Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

"How did you become so strong?"

The leader of the Takigakure ninja pointed at Kakuzu with some fear. How could an ordinary water-style ninjutsu have such strong destructive power?

They were clearly chasing and beating Kakuzu before, making him run away with his tail between his legs. How come his strength has increased like a rocket in just a few days?

"Finished your last words? Then close your eyes~"

Facing a colleague who had once tried to kill him, Kaku showed no mercy whatsoever, coldly proclaiming his verdict.

"Don't be so happy!"

Although Kakuzu exuded a far greater aura of intimidation than before, the leader of the Takigakure ninja, confident in his abilities, still mustered his spirits and rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing a sharp water whip from his palm.

Water Release: Water Whip

"Whoosh!"

The water whip was swung with great force by the leader of the Takigakure. Seeing that Kakuzu was still standing in the same place, a glint flashed in his eyes, and the water whip struck Kakuzu's face.

"Snapped!"

With a deafening roar and feeling the impact of the water whip, the leader of the Waterfall Ninja clan's eyes flashed with delight. "Serves you right for showing off. You'll be lucky to escape with your life!"

"Hmm? Is that all you've got?"

Before he could even laugh out loud, Kakuzu's cold voice rang out again, startling the leader of the Takigakure ninja. He quickly looked towards the other end of the Water Whip.

But then Kakuzu stretched out a hand and grabbed the water whip firmly just before it was about to strike his face, which made the leader of the Takigakure ninja mistakenly believe that he had hit his target.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness"

Kakuzu wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by. He immediately unleashed a Lightning Release attack, the violent lightning bolts shooting back into the Water Ninja leader's palm along the water whip. Before he could dissipate his Water Release, Kakuzu was struck as if by lightning.

"ah!!!"

With a series of crackling sounds, the charred Takigakure leader exhaled a puff of black smoke, then his eyes rolled back and he fell straight down.

Kakuzu stared expressionlessly at the Takigakure ninja lying on the ground, choosing not to kill them. These people had no bounties on their hands, so killing them would be a waste of time and effort.

So he turned around and found the kunai that had been shot at him earlier. He pulled it out, weighed it in his hand, and a faint look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

I wasn't mistaken; it's top-quality goods, worth at least 3000 taels.

"Is this how you intend to leave?"

Just as Kakuzu was about to leave, several figures suddenly appeared around him and surrounded him. The leader was a man whose body was wrapped in bandages, who was looking him up and down with a curious gaze.

"You're the accomplices he hired?"

Kakuzu, who had expected this all along, wasn't too surprised by the appearance of Mu and the others. The ninja from Takigakure had dared to be so arrogant, clearly indicating that he had someone backing him. Unfortunately, the person he found didn't seem to care about their lives, and only came to their rescue after they had all been beaten down.

"It's just that we have the same goal."

He didn't even bother to glance at Takigakure lying on the ground. Faced with Kakuzu, who was standing ready for battle, he couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation for talent, and so he began his recruitment plan again.

"You must be Kakuzu? If you can give us any clues about the Seven-Tails, you can join our Iwagakure village."

"Oh? I'm a rogue ninja."

His eyes widened in surprise; Kakuzu hadn't expected the other party to recruit him.

"It's alright. As long as you join Iwagakure, we'll take care of Takigakure for you."

"hehe."

Angle didn't reply, but instead showed a mocking expression, chuckled twice, and turned to leave.

"Did I let you leave?"

Seeing that Kakuzu was ignoring him, a surge of anger welled up inside him. He could let the demon soldiers from yesterday slide; they were already officially employed, so their refusal to join his recruitment was understandable.

You traitorous ninja, a rat crossing the street, how dare you refuse me!

"You've asked the wrong person. I don't know what you mean by Seven-Tailed Fox."

Turning around, Kakuzu's eyes glowed with a pale green light, but his indifferent expression revealed nothing.

"Still playing dumb? Go! Take him down!"

With a wave of his hand, the surrounding rock spirits tacitly formed hand seals, and countless stones floated up from the ground, transforming into sharp cones that shot towards Kakuzu.

"Earth Release·Earth Style Wall!"

