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

Beneath his mask, Kakuzu glanced at the three captured brats out of the corner of his eye. He had overheard their conversation perfectly; these rogue ninjas were incredibly audacious.

Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Who is Tobirama Senju? He's Hashirama Senju's younger brother. How dare you touch his disciple? Do you want to die?

"Divine Fire, shall we go somewhere else?"

Fearing he might accidentally injure Tobirama Senju's disciples in the process, Kakuzu tilted his head and gestured towards a relatively flat and open area nearby.

"Nonsense! Take this!"

How could Shenhuo possibly listen to a bounty hunter who had come to capture him? His face immediately darkened, and he lunged forward, brandishing his palms.

"Hair-piercing palm strike!"

However, Kakuzu was no longer the same as before. As a Tailed Beast Knight, he had reached a level that ordinary ninjas could hardly reach. Faced with the strange and powerful attack of the Divine Fire, he didn't even bother to defend himself and left his defenses wide open, waiting for the attack to come.

"snort!"

Seeing that the opponent remained unmoved, Shenhuo, feeling slighted, increased the force of his strikes, aiming his palms at a very tricky angle towards the opponent's vital points.

If it hits, it will either kill or injure the victim.

"Be careful!"

The three children were shocked to see Kakuzu surrender and give up resistance. Due to their unique aesthetic sense, they subconsciously categorized the silver-white knight as part of the righteous camp. So, the moment the divine fire attacked, the three of them cried out in alarm.

"Nisuchi!"

"Bang!"

The moment his palms struck Kakuzu, a question flashed through Shenhuo's mind: Why didn't this guy dodge?

Is there some backup plan?

The Bursting Palm, a closely guarded secret of the Kusagakure school, is a palm technique created by the Kusagakure ninja by drawing on the strengths of various schools. Its trajectory is ever-changing, and its power is both soft and firm, killing people invisibly, making many who face this palm technique a headache.

Shenhuo was able to become an elite captain thanks to his mastery of this move. The elder who taught him the move even praised him for surpassing his master and believed that he would surely carry forward this secret technique.

However, Shenhuo has really bitten off more than it can chew this time.

"Finished?"

Kakuzu looked down at the hands pressed against his chest and ribs. The immense force emanating from them had long been absorbed by the knight's armor, and his body felt no fluctuation whatsoever. If it weren't for the solemn expression on Kamui's face, he would have thought that the other party was just feinting and using a diversionary tactic.

"Whoosh~"

Sensing something amiss, Shenhuo immediately withdrew his palms, taking several steps back to create distance between himself and Kakuzu. Looking at his slightly reddened hands, he was filled with astonishment.

It clearly hit the target, so why didn't the other person react at all?

"What exactly are you?"

He began to take Kakuzu's divine fire seriously, adopting a solemn posture, and posed a soul-searching question with a furrowed brow.

"I've already introduced myself. My codename is Sword."

Kakuzu crouched down, assuming a charging stance, and held his short sword upright in front of him, replying calmly.

"Stop playing dumb, who are you?"

Shen Huo's forehead veins bulged with anger; this guy was clearly playing him for a fool!

"I"

Upon being asked this, Kakuzu fell into a brief moment of silence. This seemingly familiar question, as if following some kind of formula,

Finally, under the manipulation of a certain great will, Kakuzu struck a cool pose and subconsciously answered aloud.

"I'm just a tailed beast rider passing by!"

Tailed Beast Knight?

It sounded like a profession, but Shenhuo had never heard of it before, so he turned his head and looked questioningly at the three little ones who were staring at the sky.

"What's this new trendy thing called a Tailed Beast Rider?"

"Huh? We don't know either~"

Attracted by the Silver Knight's cool appearance and dashing lines, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions shook their heads vigorously at Kamuka, who was full of question marks, indicating that they didn't know either.

However, it cannot be blamed on their lack of information. The other four great nations did not reveal any information before they fully controlled the power of the Tailed Beast Riders. Konoha also kept the information about the Tailed Beast Riders secret because it did not yet have a Tailed Beast. As a result, the name of the Rider has not been circulated in the ninja world until now.

