Traveling through three generations: Making Konoha great again!

Chapter 72 Earth Grudge Fear Acquired, the Innately Evil Shimura Danzo (3/10)

one move.

Although it was said to be a single move, Kakuzu used his full strength, but he also reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Five Elements Great Combo and the Earth Grudge Fear Ultimate Shot collided, leveling the surrounding forest to the ground with astonishing power!

Both were masters of the Five Elements Escape Technique.

Even among skilled players, there are differences in skill level.

Kakuzu knelt on one knee, coughing up black blood.

His clothes were already torn apart, and his strong body was covered in black dust from the explosion. Two of the masks on the heart-shaped monster behind him were almost broken off.

I said—

"You're the first person to challenge me head-on with Five Elements Ninjutsu—"

Not to mention now, Hiruzen Sarutobi's chakra is quite abundant—

Even before Kakuzu's talent was aligned with Konoha's, he wouldn't have stood a chance against him even if he used the Five Elements Release techniques.

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and extended his hand toward Kakuzu.

"The Third Hokage truly lives up to his reputation—" Kakuzu hesitated for a moment, then grasped Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand and stood up.

This scene caused him to experience a slight hallucination.

When Hashirama Senju fell to the ground, Mito Uzumaki released the Kongo Seal and personally helped him up, reminding him to be careful.

"Put this on, even though your physique is unusual—" Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his black robe with red clouds and threw it to Kakuzu, who was shirtless.

In fact, even the Hokage didn't want to wear this strangely designed outfit anymore—

If he returns to Konoha wearing this and isn't stopped by patrols, he'll be the one getting thoroughly checked!

"—Thank you." Kakuzu silently put on the cloak, and after a moment, he spoke up to express his gratitude.

Although, in terms of strength, Hiruzen Sarutobi still couldn't compare to Hashirama Senju—

They are all stronger than him, and all have the ability to kill him.

Moreover, this indescribable, gentle, and unassuming demeanor—

But it's pretty much the same—

"Does he/she need to recover from the injury?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sized up the Earth Grudge Fear clone, its mask teetering precariously: "It truly possesses formidable power. With Earth Grudge Fear, one can be considered someone who lives as long as heaven and earth."

"Heh, I'm just barely surviving in this hellish ninja world."

Kakuzu chuckled. "Please wait a moment."

He found Hiruzen Sarutobi increasingly interesting—

They even asked him if he needed to recover from his injury?

Is it because they are afraid that extracting the essence of the Earthly Vengeance will cause irreversible damage to him?

That's not the kind of thinking a ninja should have—especially since he's the Hokage.

The Earth Grudge Clone transformed into black threads, which flowed into Kakuzu's back, making his slightly emaciated body plump up again.

With an outstretched arm, a large number of black threads emerged from the gaps, gradually tangling into a black ball.

Kakuzu remained expressionless, but a sound like a mask shattering emanated from his back.

Kakuzu pulled hard, seemingly without feeling any pain, and meticulously trimmed the excess parts of Hiruzen Sarutobi, packing them into a compact cuboid.

"The Earthly Grudge is worth 20 million taels, which will be used as a deposit to offset the cost of our battle, plus 10 million taels for intelligence expenses—"

"Thank you for your patronage, Third Hokage of Konoha." As he spoke, Kakuzu took out a storage scroll, sealed it inside, and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"What a businessman—" Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a thumbs up.

Although this scene was somewhat bizarre, Kakuzu's professionalism was evident.

Yes, it is possible.

"Next time we need to deliver goods, we can just go to the vicinity of Konoha."

"The patrols or secret agents will find you. Just tell them to come find me."

"I will come to pick you up myself," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, hefting the scroll in his hand.

Kakuzu smiled and said, "Although Konoha is considered one of the strongest of the Five Great Hidden Villages, I am not so powerful as to be discovered by your subordinates—"

"I just ran into you and—"

Kakuzu glanced at Shimura Danzo, his lips visibly curling into a sneer: "Let's just stick with him."

Danzo Shimura remained expressionless, but he had already clenched his back teeth.

Damn, my fists are so itchy!

I really want to punch Kakuzu in the face and then use my Wind Release to chop him into mincemeat!

While Hiruzen does possess a small amount of personal charisma—

But why should I be targeted like this?!

Isn't it just that he likes to use up the bounty hunters without paying them, and then occasionally kill a few more to make extra money and freeload?

"If we don't find it, it will at least help plug the loopholes in our Konoha's security."

"If that's the case, I can add more money," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.

The words "add more money" made Kakuzu's eyes narrow.

This understated tone only amplified the air of a nouveau riche.

Just how rich is Konoha?

"Then it's a deal, Hokage-sama." Kakuzu thought for a moment and still used the honorific title.

He did not hesitate to show respect to Hiruzen, who had inherited Hashirama's style.

Moreover, this is a super-rich client—

"Next time I come, I can also visit my old friends in Konoha."