Kakuzu slammed his hands on the ground, and a stone wall rose up, blocking all the stone spikes. Then, he looked up at Mu, who had his arms crossed, and suddenly asked,

"Do you have a bounty?"

"Hmph~ That's natural."

With a puzzled look on his face, he frowned and replied, "As the second-in-command of Iwagakure, it's natural that enemy ninjas would put a bounty on him."

"That's good. I hate working for free."

Upon hearing that there was no bounty, Kakuzu immediately perked up. He rapidly formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and then quickly unleashed a high-pressure blast of wind towards the Iwagakure village surrounding him.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage"

As the basketball-sized whirlwind hurtled through the air, it quickly coalesced into a vortex-shaped eye of the storm. Accompanied by a piercing roar and a powerful gust of wind, it made the members of the Hidden Rock Village tense up and immediately scatter.

However, Kakuzu's escape technique was far from simple. The eye of the storm exploded suddenly after entering the crowd, and everyone felt a sharp wind pressure rushing towards them.

Caught off guard, the Iwagakure members were swept into it. The violent wind-style chakra cut them like knives, causing them to let out miserable screams.

"Ah! Ah~"

"hateful!"

At this moment, Mu was furious. He never expected that his skilled men would be defeated by a rogue ninja. Enraged, he drew his long sword from behind and charged towards Kakuzu.

"Bang!"

A series of piercing metallic clangs rang out as Kakuzu, wielding a kunai made of fine steel, began to engage in a physical duel with Mubu. After a few exchanges, the two fought evenly, and for a time it was difficult to determine who was superior.

"Curly-haired baboon, hurry up, the fight has started!"

Just as Kakuzu and Mu were locked in a fierce battle, Uchiha Gin and his group, who arrived late, hid in a large tree not far from the battlefield. Senju Itama, with an excited expression, called out to Uchiha Gin, who was walking slowly behind him.

"Wow, it's so lively here!"

Uchiha Gin, lounging on a treetop, lazily picked at his ear and spoke in a very irritating tone.

"Ah Yin, should we make a move?"

Standing next to Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Hikari sized up Kakuzu, who was evenly matched with Musou. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly in confusion. The girl's keen senses told her that there was something familiar about this rogue ninja, so she asked him aloud.

"No rush, no rush, let's look a little longer."

"However, it won't be long before ninjas from other villages discover this."

"No, we were the last ones to arrive."

Seeing the somewhat anxious Uchiha Hikaru, Uchiha Gin calmly shook his head.

"Forehead?"

Wuzheng and Jiaozu were locked in fierce combat, their longswords flashing so fast they left afterimages as they slashed down with deadly force.

"Crunch~"

Kakuzu raised both hands and barely managed to block the attack. The high-quality kunai made of fine steel in his hands finally gave way and broke in two.

"Surrender, you haven't even used your full strength yet."

With a slight advantage, Mu looked at Kakuzu, who had retreated a few steps by using the momentum, and tried to persuade him to surrender. He could still easily overpower Kakuzu with his taijutsu, which he was not good at, not to mention that he had the bloodline limit he had not yet used.

Therefore, in Wu's eyes, Kakuzu was now trapped like a turtle in a jar, with no way to escape.

"I haven't lost yet!"

Adhering to the principle that it could still be sold after being repaired, Kakuzu reluctantly put the half-broken kunai into his backpack. Then, a resolute look flashed in his eyes, and he decided to take out the contents of his backpack.

"Haha, bandaged man, did you miss me?"

Suddenly, a sharp laugh interrupted Kakuzu's actions. He turned his head in confusion and saw a flamboyant little mustache jumping out of the jungle not far away, shouting at Mu with an arrogant expression.

"Hey, little mustache, get out of my way!"

Enemies meeting are bound to be furious. Without even leaving the bewildered Kakuzu behind, he immediately started fighting Hozuki Gengetsu, who had suddenly appeared. In an instant, stones flew and water splashed everywhere.

Surprised to see Hozuki Gengetsu fighting with Mu, the girls all turned their gazes to Uchiha Gin, who remained calm, as if looking at a strategist who had mastered the art of command.

"Mr. Yin, this is a great opportunity!"

Uchiha Rinpoche noticed Kakuzu trying to slip away in the chaos, so he spoke up to warn him.

