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After they left, the young man slowly wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face once again stiffening into a smile. At that moment, another counter rang with a crisp "ding." He hurried over and discovered a ninja wearing a conical straw hat at the counter.
With a formal smile, he respectfully greeted, "Hello, how may I assist you today?"
Through the thin black veil of the straw hat, the ninja's voice was hoarse as he requested, "Check for any recent traces of Kazeha. As far as I know, he should be hiding within the borders of the Land of Hot Water."
Smiling, the young man responded, "Kazeha? The Sand ninja with a bounty of 11 million ryō, right? Please wait a moment."
The young man turned and disappeared, returning shortly afterward with an apologetic smile, softly saying, "I'm sorry, sir, our shop has not detected any activities of Kazeha in the Land of Hot Water. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."
The ninja, expressionless, responded in a raspy voice, "The standards of the gold markets in the Land of Hot Water really have fallen."
The young man merely smiled respectfully, not contradicting, but politely seeing him off.
As the ninja slowly turned to leave, the corner of his straw hat inadvertently lifted, briefly revealing his face. The young man, who had been observing with a narrowed, smiling gaze, sharply inhaled in surprise.
Unaware of the young man's reaction, the tall figure of the ninja moved away, leaving the area.
After he left, the young man thoughtfully recalled the face he had just glimpsed, his interest piqued. Smiling slightly, he muttered to himself, "The standards of our shop are falling, huh?"
"I hope you won't think so after meeting 'Lord Byakko,' especially since... the information you're after comes from our shop... hehe..."
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Meanwhile, in a forest in the Land of Hot Water, Saki and the shorter man in the black robe were walking together.
Birds perched on tree branches chirped curiously at the pair.
The shorter man queried Saki, "Saki-niisan, are we really going to look for this Kakuzu? He seems to be very strong."
As they walked, Saki calmly replied, "Nawaki, the very reason we need to find him is because he is strong."
"This guy has always been top of the bounty list in Takigakure, and there must naturally be something exceptional about him."
"During my travels, I also heard about him in the black markets of the Land of Fire; he seems to be someone who treasures money above all else."
"Regardless, let's find him and see what he has to say."
Nawaki shrugged slightly, muttering under his breath, "How could such a person agree to Aizen-sama's goals? After all, Aizen-sama aims to overturn the shinobi world and create a new one. This guy is just a miser who covets money."
Hearing his words, Saki didn't argue, and spoke calmly, "If he doesn't agree, then we'll kill him. He must have accumulated a substantial amount of silver over the years. Killing him would nicely fill the financial gaps in Takigakure."
At Saki's words, Nawaki playfully stuck out his tongue. "Always so quick to kill, Saki-niisan is really... cool..."
Nawaki, draped in a black robe, had grown quite a bit but was still a child. His features still bore the innocence of youth, but they had acquired a certain sharpness, making his gaze much more intense than a year ago. Occasionally, his childlike nature would still show.
Over the past year, he had followed Saki across various countries' underground black markets. Saki had intentionally allowed him to complete many bounty missions on his own, hunting those ninjas with bounties on their heads. Nawaki's performance had been very satisfying.
Although initially uncomfortable with killing, after witnessing Saki's actions—blood spraying, flesh flying, practically bathing him in blood—he had learned to adapt. At least, he wouldn't let Saki have to intervene anymore.
A year of continuous bounty hunting under Saki's guidance had rapidly advanced Nawaki's practical experience. His potential was fully tapped into.
By now, Nawaki had grown into a ninja capable of standing on his own, often able to assist Saki. His talent was undeniably extraordinary.
"Saki-niisan, when do you think Sōsuke-nii will return?" they walked along the road, Nawaki sighed wearily, his head drooping as he spoke softly.
Just as Saki was about to respond, he frowned deeply, veins popping around his pale eyes as he stared intently ahead.
Not receiving an answer, Nawaki turned his head in confusion and was slightly startled.
Seeing that Saki was using his Byakugan to look into the distance, Nawaki's brow furrowed immediately, and he tensed his face as he too looked forward.
Ahead of them, at a significant distance, a small figure was slowly walking. The figure wore a straw hat and, apart from being tall, seemed no different from any ordinary passerby.
Saki slowly halted his steps, watching from afar.
In a quiet voice, Nawaki said, "Saki-niisan, is there something unusual?"
Saki's face remained calm, his pale eyes serene as a still pond. He quietly said, "We are quite lucky today. That person is Kakuzu, whom we've been searching for."
Hearing Saki's words, Nawaki was momentarily startled, then focused his gaze ahead. A small figure was slowly approaching, gradually becoming larger and more distinct as it neared them.
Nawaki kept his expression neutral, revealing no flaws, while Saki appeared utterly composed. The approaching Kakuzu wore a straw hat and moved slowly forward without showing any signs of alertness.
As their paths crossed, a sudden change occurred!
Facing away from Kakuzu, Nawaki quickly formed hand seals, his young face tensing up with a serious look. "Wood Release: Stocks Entombment!"
Following his movements, numerous large trees abruptly surged from the ground, resembling monstrous creatures, and rushed towards the unsuspecting Kakuzu. This sudden action caused Kakuzu's face to darken immediately, his expression turning grave.
"Swish!" He swiftly dodged to the side.
"Crash!" A massive tree trunk slammed down from above, shattering the ground where he had been standing. The earth where Kakuzu stood moments before now featured a huge crater with dense cracks and jagged rocks strewn about.
Hanging in mid-air, Kakuzu quickly counterattacked, his fingers forming seals in an instant. "Fire Release: Severe Burn!"
With his abdomen swelling, a massive wave of fire erupted from his mouth, like a tsunami of flames threatening to turn everything before him to ashes.
"Roaring flames—"
The surging red flames left Nawaki no chance to escape, forcing him to watch as the overwhelming sea of fire engulfed him. However, at a critical moment, his eyes narrowed, and he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Wood Release: Wooden Dome Wall!"
"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!"... From within the earth, numerous thick wooden stakes suddenly rose, tightly shielding Nawaki within.
As the hand seals completed, Saki, who was in mid-air near Kakuzu, flashed a glint of cold light in his pale eyes.
"Secret Technique: Splitting Elephant!"
Chakra surged in his palm, enhanced by his Byakugan, and he fiercely struck towards Kakuzu.
"Thump!" The hit caused Kakuzu's expression to darken.
"Boom!" One of his arms broke off under the impact, the blast of air knocking his straw hat to the ground. Kakuzu leapt back, retreating from the impact site.
Saki too quickly moved towards the sea of fire. He spread his arms wide and then his body rapidly spun. A tangible force of terrifying chakra whirled around him, rapidly turning like a tornado.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Spin!"
With a fierce shout, countless red flames rose with his spinning motion, nearly forming a tornado several meters wide that dispersed into the sky.
The fire dissipated, revealing the charred wooden stakes.
"Nawaki, are you alright?" Saki called out gravely.
Just as he finished speaking, "Crack!" The wooden stakes split apart, revealing an unharmed Nawaki.
Nawaki looked at Saki and said gravely, "I'm fine, Saki-niisan!"
"But... this guy, he reacts really quickly!"
Hearing Nawaki's words, Saki's brows furrowed slightly, and he glanced towards the distant Kakuzu, saying gravely, "There's something wrong with this guy's body..."
Hearing this, Nawaki was slightly taken aback, his expression turning serious as he looked towards Kakuzu. Saki's comment indicated that the body of the person before them was definitely not ordinary.