For a moment, Gato was stunned by Genzuki's words before he let out a sinister laugh.
"Since you already know so much, I might as well tell you more."
"The Land of Waves… is about to launch a counterattack against the entire ninja world, starting with Konoha!"
"With the vast wealth I've accumulated over the years, I can hire S-rank shinobi and take over Konoha. That will be the beginning of my conquest!"
Genzuki admitted he was a little surprised but soon let out a chuckle.
Then, he even gave Gato a slow, mocking clap.
"Gato, I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to have such grand ambitions."
"But let me guess, Orochimaru is the one who put those ideas in your head, isn't he?"
"You're pathetic—so easily manipulated. You actually trusted that snake, Orochimaru."
Gato sneered. "Manipulated? You're only saying that because you've run out of options."
"Orochimaru gave me great power! Thanks to him, I was able to create this elite force!"
"You thought the Blood Dragon Eye clan was my trump card?"
"You're wrong! My true ace is the Cursed Seal Army!"
As soon as he finished speaking, eerie markings appeared all over his subordinates' bodies.
The first stage of the Cursed Seal… then the second stage...
Their skin turned dark red as massive amounts of chakra erupted from them.
Genzuki narrowed his eyes. "The Cursed Seal requires a specific constitution to work. The success rate is extremely low… How did Orochimaru manage this?"
Through his Sharingan, he saw the truth behind the markings.
These Cursed Seals were unstable. The moment they were used, they would destroy the body—or even kill the user outright!
That cold-blooded scientist… Orochimaru actually sold something like this to Gato?
"Hahaha! Are you scared now?" Gato roared. "Attack! Kill him!"
Genzuki crouched slightly. He was running low on chakra.
Large-scale jutsu were no longer an option.
But… he still had one move that didn't require much chakra.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Genzuki divided his remaining chakra into thousands of clones, filling the entire shoreline!
"Don't panic! They're just clones!" Gato yelled. "Push forward!"
His several hundred Cursed Seal shinobi charged forward without fear of death!
But Gato had lied to them—they had no idea about the truth of their own Cursed Seals.
Genzuki could only offer them a fleeting moment of pity.
"You're wrong, Gato. That manipulative snake, Orochimaru, would never hand over real power to a small-time thug like you."
"Let me show you what a real shinobi is."
At Genzuki's command, every single one of his clones activated a strange green glow!
Then, blue steam erupted from their bodies!
"First Gate… Second Gate… Third Gate… all the way to the Seventh Gate!"
Following Genzuki's lead, every single clone activated the Seven Gates!
A thousand shinobi, each moving like a blue comet, crashed into Gato's Cursed Seal Army!
"Afternoon Tiger!"
The sheer force of the attack annihilated the Cursed Seal warriors, leaving a massive crater on the shore!
It looked as if an explosive had gone off—except this was pure taijutsu!
The entire army was wiped out!
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "He can even use Guy's ultimate technique…? This is insane."
Gato fell onto his backside in terror.
He never expected his entire Cursed Seal Army to be destroyed in an instant.
"Gato, Orochimaru only used you for your money."
"He never gave you the real Cursed Seal technique. Your so-called army was nothing more than cannon fodder."
"And yet, you actually thought you could take over Konoha with this?"
Genzuki scoffed as he grabbed Gato by the throat.
He wanted Gato to slowly experience the feeling of suffocation.
After a moment, Gato's body went limp, and Genzuki tossed him to the ground like trash.
"Phew… Finally, that's the last of them."
This whole ordeal had completely exhausted Genzuki.
First, he had to fight Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Then, he clashed with Itachi and Kisame. And now, he had to clean up after this nuisance, Gato.
None of these battles were particularly difficult, but they had drained too much of his chakra.
He needed to return and let Chino replenish his strength…
"Genzuki, are you alright?" Sakura ran over, worried, and caught him as he nearly collapsed.
"I'm fine, just overused my chakra."
His whole body ached—the aftereffects of the Eight Gates.
Although his taijutsu strength was already at Kage level, his body wasn't as resilient as Guy's.
Even opening just the Seventh Gate still took a heavy toll on him.
Unlike Guy, who could open the Seventh Gate and keep moving as if nothing happened.
Strengthening his body needed to be a priority.
"I know a little about medical ninjutsu—I can treat your injuries!" Sakura said anxiously.
Looking at Sakura—who would one day become a powerful medical ninja—Genzuki smiled.
"It's alright, I just need some rest." He gently patted her on the head, reassuring her.
Sakura blushed slightly.
For the first time, she felt something—toward someone other than Sasuke.
Genzuki wasn't just more handsome than Sasuke, but also far stronger.
He was both cold and ruthless when needed, yet warm and caring at times.
It was as if he combined the best traits of both Naruto and Sasuke.
It was only natural for Sakura to feel something.
"Ahem, Genzuki, I think we should get you some rest," Kakashi interrupted.
"No, there's still one place we need to go," Genzuki replied, glancing at Kakuzu.
The moment he saw Genzuki's look, Kakuzu's face lit up with excitement.
To be safe, Kakuzu had already absorbed the hearts of the remaining Cursed Seal shinobi lying on the battlefield.
It wasn't much, but he did gain some of their power.
"Boss, are we heading to Gato's vault?" Kakuzu asked.
"Heh, you really are a money-hungry old man. You figured it out instantly," Genzuki smirked.
Kakuzu let out a dry laugh. "I knew where it was the moment I arrived in the Land of Waves! But back then, I was under contract, so I had to restrain myself."
Following Kakuzu's lead, the group arrived at Gato's treasury.
This was where all of Gato's fortune was stored.
With this money, Genzuki could further strengthen the Moon Organization.
If he wanted to build a powerful faction, strength alone wasn't enough—he needed wealth.
Kakuzu fully agreed with Genzuki's thinking.
But when they opened the treasury doors, they found someone tied up inside.
A terrified accountant, bound and gagged.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
After removing the gag, the man finally managed to speak.
"Orochimaru… Orochimaru was here!"
The man was visibly shaken, only able to repeat Orochimaru's name over and over.
"What happened?" Genzuki frowned.
Kakuzu rummaged through the man's clothes and pulled out a letter.
It was written in Orochimaru's handwriting.
"Boss?" Kakuzu asked, waiting for instructions.
Genzuki opened the letter and read its contents.
"Phantom, I went back on our bet. Your strength far exceeded my expectations."
"But I cannot serve you just yet. So instead, consider this my compensation."
"I only took half of Gato's fortune. The other half… is my gift to you."