"No rush, no rush, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

Raising his hand to calm the women, Uchiha Gin revealed a mysterious smile and continued to calmly shake his head.

"Phew~"

Having calmed the churning blood and qi within him, Kakuzu's arms were still numb from the few exchanges with Mu. Seeing the two engrossed in their battle, he rolled his eyes and prepared to slip away.

As soon as he turned around, he was blocked by a bald, tattooed man with a ferocious appearance. Shamon, who had appeared out of nowhere, led a group of Sand Village ninja and surrounded Kakuzu.

"Rogue ninja, could you please tell me something about the Seven-Tails?"

The monk flashed what he thought was a "kind" smile, which sent shivers down Kakuzu's spine.

"I really don't know anything about the Seven-Tails or the Eight-Tails; it's all a fabrication by those traitors from Takigakure!"

Judging from his appearance alone, Kakuzu knew that the monk was no benevolent person. He then subtly reached for his bag behind his back while making a vehement defense.

"In that case, we'll have no choice but to have you come with us."

With a sigh, Shamon's eyes narrowed, and the aura emanating from his body was in no way inferior to that of Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu before.

"oioioi~ You bunch of wretches from the backwaters, how dare you even try to lay a finger on the Seven-Tails?"

"Yeah, brother. When we asked them to pay for it before, they said they weren't interested. But now that there are wild ones available, they're all eager to snatch them."

Just as Shamon was about to take down the out-of-form Kakuzu, two muffled voices sounded from behind them.

Two burly men, leading a group of dark-skinned ninjas, jumped down from the treetops, their ferocious faces filled with mockery.

"Oh? Jinjiao and Yinjiao, did the people of Kumogakure feed them Golden Fertilizer? Why are they growing up so fast?"

Uchiha Gin, who had been sitting calmly on the sidelines, rubbed his eyes hard and was so shocked by the two brothers who had come to cause trouble that his jaw almost dropped.

"You are the Silver and Gold Brothers of the Land of Thunder!"

Shamon warily eyed the newcomer, his brows furrowed deeply. However, as the second-in-command of Sunagakure, he couldn't afford to lose face, so he spoke in a cold, firm tone.

"The seven tails are without a master; the capable shall take them."

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, who were engaged in fierce fighting nearby, stopped fighting in unison when they saw someone else getting involved. After creating some distance between them, several groups of people surrounded Kakuzu from different directions.

The four groups secretly sized each other up, choosing to remain still for the time being. Kakuzu, surrounded in the middle, seemed much more relaxed. After looking around, he let out a soft snort and said…

"Wow, what a grand display! Four of the five great nations' ninja villages have come. Is Konoha hiding somewhere too?"

"!!!"

"Curly-haired baboon, that rogue ninja is something else! He actually knew we were hiding!"

Upon hearing Kakuzu's words, Senju Itama nearly stumbled and fell, then grabbed Uchiha Gin's sleeve, exclaiming in astonishment.

Shh~ Keep your voice down, nobody knows we're here.

Uchiha Gin shoved the restless brat's head down, giving him a warning.

"Konoha? Aren't they uninterested in Tailed Beasts?"

Hozuki Gengetsu stroked his little mustache and spoke first.

"indeed."

The concepts of "nothing is difficult to obtain" and "mortal enemies" are the same.

"Konoha, huh?"

Compared to Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, Shamon and the Gold and Silver Brothers suddenly looked a little uneasy. They had just run into an acquaintance from Konoha. Although the other party explained that he was just passing by, it was related to the mission, and he might have left some things unsaid.

Hopefully it's just a coincidence.

"Gentlemen, since we share the same goal, why don't we join forces to capture this rogue ninja, and then share intelligence?"

Shamen, the weakest of the four groups in terms of overall strength, spoke up after analyzing the situation, suggesting...

"Impossible!" *2

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu retorted in unison, it seemed that at least the two of them couldn't cooperate. Shamon then turned his gaze to the Gold and Silver Brothers.

"What do you think, brother?"

"This is getting a bit heated, let's kill them all!"

Golden Horn had never considered forming an alliance. His tiger-like eyes widened in disdain, sweeping across the entire area. With a forceful wave of his large, fan-like hand, the black-clad laborers behind him, poised to pounce, instantly understood.

