"What's so special about defeating you?" Zukiri muttered inwardly but didn't try to provoke him further, instead whispering urgently, "Hurry up and teach me the rest of the Earth Grudge Fear technique before they make their move!"
"Teach it to you?" Kakuzu sneered. "You really expect me to believe you'd still take me with you even after I teach you everything?"
"What do you want then?" Zukiri snapped, clearly growing impatient.
"First get me out of here, then we'll talk," Kakuzu replied firmly. "Besides, you already poisoned me."
"You haven't removed all the seals yet?" Zukiri exclaimed.
"Not completely," Kakuzu explained. "But fighting here will definitely limit my sealed abilities."
Zukiri's expression darkened as he hesitated, eventually giving in to greed—partly because he trusted his own poison.
Without further delay, Zukiri took out the key and entered the cell to unchain Kakuzu.
They had wrapped him tightly with multiple layers of chains, precisely to prevent any strange one-handed or one-footed hand seals.
Just as Zukiri was releasing Kakuzu's chains, an angry voice interrupted from behind him.
"Zukiri! What are you doing?"
Zukiri stiffened mid-motion, turning his head slowly to see Shibuya and Chikuma standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Haha... Well, I was just checking if Kakuzu might escape, so I unlocked the chains briefly!"
"You beat up all the guards just for that?"
"Well... I was worried they might misunderstand what I was doing."
"You—"
"Stop wasting time with him," Chikuma pulled Shibuya forward. "Let's take them both down first!"
"I really didn't want to fight you two... Why did you have to force my hand like this?" Zukiri sighed. "Kakuzu, let's— Kakuzu? Kakuzu!"
Only now did Zukiri realize the Kakuzu behind him had somehow turned into a clay statue.
Damn it, was this world even working right anymore? Zukiri was practically shaking with anger despite the cold.
Facing the two enraged men, Zukiri wiped sweat from his temple. "What if I told you this was just a mix-up? Would you believe me?"
...
Minutes later, the scene was a mess.
[A body] silently lay on the ground. In the distance, Shibuya and Chikuma returned, looking battered.
"Damn it! He still got away!" Shibuya gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Who would've thought Kakuzu, with his seal still incomplete, could be this strong!" Chikuma looked grim too.
Since they were still inside the village, he hadn't dared transform fully into the Bijuu, which ironically gave their opponent a chance to escape.
"Now we're really in trouble—all because of that bastard Zukiri!" Shibuya swore and angrily kicked Zukiri's body.
However, the body burst and dissolved into white mist.
"Wait, that's impossible!" Shibuya's eyes widened in shock. "I clearly killed him!"
"It seems he must have obtained part of the [Earth Grudge Fear] jutsu from Kakuzu," Chikuma speculated.
Shibuya's face darkened. "Damn it! Zukiri knows way too much about the village—we need to find him ASAP!"
Chikuma nodded. "Round up all the sensor ninja in the village—find Zukiri now!"
...
Within the shadows.
Zukiri clutched his chest and stumbled through the wild forest.
"Fucking hell! How dare you treat me like this! Shibuya, Chikuma—I'll definitely come back for revenge!" Zukiri's eyes burned with hatred. "And that damned Kakuzu, abandoning me like this! Unforgivable—completely unforgivable!"
But just then, under the moonlight, a long shadow stretched across the ground beneath his feet.
Zukiri looked up and saw a mysterious figure wearing a Shinigami mask standing before him.
"Who are you?" Facing this masked figure, Zukiri instinctively felt a wave of fear.
However, the other seemed to have no intention of speaking.
With a strange glint in his eyes, Zukiri immediately lost consciousness, standing still like a statue.
"You leaked information to the Hidden Villages who have grudges against Kakuzu, then guided the guards to discover the commotion at just the right moment and report back to Shibuya—finally, you've fallen into my hands..."
