Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 210 The Advisor's Demise, Kakuzu's Nightmare

"How dare you—you destroyed one of my hearts." Kakuzu's voice turned sinister and terrifying. "Old fox, you were really careless."

""

"What?!" Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were shocked. They were still alive?

Kakuzu didn't give them a chance to react. The lightning-attribute masked monster on his shoulder once again condensed chakra.

"False Darkness!"

"Earth Release·Earth Style Wall!"

Mitomon hurriedly raised a stone wall.

boom!

The stone wall was pulverized.

Mitomon Yan was thrown away by the blast wave and crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Flame!" Koharu Utatane exclaimed.

"Don't worry about me—watch out behind you!"

Kakuzu's figure has disappeared.

Instantaneous movement technique.

The next second, he appeared behind Koharu Utatane. His large hand, covered in black tentacles, grabbed Koharu Utatane by the neck.

That's enough.

Kakuzu's voice is devoid of any emotion.

"Let her go!"

Nara Shikaku finally seized the opportunity.

"Shadow Imitation Technique - Success!"

A black shadow appeared beneath Kakuzu's feet. Kakuzu froze.

"Oh? A brat from the Nara clan?"

Kakuzu's eyes darted around as he looked at Shikaku.

"That's interesting. But—"

The wind-attribute masked monster behind Kakuzu suddenly turned and aimed at Shikaku.

Kakuzu's physical body doesn't need to perform hand seals; the masked monster itself is an independent turret.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

call-!!!

The highly compressed air cannon fired at Shikaku.

Shikaku had no choice but to dispel the spell and tumble awkwardly to avoid it.

boom!

A deep crater was blasted into the spot where he had just been standing.

The restraints have been lifted.

"Go to hell."

Kakuzu tightened his fingers.

Click.

Koharu's cervical spine was crushed during her turn.

The old advisor who had controlled the Konoha government for decades is dead.

"Koharu!!!"

Mitokado roared.

"Why don't you go and keep her company?"

Kakuzu raised his other hand.

The tentacles of the Earth Grudge Demon instantly hardened, turning into sharp spears.

puff!

A black tentacle pierced through Mitokado Yan's chest.

Both consultants perished.

This is Kakuzu's true strength. In the face of absolute power, cunning and seniority are worthless.

Kakuzu shook off the corpse in his hand.

He didn't even glance at the two corpses. To him, the two hearts were too old and had no collectible value.

"I wasted the reserves of one of my hearts—I need to replenish them."

Kakuzu turned around.

Those green eyes locked onto the remaining three.

Shikaku, Rena, Sousuke.

Shikaku was already in despair.

The advisor is dead. The Hokage is fighting someone, but we don't know who.

The monster in front of them was simply beyond their ability to fight.

"There are three more bugs."

Kakuzu stepped over the corpse and walked toward Sousuke.

"Takaya Sousuke. Onoki of Iwagakure offered 20 million ryo for your head. While it's not as much as Hiruzen Sarutobi, it's still a big deal."

Rena stood in front of Sousuke.

She held a kunai in her hand, and although her body was trembling, she did not back down.

"Takaya-sama, run!"

Sosuke didn't run. He stood still, calmly looking at Kakuzu with his one eye.

"Twenty million taels?"

Sousuke smiled.

"I'll give you double the money, and you can leave now."

"No, I have my own rules."

Kakuzu raised his hand.

Just then.

The battlefield on the other side suddenly fell silent. The sounds of fierce fighting and the explosions of ninjutsu all disappeared.

"Um?"

Kakuzu tilted his head slightly.

That silence was abnormal.

Click, click, click.

Footsteps came from the woods.

A figure walked out.

He was an ANBU member. He wore a white cat-face mask, stood tall, and was covered in blood.

But this blood isn't hers.

In her hand, she dragged a long knife, with bits of meat hanging from it.

Behind her lay a pile of corpses.

All four S-class bounty hunters are dead.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so ANBU members from Konoha all lay dead in pools of blood, none of them alive.

She was the only one who made it out alive.

"Oh?"

Kakuzu turned around and looked at the survivor.

"They actually managed to kill Mad Blade and the others—Konoha's Anbu are really something—"

The operative remained silent.

Sosuke suddenly raised his hand.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two karate chops landed on the back of Shikaku and Reina's necks.

Before they could even react, they collapsed limply to the ground.

"I'm sorry. You can't see what happens next."

Sosuke caught Rena and placed her under a tree.

Now, only three people remain on the field.

Sousuke, ANBU, Kakuzu.

"What does this mean?"

Kakuzu watched this scene, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Internal strife? Or silencing witnesses?"

"It's a clearing operation."

Sosuke unbuttoned his coat and tossed it aside.