"Lord Mito once told me that your generation is fading away like fallen leaves—"

"She said that Lord Hashirama had mentioned you many times, saying that you were a talented but unlucky young man—" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with emotion.

In fact, Hashirama Senju never mentioned it, but who would have known?

Sometimes, having just one anchor point is enough when it comes to sentimentality.

Moreover, the rogue ninja who had been spared by Hashirama Senju, after several decades, came to visit Mito Uzumaki under the influence of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He's still working for Konoha—

The two events, one after the other, have revitalized the beautiful stories of previous years.

This would not only make Mito Uzumaki slightly happier.

This also allows Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation to indirectly resonate with Hashirama Senju's formless formation.

Although it won't have an immediate effect, it's a subtle and gradual process.

Perhaps one day there will be an unexpected reward.

"Lord Hashirama and Lord Mito? After all these years, they still remember me—" Kakuzu trailed off, somewhat speechless.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "This rogue ninja from another village, a bounty hunter—"

"I will prepare a gift to visit you, if Lord Mito is willing to see me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded: "Yes, see you next time."

After saying that, he turned and left gracefully, waving his hand.

Danzo Shimura, however, did not move. Instead, he stood still, squinting as he sized up Kakuzu.

He said with a sinister laugh, "You'd better keep your promise; I'll be keeping an eye on you—"

Kakuzu laughed too.

Logically speaking, this should be the most classic good cop/bad cop strategy.

The problem is, given Hiruzen Sarutobi's charismatic personality, even if Danzo were to portray a villain, he wouldn't stoop to such a low and brutal level.

It can only be said that this person's nature is like this; he is an inherently evil ninja.

Even if you follow the Hokage, you won't learn much.

"Who do you think you are—"

"The one who signed the contract with me was Hiruzen Sarutobi, not you. Are you the Hokage?"

Kakuzu retorted without hesitation, "If you came alone, even with those Root wolves in tow, could you stop me?"

Is it difficult?

Danzo Shimura said with a disdainful air, "As for the Hokage, I am not now, but I will be in the future—"

He now possesses the necklace of Lord Mito, which Hiruzen gave to him voluntarily.

"Let's go, Danzo!"

"Don't ruin your friendships—" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice drifted from afar.

"Hmph—" Shimura Danzo pointed to his own eyes, then to Kakuzu, and then turned and left.

This means that he will keep an eye on Kakuzu at all times.

Interestingly, when Hiruzen Sarutobi called him, he didn't say another word.

"This guy's not very bright—" Kakuzu silently complained in his mind, "Poor Hokage, having to work with someone like this."

However, Kakuzu had a different view on Hiruzen Sarutobi, and even on Konoha.

A sense of curiosity welled up inside me.

Kakuzu tightened his black robe with fiery clouds.

He was just thinking that Konoha now is not what it was when Hashirama Senju was there—

Now it seems that might not be the case.

Thinking about it carefully, I haven't seen those people from the roots do anything against the rules in the past year.

Instead, a more efficient and meticulously planned covert operation has emerged, possessing far greater deterrent power and an air of mystery than before.

"Has anything changed?"

"We still need to observe further—" Kakuzu lifted the briefcase full of money in his hand, the heavy feeling of it reassuring him.

But another question arose in his mind.

The five great hidden villages are not actually well-off financially these days. Judging from Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions, Konoha seems to be quite wealthy now.

Where did this money come from?

More than where the money came from, Kakuzu was curious about how Hiruzen Sarutobi would spend it.

Store them away? Or recruit more powerful individuals like him?

A ninja like this is truly one of a kind in the ninja world—

What about the rest? We can't just give it all to the ninjas below, can we?

Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a slightly special quality—

However, Kakuzu still has many stereotypes about the high-ranking members of Hidden Village.

Having walked the ninja world for so many years, the best one I've ever met is someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is already extremely rare to find someone with even a little bit of humanity.

As for giving it to the ninjas below, that was a blind spot in Kakuzu's thinking.

"He's probably saving it. Perhaps this Third Hokage and I are kindred spirits—"

"He also needs money to give him a sense of security."

"But to be so sincere as to offer money to recruit someone from another village like me is truly unique—"

Kakuzu shook his head, deciding that he would think about these things again when he had the chance to visit Konoha.

Now that we've received the money and even prepaid such a large deposit—

Let's get to work first!

Otherwise, it would violate his ninja way—

On the other side.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura headed towards Konoha.

"Danzo, you should sometimes be mindful of your reputation—"

"A balance of tension and relaxation, of strictness and leniency, is the better way to manage people," Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly.

Although having Danzo as the bad cop was indeed a tried and true method.

The problem is that I have to give him a few pointers from time to time, otherwise even if Danzo is like that, he will eventually realize that something is wrong.

Danzo's answer, however, took Hiruzen Sarutobi by surprise.

"Hiruzen, I understand your good intentions, but I can't do this—"