"So that's a Tailed Beast Rider?"

Madara Uchiha, who had been cut in line earlier, was now standing in a secluded spot not far away, his ears perked up. After hearing Kakuzu's self-introduction, he suddenly realized that this flamboyant guy was the Tailed Beast Knight his cousin had mentioned.

"This chakra belongs to the Seven-Tails."

Having faced all the tailed beasts except for the One-Tailed Beast, Madara Uchiha carefully examined the situation with his scarlet eyes and identified the true form of the tailed beast rider before him.

"Not bad."

After confirming the tailed beast's identity, Madara Uchiha closed his eyes, revealing dark pupils filled with contemplation. After a long while, he gave a fair assessment.

In the Tailed Beast Pokémon War after the founding of Konoha, the Seven-Tails did not perform well. It lost to the Three-Tails Isobu, which had fewer tails, as soon as it entered the battle. In Madara Uchiha's eyes, it was useless except for being a bit cool.

Unexpectedly, after becoming a Tailed Beast Rider, the sense of oppression was much stronger than when he was in his previous large size, which was barely enough to catch Madara Uchiha's eye.

"I wonder what the Nine-Tailed Knight looks like."

As his gaze swept over the magnificent armor of the silver knight, Madara Uchiha suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for becoming a Tailed Beast Knight.

"Chatting over, Divine Fire, surrender now!"

Meanwhile, Kakuzu, eager to make money, had no intention of continuing to communicate with the goods and immediately issued an ultimatum.

"idiot!"

If Shenhuo were the type to give up easily, he wouldn't have gone against the elders for Shinji, even though Kakuzu's strength was unfathomable, he was still full of fighting spirit.

"Fire Release: Demon Lantern".

After saying that, the divine fire quickly formed a hand seal, and more than a dozen ferocious demon head fireballs flew towards Kakuzu. The scorching heat made the noses of the three little ones next to him dry.

Faced with the stubborn resistance of the divine fire, Jiao said nothing more, brandishing his short blade, his entire body moving with the wind, his graceful movements as if he had invisible wings growing from his back.

"Bang! Bang!"

With a series of muffled sounds, the once arrogant Oni Lantern was completely annihilated by the short blade in Kakuzu's hand. Shaking off the embers from the blade, the sparks of light resembled cherry blossoms blooming in the darkness, so beautiful that one could not bear to look away.

"So handsome!"

The three little ones completely forgot their current predicament, and Hiruzen Sarutobi also forgot about his father, whose fate was unknown. Their eyes were practically glued to the silver knight, and they wished they could kneel down on the spot.

Sarutobi Sasuke: Born~ Born~

After showing off, the antagonist didn't stop to strike a pose. In his opinion, being cool was worthless in the face of money, so he continued forward, his short blade aimed directly at Shenhuo's hands, trying to disable his mobility.

"Bang!"

Shenhuo's swordsmanship was no joke either. He drew his worn-out sword with a backhand and caught Kakuzu's attack, but the immense force he felt almost made him drop the sword.

"Ping-pong!"

After exchanging a few blows, Kakuzu couldn't help but look at Shinho with new respect. He hadn't expected his opponent to be a master swordsman as well. If he weren't a knight, he might very well have been defeated.

"Bang! Bang!"

As Kakuzu increased his speed, Shenhuo gradually found himself unable to cope. Each of Kakuzu's attacks contained immense power, and the slightest miscalculation would cause Shenhuo's blood to surge.

"Boom!"

In the end, the divine fire was not exhausted, but the sword in his hand could not hold on any longer. As a samurai sword made of fine steel, it was already incredible that it could withstand the short blade formed by the power of the tailed beast for so long.

"thump!"

And so, without his weapon, Shenhuo was sent flying backward by Kakuzu's short blade, crashing down next to Shinji, who was watching the battle unfold.

"The God of Eating"

Mako, who was originally planning to eat Sarutobi Sasuke, was also attracted by the sudden appearance of Kakuzu. Since she was already full, she decided to put her food supply aside for the time being and see what kind of dishes the food delivery had just arrived.

