"What do you mean—there are other missing-ninja here? That's impossible! The intel said there was only one! Die!"
The last words were shouted at the bandit leader. Several serpents summoned by Anko Mitarashi coiled around the man, and one of them opened its jaws wide, ready to sink its venomous fangs into him.
It was one of Orochimaru's signature techniques—Hidden Shadow Snake Hands. Though it later became almost commonplace in the world of high-level jutsu, at this point in history—before the power scale had gone off the rails—it was still a deadly move.
Just as the snakes were about to strike, a bolt of lightning shot from afar, piercing through the air and striking the serpents head-on.
In an instant, all four snakes turned to smoking charcoal, and the electric current surged through their bodies—arcing right back to Anko herself.
She screamed in pain, hurriedly dispelling the jutsu to sever her connection with the snakes. Even so, her right hand had already been scorched, filling the air with the acrid stench of burnt flesh.
"Who's there?! Show yourself! Rokuro—tell me where they are!"
Realizing that Rokuro could sense chakra, Anko shouted the question urgently.
Rokuro's eyes narrowed as he turned toward a nearby building with its doors firmly shut.
"There are five chakra signatures inside—all of them jōnin-level."
"What?! Five jōnin?! That's impossible! How could a bunch of bandits have five jōnin-level leaders?!"
Anko didn't believe it, and even Rokuro found it hard to accept. But when the building's door creaked open, his expression shifted from confusion to sudden clarity.
"So, these are the brats you wanted me to deal with, Kurote? You can't even handle something this small? Pathetic."
Kurote—the bandit leader—was still smoldering from the earlier lightning strike. His face was blackened and blistered, like he'd stepped right out of a horror film—no makeup required.
"Damn you! You hit me too! If I die, you won't get a single ryō out of this!" he yelled. "Men! Surround those Konoha brats! Don't let them escape!"
At his command, over a hundred bandits swarmed in from all directions, weapons drawn, sealing every possible exit—including the gate.
"Rokuro! Where are the other four missing-ninja? Point them out—we'll break through in one direction! We can't take on jōnin-class enemies! This mission's no longer a B-rank—it's at least A, maybe even S-rank!"
Cold sweat ran down Anko's temple as she hastily tore strips of bandage and wrapped her burned hand, trying to minimize the damage before the real fight began.
But Rokuro only sighed softly.
"No need to look. All five of them are right there. We really pulled the worst lot this time… who would've thought a simple cleanup job would run us into one of the top bounty hunters of the underground exchange."
"Top bounty hunter…? What do you mean?"
Rokuro didn't answer. He stepped forward instead, drawing a kunai as his eyes shifted into the two-tomoe Sharingan.
"Legendary bounty hunter—Kakuzu. What an honor."
That's right. The man who had just injured Anko with a single strike was none other than Kakuzu—the future Akatsuki member who would one day partner with Hidan to form the immortal duo.
"You know who I am?" Kakuzu said coldly, now standing beside Kurote. Suddenly, his hand shot out and clamped around the bandit leader's throat, hoisting him into the air like a child's toy.
"K–Kakuzu! What are you doing?! I'm your employer!"
Kakuzu's green eyes glinted with malice.
"No one cheats me out of my payment. Everyone who's ever tried… I've torn out their hearts. Would you like to join them?"
Despite his chūnin-level strength, Kurote hung helplessly in Kakuzu's grip. The next instant, Kakuzu hurled him aside like garbage.
"Fire Release — Searing Migratory Flames!"
A torrent of fire erupted from Kakuzu's mouth, sweeping across the bandit camp like a tidal wave. Within seconds, the entire stronghold was engulfed in flames. The screams of burning men filled the air as the inferno devoured everything.
Kurote staggered to his feet, howling in disbelief.
"Are you insane?! You're killing my men too?!"
"Hmph. I was paid to keep you alive and eliminate the Konoha shinobi. The rest? They were weak. Their deaths are simply the natural consequence of their inadequacy… hm?"
Mid-sentence, Kakuzu paused. From the center of the blaze, a billowing cloud of steam erupted—his flames had been stopped by a massive wall of water.
At the heart of it stood Anko, straining to maintain her Water Release: Water Formation Wall, blocking the flames from reaching them.
But for a mere chūnin, fending off an attack from Kakuzu was nearly impossible. She was already at her limit just keeping herself and Rokuro alive.
"Rokuro, my chakra's almost depleted… you need to get me out of here!"
"It's no use, Anko-senpai. Kakuzu's a relic from the First Hokage's era. His strength goes far beyond ordinary jōnin. Escaping from him… is almost impossible."
"What? That's impossible! Anyone from that era would be over eighty by now—how could he even move, let alone fight?!"
Forming a quick seal, Rokuro took over the jutsu, dousing the remaining fire. When the smoke cleared, the entire mountain stronghold had been reduced to ash. All the buildings and more than a hundred bandits had perished in the flames. Only four people remained standing—Kurote, Kakuzu, Anko, and Rokuro.
Anko suddenly remembered something.
"Rokuro—you said there were five jōnin-level chakra signatures, right? Where are the other four?"
"Kakuzu is from Takigakure. He mastered a forbidden jutsu known as Earth Grudge Fear—a technique that lets him steal other people's hearts, inheriting their chakra nature and extending his own lifespan. That's how, even at nearly ninety, he's still in peak condition—practically immortal."
Anko froze in shock. Her teacher, Orochimaru, was obsessed with immortality—and yet, someone else had already achieved it.
"Wait… if he's stealing hearts and chakra… then the five jōnin signatures you sensed—they're all inside him?"
Rokuro nodded.
At that moment, black tendrils began to wriggle out from Kakuzu's body like living shadows, turning him into a grotesque, monster-like figure.
"Kid… who the hell are you? How do you know that much about me?"
Anko stiffened, ready to retreat—but before she could move, something struck the back of her neck. Her vision went dark, and she lost consciousness instantly.
Her body lifted off the ground and was flung down the mountain, eventually getting caught on a tree branch halfway down the slope.
Rokuro lowered his left hand, looking perfectly calm.
Kakuzu sneered.
"So, you're not planning to let her go either? Good. My secrets aren't worth much—but they're not meant to be leaked. Both of you die here."
"Haha… looks like we think alike, Kakuzu. I've got plenty of secrets of my own—and I'd rather keep them buried too."
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
Forbidden Java Jutsu - MrBehringer's Secret
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