Shuseki inwardly sighed. He had truly put in a great deal of effort to ensure the false information he wanted to spread appeared in the shinobi world as a reasonable explanation.
As for Kakuzu, who had escaped, he didn't care—the perfect opportunity had just arisen for the next target he had selected.
...
Several days later, in the heart of Iwagakure.
In the streets and alleys, many ninja who had just returned from missions were chatting enthusiastically.
"Hey, have you heard about it?"
"Heard about what?"
"The big Secret Treasure of Takumi that's been spreading across the shinobi world these past few days!"
"I've heard about it too. It's said that a Takumi Rogue Ninja intentionally leaked the village's secrets to resist Takumi's pursuit, revealing both the village entrance and its treasures."
"Well then, why don't you just say it already? What exactly is this Secret Treasure?"
"Hehe, don't be impatient. First, let me tell you another thing... You've probably heard that Takumi has a Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails, right?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Hasn't it ever seemed strange to you how Takumi, a small ninja village, could possess a Bijuu? Even the Five Great Hidden Villages have trouble dealing with Bijuu rampages!"
"That's true. Didn't Konoha have their hands full when the Nine-Tails went on a rampage not too long ago?"
"The reason Takumi isn't worried about Bijuu rampages is because they have a secret treasure known as the Hero Water!"
"Seriously? So you're saying this Hero Water can suppress the Bijuu?"
"I don't know if that's true or not, but considering that Takumi actually has the Seven-Tails, I think it sounds pretty plausible!"
Passing by them, Han walked on with a heavy expression.
This was the fourth time he'd heard similar rumors today.
As a Jinchuriki, there was no way he could ignore such news.
"A treasure that can suppress Bijuu rampages, huh?" Han couldn't help but feel intrigued.
After the war ended, Roshi once again left Iwagakure to resume his ascetic training.
After that incident, Onoki became overly cautious—he hardly ever left Iwagakure at all.
As for Kitsuchi, he didn't fall into despair after losing an arm, but the impact of losing a limb was simply too great for a ninja.
Therefore, Han believed Iwagakure's future rests on him!
"If I can fully control Five-Tails' power, it would ease some pressure off Iwagakure!"
Thinking thus, he wasted no time and went straight to see Onoki.
In the Tsuchikage's office.
"Should I also compile a book series on the Will of Stone?" Onoki was pondering when an announcement came from outside.
"Tsuchikage-sama, Han is here to see you."
"Han?" Onoki tidied his desk. "Let him in."
Han walked in and got straight to the point. "Tsuchikage-sama, have you heard about Takumi's Hero Water?"
Onoki nodded slightly. "You mean the rumor about Hero Water calming Bijuu rampages?"
As the Tsuchikage, his information was naturally more timely than Han's.
Han nodded eagerly, eyes wide with expectation. "Tsuchikage-sama, is this true?"
Onoki frowned. "To be honest, I'm not very sure either. Takumi has always been isolated and had limited contact with the outside world. We don't have much intelligence on them."
"Is that so?" Han looked momentarily disappointed, then quickly perked up. "Either way, let's just go and seize their Hero Water!"
"Start a war?" Onoki contemplated calmly.
Even if the other party was merely a small ninja village, he was still reluctant to provoke unnecessary trouble.
"No need for war," Han proposed. "I heard that a rogue ninja named Kakuzu also escaped from Takumi. That Kakuzu is a notorious bounty hunter."
"Then we can hold Takumi accountable for Kakuzu's actions—especially the ninja he assassinated. If they can't hand over the culprit, they must hand over the Hero Water as compensation."
"Is that so?"
Seeing Onoki still hesitating, Han urged, "We and Konoha are the two closest great ninja villages to Takumi, and recently Konoha had a Nine-Tails rampage incident. If we don't act fast, they'll beat us to it!"
Hearing Han put it this way, Onoki finally nodded. "Then you lead a team of ninja to negotiate with Takumi. Remember, try to resolve things peacefully!"
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