Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 270 Kakuzu plans to become a Jinchūriki

The country of Taki.

Located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, surrounded by four countries, it consists of many waterfalls, the huge waterfalls preventing large-scale invasions by other countries.

One of the large waterfalls hides the Hidden Waterfall Village, making it extremely difficult for ordinary people to find.

However, this wouldn't be too difficult for a man who grew up here.

That night, the crescent moon was in full bloom.

Bathed in the cold moonlight, Kakuzu stood before the enormous waterfall, gazing intently at it.

"This is it..."

A deep voice emanated from his face mask.

As an elite rogue ninja from Takigakure, Kakuzu's return to the village was not for any trivial matter like homesickness.

He returned here with a specific purpose.

He came to take something, something that rightfully belonged to him.

The cold moonlight shone on Kakuzu's face, and a faint murderous intent emanated from his eyes.

After witnessing Madara Uchiha's unparalleled power, Kakuzu finally realized just how ridiculous his pride in his own strength truly was.

Provoked by what Aokiji had casually mentioned, he developed a desire to become a Jinchūriki.

Having cultivated the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear, his body was already beyond human capabilities. So what difference would it make if a tailed beast were implanted into his body?

A powerful Jinchūriki can control the power of the Tailed Beast within him, and Kakuzu felt that with his own strength, controlling the Tailed Beast within him shouldn't be a problem.

In a sense, the village was able to obtain the tailed beast thanks to him, so the Seven-Tails naturally belonged to Kakuzu.

Damn it, Madara Uchiha.

Admittedly, he was completely defeated by him, but that doesn't mean he will always be subservient to others.

Becoming the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was one of his trump cards in getting rid of Madara Uchiha.

Why is it one of them? Because in order to get rid of this jinx, Kakuzu not only set his sights on the Seven-Tails in the village, but also on other things.

There are three treasures in Takigakure Village.

Firstly, there is resentment and fear regarding the land.

Second, the Tailed Beast, Seven-Tails.

Third, the water of heroes.

Hero's Water was a treasure known to few even within the village; he himself only learned of it by chance during a mission.

Legend has it that this is an extremely rare water resource that flows out once every hundred years from a mysterious tree in the village. After drinking it, the chakra in the body will increase dramatically by dozens of times. Even an ordinary genin who drinks it can gain the power of a jonin, making it exceptionally powerful.

However, the more powerful something is, the greater the risks it carries.

Drinking Hero's Water will greatly shorten the user's lifespan. Many ninjas from Takigakure Village have lost their lives at a young age after drinking Hero's Water.

However, this side effect has nothing to do with Kakuzu.

Ultimately, the Earth Grudge Fear ninjutsu was a secret technique developed to counteract the side effects of Hero's Water.

If there's no lifespan left, a heart transplant would be the simplest solution for Kakuzu.

With that in mind, Kakuzu decided to take action that very night.

The exact location of the Jinchuriki and the Hero's Water is still unknown. Kakuzu plans to sneak in under the cover of night, kill an unlucky guy, disguise himself, and slowly deduce the approximate location over several days of observation before taking action.

Takigakure's strength is no longer what it once was, but it's still a first-rate ninja village, second only to the Five Great Nations. Even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. Kakuzu still doesn't have the confidence to take on the entire village by himself.

Just as Kakuzu was about to take action, he suddenly noticed something unusual behind him; it seemed that someone was gradually approaching.

Kakuzu's eyes widened as he realized the figure was already standing behind him.

What an amazing concealment technique! Even he only just realized it now.

No, that's not right.

It's likely that he discovered this now because it was all done on purpose.

Kakuzu could only think of one person who possessed such power and was still alive; only that person could have such power.

"Uchiha Madara..."

Without turning around, Jiao spoke in a low voice to the shadow behind him.

"Hmph..."

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu turned around and stared intently at Madara Uchiha.

Before Kakuzu could speak, Madara Uchiha spoke first: "I remember you were a rogue ninja from Ryugakure, right? What are you trying to do by returning to the village at this time? It can't be for such a boring reason as homesickness."

Kakuzu remained silent.

"In Takigakure, there are only two things that are truly valuable: the Tailed Beasts and the Hero's Water. I wonder if you specifically returned to the village because you were after those things, or perhaps you..."

Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "You have your thoughts on both things?"

With his secret exposed, Kakuzu could no longer remain silent and muttered under his breath, "Bastard..."

Madara Uchiha laughed: "Just as I thought..."

"You bastard..." Kakuzu looked warily at Uchiha Madara in front of him.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to stop you."

This answer was unexpected, and Kakuzu was taken aback.

"That's quite rare, actually planning to become a Jinchūriki on his own initiative." Madara Uchiha's words carried a hint of mockery.

Kakuzu demanded, "What exactly do you want?"

"Do you need me to help you become a Jinchūriki?"

Madara Uchiha's answer surprised Kakuzu, who exclaimed in astonishment, "What...?"

"A Jinchūriki is, after all, the most important thing in the village. He is definitely heavily guarded. Even if you want to do it without alerting the guards, it is by no means easy."

Madara Uchiha then said arrogantly, "But if I help you, everything will be a piece of cake."

Kakuzu looked at Uchiha Madara with an expression that seemed to ask why he was helping him and whether he was afraid Madara would betray him.

Uchiha saw through his thoughts but didn't give a direct answer, only saying, "Just consider it an advance payment for this deal."

Kakuzu is quite strong, but not strong enough.

Given Aokiji's current strength, Kakuzu's chances of defeating him head-on are honestly not very high.

However, if Kakuzu also possessed the power of a tailed beast and the aid of the Hero's Water, his chances of winning would greatly increase, making it a sure thing.

Kakuzu pondered seriously for a moment in silence.

Madara Uchiha was able to ignore the backlash brought about by his increased strength, which clearly showed that he was extremely confident in his own strength and was not afraid of him doing anything outrageous.

This unfathomable strength added even more pressure to Kakuzu when facing Madara Uchiha.

He took a deep look at the other man, trying to gauge just how strong he truly was.

"Hmph, with a tailed beast, I should be able to capture bounty targets much more easily."

This statement can be seen as a tacit endorsement of Madara Uchiha's words.

Madara Uchiha understood: "Then you can lead the way from now on."

Kakuzu turned around, leaped into the waterfall, and found himself in a hidden paradise.

Madara Uchiha followed closely behind.

The two soon officially entered Takigakure Village.

With Madara Uchiha's assistance, the search for the Seven-Tails and the Hero's Water became exceptionally smooth.

First, he used his Sharingan to control the village chief and force him to reveal the exact whereabouts of the Seven-Tails. Then, he made him produce the Hero's Water, a treasured possession of the village.

Kakuzu picked up the transparent, gourd-shaped bottle containing the Hero's Elixir, stared at it for a moment, and as he put it into the package, he looked at the crimson eye that flickered in the darkness, feeling quite emotional.

The last time I collaborated with someone who has Sharingan was three years ago. I never imagined that I would be collaborating with someone who has Sharingan so soon.

This time, however, he went from being the master to the subordinate; it has to be said, fate really loves to play tricks on him.

Having obtained the Hero's Water, Madara Uchiha planned his next move: "Next, let's go find the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki."

(End of this chapter)