Finally finished with my exams š“
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"Don't let him escape!"
"Let's go!"
A figure raced through a dense forest, pursued by a large number of ninjas hot on his heels.
Countless kunai and shurikens whizzed from behind, intermixed with explosive tags, detonating within the forest. The concussive force flung the fleeing man to the ground, rolling in the dirt.
"I never expected i would be pursued this relentless. They're relentless as ever." Kakuzu thought, even an immortal like him was weary after enduring the constant day and night pursuit by the Suna nins.
Kakuzu knew exactly why he found himself in this predicament, and it all boiled down to his insatiable desire for money.
Back on the battlefield where Suna clashed with Ame, he seized the opportunity when Chiyo had her guard down and snatched the body of the former Ame leader, Hanzo, right from under her nose. This body was worth hundreds of millions, and it was the primary reason behind the relentless pursuit by Suna's nins.
Suna had already suffered a loss on the Land of Rain battlefield and was forced to sign a recent armistice agreement with Konoha. They had, in essence, triggered the Third Ninja World War, but they hadn't reaped the lucrative rewards they had hoped for.
If Hanzo's body were to fall into the hands of a bounty hunter in the underground black market, Suna would be left with nothing.
For this reason, Suna didn't dare to fight Konoha again, but Kakuzutook away the only important spoil Suna had achieved. But it was what they couldn't give up no matter what.
So they immediately dispatched a large number of elite ninjas, chasing and to kill Kakuzu.
Even though they had suffered a near-defeat at the hands of Konoha on the battlefield, it didn't mean that Suna's authority was something a mere bounty hunter could challenge.
Kakuzu had been relentlessly pursued for days on end, a period he couldn't quite pinpoint. It had been at least half a month, or perhaps as long as a month. He had exhausted all his tricks and killed dozens of the chasing ninjas. Still, many powerful Jonin remained amongst his pursuers. As a result, his information was already leaked.
In order to deal with him,, Suna had dispatched a large number of elite ninjas, encompassing a broad range of skills in long-range, melee, sensory, defense, taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu.
On top of that, he had originally had five hearts but now had only two left. Currently, his main body had the earth heart and the fire heart.
As an S-rank rogue nin from Takigakure decades ago, when he had left the village, he had made away with one valuable item - the forbidden jutsu known as 'Earth Grudge.' This jutsu allowed one to capture and storing another person's heart within the user's own body, thus prolonging the user's life and mastering the new chakra attribute through the absorbed heart.
In his prime, he had been proficient in all five chakra nature changes: fire release, earth release, water release, lightning release, and wind release. This was equivalent to having five hearts, and as long as these hearts weren't destroyed simultaneously, he would remain alive.
He had transcended into the realm of the inhuman, where his body and limbs had been replaced by black tentacles, and his mouth and back concealed by black tentacles.
Faced with unrelenting pursuit from Suna, he had been forced to activate his ultimate form. But doing so meant that if this form was defeated, he would be left with nothing.
Among the group of Suna ninjas chasing him, there were nearly hundreds. Their leader was a young female ninja, and Kakuzu remembered her name, or more accurately, the bounty placed on her.
Suna's Kekkei Genkai Scorch Release - Pakura.
The underground black market had a whopping bounty of 45 million ryo on her head.
Though she couldn't quite match Konoha's Sannin and the newly famed Yellow Flash, she was among the most skilled amongst the younger generation.
Even if they were to engage in a one-on-one fight, Kakuzu couldn't guarantee he could defeat her without sustaining injuries. It was highly likely he would lose a heart or two to secure a victory.
The Scorch Release's power was far too terrifying, as its mere touch could instantly drain moisture from a person's body, rendering medical ninja intervention useless. The afflicted victim would transform into a mummified corpse and meeting death.
Kakuzu was particularly fearful of this lethal ninjutsu, which could be classified as a one-hit kill.
Furthermore, he had hundreds of Suna nine chasing him, each emanating an aura of power and showcasing various skills of at least high-level ninja competence. With only two hearts left and his leaked information, there was no way he could stand against them.
