seventy.
For someone that old to still be taking bounties... his life must've been hard—no, wait, that meant he had to be strong, right?
Kakuzu was pleased with their reaction.
Since they were so receptive, he didn't mind sharing a bit of his glorious past.
"That's right. The First Hokage. His Wood Release was truly something else."
Wood Release.
Hearing those words, the trio fell silent.
"You youngsters probably think the Third Hokage is the strongest, don't you?" Seeing their conflicted expressions, Kakuzu decided to enlighten them before their deaths.
After all, it'd be a shame if they died without knowing who killed them.
"The First Hokage was a legend—a man hailed as the God of Shinobi. And yet, his history has been forgotten. Even Konoha's own shinobi don't remember his greatness. How cold this world has become."
"That's a pretty laughable thing to say."
Shikamaru suddenly spoke up, refuting Kakuzu's words.
"Oh?"
Kakuzu was at the height of his boastful storytelling, feeling more satisfied than he had in decades. And then Shikamaru just had to ruin it.
Having been interrupted mid-boast, Kakuzu's mood instantly soured.
No man could tolerate that.
"Brat, if you can't back up your words, I'll make sure you experience true suffering."
With Earth Grudge Fear, killing someone was easy—but the same technique could also be used to keep them alive. The Earth Grudge Fear was a forbidden art that allowed the user to store their life force within their blood vessels.
By altering his chakra, Kakuzu's veins had mutated, rendering them immune to most ninjutsu and blades.
His body had long lost ordinary human sensations. Calling him a zombie wouldn't be far off.
His hearts were his lifeline. As long as they remained intact, Kakuzu could continue living indefinitely.
"Assuming Konoha was founded sixty years ago, even if you fought the First Hokage just before his death, that would mean you were active at least ten years before the village's founding. Add that to Konoha's age, and you'd have to be at least seventy years old. Seventy years—even the First Hokage didn't live that long! How the hell are you still alive?!"
"Ha ha ha!"
Kakuzu burst into laughter at Shikamaru's words.
"What a foolish brat. How much of the world do you truly understand? Just because I lost to Hashirama back then doesn't mean I couldn't outlive him!"
Shikamaru remained unfazed. "Even if you did fight the First Hokage, that doesn't mean you're still as strong as you were back then! Right now, you're just a seventy-year-old geezer!"
"Ha..."
Kakuzu realized he'd made a mistake by talking so much today.
All he wanted was to show off a bit in front of Konoha's shinobi!
Why was this brat so uncooperative?
Furious, Kakuzu abandoned his posturing.
He was done playing around. It was time to kill and complete the mission.
Only the bounty waiting at the end could calm his heart.
These brats could just go die!
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