As Team 7 stood awkwardly behind Shibuki, watching him play the role of a wise and dignified leader for the children, the serene moment was shattered by the sound of frantic rustling. A woman stumbled out of the bushes, clutching her bleeding side. Her face was pale, and blood trickled from a deep gash on her arm.
One of the children gasped in horror. "Mom!" a little girl cried out, breaking into a sprint toward the injured woman.
"Stay back!" Shibuki instinctively shouted, his voice trembling slightly. However, his attempt to maintain his calm façade crumbled as he stepped backward in fear.
The girl ignored Shibuki's warning and threw her arms around her mother as she collapsed to the ground. Team 7 rushed over, Kakashi immediately kneeling by the woman. His hands began to glow with the familiar green light of the Mystical Palm Technique.
"Hold still," Kakashi instructed, his tone calm and focused.
Yuto activated his Kamigan, his red eyes analyzing the chakra structure of the medical jutsu with a faint glow. 'So this is the famous Mystical Palm. It's more intricate than I expected… Maybe I can replicate it with some practice.'
Meanwhile, Naruko and Hitomi worked to calm the crying girl. Naruko crouched down, her voice soft but firm. "Don't worry, she's going to be okay. Kakashi-sensei is known to have copied a 1000 jutsu, he will just pull out a bunch of medical ninjutsu and heal your mother in no time!"
Hitomi placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Stay strong. Your mom needs you to be brave right now."
The woman groaned softly, her eyelids fluttering open as Kakashi continued to stabilize her. Her voice was weak but urgent. "The...the village…"
"What happened?" Kakashi asked, his voice low as he worked.
"The Waterfall Village…" she managed to say before coughing. "It's been...taken over."
"What?" Naruko's eyes widened, and Hitomi froze mid-comforting pat on the girl's back.
Even Shibuki, who had been edging away nervously, stumbled to his knees, his face pale. "T-Taken over? How could that even happen?"
"Explain," Kakashi urged. The woman, now breathing a little easier thanks to Kakashi's efforts, continued weakly, "A group of missing-nin...led by Kakuzu. He's...he's still alive."
Yuto felt his heart stop. 'Kakuzu?! What the fuck is he doing here?!' His mind raced as fragments of memory from his past life surged forward. He knew Kakuzu was no ordinary opponent—his longevity, his bounty hunter reputation, and most importantly, his dangerous Earth Grudge Fear ability made him a living nightmare. And to top it off he was a member of the Akatsuki! Did the Akatsuki started moving due to the butterfly effect, otherwise why the fuck will kakazu be here if not for the seven tails or any bounty.
"Kakuzu?" Kakashi echoed, frowning. "Wasn't he supposed to be from the First Hokage's era? How could he still be alive?"
"That's not all," the woman added, her voice trembling. "He's rallied other missing-nins, including Suien...Shibuki-sama's former teacher."
Shibuki's face drained of color at the mention of Suien. "S-Suien?! But...he's been gone for years! Why would he..."
Naruko glanced at Shibuki, her eyebrows furrowed. "Your teacher's a missing-nin? Why didn't you mention this before?"
Shibuki stammered, clearly too panicked to respond. He had been boasting about himself to the kids but didn't say anything about his Sensei because of him going away and becoming a missing nin.
Kakashi's narrowed gaze shifted toward the horizon. "If Kakuzu is leading them, this isn't just a random attack. We need to figure out what they're after—and fast."
"What could they want with a small village like Takigakure?" Naruko asked, confused.
Yuto's mind churned. 'It's obvious. The Seven-Tails... If the Akatsuki is behind this, they're probably targeting Fu. Damn it... This is way worse than I thought.'
Kakashi stood up."We'll escort you and the children to safety. Then, we'll assess the situation in the village."
The woman nodded weakly, tears of gratitude brimming in her eyes. "Thank you… Please...save our village."
The Waterfall Village was in complete chaos. Civilians huddled together in fear behind a massive earthen cage, crafted with precision through an advanced Earth Release technique. The oppressive structure loomed over them, casting long shadows as if to mirror their despair.
The ninjas of the village were no better off. Bound by sealing tags that suppressed their chakra, they were helpless as the missing-nin patrolled the area, taking sadistic pleasure in inflicting pain. Cries of resistance were met with cruel laughter and violence, their tormentors relentless in their pursuit of information.
Amid the turmoil, Kakuzu stood with a stoic demeanor, a contrast to the surrounding chaos. His focus, however, was entirely on the stacks of money he had confiscated from the village's treasury.
"One hundred seventy-five thousand, eight hundred..." Kakuzu muttered under his breath, his green eyes gleaming with greed. His long fingers moved with mechanical precision, sorting through the bills and coins.
Nearby, Suien stood with a scowl etched on his face. His arms were crossed, his gaze fixed on Kakuzu. The former high-ranking Waterfall ninja's pride had already taken a hit when kakuzu appeared out of nowhere and took over their mission, but the lack of progress on one particular objective was grating on him.
"Kakuzu," Suien started, his tone sharp yet restrained. "You were supposed to know where the Hero Water was hidden. Wasn't that the reason you took over my position?"
Without pausing his counting, Kakuzu replied in a monotone voice, "The location i gave was outdated. The villagers must have moved it to a more secure place after abandoning the old site."
Suien's brow twitched, his dissatisfaction evident. But despite his frustration, he knew better than to challenge Kakuzu openly. The bounty hunter's strength was Kage level, far surpassing his own. 'He's a relic from the First Hokage's time,' Suien thought bitterly. 'And somehow, he's still alive. Fighting him would be suicide.'
Kakuzu, while still counting the money, asked. "What about the jinchūriki brat?" Suien's voice was laced with disdain. "That demoness escaped. She's likely hiding somewhere in the forest like the coward she is."
Kakuzu finally looked up from his stack of money, his green eyes narrowing. "You lost the jinchūriki?" he asked, his tone carrying a faint edge of irritation.
Suien bristled under the subtle reprimand but managed to keep his composure. "She's slippery, and her ability to fly makes her difficult to pin down. Besides, I didn't exactly have a squad of elite ninjas to handle her."
"Excuses," Kakuzu said bluntly, his focus returning to his money. "It doesn't matter. I'll deal with her myself later. For now..." His hands moved to tie up a bundle of currency with practiced ease. "Money is what matters most in this world. The jinchūriki can wait."
Suien clenched his fists but said nothing, inwardly seething at Kakuzu's indifference. 'This bastard doesn't care about the plan. He's just using us for his own gains.'
Despite his inner turmoil, Suien knew he had no choice but to follow Kakuzu's lead. For now, the survival of his own ambitions depended on the whims of this ancient kage level bounty hunter.
Kakuzu, unfazed by Suien's visible frustration, continued to count his treasure. He did not take this mission to take over waterfall village and get the heroes water. He wanted to capture the jinchuriki. So he decided to take over these fools. He did not use his Akatsuki robe because the leader didn't want the Akatsuki to come on the radar of the five great villages just yet.
Though the leader said to not take the jinchuriki, he could just say that the village was taken over by these guys and kakuzu saved fuu from being killed and took her back. Or he could just sell Fuu to kumo. Kakuzu didn't care about anything but Money.
(Pls give me some power stones!)
(Find out next time on Naruto:Eye system)