Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 157 The Ninja Who Pays Extra - Kakuzu

He carried the corpse, walking slowly with his eyes darting around as if searching for something. This state didn't last long before he stopped and gently pressed one hand against the peeling paint.

"Click."

It was as if I had touched some hidden door; the wall receded inward, and a door opened.

A moment later, as if specially welcoming the man's arrival, a man with a scarred face and a fierce expression appeared from inside the door.

He looked at the mysterious man carrying the corpse with awe and said, "Brother Kakuzu, please come inside."

There was even a hint of fear in his attitude.

The mysterious man named Kakuzu responded with a deep "hmm".

"Brother Kakuzu, thank you for your hard work. Please hand over this prey to me." The fierce-looking man extended his hand without hesitation.

Kakuzu handed the body to the other man, who carefully took it with both hands.

Kakuzu then entered the room, where a completely different scene unfolded. The space was vast, seemingly much larger than the toilet outside.

This is the basement, and also the place where tips are exchanged.

He was once an elite Jonin of Takigakure. Later, angered by the inhuman behavior of the village's higher-ups, he chose to escape from prison, kill all the higher-ups, and steal the secret technique of Earth Grudge Touch, which the village regarded as a treasure.

Betraying his village and becoming a drifter, he gradually came to understand a truth while being relentlessly hunted down by the village: there are no absolute friends, only absolute interests.

Money is the embodiment of profit, and now he is only interested in three things: making money, making money, and making the most money.

Thus, thanks to his outstanding abilities, he gloriously became a bounty hunter and even made a little bit of a name for himself.

After exchanging the money, Kakuzu expertly counted the banknotes and personally verified them.

This time the target is a big fish, which means he'll have to work for a long time by himself.

It wasn't that he didn't believe the other party had the guts to deceive him; he was simply enjoying the process of counting the money.

After counting the banknotes, Kakuzu's eyes, which were not covered, revealed a satisfied expression.

After closing the money box, he noticed the scarred man's hesitant expression. He figured the man had wanted to say something while counting the money, but had been holding back because he knew his temper and didn't want to bother him.

"What's wrong?"

Kakuzu's somber voice carried a hint of joy. Generally speaking, when the other party speaks, it's clear that some business opportunity has come knocking.

"Brother Kakuzu, someone wants to see you."

"Hmm, didn't they say who to kill specifically?" Kakuzu is a bounty hunter, and finding him through the underground market clearly means they asked him to kill someone.

"No, I just want to talk to you in person."

"Tell me the address." Kakuzu never hesitates when it comes to making money.

The scarred man explained the agreement and time in detail.

Kakuzu nodded slightly after hearing this, picked up his black briefcase, and set off. A few days later, he arrived at the agreed location as scheduled and met his customer, a handsome blond man wearing a kimono. Two burly men stood beside him, one of whom was carrying a briefcase.

Kakuzu remained expressionless, his gleaming green eyes fixed on the other man: "Speak, what do you want from me? Let me make it clear beforehand, asking me for help comes at a very high price."

The blond-haired man felt a little uneasy under the stare, so he used flattery to relieve the pressure: "This is the underground market. The bounty hunters who claim to have a 100% success rate are indeed extraordinary."

Kakuzu ignored the compliments: "Stop talking nonsense and get to the point." His muffled voice revealed his impatience.

The blond man smiled, glanced to the side, and gestured to his subordinate to show sincerity.

The subordinate understood immediately, placed the briefcase on the table, and gently pressed it open, revealing large wads of cash inside.

"This is the deposit. There will be three more boxes after the deal is done."

Money makes the world go round. With a rough estimate of around ten million in the box, even Lian Jiao couldn't help but be tempted. At this moment, his eyes changed when he looked at the blond man. Was that blond man? That was the client.

"Boss, who are you going to kill?"

Kakuzu's attitude has changed significantly compared to before.

The blond man was pleased with this: "I want you to kill the lord of Ashina Castle, Jintama, and his eldest son on their journey ahead, and then fake it as an accident."

