It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

Chapter 102, Kakuzu's Joining

2 days ago...

"No, please don't kill me! Please!"

On a narrow transport road, corpses, reeking of blood, were scattered all around. A man wearing a headband from a rogue ninja from Kusagakure lay on the ground, his eyes filled with fear as he watched the man approaching.

“Looking like you, you’re not worth much money…” Kakuzu glanced at the ninja in front of him, took out a stack of small notebooks used to record bounty ninjas, and flipped through them.

After confirming that the guy in front of him was indeed worthless, Kakuzu used black lines to finish him off on the ground.

Seeing the look of terror on the face of the dead ninja, Kakusho picked up a wallet that was lying on the ground and tied it around his waist.

Just as he was about to leave, an unusual chakra fluctuation emanating from the nearby jungle made Kakuzu stop in his tracks.

"That is…"

In the direction Kakuzu was looking, a figure gradually emerged from the shadows covered by dense foliage. It had short orange hair, a Rainbow headband with a stripe down the middle, and wore a long black robe. The strangest things about it were its unusual purple eyes and the black rods nailed to its body.

Kakuzu remembered that this person did not seem to exist in the bounty list.

"Who are you?" Kakuzu asked coldly as he watched Payne approach.

"Kakuzu, the immortal ninja, I need you to join Akatsuki. We need your strength."

"Akatsuki? Is that the name of an organization?"

"That's right, Akatsuki is an organization dedicated to creating peace in the ninja world."

Kakuzu scoffed after hearing Pain's indifferent remarks and put away his kunai.

"Heh, I have no interest in any power in the ninja world. You've come to the wrong person. To me, only money and worthwhile books have value in this world."

Pain was not surprised at all by Kakuzu's refusal. The organization needed someone with strong abilities like him. However, this arrogant guy still needed to be taught a lesson by him, the leader.

"It doesn't matter whether you're interested or not, just join."

Upon hearing Payne's extremely arrogant remarks, Kakuzu frowned, clearly displeased.

"What an arrogant statement. It seems you are also an extremely foolish and overconfident fellow. Although you may not seem worth much, you have indeed slightly offended me..." Black lines surged from the stitches on Kakuzu's body, and his massive chakra gradually became active.

Sensing Kakuzu's hostility, Payne closed his eyes and chuckled softly.

"Want to fight me? Sure, challenging a god is a reckless act."

Payne lifted his foot and slowly walked towards Kakuzu's position, saying, "If you are defeated by me, you will be recruited into Akatsuki."

Kakuzu looked at Pain as he approached and said angrily, "You... apart from the First Hokage, no one in this world has ever said they would defeat me with such nonchalance!"

ten minutes later…

Inside a huge crater, the exhausted Horned King was pinned to the ground by Payne's hand, with several black rods still embedded in his limbs and the surrounding Earth Grudge monsters.

Pain, who was squatting on the ground, looked at Kakuzu and said, "Alright, you've lost. Get ready and come with me to Amegakure. But don't worry, I'll give you your salary and certain powers along with it."

Kakuzu:......

Rewinding to the present, Kakuzu, now in Amegakure, recalled the scene of being carried by Pain and felt a slight unease.

I wonder if I can still make money every day like before after joining this organization. Kakuzu still quite enjoys the days when he was a bounty hunter, taking heads and making money everywhere.

Wearing two straw hats, Kakuzu and Pain arrived at the spacious hall where the Akatsuki usually held meetings, where Sasori and Konan were also present.

"Is this the new member? His body seems interesting." Sasori glanced at Kakuzu. This stitched-together body seemed somewhat similar to his human puppets, except that the construction was too crude.

"Shouldn't we have gone to see Hanzo the Salamander first when we got here?" Kakuzu asked, puzzled, after Pain led him directly to the end of the road.

"Hanzo the Salamander died several years ago. Now Akatsuki is in charge of all matters, big and small, in the Land of Rain."

