Whoosh~
Another sound of something cutting through the air came, but this time, Uchiha Kagami didn't have time to dodge.
Kakuzu's tentacle punch landed successfully on Uchiha Kagami's back.
However, Kakuzu didn't show any signs of joy; instead, he frowned.
"This feeling is off. Is this a substitution jutsu?"
Uchiha Kagami had indeed used substitution jutsu just as Kakuzu struck him.
It must be said that substitution jutsu, while just an E-rank basic technique, can become a powerful skill in the right hands.
Uchiha Kagami was the best proof of this.
If he hadn't thought quickly to use substitution jutsu, he would have been injured by Kakuzu's tentacle punch.
"A ninja who can avoid my attacks twice shouldn't be an unknown. Can you tell me your name?"
Stepping out from behind a tree, Uchiha Kagami looked at Kakuzu seriously.
"My name is Uchiha Kagami."
"Oh, a member of the Uchiha clan. Just wait a moment."
Saying this, Kakuzu took out a small booklet from his pocket and quickly flipped through it.
"Found it! Your bounty is thirty million ryo. Hehe~ Looks like I'm set to make some money today."
"Mr. Kakuzu, are you so sure you've got me?"
"Oh? You know me?"
Putting away the booklet, Kakuzu didn't mind chatting with his prey.
Talking before battle was his last act of kindness to his prey.
"Of course. In the entire ninja world, very few have escaped from the hands of our First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."
"Seems like you really do know me."
Hearing the name Hashirama Senju from his prey made Kakuzu feel quite melancholic.
Back then, he was a young man with ambitions, risking his life for the village, fooled by the village's higher-ups into assassinating Konoha's First Hokage.
At that time, he thought the First Hokage of Konoha was no different from the other targets he had assassinated. He believed that as long as he made a move, he could successfully kill his target.
But when he actually tried to assassinate Hashirama Senju, he realized just how wrong he was.
Senju Hashirama had only split off a so-called Wood Clone, and he had already used all his tricks but still couldn't defeat this wooden clone.
If it weren't for Senju Hashirama's mercy, feeling that he was a talented individual and letting him go, he would have already died at the hands of his opponent.
Then there wouldn't have been the later events where he bloodily slaughtered the Takigakure village and stole the Earth Grudge Fear Jutsu.
Looking back at the past was unbearable; Kakuzu recalled the danger of assassinating Senju Hashirama back then and remembered his mercy. He shook his head and spoke to the mirror.
"Forget it. Since you're a Konoha ninja, you can leave. I won't kill you."
"????"
Kakuzu's words left Uchiha Kagami confused.
While watching the light curtain video, he hadn't noticed that Kakuzu was sentimental and still cared about kindness.
Could it be because of the time Kakuzu had spent?
In the light curtain video, although there wasn't an exact timestamp, it should have been after the 61st year of Konoha.
At this point, it was still the end of the 21st year of Konoha.
That was a difference of over forty years.
With such a long time, anything could happen.
For example, turning a sentimental Kakuzu, who still valued kindness, into a cold-blooded butcher.
Thinking of this, Kagami felt that perhaps he could use the First Hokage's mercy from back then to persuade him to join Konoha?
"Mr. Kakuzu, after wandering in the ninja world for so many years, have you ever thought about settling down?"
"Are you Konoha trying to recruit me?" Kakuzu wasn't a rookie; upon hearing Uchiha Kagami's words, he realized the other party was trying to recruit him.
This made him feel a bit amused.
Let's not mention that he now believed in money, not some nonsense like friendship or bonds.
Even if he was still the same as back then, he wouldn't join Konoha.
"Ah~ I finally felt a twinge of compassion. Since I let you go and you refuse to leave, then you might as well not leave at all."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kakuzu activated the Earth Grudge Fear: Nature Mask.
From him sprang four clones, all pitch black, wearing white horror masks.
"Mr. Kakuzu, wait a moment; we don't need to engage in a pointless battle."
Seeing Kakuzu summon the Earth Grievance clones, ready to attack at any moment, Uchiha Kagami was immediately shocked.
Without thinking, he instantly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and aimed at Kakuzu, unleashing a technique that could turn him into a friend.
"Hmm?"
Kakuzu had already prepared to kill Uchiha Kagami and use his head to collect the bounty, but he seemed to sense something and didn't attack immediately.
This made Uchiha Kagami breathe a sigh of relief.
To be honest, he wasn't actually afraid of Kakuzu. With the information from the light curtain video, they had already learned Kakuzu's weaknesses and fighting style.
With that intelligence in hand, Kagami was confident he could defeat Kakuzu.
However, they had come to "invite" Kakuzu to join Konoha, not to kill him.
If a fight broke out, it would likely attract the attention of the Cloud Village ninjas and could easily escalate tensions between both sides.
No matter how you looked at it, it would be more trouble than it was worth; it would be better to try to befriend Kakuzu instead.
With a friendly relationship, he could persuade Kakuzu to join Konoha.
"Kakuzu-san~ my good friend, don't you want to come back to Konoha with me?"
"Pfft~ what's so good about going to Konoha? I will earn less doing missions than I do now, and besides, I don't like being controlled by others."
"Oh come on, those things are negotiable."
Uchiha Kagami walked up to Kakuzu with a beaming smile, putting an arm around his shoulder, looking like a friendly buddy.
"Kakuzu-san~ do you know what's most important in the ninja world today?"
"Strength?"
"Not wrong, but I think the most important thing should be power."
"Power?"
"Exactly. To navigate the ninja world, you need power, a background, and connections. Without those three, no matter how strong you are, you'll just be alone. If something happens, you won't have anyone to help you, right, Kakuzu-san?"
"You make a good point."
Seeing Kakuzu look thoughtful, Kagami felt very pleased.
Just as he was preparing to continue persuading him, he noticed a sudden change in Kakuzu's expression, and his tone became very resolute.
"However, I prefer to act alone. That way, I can keep all the bounty for myself without sharing it with anyone. As my friend, you should understand that anyone who tries to stop me from making money—no matter who they are—won't stand a chance. And you, my friend, wanting me to join Konoha is just delaying my chance to earn money, so…"
"So??? What do you mean?"
"A good friend is someone who won't delay my earnings. What kind of person wouldn't delay my money-making?"
"What?"
"Of course, it's someone who's dead!"
After saying this, the fire clone behind Kakuzu, completely ignoring his real body still standing in front, launched a powerful fire technique at Uchiha Kagami.
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work."
*********
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