Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 158 With so little money, why should I risk my life?

"Who are you?" the middle-aged ninja demanded sharply.

Kakuzu remained silent, guessing in his mind that the other party was probably a Jonin, and should be worth some money. Jonin from various countries all have bounty lists on the black market.

"Looks like they're not planning on having a proper conversation."

The middle-aged ninja instructed his subordinates, "You must protect those two..."

The voice still lingered in my ears when suddenly a gray shadow approached, its arm raised and fist clenched, its green eyes seeming to say: You'd better worry about yourself.

Suddenly, the middle-aged ninja pulled out his kunai from his knee and was about to slash it.

"Click."

A metallic clanging sound burst forth from the air.

The middle-aged Jonin's wide-open eyes reflected the scene of the kunai being grabbed by bare hands.

"How is this possible..."

It was this momentary lapse in concentration that gave the opponent an opportunity, resulting in a slowdown in defense.

In the blink of an eye, a white light flashed through the air with a "whoosh," a sound that seemed to sever the wind that was flowing through the air.

There was no time to harden it. Kakuzu managed to pull away in time, his eyes scanning the brat who had just unleashed the attack. His gaze held a hint of surprise; the speed of that reaction was unlike that of an ordinary brat.

Aokiji stared intently at the enemy before him and analyzed, "This guy seems to have the ability to be invulnerable to blades and spears; he might be skilled in earth-based techniques."

The five major escape techniques each have their own characteristics. Among them, Earth Escape is undoubtedly the best at defense. It can even harden the body, making it both offensive and defensive, and very troublesome.

This kid analyzes things really fast...

Kakuzu's eyelids drooped, and his dark green eyes revealed a hint of seriousness. He might be even more troublesome than that Jonin from before.

Aokiji turned to the guardian ninjas standing beside the palanquin and shouted, "Why aren't you coming over to help?"

After a brief exchange, Aokiji had a premonition that the enemy in front of him was no pushover, and that it would be safer to gather everyone's strength.

"No, if I leave, the two gentlemen inside the sedan chair will be left unprotected."

The guardian ninja had reservations and was unwilling to leave.

Aokiji clicked his tongue in displeasure.

That's the trouble with guarding missions; you also have to protect your employer.

Having encountered a god-like opponent and a pig-like teammate, well, now you have both.

If he could, Aokiji really wanted to kill those two burdens.

On one hand, Aokiji felt that the employer he was protecting was in the way, and on the other hand, he was annoyed by the two men's bossy attitude during the journey.

He's just here to work, not to sell himself.

Thinking of this, Aokiji took a deep breath and began to form hand seals. Because of the people around him, he could not activate his Sharingan, so he could only use the one he had just learned.

Seeing that the guardian ninja refused to join the battle, Kakuzu's lips curled slightly beneath his mask. He had only come to kill one target this time.

The enemy is unaware of this intelligence, which is perfect for them to exploit.

Just then, Kakuzu suddenly noticed that something was wrong with the little devil in front of him.

He had thought Aokiji was about to use some kind of ninjutsu when he saw him forming hand seals, and he had even taken countermeasures, but the result was somewhat unexpected.

All that could be seen was half of the other person's face, with strange markings appearing.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing that the opponent's chakra had become stronger.

"interesting……"

He smiled with interest, guessing it might be some kind of secret technique, but you're not the only kid who possesses secret techniques.

"Aokiji, your face..." The middle-aged Jonin noticed this and his wide-open eyes showed surprise.

"Just in case..."

Aokiji glanced at it lightly and explained calmly.

Ninjas are all fragile, and he didn't want to be killed in the middle of a battle because of a momentary lapse in reaction. Without revealing his Sharingan, all that was left was the first stage of Sage Mode.

"You two should stay to the side," Aokiji advised his two genin companions. In a battle of this level, it would be good enough if the two of them didn't get in the way.

"What! Don't look down on me."

Feeling slighted, a genin lowered his center of gravity and charged forward.

"Hey, wait a minute..." the middle-aged ninja called out, stopping the other party.

At this point, we should calmly observe the enemy's combat strength. Charging in like this would be too reckless, and it's too late to warn them.

In a moment of impulsiveness, this genin ignored everyone's advice and charged forward. Amidst Kakuzu's mocking remark about overestimating his abilities, he swung his kunai at Kakuzu's throat.

"How is that possible..."

The sharp kunai pierced the soft throat, yet left no mark. The young genin's eyes widened in terror.

Kakuzu grabbed the genin by the throat with one hand: "Learning to run before you can walk is never a problem. First, ask yourself if you're a genius. If not, you have to take it one step at a time."

With this sob, the ninja's legs lifted off the ground, as if his throat had been choked.

Aokiji shook his head speechlessly: "I already reminded them."

Every year, countless people die from the kind of person who has the disease of a protagonist but not the fate of one.

"But it seems you'll never have that chance..."

Kakuzu's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Just as he was about to crush the throat with his bare hands, a figure rushed up. It was the middle-aged Jonin. He couldn't just watch his subordinate die.

Kakuzu was waiting for this opportunity, and threw the "toy" in his hand at the Jonin.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Jonin caught his subordinate, he delivered a follow-up kick, sending both of them flying.

A flash of light appeared, and Yama attacked horizontally.

Kakuzu raised his arm to block, and with a bang, he not only felt pain in his arm, but also turned and kicked backward.

Aokiji was kicked in the stomach and lost his footing, flying backwards. He used his sword to pierce the ground to regain his balance.

Looking up at the enemy in front of him, Aokiji cursed himself for having such bad luck these past few years. He was already quite strong at his age, but the opponents he encountered were all stronger than him.