"Who!?" As if he had heard some unseen name, Kakuzu stood up excitedly, his green eyes revealing an incredulous look: "You've got some nerve! Don't you know he's related to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire? He holds a high position and has many powerful protectors around him."

The blond-haired man looked disappointed: "A bounty hunter like you wouldn't be afraid of these things?"

"Boss, you've misunderstood. What I mean is that among the people protecting him on this mission, there might be ninjas of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas' caliber, or even Konoha ninjas being deployed for protection... That'll require extra pay."

blond-haired man: ...

He is Renyu's son, and he wants to inherit the position of lord.

The problem is that he is not the eldest son; he has an older brother.

Since he couldn't solve the problem, he decided to eliminate the people causing it. He planned to kill his brother and father together. That way, the position of lord would fall into his lap.

…………

The morning sun was warm and gentle.

Ashina Castle, inside the Lord's Castle.

It was time for breakfast.

Breakfast was very lavish, with a whole table full of food.

To prepare such a breakfast, the castle's chefs and maids, numbering thirty or forty, have to get up at midnight and work until dawn.

At this moment, Renyu is having breakfast with her eldest son at the dining table.

"Father, you've been too frugal lately. You only eat forty dishes for breakfast, while other lords eat sixty dishes in one morning."

The eldest son took a bite of the breakfast placed in front of him, looked at the food, and casually remarked.

There were so many dishes that the two of them couldn't possibly finish them all. They only ate a bite of each dish, and if they found something they liked, they would eat a couple of bites.

"The daimyo of the Land of Lightning eats only one royal meal a day to expand his military. This sets a good example for his country, greatly improving its military strength and allowing him to keep pace with the military strength of our Land of Fire. As the lord of a city in the Land of Fire, I naturally have to be frugal and use the money I save for the country."

"But we can't be too frugal and lose face, and these vegetables taste terrible, they all taste like they were picked yesterday."

As the two were talking, a servant announced from outside that the Konoha ninja had arrived.

…………

"Riding in a sedan chair is really tiring."

Renyu's son sat on a rock, drinking tea and complaining.

Behind him was a luxurious palanquin, waiting for his return. Surrounding him were one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, about ten servants, and Aokiji and his four-person team.

The group was on their way to their destination. After passing through a canyon, the two people in the sedan chair complained that they were not comfortable and decided to stop for a rest.

The middle-aged Jonin of Konoha looked around, and decided to be especially wary of places like this that were perfect for a sneak attack.

Rather than dealing with it after the fact, prevention is more effective. He found one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, expressed his intentions, and his attitude was humble to the point of being obsequious.

"I see……"

One of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas went to call the two back.

He was originally a ninja serving the daimyo, and was sent by the daimyo to accompany the Konoha ninja on missions.

If these were Konoha ninjas, they probably wouldn't have paid them any attention, but since they are guards of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, that's a different story. You have to consider the owner before you beat a dog.

Seeing the fawning expression on the Jonin's face, Aokiji shook his head. Just as he was thinking this, something suddenly changed in the air, and Aokiji's relaxed expression immediately turned serious.

At the same time, those around him realized what was happening: "Protect the two lords!"

"Hurry in, sirs." One of the Twelve Guardian Ninja urged the two to enter the palace, while he himself stood in front of it, leaving Aokiji and the other three to fight the enemy.

Four people stood in front of the lord's party, with the middle-aged ninja leading the way, spreading out in a diamond formation.

Aokiji and the others stayed behind, providing some cover.

The four of them stared ahead as a masked man with green irises and unusually red whites of his eyes walked toward them.

Aokiji looked the other person up and down. He couldn't see the face clearly, but he could make a preliminary judgment that the other person was a master. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come alone.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly, assessing the strength of these people. Two were adults and three were minors. It was obvious who was stronger and who was weaker.

Kill the two adults first, then you can easily deal with the kids.

P.S.: So sleepy, can't stay awake any longer.

(End of this chapter)