"Mr. Kakuzu."

Sosuke flexed his wrists.

"Since you refuse to leave, then stay here."

"Misa."

Zongsuke gave a low drink.

"Let him see what real power is."

"Yes."

The members of the Dark Guard removed their masks.

Misa Hayama.

Her face was covered with strange green patterns. Those were the characteristics of activated hagiocytes.

She suddenly clasped her hands together.

"drink!"

Rumble—!!!

The earth began to tremble violently.

The ground beneath Kakuzu's feet suddenly cracked open.

It's a tree root.

Countless thick, twisted, grayish-brown giant tree roots surged wildly from the ground.

They were like a group of pythons, instantly surrounding Kakuzu.

"This is----"

For the first time, Kakuzu's usually calm and unchanging green eyes widened in surprise.

This feeling of chakra—this overwhelming sense of life force—

He experienced it firsthand during that distant Warring States period.

That was his lifelong nightmare.

"Wood Release?!"

Kakuzu cried out in horror.

"Wood Release: Tree Binding for Eternal Burial!"

Misha didn't give him time to think.

The massive tree roots snapped shut in an instant, threatening to crush Kakuzu into a pulp.

"Fire Release: Head Carving!"

Kakuzu reacted extremely quickly, and the masked monster behind him spewed out towering flames, attempting to burn the tree roots.

However, these tree roots are different.

The moment they came into contact with the flames, a layer of viscous liquid secreted from their surface. That was a high concentration of Yang Release chakra.

The flames burned on it, and surprisingly, they made a "sizzling" sound as they went out.

"It can't be burned?!"

Kakuzu was greatly alarmed.

"Bang!"

A tree root struck him hard.

The black lines of the Earth Grudge broke instantly, and Kakuzu was sent flying, crashing into the rock wall.

"Cough cough————"

Kakuzu crawled out from the rubble and looked at the woman in the distance.

The woman emanated a massive chakra aura. Her hair danced wildly in the wind, making her resemble a female war goddess.

"Konoha—there are monsters like this in there—"

Kakuzu's heart was pounding.

fear.

This was only the second time in eighty years that he had felt this kind of fear that came from the depths of his soul.

"Mr. Kakuzu."

Sosuke stood next to Misa.

He held a strange knife in his hand.

The blade was dark red, like a piece of living bone.

【Hungry Ghost - Bone Eater】.

"Now, what are your thoughts?"

Sosuke asked with a smile.

"Damn it—"

Kakuzu gritted his teeth.

He suddenly released the remaining three hearts in his body.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

"Fire Release: Head Carving!"

Three ninjutsu techniques were unleashed simultaneously.

The blue light of Lightning Release, the sharp roar of Wind Release, and the explosive force of Fire Release—these three ninjutsu combined to form a chakra vortex.

"Die!"

This is Kakuzu's last trump card. Even a Kage-level shinobi would be reduced to ashes if they took this attack head-on.

However, faced with this devastating attack, Misa Hayama did not retreat an inch.

She clasped her hands together abruptly. The green lines on her face shone brightly, as if every cell in her body was burning.

"Wood Release: Ranking Technique!"

Rumble—!!!

A huge wooden shield shaped like a ghost face rose from the ground.

This is the absolute defense that the First Hokage used to defend against the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball!

boom!!!

The chakra vortex slammed into the Ranking Technique.

The earth cracked and the forest was destroyed.

But the shield remained completely still.

"Wood Release: All Cloth Bag Technique!"

Misa's voice came again.

Rumble—!!!

The earth seemed to have turned into a sea, rising and falling violently.

Several enormous wooden hands burst forth from the ground.

Ignoring the cutting of flames and wind blades, the wooden hand grabbed the Fire Release Masked Monster and the Wind Release Masked Monster in mid-air.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

'

The flames burned on the wooden hand, emitting a burnt smell, but the Yang Release chakra secreted by the wooden hand withstood the high temperature.

"broken!"

Misa shouted angrily.

Click!

The two giant hands clenched tightly.

The two masked monsters, each possessing their own independent chakra source, were crushed into black dust by the absolute power of Wood Release.

"What?!"

Kakuzu was shocked. His Earth Grudge Mask had been crushed like a toy?

In that instant of shock...

A dark figure darted across the chaotic battlefield.

Sosuke.

He silently approached, stepping on the tree roots created by Misa.

He wore a black glove on his right hand, and the red sealing spell on his palm was glowing.

In his hand lay that strange, dark red sword—[Honkai Ogre].

The remaining Lightning Release masked monsters of Kakuzu sensed the threat and turned their cannons around.

"False Darkness!"

A sharp lightning spear pierced straight into Sousuke's heart.

Sousuke raised Honebami and slashed down at the lightning spear.