Kakuzu looked somewhat surprised upon hearing Konan's explanation.

So Amegakure has been closed off for so many years because it has already changed hands?

"Alright, now that you've arrived, a very important long-term task is about to be handed over to you."

Upon hearing the mission Pain mentioned, Kakuzu was taken aback. He hadn't even properly introduced the organization and the village before issuing the mission; had he been tricked? Although he didn't really have a choice. But if it really meant a 996 work schedule with no pay, Kakuzu figured he'd be packing his bags and running away in a few days.

"What mission? What kind of mission?"

Payne, seeing Kakuzu's eager expression as if he wanted him to run the road, said, "It's the organization's financial management, but if you can't do it, you can continue to let Konan manage it."

Upon hearing the word "finance," Kakuzu's eyes seemed to light up.

"It seems the leader has a good eye. Although I am a bounty hunter, I am still quite sensitive to money."

Kakuzu agreed to manage the finances, which was a great job, as he loved watching money accumulate.

Seeing Kakuzu's reaction, Pain nodded and then handed him the ring of Hokuto no Akatsuki and a black coat with red clouds.

"Even if you have a long-term responsibility for managing finances, you still need to follow the tasks assigned by the organization when you're not in a position to do anything else, understand?"

"Don't worry, as long as it's not a mission that costs money, I'm fine with it." Kakuzu took off his straw hat and then draped the Akatsuki's robe over his body.

While Kakuzu was still convinced he had come to the right place, another question Payne raised made him frown.

Do you really need teammates to complete a mission?

Kakuzu has been wandering the ninja world alone for many years and has become accustomed to this life, but now he has to team up with others, which makes him quite unwilling.

In Kakuzu's eyes, most of his teammates are nothing but burdens. If they anger him, he might reward them with a tentacle bondage play and a heart-interaction game.

"Don't worry, your teammates are pretty good. Although they are very young, their combat ability is not bad."

"Heh, since the leader has said so, I'll agree for now. But if the guy on my team angers me, I won't hold back," Kaku said arrogantly.

Just as Kakuzu crossed his arms, looking like he was second to none, a chakra fluctuation that left a deep impression on him, yet was slightly different, appeared in his senses, causing his pupils to dilate.

This chakra!?

Chapter 103, Kakuzu's Interest

"Huh? You guys started the newcomer reception without waiting for me? That's so rude." After crawling out of the ground, Jue spread his hands in disappointment.

Payne looked at Jue and said, "You're just late."

"Really? I'm going to call this new friend's partner. She just came out of seclusion. It shouldn't be a problem to show her her future team, right?" Zetsu said, pointing at Kakuzu with a seemingly aggrieved expression.

"Ah, am I the only one missing? Looks like I've come at the right time." After Jue said a few words, Zhixue ran over from the entrance.

I just changed my clothes, so it took me a little time.

Upon seeing Zhixue emerge, Kakuzu raised an eyebrow, quite surprised.

Is this tiny little thing the chakra similar to Hashirama's that he senses? Judging by her age, could she be Hashirama Senju's great-granddaughter? But I've never heard of her.

Not only Kakuzu, but Pain, who possessed the Rinnegan, also noticed something amiss with Zhixue. (The illusory ring can conceal chakra fluctuations, but those at the Rinnegan level can detect them.)

Pain looked closely in the direction of Zhixue, and the trajectory of chakra flow and meridians gradually became clear.

"Wait, how can there be so much chakra? Is it because of the Nine-Tails...?" Pain murmured in astonishment after sensing the massive chakra aura emanating from Zhixue.

"What's wrong?" Konan, who seemed unchanged from the side, noticed that Payne's expression was off and asked.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking about the changes to Amegakure's financial policies..."

……

At this welcoming ceremony, Kakuzu successfully served as Zhixue's second-generation teammate, but Kakuzu didn't seem happy inside. After the ceremony, he even came to Zhixue's side and asked, "Hey, kid, what's your relationship with Hashirama?"