Kakuzu stood up from the ground and decided not to engage with these Suna nind. Instead, he deployed his black monster with the fire heart to intercept the oncoming Suna nins from behind.
The monster's face was concealed behind a crimson mask. When it opened its mouth, a searing red light filled its dark cavernous mouth, raising the surrounding temperature rapidly.
"Fire Release - Searing Migraine!"
A surging wave of scorching flames erupted, obliterating everything in its path. Trees and the ground were vaporized by the high-temperature flames. The air became arid and sweltering, causing everyone to redden.
"Water Release - Water Enclosure Wall!"
Among the team of one hundred, several Suna ninjas immediately used the Water Release in unison, spewing water from their mouths and erecting a massive water wall before the group to block this powerful fire jutsu.
White steam enveloped the area, and the black giant with the crimson mask promptly twited its neck. Instead of releasing a sea of flames, it unleashed fiery bombs.
While the fire bombs held less raw power than the scorching sea of flames, they excelled in speed, targeting the Suna ninjas through the air.
The rainy forest was suddenly filled with deafening explosions as the flash of detonations followed one another, momentarily causing the pursuing Suma ninjas to panic.
Soon, they regained their composure, and there was a strange rattling noise. Under the guidance of chakra control, a dozen puppets took to the sky, brandishing spears and swords to relentlessly assault the red-masked monster.
The red-masked monster moved flexibly, but with a dozen puppets effectively sealing off its path from the front, rear, left, right, and above, it had no means of escape. Consequently, it became the target of a dozen puppets.
Boom!
The red-masked monster collided with a tree, toppling it over. It continued to release fireballs from its mouth, attempting to stop the advance of the Sand Hidden ninjas through indiscriminate attacks.
However, under the leadership of Pakura, several puppet masters and a few ninjas proficient in Water Release were sufficient to contain this fierce red-masked monster.
The intelligence indicated that the opponent's mastery of the five elemental jutsu was indeed remarkable, but a single elemental attribute posed no threat.
Particularly since the masked monster had lost three of its elemental attributes, rendering it capable of only Fire Release, it could be easily countered with opposing chakra-based ninjutsu.
With their force focused on containing the red-masked monster, Pakura led the remaining ninjas to continue their pursuit of Kakuzu.
After all, Hanzo's corpse, which was meant to be a trophy for Suna, had to be reclaimed. It was a matter of Suna's honor; they couldn't allow a ninja from the underground black market to trample on it.
They needed to show these bounty hunters, the kind that plied their trade in the underground, the might of a ninja hailing from one of the Five Great Nations.
Boom! Boom!
Kunais soared through the air, each wrapped with explosive tags.
Using Earth Release - Hardening Jutsu, Kakuzu endured waves of body pain.
Kunais posed no immediate threat to him, but the raining Kunais and the explosive tags, powerful ninja tools in their own right, had extraordinary lethality.
One by one, the black tentacles were blasted away. Even though he had hardened his body from all sides, he couldn't withstand the relentless barrage of exploding tags.
He rolled on the ground, maintaining an expression of stoic determination as he endured the pain, and then rose, continuing his escape.
Internally, a gnawing fear surged, and a sense of unease enveloped him.
Never did he imagine, having spent decades in the underground black market, that he would end up in such a dire predicament.
The sensory ninja tailing him continued to keep him within their lock. Even his attempts to create clones and decoys proved futile, as they were immediately detected.
However, there was a way to escape: he could surrender Hanzo's body to divert the attention of the Suna ninjas. By doing so, he could increase his chances of escaping.
Ultimately, it came down to his most important decision - Life or Money? Anyone with a hint of intelligence could discern the answer to this question and how to make the right decision.
Kakuzu wasn't a stupid ninja, so he understood the situation and could make the right choice in a general sense. But his pursuit of the answer wasn't confined to the general sense.
"Right...it has to be the right choice?"
From Kakuzu's view, the world consisted of two types of things.