Unexpectedly, the opponent was quite skilled and defeated the divine fire with overwhelming power. Mako stared straight at Kakuzu with her scarlet eyes, driven by her desire for high-quality food, she stepped forward.

"Mako! I haven't lost yet!"

Shenhuo stood up, panting heavily. The sudden jolt from Kakuzu had made him feel as if he had been struck by a running wild beast, and his bones were trembling.

"Woman, you're not on the bounty list, so I have no reason to fight you."

As Kakuzu watched Shinji slowly approach him, he sensed a complex mix of emotions emanating from Shinji. He didn't want to rashly engage in battle with such a strange opponent.

Working for free? Don't even think about it!

"Eat."

However, Mako ignored her, coveting the rich life force of the tailed beast. She spread her arms into claw shapes and vanished from the spot in an instant.

"Bang!!!"

With alarm bells ringing in his mind, Kakuzu instinctively held his short blade across his chest. A loud metallic clang rang out as the woman's pale hand gripped the blade. She appeared weak, but she was anything but simple.

"What exactly are you?"

Kakuzu gripped his swords with both hands, and dense tailed beast chakra emanated from his body. The chakra-filled short blades glowed with a faint golden light.

"Sizzle~"

Under the corrosive influence of the tailed beast's chakra, Mako's small hand emitted a foul-smelling smoke, and her grip on the blade loosened slightly. Kakuzu seized the opportunity to pull back his short blade and deliver a kick to the woman's abdomen, sending her flying several meters away with the immense force.

"This is?"

Smelling a strange odor, Kakuzu raised his short blade in confusion and discovered a black mark left where the woman had just grabbed him. The mark was swirling with eerie black mist, which was visibly encroaching on the normal area of ​​the blade.

Kakuzu tried to wipe away the black mist, but with little success. The tailed beast chakra could only slow down its erosion, not completely eliminate it.

"Be careful, this guy is not simple."

Chongming's voice suddenly rang out, his tone unusually solemn.

"My Lord Divine Beast, do you know this woman's background?"

Judging from Chongming's tone, it seemed to know where the black mist came from.

"That shouldn't be the case, didn't the old man seal it away?"

Chongming did not answer directly, but instead muttered to himself in confusion.

"Mythical Beast, she..."

Just as Kakuzu was about to press further, Shinji, who had been knocked away, jumped back in. This time, she was shrouded in black mist, and her ferocious appearance sent a chill down the spine of the panting Shinka.

"Mako, what have you been through? Are you still really you?"

"Bang!"

The opponent's methods were unpredictable, so Kakuzu didn't dare to be careless. He immediately jumped back to dodge Shinji's attack and landed right next to the three little ones at the alley entrance.

"Kakuzu, that woman is named Satoru, she is the malice sealed in the Box of Elysium."

Chongming finally spoke up again, clearing up Kakuzu's doubts.

"Enlightenment?"

"Anyway, it's a very troublesome thing, the kind that could destroy the world if it's not careful. But it's currently trapped inside that human's body, so it won't erupt for the time being."

It's not that Kakuzu is ignorant; the Box of Bliss is an ancient treasure, and probably not many people recognize it now.

"Can you solve this, Mythical Beast Master?"

Upon hearing Chongming's explanation that the other party was no ordinary person, Kakuzu frowned and asked in his mind, "..."

My advice is to hurry up and leave; you're better off not making this money.

This thing took the old man a lot of effort to seal away back then. It's just a caterpillar, how could it possibly replicate the old man's feat?

"That's 3500 million taels!"

Kakuzu was filled with inner turmoil. 3500 million was no small sum, and with the money so close to his grasp, how could he give up so easily?

"Ugh~ You idiot, you're driving me crazy!"

During this time, Chongming gained a deeper understanding of the human, Kakuzu. He was not good at eating or drinking; he could eat tasteless dry biscuits and cold water with relish. He was also not good at dressing up or wearing ornaments; coarse cloth and linen clothes were his standard attire. He was also reluctant to stay in high-class hotels when he went out, and would either sleep on the streets or in dilapidated temples.

