"A ninja?"
Kakuzu scrutinized Uchiha Jin from head to toe.
A boy around twelve or thirteen, dressed entirely in black. There was no sign of the iconic Uchiha clan crest, nor was there any ninja forehead protector. If it weren't for the black katana at the boy's waist and his unnaturally quiet footsteps, Kakuzu might have dismissed him as just another passing child.
"For now, I do have a ninja registration number."
Jin grinned playfully.
"For now?" Kakuzu caught the nuance in Jin's words.
He realized that this boy wasn't a typical ninja, not in the conventional sense. Even missing-nin wouldn't describe their registration in such a manner.
But then again, why would it matter to him? Kakuzu pulled out a stack of papers from his pouch and began flipping through them. Each one bore the details of various wanted criminals.
After reviewing the entire stack, he didn't find any bounty related to the boy in front of him.
"Alright, now tell me why you're following me."
Seeing that Jin wasn't listed on any wanted notices, Kakuzu's desire to engage in combat diminished. However, if Jin couldn't provide a satisfactory answer, Kakuzu would simply bury him here and now.
"How should I put it..." Jin scratched his chin thoughtfully before speaking, "I'm planning to hire you in the future."
"Don't be ridiculous, kid."
Kakuzu laughed at Jin's absurd statement. Future employment? For ninja, the future was an uncertain thing, especially when talking about promises like this. Kakuzu wasn't interested in such nonsense.
Ninjas didn't make deals for "future employment."
Jin continued, "So, I'd like a way to contact you when that time comes."
That was Jin's goal from the start. He knew that tracking someone down later would be difficult, especially a rogue ninja like Kakuzu, who had his own methods for evading the major shinobi villages.
Since rogue ninjas were a minority, and villages were always quick to eliminate them, Kakuzu understood that being caught was a matter of when, not if. Even though the village of Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village) was relatively weak, if they had enough information on him, they'd surely send forces to take him down.
If too much time passed, and Kakuzu ended up joining the Akatsuki, trying to recruit him would be significantly more complicated. Right now, Jin was well aware he didn't have the strength to forcefully recruit Kakuzu.
"You know who I am, don't you, kid?"
Kakuzu asked in a low voice.
From Jin's attitude, it was clear he wasn't just approaching any random ninja—he had come specifically for Kakuzu.
"You're the infamous Kakuzu, the man who once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Your name is practically legendary."
Jin praised Kakuzu.
Kakuzu ignored the compliment and let the black tendrils from his arms stretch outward. "Seems like my identity's been leaked."
Kakuzu was careful to keep a low profile, but hearing Jin talk about him like this meant his information had somehow been compromised. The bounty offices wouldn't have this much detail about him.
"Can we not fight?" Jin tilted his head. Although he wasn't quite strong enough to defeat Kakuzu, he was confident Kakuzu would have a hard time beating him as well.
Besides, to Jin, Kakuzu was essentially a ninja who had revealed too much of his power, making him vulnerable.
Kakuzu's strength was on par with that of a Kage. However, due to Jin's knowledge of his abilities, Kakuzu's strength in Jin's eyes was closer to that of an elite jonin. Right now, Jin wasn't someone an elite jonin could easily defeat.
Did Kakuzu really think Jin's abilities were just for show?
Despite Jin's suggestion to avoid conflict, Kakuzu didn't hesitate. He sent his black tendrils flying toward Jin.
Jin leaped forward, crossing the distance to Kakuzu in an instant. Twisting his body mid-air, he aimed a spinning kick directly at Kakuzu's waist.
In the next moment, black threads erupted from Kakuzu's body, entangling Jin's leg tightly.
Seeing Jin bound so easily, Kakuzu announced his victory.
"Looks like it's over."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Jin's body turned into a puff of white smoke, and from the smoke emerged several explosive tags.
With a loud boom, Kakuzu's body was consumed by the explosion, only to disintegrate into dust—an Earth Clone.
Both Kakuzu and Jin reappeared some distance away from each other, ready for the next round.
"Seems you're not just any opponent," Kakuzu commented, his black tendrils now writhing like snakes around him.
Jin had already drawn his black katana, the Kusanagi.
"How about we settle this with words instead?" Jin offered, not particularly eager for a fight that might lead to a stalemate. But Kakuzu wasn't interested in talking. He quickly formed hand signs.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Kakuzu's hands turned pitch black, hardened by his jutsu. His arms shot out once again, faster than before, aiming for Jin.
Jin blocked one of Kakuzu's blackened fists with his katana, but sparks flew upon impact. The other fist curved around, ready to strike him.
"It seems like we have to fight." Jin sighed as he closed his eyes, then, just as Kakuzu's punch was about to connect, Jin vanished in a blur of speed, appearing to Kakuzu's left.
Slowly, Jin opened his eyes, revealing his Sharingan, with its three tomoe spinning ominously.
"An Uchiha... A ninja of Konoha, then."
Kakuzu's two elongated arms shot toward Jin, wrapping tightly around his body. Jin didn't resist, letting Kakuzu ensnare him. One of Kakuzu's masked entities emerged from his back, its mouth opening to unleash a burst of lightning.
At that moment, Kakuzu saw Jin smirking. His gut told him something was wrong.
"You looked into my eyes," Jin said with a sly grin.
In an instant, Kakuzu's perception shifted. He saw himself entangled by his own tendrils, with his lightning jutsu aimed directly at himself.
"A Sharingan genjutsu!"
Kakuzu immediately dispelled the lightning chakra from his masked entity, retracting his tendrils and glaring at Jin.
"Perhaps I'm not strong enough to defeat you," Jin said, "but I can still make you pay dearly for this fight. Do you really want to continue, Kakuzu?"
Jin had exploited Kakuzu's overconfidence. With five hearts, Kakuzu often grew careless, and he hadn't been wary enough of the Sharingan's abilities.
The masked entity slid back into Kakuzu's body.
"When you have a bounty on your head, I'll be coming for you," Kakuzu said, acknowledging Jin's strength. He wasn't worth the trouble if there wasn't money involved.
"Mr. Kakuzu, I plan to entrust all the money I make in the future to you," Jin said casually.
Kakuzu halted in his tracks, turning to look at Jin once more, sizing him up.
This boy had talent. To have jonin-level strength at such a young age was rare. Coupled with the Sharingan, Jin wasn't yet an elite jonin, but he could hold his own among most regular jonin.
Jin's attitude was also different from that of most shinobi. Those with such confidence and ambition were usually aiming for something much bigger.
Perhaps, this boy was worth investing in after all.
"Tell me more," Kakuzu said, walking back toward Jin.
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