One was the sweet taste of happiness derived from making money, and the other was the bitter taste of misfortune following betrayal.
The bitterness of betrayal was an ancient memory, and it had been so long that he had lost track of his original motivation.
Yet the memory of that bitterness lingered, leaving an indelible mark. It was a pain he didn't want to reexperience.
So, he chose not to trust anyone, seeking to prevent the birth of that bitter feeling.
This was why money bestowed a new meaning upon his life.
It was the sweet taste of happiness, a connection to the cold world that allowed him to recognize that he was indeed still living in this world.
Therefore, letting go of Hanzo's body wasn't just giving up on money; it was giving up on himself. It meant giving up the value of living in this world.
Money is to life, and money is the reason for living. He understood the pain of betrayal and wanted to avoid it at all costs.
Money had never betrayed him, and he had no reason to betray money. There was no betrayal in either direction.
If he left money, what remained would be emptiness, guilt, confusio, and, in essence, true death.
A person's death marked the moment when faith crumbled. As long as money remained, he wouldn't die.
Dying with money was a strange sort of sweetness.
So, it wasn't money he had in his hands, rather, it was belief and the courage to live in this world that was nothing short of a living hell.
The piercing sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air filled Kakuzu's ears, followed by an instant explosion as an exploding tag ignited.
Kakuzu continued to run forward, his body aching with pain, though his speed had considerably slowed. The footsteps of the pursuing Suna ninjas drew ever closer, about to catch up, threatening to take his life and shatter his faith.
Having killed so many others himself, Kakuzu had no intention of surrendering. If pursuing money for his own gain hindered others, in their eyes, he was the evil that needed to be eradicated.
Life did not guarantee happiness, and death didn't warrant lamenting.
Kill today, and you might be killed tomorrow.
When one chose the path of a ninja, they needed to be prepared to die and expect revenge from others.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to exchange that corpse worth hundreds of millions of ryo. Above all, Kakuzu regretted that as his consciousness was nearly fading, he wasn't able to end his life covered by his beloved money, it would be even better if he could end his life under such an illusion
...
In the center of the forest, an explosion had ripped the area apart, leaving behind potholes scattered across the landscape. Pakura and her group of ninjas had surrounded the scene, trying to recover the enemy's corpses and Hanzo's remains.
However, when they looked into the pothole created by the explosion, the body of the enemy, who was supposed to be lying there, had disappeared. It was as though it had never existed.
The sensory ninja responsible for tracking the target appeared stunned; the chakra signature had vanished. Where had the body gone?
Could the dead truly escape on their own? The Suna ninjas huddled around the pothole exchanged perplexed glances.
"Pakura, what do we do now?" asked one of the Suna ninjas.
"Spread out and search. He might be hiding nearby." Pakura commanded as she frowned.
"Understood."
The Suna ninjas dispersed, commencing their search.
...
A head emerged from the ground, followed by the entire body of a person, leaving a barely breathing figure on the ground behind.
Earth Man, who specialized in reconnaissance and infiltration among the Bug Men, let out a deep breath.
"Taking someone from the hands of those Suna ninjas almost gave away all your secrets."
Earth Man observed Kakuzu, who lay on the ground, on the brink of death but still capable of clinging to his last breath. This sort of resilience was truly remarkable.
An ordinary ninja would have died on the spot. But by examining Kakuzu's tentacled form, he was relieved. This was the formidable power gained by sacrificing one's humanity. It wasn't like a human's tenacious vitality.
The tendrils covering Kakuzu's body hung limp, like algae draped across cold ground, in a scrapped and unusable state.
Kakuzu raised his head with great difficulty, and his green pupils could barely see what was in front of him.
Among the group surrounding him, four were familiar faces, comrades who belonged to the secret group of the Land of Demons. They were part of the Bug Men, a team that had surfaced in the underground black market in recent years.
Leading them was Bug Man, who had a powerful secret ninjutsu.
A smirk played on Bug Man's face as he observed Kakuzu in his desperate state.
"Kakuzu-san, you've really landed yourself in quite the mess."
