The current Kakuzu was no longer the man who had just crossed into this world years ago. Now, he possessed both power and wealth. Since he chose to revisit this old stomping ground, he naturally became the de facto ruler of the area. The underground laboratory here served as his perfect experimental base. As for the bounty exchange office, its significance was secondary.
The exchange offices were a peculiar entity in the shinobi world—a product of the constant rivalry among the major nations. While they could be considered a faction, they lacked a unified organization and combat force. Kakuzu repurposed the exchange office into a mere transit point, dealing solely with task issuance and completion. He left all other matters aside.
The upper-level structure of the underground lab was transformed into a restaurant selling Fire Country specialties, including three-colored dango and ramen. Although the taste wasn't as authentic as in the Fire Country, it was sufficient to satisfy hunger. In two months, all the arrangements were in place.
The restaurant and the exchange office were run by two individuals: Miss Hanabusa and Heisei Rokuno. They handled day-to-day matters, allowing Kakuzu to focus on his experiments in the basement.
Sitting quietly in a mink-fur armchair, Kakuzu lifted his sleeve and injected a vial of bloodline essence into his veins. For the past three months, he had been integrating this bloodline into his body.
Based on his research into the technique Earth Grudge Fear, it would take at least ten years to fully manifest a Kekkei Genkai. Yet, Kakuzu could distinctly feel the bloodline flowing through him at an unexpectedly rapid pace. Within the revitalized body safeguarded by Earth Grudge Fear, his tissues and cells reacted with the bloodline as if the process were sped up to 2x speed in a normal movie.
After extensive probing of his meridians with Earth Grudge Fear threads, Kakuzu reached a conclusion: the reason for the accelerated flow of the bloodline was that it had found a compatible vessel in his Water-Style heart—his "partner".
Water-Style heart's power stemmed from the First Mizukage, Byakuren. Now that a matching bloodline had fused with it, the combination created a symbiotic relationship.
After injecting the bloodline, Kakuzu placed the empty vial on a nearby stool, leaned back in his armchair, and stared at the ceiling, feeling the bloodline coursing through him.
"With the Mizukage's energy guiding this, there shouldn't be any issues completing the fusion," he murmured. "Moreover, the complementary relationship should speed up the process. Perhaps I won't need a decade—Dark Release might awaken sooner."
In the palm of Kakuzu's right hand, an eye-like pattern faintly emerged. Beyond bloodline fusion, Kakuzu had other experiments underway.
One was inspired by an ancient text, The Principles of Reconstructing Animal Physiology, which he had painstakingly acquired. In essence, the text described methods to "replicate" entire species from a single cell. However, Kakuzu wasn't interested in fully replicating a creature, he only needed parts of it.
Inside a large glass container filled with green liquid, white bubbles occasionally floated upward. Suspended within the fluid was a fragment of turtle shell taken from the Three-Tails.
"A natural energy entity like you must hold the secrets of the world within you," Kakuzu said, his arms crossed as he observed the container with a mix of scientific curiosity and satisfaction.
The piece of shell, initially the size of a third of his palm, had grown to cover his entire hand after months of cultivation. This indicated that the Three-Tails' biological tissues were truly regenerating. Given more time, Kakuzu might achieve his intended outcome.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. The wind howled through the skies, and trees swayed violently.
It was now Year 14 of the new shinobi calendar. Over a decade had passed since the establishment of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. These years marked a rare period of peace since the Warring States Era. Yet, prolonged peace brought its own issues—many began to grow restless.
In Kirigakure, the title of Mizukage had passed to the Second Mizukage. As for the fate of the First Mizukage, Byakuren, speculation ran rampant across the shinobi world.
Some believed Byakuren had been assassinated. Others claimed he was killed abroad by foreign shinobi. A few even suggested that his death was orchestrated by the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu.
The lack of a clear answer stemmed from Kirigakure's silence on the matter. The village's secrecy not only added to its mystique but also alienated it from the rest of the world.
Following Byakuren's demise, another Kage-level figure in the shinobi world also passed away.
The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, was a legend. Known as the old man who could fly, he left his mark in the annals of history during the Five Kage Summit. Unlike the secluded Kirigakure, Iwagakure was transparent about the cause of the First Tsuchikage's death: a relapse of an old illness.
Kakuzu found this explanation quite plausible. Despite their formidable strength, the Kage who stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world weren't immune to the ravages of time. Kakuzu was confident that, except for Hashirama Senju, the other four Kage carried countless hidden injuries from years of relentless battles.
Ishikawa, the First Tsuchikage, was already advanced in age—older than even the First Mizukage, Byakuren. The combination of old wounds and natural aging finally took its toll. While it was regrettable that he didn't live to witness the future of the shinobi world, Ishikawa was fortunate in his own way. In a brutal world of endless strife, to pass away peacefully was a rare blessing.
Then there was Sunagakure. Militarily and economically the weakest among the Five Great Nations, they didn't have much to spare. However, their leader, the First Kazekage, Reto, was a pragmatic man. His wisdom was evident during the Five Kage Summit when he forfeited the contention for a second tailed beast to secure benefits for his village.
Under his leadership, Sunagakure worked tirelessly to strengthen and develop itself. Through years of dialogue with Konohagakure, the two villages seemed to have finally established a connection. The First Kazekage had extended a sincere invitation to Hashirama Senju, the Hokage, to visit Sunagakure.
Officially, the visit was to foster relations between the two nations. In reality, Reto sought Hashirama's assistance with his Wood Release to create an oasis in the Land of Wind's harsh deserts, which would bolster Sunagakure's economy. Hashirama would likely agree to such a proposal—after all, it would help countless impoverished citizens of the Land of Wind while also strengthening ties between the two nations. Why not?
Rumor had it that Hashirama would soon depart for Sunagakure.
As for Kumogakure, they were far less restrained. Shaped by their geography and history, Kumogakure had been a militaristic nation since its founding. Both their citizens and shinobi were known for their fiery tempers, leading to frequent skirmishes along the border with Konohagakure.
The news of Hashirama's impending visit to Sunagakure had reached even Kumogakure's ears, stirring unrest along the borders once again.
Regarding the First Raikage, Kakuzu had only one reaction: a scoff. Judging by the Raikage's explosive temper, Kakuzu was certain he'd stir up trouble sooner or later. When that day came—if he truly provoked Konohagakure into an all-out retaliation—the Raikage's downfall would be inevitable.
Lest anyone forget, Konohagakure was at its peak, reigning supreme among the Five Great Nations.
As for Kakuzu himself, he had spent the past two years mostly secluded in his laboratory, steering clear of external affairs.
Yet, to his surprise, even though he hadn't stepped foot outside, his name had still spread far and wide.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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