With a dazzling flash of lightning, the black police officers attacked the other three groups with lightning speed.

Are those two crazy? Trying to take on three people at once!

Caught off guard by Kinkaku's move, Shamon quickly led his men to retreat and create distance, but their speed was no match for the Cloud Village's mastery of lightning release. In the blink of an eye, they were overtaken by the Black Lao, whose body was radiating faint arcs of electricity.

"Charge!"

Now that things had come to this, there was no other way but to bite the bullet and fight back. Shamen immediately steeled his resolve and commanded his men to begin the counterattack.

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, who were standing nearby, also started fighting with the Black Laborers.

"Tsk tsk tsk, those two jailers have some pretty good men, the cream of the crop. Did they drain Brother Ai's coffers dry?"

Uchiha Gin, sitting on the sidelines, watched with great interest the muscular, dark-skinned men. These men were all top-notch fighters, at least Jonin level, well-equipped, with clear tactics, and their teamwork was seamless.

It's as if they were trained specifically to hunt down a Kage-level expert.

Encirclement and suppression?

White Hair: Danger!

"Thump!"

"Hmm"

Surrounded by several thugs, Shamon, whose fighting spirit was low, was caught off guard and took a punch from an elite Jonin-level thug. As his wound went numb, his body churned violently.

"Lord Shamen!"

Upon seeing their leader injured, the Sand Village members quickly gathered around him.

"I'm fine. Be careful, these guys are well-trained, don't underestimate them."

Shamon, feeling somewhat humiliated that he, the second-in-command of Sunagakure, had been defeated by the unknown Blackie, prepared to go all out to teach the Cloud Village ninja a lesson and show off his strength.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Ball!"

Lotus flowers bloomed at the entrance of the sand gate, and his signature ninjutsu shot out, accurately hitting several black laborers. Blood splattered everywhere, and the scene was gruesome.

"You poor wretch from Sunagakure, take this punch!"

Having killed several black laborers with a single blow, Shamen hadn't been gloating for long when a fist the size of a casserole dish came crashing down from the sky. Unable to dodge in time, he took the punch head-on, which sent him flying dozens of meters away, snapping several large trees in half along the way.

"Cough cough cough, that's some real strength."

As the smoke cleared, Shamen, whose arm was dislocated and hanging limply, slowly stood up, looking at Jinjiao who had ambushed him, his brow furrowed tightly.

This boy is absolutely not someone you can defeat by force.

He then turned his gaze to Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, who were surrounded by black-clad figures, and after a moment's thought, he said loudly,

"We must join forces, otherwise not only will this rogue ninja fall into the hands of the Hidden Cloud Village, but our lives will also be in danger."

"Well, I have no choice, bandaged man. If you beg me, I'll temporarily join forces with you."

Hozuki Gengetsu, who was dodging Black Lao's attacks by using the Water Transformation Technique, shouted to Muda beside him.

"Hmph! No way. I won't consider joining forces with you unless you kneel down before me."

He manipulated the stone to send a black laborer flying, then turned around and uttered a disgusting remark.

The Water Transformation Technique is a nemesis of physical attacks; the physical skills that the Black Laborers are so proud of are utterly ineffective against Hozuki Gengetsu.

"I work from 8 AM! You think you can do anything?! Ugh!"

However, the Black Laborers were not to be trifled with. After a brief analysis, they released several lightning bolts towards the water that had turned into a pool of water. The powerful currents penetrated into the water, and Hozuki Gengetsu, whose electric form had turned into water, cried out in distress.

"Cough cough cough"

"Thump!"

The smoking ghost lantern, Gengetsu, transformed into human form. Paralyzed, it leaned forward and knelt down, its head hitting Liao Wu directly in front of it due to gravity.

With a dull thud, the scene fell into a deathly silence. The strange-looking Mu straightened up, looked at Hozuki Gengetsu who was quickly getting to his feet, and said in a mocking tone,

"I only told you to kneel, why did you start kowtowing on your own?"

"You bastard!"

"Fine, fine. Since you're so sincere, I'll reluctantly join forces with you this once."