"Squeak!"

A bizarre scene unfolded. The lightning spear, composed of high-density lightning chakra, vanished upon contact with the blade.

No, it was "eaten".

The dark red keratinous layer on the bone-eating sword twitched, as if swallowing a delicious meal, and the blade emitted an excited tremor.

A sword that eats chakra?!

Aside from Samehada of Kirigakure, Kakuzu had never seen such an eerie weapon before.

In that instant of hesitation, Sosuke was already in front of him.

"It's time to end this, senior."

Sosuke's voice was cold.

A stab was thrust out.

Kakuzu instinctively used both hands to block, and countless black Earth Grudge Tentacles surged from his body, trying to entangle the sword.

This was exactly what Sosuke wanted.

"Dinner is ready."

puff.

Bone Eater pierced into the black tentacles.

"Gurgle—gurgle—"

A chilling sucking sound rang out.

Countless gray-brown bone spikes instantly erupted from Honebami's blade.

Bone Release: Bone Forest Cuttings!

These bone spurs followed the tentacles of the Earth Grudge and burrowed into Kakuzu's body.

"Ughhhhhh!!!"

Kakuzu let out a piercing scream.

He felt his chakra and life force being drained away by that strange sword.

The Earth Grudge Tentacles, those black fibers modified by secret techniques, withered and turned to ash rapidly under the erosion of bone spurs, becoming lifeless objects.

Kakuzu's body visibly shrank.

The lightning-masked monster vanished amidst its mournful cries.

Just three seconds.

Kakuzu knelt down on the ground.

The strange, dark red knife had now turned a vibrant blood red, and the spine at the hilt was throbbing violently, like a beating heart.

Sosuke's hand holding the knife was also trembling slightly.

The sealing spell on the glove was scorching hot, desperately suppressing the sword's desire to devour its master as well.

"call----"

Sousuke took a deep breath and forcibly cut off the chakra supply.

The bone spur retracted.

He pressed the tip of his knife against Kakuzu's throat.

Kakuzu only had one heart left.

He lay on the ground, his green eyes filled with the fear of death.

"What...what is this thing...?"

Kakuzu's voice was hoarse.

"This is technology. It's also—a curse."

Sosuke looked down at him.

"Kakuzu, you've lost."

"Kill me if you want."

Kakuzu gritted his teeth. As an old monster who had lived for so long, he had his dignity.

"Kill you?"

Sosuke smiled. He sheathed the sword and resealed it into the scroll.

"Killing you would be too wasteful."

"What?" Kakuzu was stunned.

"Kakuzu, you're a bounty hunter, you should know the rules. Since the mission failed, you have to pay the price."

Kakuzu watched Sousuke warily.

"What do you want? I don't have any money on me."

That's the truth. He keeps all his money in a secret vault; all he has are receipts from the money exchange.

"I don't want money. From today onwards, your life belongs to me."

"I've checked your resume. You're a rogue ninja from Takigakure, you fought the First Hokage, you're proficient in all five elemental ninjutsu, and you're skilled in financial management and stitching techniques."

"You're a talented person."

Sousuke held out his hand.

"Come work for me. Takaya Trading Company needs someone like you."

Kakuzu was stunned.

He had imagined being killed, tortured, or even turned into a test subject.

But he never imagined he would be recruited?

"Are you insulting me?" Kakuzu said coldly. "I am an S-rank rogue ninja."

Even S-rank rogue ninja need to eat and earn money.

Sousuke took out a check and waved it in front of Kakuzu.

"This is fifty million taels."

Kakuzu's eyes followed the check for a split second.

"It's just a small amount of money."

Sosuke said calmly.

"If you join, I will not only provide you with the best heart as a backup, but also let you manage all the money flow of the Chamber of Commerce in the underground black market."

"You will see money you've never seen in your life."

"Furthermore, I'll allow you to continue being a bounty hunter as long as it doesn't affect your missions. All the money you earn is yours."

Kakuzu fell silent.

If he refuses, he will die now. Once he dies, he will lose everything, and the money he buried underground will become wasteland.

If you agree—not only will you live, but you'll also make money. And a lot of money at that.

He had long heard of the financial power of the Takaya Trading Company. They were a behemoth capable of buying half a country.

For someone who considers money their sole religion, this choice is not difficult.

"----heart."

Kakuzu spoke.

"I need a high-quality heart."

"no problem."

Sosuke stood up.

"The battlefield is littered with corpses. If you do a good job, I can get you some."

Kakuzu struggled to his feet and dusted himself off.

"make a deal."

"Boss."

Sosuke nodded in satisfaction.

"Welcome to the team, Kakuzu."

"Your first task is to clean up the scene. Don't let anyone notice any trace of Wood Release."

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