If it weren't for his greedy nature, Chongming believed that Kakuzu could have gone to a temple, shaved his head, become a monk, and spent his days with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp, eventually becoming a highly accomplished monk.

Oh well.

Kakuzu is certainly greedy for money, but since even the Divine Beast Master has said so, he's starting to consider giving up.

It's only 3500 million. If it were a few million more, he might have taken a gamble.

"Hello, can you please save my father?"

Just as Kakuzu was having second thoughts, a slightly hesitant voice suddenly sounded beside him. He turned around and saw three little devils staring at him expectantly. One of them was a boy who looked like a monkey, with a pleading look on his face. The voice he had just heard came from him.

"Is that your father?"

Kakuzu frowned, his eyes catching a glimpse of Sarutobi Sasuke, whose fate remained uncertain, not far away.

"Yes, please help me!"

Having mustered the courage to make the request, Hiruzen Sarutobi, seeing that the other party had responded, immediately nodded vigorously.

"I refuse."

Kakuzu refused without hesitation. He was a professional bounty hunter and part-time loan shark; how could he possibly do unpaid work? That would be an insult to his professional ethics.

"what?"

Unexpectedly, the other party replied instantly, causing Hiruzen Sarutobi to freeze in mid-air.

"Why? Aren't you a knight?"

Although he didn't understand the meaning of "knight," the aura emanating from the other person carried a certain halo of justice, making Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously believe that the other person was a great person who didn't expect anything in return.

"Huh? You're so young and you're already using moral blackmail. You'll definitely grow up to be a fake good person."

Kakuzu kicked away the moralistic label that Hiruzen Sarutobi had slapped on him, and sneered, giving the monkey-faced brat a very fitting label.

"Tsk, what a waste of my little bit of money~"

Ignoring the distraught Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakuzu clicked his tongue and turned to run away.

"eat!"

Having failed to capture him, Mako was not about to give up on such a tempting target as Shigeaki. Driven by her appetite, she once again opened her arms and charged toward Kakuzu.

"What a hassle."

As Kakuzu turned around, he sensed that he was being maliciously targeted. He swung his short blade toward Mako's face, and at the same time, he leaped high into the air, assuming a flying kick stance, and kicked toward the woman.

Rider kick!

"eat"

Mako tilted her head to dodge the short blade, then raised her hands in front of her chest as if tearing something apart. Facing Kakuzu's Knight Kick, she suddenly grabbed, and several claw winds condensed from black mist met the flying kick head-on.

"Bang!"

The forces of both sides collided in mid-air, producing a deafening roar. Tiles from nearby rooftops were ripped off, creating a continuous crashing sound.

"Thump!"

Kakuzu landed in a disheveled state, his eyes filled with seriousness. In the exchange just now, he had actually been at a disadvantage. Although this kick was not his ultimate technique, it was not something an ordinary ninja could withstand.

At this moment, Kakuzu's inner drumbeat of retreat was deafening; there was no need to risk his life for a mere 3500 million taels.

"Cough cough cough, please, save my father."

Sensing Kakuzu's intention to retreat, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to make one last effort. If the knight before him left, his father would likely be gone forever.

"I never do business at a loss."

Kakuzu's words were sharp, but also realistic. Who says heroes have to sacrifice for nothing? Everyone needs to eat, lol.

"Phew~ Money! My family is rich. As long as you save my father, he will definitely pay you a generous reward."

Hearing the unspoken meaning in Kakuzu's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head and shouted excitedly.

"Sorry, your words don't carry much credibility."

Kakuzu, worried about getting a refund from a minor, wasn't buying it. What if he listened to the kid's one-sided story, went to all the trouble to save his father, and then went back on his word? Wouldn't he have been taken advantage of for nothing?

"Unless you can offer me a satisfactory reward right now, I might consider it."

Kakuzu, who didn't want anything to do with the Konoha ninjas, tried to use a high price to make them back down, since these three kids didn't seem like they could come up with a huge reward.

