Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 209 Master-Disciple Showdown, Metabolism

On the carriage.

"Hiruzen, once we get back, we must immediately convene a Jonin team meeting."

Mitokado Yan proposed his own solution.

"The funding gap is too large. If we don't cut pensions, the budget won't last past the next quarter."

"The pensions cannot be reduced."

Hiruzen's tone was tired but firm.

"That's everyone's hard-earned money. If even that's touched, morale will collapse."

"Then what should we do? Petition the daimyo again? Or—"

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, hadn't finished speaking.

"boom-!!!"

A deafening roar interrupted her.

A terrifying flame, like a tidal wave, swept across the sky and covered half the mountain.

"Enemy attack!!!"

The roars of the occult troops pierced through the sound of the explosion.

"Protect the Hokage!"

More than a dozen members of the secret service instantly formed hand seals.

"Water Release·Water Formation Wall!"

More than a dozen walls of water rose up to block the sea of ​​fire. But the flames seemed to have a physical form, and they actually burned through the water walls.

"This level of chakra—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi kicked open the car door and jumped out.

His eyes narrowed.

At the edge of the inferno stood five people.

These five people were not wearing any ninja village uniforms. They were dressed in various ways, some in tattered ronin armor, others in black robes.

However, the chakra fluctuations emanating from them were far beyond those of ordinary elite Jonin.

Especially the man standing in the very middle.

He wore a mask and was completely shrouded in a large black robe, revealing only a pair of green eyes.

Kakuzu.

The legend of the underground black market in the ninja world.

"That's... Kakuzu?!"

Shika recognized the other person, and his expression tightened slightly.

"And there's the Demon Man, the Mad Blade—all infamous S-rank rogue ninja!"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha."

Kakuzu's voice was cold and hoarse.

"Someone is offering a huge sum of money to kill you."

"Protect the Hokage!"

The secret agents rushed forward.

"A bunch of small fry."

Kakuzu's clothes ripped apart on his back, and four black-masked monsters emerged.

"Fire Release: Head Carving!"

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

The wind fanned the flames.

A firestorm, ten times more terrifying than before, swept across the heavens and earth.

"ah!!!"

Before the dozen or so members of the secret service could even form hand seals, they were engulfed by this destructive force.

This is a strategic-level ninjutsu bombardment.

"Scatter! Scatter now!"

Hiruzen roared.

He grabbed the two advisors and used his teleportation technique to escape the encirclement.

However, the other party's goal is very clear.

The four bounty hunters, like a pack of wolves, instantly cut into the battlefield, entangled Shikaku and the remaining guards.

Kakuzu, on the other hand, single-handedly targeted Hiruzen.

"Trying to run away?"

Kakuzu's arm suddenly extended, and the black tentacles of the Earth Grudge Fear pierced Hiruzen like spears.

"Earth Release·Earth Style Wall!"

Hiruzen forms hand seals.

A thick earthen wall rose up.

"Bang!"

The earthen wall was smashed.

Kakuzu's power is too great.

"Don't be so arrogant!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu wanted to go forward to help.

"Get out of here! You're worthless!"

With a casual wave of his hand, Kakuzu unleashed a pseudo-dark lightning spear from the Lightning Release masked monster, forcing the two advisors back.

His eyes were only on Hiruzen.

Hiruzen was forced to accept the challenge.

He summoned the Vajra Ruyi Cudgel through supernatural powers.

"Diamond Wall!"

Countless iron rods spread out from this center, attempting to trap Kakuzu.

But Kakuzu had no desire to fight.

He continuously unleashed wide-range ninjutsu, forcing Hiruzen to move away from the convoy.

They fought and retreated simultaneously.

The battlefield was forcibly divided.

Ten minutes later.

The two had fought their way to a dense forest several kilometers away.

"Kakuzu".

Hiruzen gripped his Ruyi Jingu Bang, watching Kakuzu warily. He was gathering chakra, preparing to unleash the Five Elements Great Barrage.

"Who hired you? Iwagakure? Or Kumogakure?"

"If you're willing to give up, Konoha can offer double the price."

Kakuzu stopped his attack.

He stood on the treetop, his green eyes coldly watching Hiruzen.

"Double?"

Kakuzu seemed to be carefully calculating this.

"That sounds very tempting."

"but----"

Kakuzu withdrew the tentacles of the Earth Grudge, and the four masked monsters also burrowed back into his body.

"My mission is complete."

"What?" Hiruzen was taken aback.

"My task is simply to bring you here and get rid of those annoying flies."

Kakuzu clapped his hands.

"As for killing you—that's someone else's job."

"The employer said he will personally send you on your way."

Having said that, Kakuzu turned around without hesitation and disappeared into the dense forest in a few leaps. He was going to finish off the remaining men on the battlefield.

Hiruzen stood there, a strong sense of unease rising within him.

"They personally sent me on my way—"

"Come out."

Hiruzen spoke to the empty forest.

"I knew it was you."

A cold wind blew by, rustling the leaves.

Beneath a large tree directly in front of Hiruzen, the soil slowly undulated.

A figure slowly rose.

Pale skin, purple eyeshadow, and golden vertical pupils.

Orochimaru.

"Hehehe————"

A familiar, hoarse laugh echoed through the woods.

"Truly worthy of being a teacher. Even in old age, his intuition remains so sharp."