He waved his hand to repel the black-clad man beside him, a strange smile playing on his face, and then flashed to Hozuki Gengetsu's side.

"Indeed, the strong are lonely."

Jinjiao looked at the three who had temporarily formed an alliance and shook his head with a disdainful expression. In his view, only the weak would choose to unite.

"All of you, come at me together!"

Unfazed, Golden Horn rubbed his hands together and grinned menacingly. His imposing body, along with the two horns pointing skyward, made him look exactly like a legendary demon.

"One cough!"

The three Shamons exchanged glances, then acted in unison, unleashing their signature ninjutsu in an instant.

"oioioi~ Let me enjoy the thrill of battle!"

Once in full combat mode, Golden Horn exuded an extremely strong sense of oppression. A feather fan half the height of a person appeared in his hand at some unknown time, and he charged towards the group.

Kakuzu, the protagonist of the incident, saw the battle escalating and tried to escape, but was stopped by Ginkaku, who was prepared.

"You stay here quietly for now. After your boss deals with those guys, we'll have a proper chat with you."

"What if I insist on leaving?"

Kakuzu frowned and said in a cold voice,

"Then I'll have to break your limbs first."

Silverhorn's cold gaze carried a hint of contempt. In his eyes, Kakuzu, born in a small ninja village, was not even worthy of carrying his shoes.

"what?"

Seeing that Gintoki wouldn't let him off easily, Kakuzu then scrutinized the silver-haired man blocking his way. Before he knew it, he sensed a strange aura that gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

"It is another journey."

Just as Kakuzu was wondering, a sharp voice rang in his mind.

"Mythical Beast Master, who is Mataru?"

Having never heard the name Matatabi before, Kakuzu couldn't help but ask himself.

"Same as me."

After giving a brief reply, Nanami fell silent again.

Kakuzu frowned. Could this silver-haired man before him be one of those chosen by the Tailed Beasts, just like himself?

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the outcome of the battle on the other side was about to be decided. Jinjiao, wielding a banana leaf fan, easily used the nature transformation of the five elemental escape techniques, transforming into a merciless artillery platform and sending Hozuki Gengetsu and the other two fleeing in terror.

The three, lacking any coordination, were at a disadvantage after fighting Golden Horn for several rounds.

"Damn it! Baldy, don't you have any cool secret techniques?"

Amidst the relentless bombardment of dazzling escape techniques, Hozuki Gengetsu, hiding behind the rising earth wall, refrained from speaking ill of the monk.

"I don't."

Shamon, who had been using standard Wind Release techniques, blushed. In this team fight, he couldn't withstand the attacks, couldn't heal, and dealt the least damage. He could only sit on the sidelines and soak up experience.

"If you don't have one, get out of the way, I'm going all in!"

Enraged, Hozuki Gengetsu kicked Shamon in the butt, then formed hand seals and unleashed his signature secret technique.

Steaming is dangerous and explosive!

Suddenly, a large amount of damp mist filled the battlefield, then slowly condensed into a smiling face.

"Trying to run away?"

Jinjiao had never seen this move before and thought it was a mist concealment technique used for escape. He then unleashed a fire release, attempting to evaporate the mist.

"Hehehe"

However, the moment the flames appeared, the water vapor-like mist quickly condensed, eventually transforming into a chubby little boy with a scribbled drawing. His plump face bore a strange smile as he strode towards Golden Horn.

"You guys provide cover for me."

Panting heavily, Hozuki Gengetsu hid behind the wall and whispered to Mu and Shamon, a smile of revenge on his pale face.

"What a pretentious charlatan!"

Seeing the chubby boy running towards him quickly, Jinjiao smiled disdainfully, waved his banana leaf fan again, and threw several fire escape techniques at him as if they were free.

Who would have thought that this chubby little boy was so skilled that he dodged all the fire escaping attacks, and his short body began to expand rapidly under the influence of the scorching air around him.

"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"

Knowing the power of Hozuki Gengetsu's move, Mu's eyes flashed with killing intent. He then took a deep breath, wrapped his fists in thick rocks, and smashed them toward Kinkaku.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Ball!"

No, Shamonlaodi, you're the Second Kazekage, not the 5.5th Hokage. How come all you know is some kind of Void Ball? (End of Chapter)