"So, how does Lord Hokage plan to arrange for me?"
"We'll have to trouble you a bit, Mr. Kakuzu. For now, you'll serve as a squad leader in the Anbu. This way, there's no need to worry about your identity being exposed, and you can still do what you enjoy."
"Heh, since when did I have anything I enjoyed?"
"I'm talking about making money. Doesn't Mr. Kakuzu like earning money?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu's mood instantly darkened.
When he was on his own, the money he earned was all his.
Now that he had joined Konoha, who knew who would end up with the money he made?
It was impossible for him to be in a good mood.
"Don't worry, Mr. Kakuzu. During your time in the Anbu, any money you earn won't be taxed by the village at all. However, you will need to set aside a portion for your team members. How much you distribute is up to you."
"All right, I understand. So, what do you want me to do?"
"Same as always—go to the Bounty Station and earn bounties."
"???"
Seeing the confused look on Kakuzu's face, Tobirama's lips curled up slightly. "I only need your skills. What you do after joining Konoha is entirely up to you."
Kakuzu understood.
In the end, Tobirama just wanted his combat power. If Konoha ever went to war, he would need to fight for the village. During peacetime, he would still be free.
"Fine, I agree."
"Good."
Tobirama stood up and extended his right hand toward Kakuzu. "Welcome to Konoha, Mr. Kakuzu."
Kakuzu also stood up, expressionless, and shook Tobirama's hand.
"All right. Mr. Kakuzu, do you still have any questions about reviving my older brother?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage, can you tell me?"
"No problem, follow me. I'll take you there with the Flying Thunder God technique."
Senju Tobirama patted Kakuzu's back, and instantly transported him to his lab.
At the same time, he took the opportunity to mark Kakuzu with the Flying Thunder God seal.
Don't joke around—now that he's in Konoha, he thinks he can escape?
Not happening.
With the Flying Thunder God seal, even if Kakuzu tries to leave Konoha, Tobirama will be able to find him in no time.
"Take a look. This is the lab where I will revive my older brother."
Inside a huge glass tank, Senju Tobirama pointed at the clone inside.
At this point, the clone, made primarily from Hashirama's cells and supplemented with the cells of Kagami, had already developed to around the age of 15.
Looking at its face, Kakuzu could easily tell who the clone was meant to be.
"This is the body I prepared for my brother. Once it matures, I'll be able to put his soul into this body, and my brother will be truly revived."
As Kakuzu looked at the clone in the tank, a spark of interest flashed in his eyes.
"So, you mean, Lord Hokage, as long as you want, you can revive anyone?"
"Yes, as long as I have their body tissue and cells, I can revive them."
"In that case, could I...?"
Kakuzu didn't say it outright, but his meaning was clear.
If he were to accidentally die, he wanted Tobirama to revive him.
"Of course. I won't be unfair to those who sacrificed for Konoha."
"Haha, then thank you, Lord Hokage."
Originally, Kakuzu didn't mind serving Konoha.
Now that he knew he could be revived, he was even less opposed to it.
Which force in the ninja world, like Konoha, has the ability to bring the dead back to life?
Without the worry of death, Kakuzu could already imagine how brave Konoha's ninjas would be on the battlefield.
It was only at this moment that he started feeling grateful.
Grateful that he had joined Konoha.
He didn't want to face enemies who didn't have the threat of death.
How terrifying such enemies could be, he knew all too well.
Because he was one of those people.
Five hearts, five lives—this ability made him practically immortal in the eyes of ordinary ninjas.
Of course, this immortality was just fake immortality.
If Senju Tobirama wasn't lying to him, he could now be considered truly immortal.
Anyway, he could always be revived.
No problem with being immortal!
After finishing the conversation with Kakuzu, Senju Tobirama sent him out.
By tomorrow, after incorporating Kakuzu into Konoha's Anbu, he would be a true Konoha ninja.
"Now, let me see if Uchiha Madara's cells really work."
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was time to watch the video screen again.
During this time, Kakuzu had perfectly adapted to his identity as a Konoha ninja.
In the Anbu, where identities needed to be hidden, he was like a fish in water.
With Konoha's intelligence and helpers, he was able to find and kill his targets faster than ever.
He had nearly emptied a Bounty Station in a small town in the Land of Fire, forcing the Bounty Station's manager to urgently borrow funds from other Bounty Station locations in different cities.
If not, the century-old reputation of the Bounty Station might have been ruined under his management.
Meanwhile, the experiment to clone Senju Hashirama had also been very successful.
Senju Tobirama used weakened Hashirama cells from White Zetsu and normal Hashirama cells, combining them with Uchiha Madara's cells, to create two well-developed clones.
However, there was one thing bothering him: the clone made with normal Hashirama cells had a strange human face that appeared on its right chest.
Since the clone was still small, Tobirama couldn't recognize whose face it was.
However, he already had a guess.
Since this body used cells from Uchiha Madara, the face of this person was most likely Uchiha Madara's.
With this realization, Senju Tobirama felt quite frustrated.
He wasn't sure whether to lament the twisted relationship between his older brother and Madara, or to comment on their complex and unresolved friendship.
It was truly a disaster!
Fortunately, the clone using the weakened version of Hashirama's cells didn't have this person's face.
Compared to the standard clone, this weakened version had slightly inferior physical stats.
If the standard clone could fully harness Senju Hashirama's power, and even possibly exceed it due to the addition of Uchiha Madara's cells, then this weakened version could only perform about 90% of Hashirama's strength.
Moreover, as the body continued to develop, the performance might decrease further.
For that reason, he could only wait for these two bodies to mature and let his brother choose himself.
---
On the side of the Third Hokage...
After a series of experiments and adjustments by Orochimaru, the clones of the Fourth Hokage's couple and Hatake Sakumo had fully developed.
Once they got the approval from the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, they would be revived.
"Let's watch the video footage first," said the Third Hokage, tapping the tip of his cigarette. He glanced at Naruto, who was bickering with Sasuke, and sighed inwardly. He wondered whether his old bones could withstand Kushina's wrath.
*********
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/aayume