He's got a buff up right now, yet he still couldn't react in time and got kicked away. Aokiji guesses this opponent might not even be a Kage-level...

When did Kage-level strength become so common?

Kakuzu raised his arm, rolled up his sleeve, and frowned when he saw the open wound on his arm. Even though his body had hardened just now, his skin still had a crack. Kakuzu couldn't remember the last time he had suffered such an injury.

Thinking of this, Kakuzu became even more wary of Aokiji. He unusually drew his shuriken, seemingly to deal with Aokiji's Enma.

Aokiji frowned and narrowed his eyes, analyzing that his opponent's use of kunai meant he probably didn't intend to confront his Enma head-on.

A middle-aged Jonin walked up to him and suggested, "Let's attack together."

"This guy's tough." Aokiji's expression turned serious, and he considered giving up. "By the way, can I abandon the mission now?"

The middle-aged ninja's eyes widened in surprise, his gaze seemingly saying: Are you kidding me?

Actually, I wasn't joking... Aokiji's face showed a very reluctant expression: "Okay, okay..."

He'd give it a try, and if he really couldn't win, Aokiji would prepare to run away. Others might value the mission more than their own lives, but in Aokiji's eyes, what mission was more important than his own life?

The money he gets from a single mission isn't even as much as he earns from robbing the rich to help the poor. Why would he risk his life for that?

"You cover me..." After saying this, the middle-aged Jonin lowered his center of gravity and rushed out.

The weapons clashed, making a series of loud noises. The two men, wielding their swords, slashed at each other, and for a time, it seemed that they were evenly matched.

Aokiji used this as cover, spitting out a water ball that hurtled towards his opponent.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

With a deafening roar, the fireball exploded as it hit its target, sending plumes of white smoke billowing into the air.

"Did you get it?"

The middle-aged ninja clung to a sliver of hope.

"Don't be careless."

Aokiji reminded them that the opponent possessed a ninjutsu that hardened itself.

In theory, one should use Lightning Release to attack him, but unfortunately, Aokiji is not good at Lightning Release and can only use the more powerful Fire Release he knows to attack.

Just as Aokiji had thought, the "smoke does not cause harm" principle held true, and the hardened corners were not affected in the slightest.

Kakuzu channeled his energy into his right foot, pushed off forcefully, and launched himself forward like a cannonball, wielding his kunai in a thrusting motion.

The middle-aged ninja retreated, barely dodging the attack.

"snort."

Kakuzu laughed, and his severed wrist flew out, extending the attack range of his kunai.

This was something that caught everyone present, including Aokiji, completely off guard. By the time they realized what was happening, the middle-aged Jonin had already had a kunai pierce his throat and was spitting out blood.

The throat is an extremely vulnerable area. Such a severe and fatal wound would have killed even a Jonin instantly, leaving him lying on the ground, utterly dead.

Aokiji felt a chill run down his spine. What exactly happened just now?

"Then the game is over..." Kakuzu took off his clothes, revealing his bare upper body. There were obvious sewing marks on his body, which sent chills down one's spine.

He formed hand seals, and the lines on his body began to twist and contort like those of a living creature. His body swelled up and finally burst open, spewing out several pitch-black monsters that sent chills down one's spine.

Aside from some differences in size, they essentially look like the first kind of creature.

It wouldn't be surprising to call this person a Frankenstein's monster.

Aokiji's lips twitched slightly; he now realized what kind of people their group had run into.

In the future, Kakuzu, a member of the Akatsuki organization, will be obsessed with money.

Kakuzu deliberately feigned weakness at the beginning to make the opposing Jonin careless, so that he could deliver a fatal blow. Judging from the result, the effect was quite good.

Now that the opposing side has lost one of its key generals, Kakuzu naturally has no more worries. With a casual wave of his hand, several masked monsters created from Earth Grudge Fear behind him rush towards the genin, servants, and guardian ninjas.

Kakuzu himself, on the other hand, planned to have some fun with this brat, chasing after Aokiji and unleashing a barrage of attacks.

At this point, Aokiji dared not hold back any longer and activated his Sharingan directly; holding back any longer would have resulted in death.

Kakuzu, who was fighting Aokiji, was a little confused. He thought to himself that this kid seemed to be much faster than before. It wasn't until he saw Aokiji's blood-red eyes that he was slightly taken aback and realized what was going on.

"Interesting. You're from the Uchiha clan?" Kakuzu seemed completely at ease throughout the fight. "No wonder you possess such strength at such a young age. No, even within the Uchiha clan, you're quite outstanding."

Aokiji exhaled a breath of stale air, looked around, and found that his companions and guards were all dead, leaving only two trembling, useless employers.

The two embraced Aokiji, their only son, and pleaded desperately, "Please, you must save me."

Kakuzu looked at Aokiji with great interest: "So, what are you going to do next?"

Aokiji shouted, "Is that even a question?!"

"Is that so..."

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly, not too surprised by the answer, after all, Konoha ninjas were known for their stubbornness and inflexibility.

"I surrender!"

Kakuzu: ...

What can you do? If you can't beat them, you can't beat them.

In the original work, in a one-on-one fight, Kakuzu could easily beat Kakashi. Aokiji is only thirteen years old, so it's quite remarkable that he's been able to hold on until now.

It's not that Aokiji is weak, but that the opponent is just too strong.

This answer was far beyond Kakuzu's expectations, and he looked at the boy in front of him with a strange expression.

My impression is that the Uchiha clan is inherently arrogant and would rather die than submit.

Of course, they do have the right to be arrogant.

The two employers were taken aback: "Huh? What are you doing! Aren't you our hired ninja? How can you do this?!"

Aokiji had reason to shout, "Nonsense! Why would I risk my life for such a small amount of money after a mission?"

(End of this chapter)