Kakuzu stared at Shiki's youthful face for a long time, and he couldn't believe that the offspring of a great figure like Hashirama, who had quelled the chaos of the world, would be living outside, and that he would happen to meet him here.

Upon hearing Kakuzu's question, Shiyuki raised three question marks above her head.

If you replace Hashirama with Madara, I can still check the family tree, but if you say Hashirama, then I'll have to go to the top and go through the Sage of Six Paths era before coming back.

"Hey, uncle, it's very impolite to ask about someone's family tree, and I'm not a member of the Thousand Hands clan."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible, I can't mistake this chakra aura!" Kakuzu said, denying it as he sensed the familiar yet unfamiliar chakra within Shiki's body. He had fought against Hashirama Senju before, and he would never forget that special chakra aura in his lifetime.

Buzz —

Kakuzu: Huh?

Seeing the crimson Sharingan pattern appear in Zhixue's eyes, Kakuzu felt his mind go into a mental storm.

They even imagined all sorts of love-hate relationships between Hashirama Senju and the Uchiha girl, or secret experiments being conducted underground in Konoha…

“Uncle, I am from the Uchiha clan, not a descendant of Hashirama as you say.” Zhi Xue said, shrugging as she looked at Kakuzu, who seemed lost in shock and thought.

What he said is true. Uchiha Shisui is her biological brother, and she has black eyes and black hair, which are typical characteristics of the Uchiha clan. She doesn't have any other bloodline.

Although Shiki tried her best to prove that she was a member of the Uchiha clan, Kakuzu refused to believe that Shiki must be a descendant of Hashirama, because the aura of chakra does not lie.

Seeing Kakuzu seemingly quite engrossed in talking to Shiki, Konan asked Pain, "Pain, what do you think?"

"Xiaoxue seems to have an unexpected attraction to Kakuzu, but there should be no danger. Although she is still a child, the fact that she was able to repel Orochimaru shows that she is not weak."

Konan nodded in agreement with Payne's analysis.

Looking at it this way, there doesn't seem to be any danger, but isn't Kakuzu going a bit too far? Does this guy, like Orochimaru, enjoy torture-like acts like those involving Yuki?

In reality, Kakuzu wasn't interested in Shiki's appearance or age at all; what interested him was Shiki's chakra, or more precisely, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.

As Kakuzu kept pressing her about Hashirama Senju, Shiki's forehead was covered in black lines.

Uncle, your persona is ruined! Shouldn't it be Madara Uchiha who keeps mentioning Hashirama all the time? What does it have to do with you, an assassin I only met once?

……

Thanks to Kakuzu's departure to take over Amegakure's finances, Zhixue was able to temporarily escape Hashirama Senju's "die-hard fan," return to her bedroom, lie down, and take out the snacks the system had given her while she was slacking off to replenish her energy.

"System, please check the ninjutsu scrolls related to Wood Release for me," Zhixue said, popping a chocolate into her mouth.

Ding, received.

Searching in the system store...

Ding, search complete—

Wood Release - Wood Clone: ​​A derivative ninjutsu of Wood Release. The Wood Release clones created are more realistic and resilient than ordinary elemental clones and shadow clones. When dispelled, they can instantly transform into tree branches to entangle or attack enemies. Price: 50 ryo.

Wood Release: Shield Formation Technique: Creates a blue-faced, fanged shield around the user using Wood Release techniques. It possesses extremely high defensive capabilities and can even block attacks from a fully-formed Susanoo. Price: 200 ryo.

Kouan Ruyu Chui Shou: A technique that can hypnotize tailed beasts, causing them to enter a stable slumber; however, its effectiveness is proportional to the amount of chakra available. Price: 200 ryo.

Wood Release: Four Pillars Linked House Technique: An essential ninjutsu for travel, extremely convenient and quick. It can also be used for village infrastructure construction; everyone in Konoha who uses it praises it. Price: 100 ryo.