Orochimaru————

There was no surprise in Hiruzen's eyes, only deep regret.

"Did you hire Kakuzu?"

"yes."

Orochimaru shrugged.

"That greedy fellow may have terrible taste, but he's certainly useful. I spent all the money Sosuke-kun gave me last time just to get him to invite you here alone."

Why do this?

Hiruzen's voice trembled slightly.

"For the Hokage position? Although the Daimyo hasn't nominated a successor, if you have a little patience, you can wait until the war is over—"

"Naruto?"

Orochimaru interrupted him.

A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

"Teacher, you underestimate me. And you overestimate that position."

"I did consider taking that position once. Because that would grant me access to more resources and more forbidden techniques."

"But now, I've figured it out."

Orochimaru walked step by step toward Hiruzen.

"As long as you are alive, even if I become Hokage, I will still be your student, still subject to those outdated rules, and still have to listen to the nagging of those old, incompetent advisors."

"You are like an old, decaying tree. Your roots are too deep, intertwined, and have drained the surrounding nutrients, making it impossible for new saplings to grow."

"For the sake of Konoha's future, and for the sake of my new era, you must die."

Orochimaru spat out a grass sword from his mouth.

The sword's edge gleamed coldly.

"Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, this is a plan I had already formulated. This is what is called metabolism."

""

Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru.

He saw the coldness and resolve in those snake-like eyes. There was no hesitation, nor the slightest trace of master-disciple affection.

No, perhaps.

It is precisely because it exists that we must sever it ourselves.

"Metabolism—"

Hiruzen gave a bitter laugh.

He gripped the Vajra Ruyi Cudgel tightly in his hand.

"Orochimaru, you have gone astray."

"As your teacher, it's my responsibility to bring you back. Or—"

Hiruzen's chakra erupted.

"End your ambitions here."

"7

"Then let's give it a try, teacher."

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and licked the blade of the sword.

boom!

The chakra of the master and disciple collided in mid-air.

There was no audience.

This was a duel destined to be buried in the shadows of history.

On the other side, the main battlefield.

This place is a scorched wasteland.

Kakuzu unleashed another combination ninjutsu, creating an unquenchable storm of fire.

The high temperature distorted the air, and the trees carbonized instantly.

A dozen or so ANBU members were forcibly isolated on the other side of the sea of ​​fire, fighting against the four S-rank rogue ninjas.

Only five people remain on this battlefield.

-

Mito Kabuto, Koharu Tennene, Shikaku Nara, Reina Yamashiro, and Sousuke.

They were facing Kakuzu.

"This is troublesome—"

Nara Shikaku's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"Shadow Imitation Technique — Unreachable."

Kakuzu's combat experience was far too rich. He maintained a constant barrage of ninjutsu from an extremely long distance, giving Shikaku's shadow no chance to make contact. Moreover, the hot air generated by the surrounding sea of ​​fire distorted the light and shadow, making the shadow's positioning extremely unstable.

"Don't panic!"

Mitokado shouted loudly.

This elderly advisor, though he usually dictates things from his office, is, after all, a direct disciple of the Second Hokage.

"Xiaochun! We're going in!"

"good!"

The two advisors simultaneously formed a mudra.

Although their movements are not as agile as they were in their youth, the precision of their hand seals and the concentration of their chakra are still at the level of elite Jonin.

"Water Release: Water Chaos Waves!"

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

Mitokado Homura spewed out a stream of water, while Utatane Koharu unleashed lightning. The lightning and water clashed, transforming into a long whip of lightning that lashed towards Kakuzu.

"An outdated combination ninjutsu."

Kakuzu's eyes were filled with disdain.

He didn't even dodge; the lightning-attribute masked monster on his shoulder let out a shriek.

"False Darkness!"

Sizzle sizzle—!!

The sharp lightning spear pierced through the combined ninjutsu of the two advisors.

The high-intensity lightning strike directly dispersed the water flow, and its momentum continued as it pierced Mitomon Yan.

Instead of retreating, Mitomon Yan advanced, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"Water Release: Wave Riding Strike!"

A massive amount of water suddenly appeared beneath his feet, allowing him to dodge the lightning spears like a skateboard and rush towards Kakuzu at high speed.

"You're asking for death." Kakuzu sneered, his right hand hardening into black as he grabbed directly at Yan's throat.

However, at the very moment of contact, Mitokado Yan's figure exploded.

"A water clone?!" Kakuzu exclaimed in surprise.

"Here!" Koharu Utatane appeared above Kakuzu's head at some point, her hands clasped together.

"Illusion Technique: Dark Travel Technique!"

Kakuzu's vision was instantly plunged into darkness.

"A mere trick!" Relying on his senses, Kakuzu unleashed the Earth Grudge's tentacles, wildly stabbing outwards.

From the darkness, Mitokado Homura's true form burst forth from the ground, unleashing a "Combination Ninjutsu: Lightning Water Dragon Bite!"

Flame spewed out a compressed water column, and Koharu instantly completed a complex lightning release.

The waterspout, enveloping highly concentrated lightning, transformed into an extremely fine drill that precisely pierced Kakuzu's chest—right where his heart was—in the instant his defenses were deflected due to loss of vision.

"Pfft!!!"

Kakuzu staggered back a dozen steps, and when his vision returned, there was a pool of black pus and blood at his feet.