"You are.. five hundred thousand ryo... the one with the low bounty?"
"No, I've reached 10 million ryo now." Bug Man corrected him.
"Really?... Are you here for the bounty on my head?" Kakuzu's speech came in fits and starts, his body extremely frail.
The fire release monster had been wiped out by Suna, and Kakuzu was left with only his last heart. Once this heart was destroyed, as an immortal, he would meet his end.
With a huge bounty on his head in the underground black market, Kakuzu maintained a covert financial partnership with the Land of Demons. However, his present dire state had prompted his allies to bring him here for a reason.
"The bounty of 85 million ryo is certainly very attractive, but we are following the orders of our leader, and this time, we're here to formally invite you to join us." Bug Man put away his smile, and said seriously..
"Boring..."
"Is money truly worth more to you than everything else, even if it means sacrificing your life?"
"What do little brats like you know?"
"Am I a child?"
This undead monster, who had lived from the Warring States Period to the present day, was indeed entitled to voice such sentiments.
"Money is like life to me... Hell, it depends on the amount of money."
"Really... ."
"It doesn't matter if you want me to join. I have no interest in joining any organization."
Interactions with people inevitably led to betrayal, which, in turn, reminded him of unpleasant memories. In a world where only money wouldn't betray him, it was the sole entity in which Kakuzu believed.
"Although that may be the case, it is also our leader's intention to save you."
"Huh... don't expect me to be grateful."
"If I needed your gratitude, I wouldn't have saved you. Besides, Kakuzu-san, you're past the age of being called 'cute.'"
'B*stard!!'
Kakuzu's green eyes flared with murderous intent. If he weren't incapacitated right now, he'd have chopped him into pieces.
Well, perhaps it's too cheap for him, so he would wait until his worth increased a bit before considering that option. After all, the bounty offered was a mere 10 million ryo, with plenty of room for appreciation. Killing him at this stage would be undervaluing his potential.
Thinking along these lines, Kakuzu began to feel increasingly tires. His eyelids weighed heavily, threatening to close, and eventually, he succumbed to the need for sleep and shut his eyes tiredly.
...
When Kakuzu regained consciousness, noises surrounded him. Someone was moving about, but strangely, he couldn't open his eyes or identify who was present.
"What an extraordinary body!" A male voice exclaimed, brimming with curiosity.
Kakuzu could still smell the corners of his surroundings and felt the cold, disinfectant air. The bed he lay on was very cold, and Kakuzu realized he was on an operating table, subjected to someone's scrutiny.
The unidentified man continued to manipulate his body, occasionally hearing the sound of a scalpel cutting something and warm injections. They appeared to be performing a form of medical ninjutsu on his extremely injured body.
"Aren't you satisfied?" Another voice chimed in, a voice Kakuzu recognized as Bug Man's.
"I couldn't resist the urge to explore this guy's body. It's unlike anything I've seen before, even more strange than that of White Zetsu."
"He's a man, Doctor." Bug Man reminded.
"Of course, I'm well aware. I'm just interested by the peculiarities of this man's body."
Though Kakuzu understood the other man's interest in his body, he couldn't help but think of him as a research feeak. However, for medical ninjas, his exceptionally odd physique made him a valuable subject for experimentation.
In a daze, Kakuzu drifted back to sleep.
...
He didn't know how long it took but his eyes opened again. After waking up once more, Kakuzu found himself lying not on a cold operating table but a soft bed.
The outside air was slightly cold. After all, it was January, and the temperature naturally dropped. However, today's rare sunny weather helped dispel some of the chill in the air.
His body had recovered, but his head throbbed with dizziness. After lying in bed for so long, he struggled to adapt to his newfound weakness. But, he was well aware that the threat to his life had been averted.
It was laughable to be saved, the only thought reverberating within Kakuzu. He couldn't tell if he was laughing at his saviors or himself for being rescued. Perhaps it was both; both ideas seemed ludicrous.
Having abandoned everything, creating a trail of death and destruction in this ninja world, he reserved only money as a guiding principle. He wasn't entitled to receive the goodwill of others. Likewise, he had no excess kindness to extend to anyone else.
