Indeed, the terrifying man in black who suddenly appeared was none other than Kakuzu, still working as a bounty hunter!
His appearance cast a strange silence over the scene.
Kakuzu's heart-ripping move was so gruesome that it shocked everyone, leaving them speechless with fear, unable to utter a sound.
At this moment, the only sound that could be heard was the ongoing battle on Kakashi's side, further away.
But before long, a frantic scream shattered the eerie silence:
"Wait, why did you kill the shopkeeper!?"
The leader of the creditors walked forward a few steps in disbelief, confirming that the young shopkeeper who had been around these past few days was indeed the one lying dead on the ground. His expression turned to one of utter collapse.
After all, they had gone through so much trouble to set up this entire scenario, not just for the game parlor itself, but more importantly to capture the shopkeeper who could continuously produce new gaming machines.
With those machines, they could create their own gambling empire!
But now, thanks to this bounty hunter's actions, the key figure was dead, and their ambitions were dashed to pieces...
"What a brute! So ninjas really don't have brains; otherwise, why would someone with such power be so easily driven by money?"
The creditor leader cursed in his heart while complaining out loud to Kakuzu:
"You're the helper Ryoma hired, right?"
"Why didn't you follow the plan and killed our most important target?"
"If you do this, you won't get your reward…"
Kakuzu, who had previously been focusing on Tsunade, suddenly turned his head upon hearing the words "won't get paid," fixing his glowing eyes on the speaker.
The creditor leader, intimidated by Kakuzu's gaze, backed up a few steps before forcing himself to stay calm:
"What do you think you're doing? Don't forget, we're the ones who hired you!"
"Are you mistaken about something?" Kakuzu said slowly. "I was indeed hired for a job, and I am carrying out the task."
"However… you're not my employer, are you?"
The creditor leader's face changed instantly. Realizing something, he squeezed out two words through clenched teeth:
"Ryoma!!"
Only now did he remember: although they had provided the money, the one who truly hired this bounty hunter was indeed Ryoma.
So, was this guy following Ryoma's orders when he killed the shopkeeper?
Why would Ryoma do that?
Could he have been plotting against everyone from the start?
—No wonder Ryoma had disappeared from sight earlier!
The more the creditor leader thought about it, the more he felt that things were spiraling out of his control.
His survival instincts urged him to flee, especially to get away from this blood-soaked man.
Yet his attachment to the game parlor kept him rooted in place.
The question now was whether Ryoma had other plans for the game parlor. Was he planning to keep all the benefits for himself?
But knowing now that this murderous bounty hunter wasn't directly employed by them, the creditor leader didn't dare act arrogantly anymore.
After carefully choosing his words, he cautiously probed:
"So, may I ask, esteemed ninja, does your mission involve the game parlor?"
Kakuzu cast him a cold glance, which sent another shiver down the leader's spine, and then slowly replied:
"My mission is just to deal with them. The rest has nothing to do with me."
Hearing this, the creditor leader breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed Ryoma wasn't entirely breaking the agreement.
Could it be that the shopkeeper wasn't the one producing the machines after all?
In any case, it was best to secure what they could still claim.
Having made up his mind, the creditor leader wasted no time. He quickly rallied all the other creditors and a large group of subordinates to head for the game parlor.
True to his word, Kakuzu made no move, only watching them go inside.
But in his heart, he smirked coldly.
Hmph, these fools probably don't understand the dangers of fighting a sealing jutsu user on their home turf…
Given the number of extraordinary machines in the game parlor, it wouldn't be surprising if it were filled with traps for security.
Even someone as experienced as Kakuzu had used them to lure Natsuhiko out, ensuring success with a surprise attack.
Since they were so eager for the game parlor, Kakuzu thought he might as well let them scout the way.
He could take this time to wrap up any loose ends.
With this in mind, Kakuzu turned his attention back to Tsunade, who was still slumped on the ground, staring dazedly at Natsuhiko 's body in her arms, trembling uncontrollably.
Her behavior drew a small sigh from Kakuzu.
He hadn't expected the granddaughter of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, to be so weak…
Could it be that her reputation from the Second Great Ninja War was just an exaggeration?
No wonder Kakuzu had such thoughts.
Since earlier, he had been on guard, expecting Tsunade to retaliate at any moment, even while conversing with the creditor leader. Yet nothing happened.
It turned out that Tsunade was just as she appeared—a terrified little girl—rendering his caution unnecessary.
Still, Kakuzu harbored some doubts.
Even if she was just a figurehead, Tsunade was a ninja. Shouldn't her mental resilience be better than this in battle?
Could it be... could it really be, as the creditors suggested, that Tsunade was romantically involved with the young shopkeeper?
Otherwise, she wouldn't be so devastated.
Having reached this mistaken conclusion, Kakuzu felt a wave of disdain.
Indeed, love only hinders a ninja's combat performance—Tsunade was the perfect example.
His decades-long decision to remain single was clearly the right one.
But this had now become problematic...
The original plan had been to defeat Tsunade and then let her escape.
But now, in her current state, how much leeway would he need to give for her to successfully flee?
Forget it, he thought. Better to knock her out and toss her somewhere.
Kakuzu, who had initially been somewhat eager to fight the granddaughter of the First Hokage, now felt a sense of anticlimax and was ready to wrap things up quickly.
He began to approach Tsunade, intent on ending the fight that had already lost its suspense.
But just then, the sound of something cutting through the air rapidly approached from behind.
A cold gleam flashed in Kakuzu's eyes as he tilted his head slightly, avoiding a kunai that had been thrown at him from behind.
Slowly turning around, he saw a small, white-haired figure rushing toward him at full speed...
(End of Chapter)