"eat"

"Hurry up, I'm leaving!"

Seeing that Mako had locked onto him again, Kakuzu waved his hand and severed the three's restraints. He prepared to lure the woman away before leaving, hoping to buy these brats a chance to survive, as a way of repaying Hashirama Senju for not finishing him off.

Hey~ My Uncle Kakuzu is such a philanthropist, how about we start a charity foundation or something?

"I have ten thousand taels!"

Having regained his freedom, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly searched his backpack and finally pulled out a thin wad of banknotes, which he presented to Kakuzu.

"not enough."

Suppressing the urge to rob the child of his money, Kakuzu stiffly shook his head. Ten thousand taels—at most, he could help him kill a low-ranking ninja.

"Danzo!"

"Sorry, Monkey, you know my situation."

Looking at his best friend's hopeful eyes, Danzo lowered his head in shame. Little Danzo, who had never longed for money before, planted a seed of wealth in his heart and waited for it to grow.

"mirror!"

Now that things have come to this, we can only ask our godfather for help.

"Can you guarantee you'll save Captain Sarutobi?"

Kagami gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a reassuring look, then turned to him and said in a very serious tone,

"Huh? You curly-haired brat, your tone is really unpleasant!"

"You can't do it?"

"Nonsense! I'd even take on the Sage of Six Paths if the money was right!"

Pure Land

"Ouch!!"

Hagoromo Otsutsuki was enjoying the massage chair he had taken from his younger brother when the massage device on his buttocks suddenly started vibrating wildly as if it had been turned on at an accelerator, almost ruining his reputation.

"It must have been Hamura who did it!"

Rubbing his aching buttocks, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, with his two real and one fake eyes blazing with anger, gritted his teeth and activated the teleportation to the Moon's Pure Land.

This grudge must be avenged, or I'll be no saint!

"Bang!"

As the golden brick landed, the eyes under the mask stared wide-eyed. He almost slapped himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

How could a kid under ten years old possibly pull out a ten-pound gold brick from his bag?

"Not enough?"

Uchiha Kagami took out a piece of his New Year's money, but Kakuzu remained unmoved. He frowned and reached into his bag again.

"Bang!"

"."

Still not enough?

"Bang!"

"you"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After a long while, Kakuzu stared blankly at Uchiha Kagami, who was taking out one gold brick after another from his bag. He was no longer sure if he was dreaming. If it was a dream, then let him stay in this beautiful dream forever!

"Hey, how much do you want? Give me a straight answer!"

Shimura Danzo, equally dazzled by the gold bricks, looked at the towering golden walls before him, tears of envy streaming down his face. But now was not the time to talk about that. With a loud shout, he roused Kakuzu from his reverie.

"Cough cough cough, kid, who exactly are you?"

Coming to his senses, Kakuzu coughed awkwardly a few times before looking directly at the curly-haired brat in front of him, who exuded an aura that annoyed him.

"My name is Uchiha Kagami, an ordinary Uchiha."

Having emptied half of his savings, Uchiha Kagami noticed that the silver knight's tone had become somewhat friendly, so he revealed his name.

"Uchiha?"

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu was stunned. He thought it was some noble young master playing a ninja game, but he never expected that this spendthrift brat was actually a member of the famous Uchiha clan in Konoha.

"He's that guy's descendant, Kakuzu. Don't get involved with him, let's get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, Chongming was outraged. "You dare to accept money from a descendant of Indra? Aren't you afraid of being chased and killed by Gao Da?"

"Is your money legitimately obtained?"

Somewhat tempted, Kakuzu looked at the gold bricks before him, ignoring the slanderous thoughts of Shigeaki in his mind, and asked, "..."

"Seriously, this is all my New Year's money."

Uchiha Kagami nodded, his expression very sincere.

"New Year's money? How old are you?"

How old are you, kid? Are you trying to look young by pretending to be an old cucumber with green paint?

Scratching his curly hair, Uchiha Kagami replied with a strange expression.

"My uncle said that New Year's money should be generous, otherwise it'll be hard to keep, and you might die young." (End of Chapter)