Fighting alone, suffering defeats, and then dying in silence, forgotten by the world, was the fate he had come to accept. He touched his chest, relieved to find that the scroll containing Hanzo's body remained in his possession, he immediately felt relieved.
"You seem to be recovering well, Kakuzu-san."
Someone entered the ward and greeted him. It was Bug Man who had a warm smile.
"I didn't expect you to undertake such an unnecessary, loss-making endeavor."
"Is it truly a loss? We sincerely extended an invitation for you to join. We're facing a shortage of manpower and are eager to recruit a powerful ninja like you."
"Are you really okay with this? I'm a rogue ninja."
Becoming a rogue ninja meant betraying one's village in the past, a mark of shame criticized by others, no matter the reason.
In this world, it was common knowledge that rogue ninjas were untrustworthy. Even becoming a bounty hunter, trust and respect were earned due to shared interests in money and alliances, not emotional bonds. Trusting a rogue ninja on an emotional level was a ridiculous move.
"Forty-five years ago, Kakuzu-san was an outstanding JÅnin in Takigakure. Following the orders of the village's senior management, he was sent to Konoha to assassinate the first Hokage."
Kakuzu squinted and then pretended to be relaxed. "Your intelligence network is indeed formidable, but that's common knowledge. As long as you searched carefully, one can dig out such details about Takigakure."
Bug Man smiled slightly and continued. "Later, the assassination mission ended in failure. Kakuzu-san, upon his return to the village, faced accusations from Takigakure's senior management for not completing the mission."
Assassination missions often carried a high risk of failure.
When they did fail, village ninjas were subjected to harsh punishment. This system, where loyal ninjas were willing to sacrifice their lives for the village, was perceived as unjust and cruel, fueling resentment and dissatisfaction among the villagers.
Based on gathered intelligence, failure in an assassination mission often resulted in severe punishment and likely involvement in power struggles among the village's high-ranking officials, leading to unfair treatment. After all, assassinating the first Hokage was a seemingly impossible task.
Had the assassination succeeded, Takigakure, rather than Konoha, would have been the strongest ninja village. Yet, the village had since declined, with a lack of powerful ninjas.
In response, Kakuzu decided to eliminate the high-ranking officials who had treated him unjustly and take the forbidden jutsu 'Earth Grudge' with him when he defected. This marked the beginning of his journey as a rogue ninja.
He adopted the belief that only money could be trusted and chose to lead a life focused on making money, living a long, boring life.
"What does it mean? As I said, you're just a bunch of little brats. In this world, the only thing i trust is money."
Rather than transitioning to a new way of life, he closed himself off and walked the path of escaping the world and avoiding betrayal.
Kakuzu rose from the bed and left the room. "The reward for saving me this time will be a hundred times my own bounty."
His bounty amounted to 85 million ryo, meaning he would be paying out 8.5 billion ryo.
While this reward essentially wiped out all his earnings from decades of bounty hunting, Kakuzu found being in debt more repulsive than losing his hard-earned money, the source of his happiness and contentment.
Even the mysterious people behind Bug Man, extending an olive branch and seeking to establish a companionship built on trust, was met with Kakuzu's disdain.
In this world, there is no so-called trust.
Among humans, there was only betrayal, being betrayed, killing, and being killed.
In such a dirty world, redemption held no place. Money was the sole source of warmth in Kakuzu's life. Trust was far too extravagant.
"That's unfortunate, but I'm certain we will meet each other soon again." Bug Man said.
Kakuzu raised an eyebrow and sneered. "I admit I was careless when Suna pursued me this time. But after I exchange Hanzo's body for money, I'll lay low for a while. Don't worry, I won't revisit places like this."
An experienced hunter never fell for the same trap twice, and Kakuzu was confident in this regard. With that, he promptly departed.
Bug Man scratched his head, he thought that the competition for Hanzo's corpse extended beyond Sunagakure and involved someone far more terrifying.
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