From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

Hidan brandished his weapon and retorted loudly.

idiot!

Kakuzu snorted inwardly, remaining silent and not intending to argue with this guy.

Hidan is incredibly long-winded and extremely meticulous about his so-called sacrifice, making the ritual particularly tedious and troublesome.

If Kakuzu were to argue with him, the argument would go on and on.

Seeing that Kakuzu remained silent piqued Hidan's interest. He leaned closer, grinned, and chuckled, "Kakuzu, you rascal, did you perhaps recall some fond memories of your hometown and thus hesitate to attack this place? Hehe..."

"If that's the case, then leave it to me. Let the benevolent light of the evil god descend."

"There's nothing here worth remembering."

Kakuzu remained staring at the wanted list in his hand without even looking up. His behavior was nothing like that of a wanderer who had been away from home for decades. His homeland, so close at hand, did not stir up the slightest ripple in his heart.

Compared to his so-called hometown, it seemed that only the individual names on the list in his hand and the long numbers following them were what he cared about.

"The organization's task for us is simply to ensure that those guys successfully launch a coup against Takigakure. We don't need to show our faces until the very last moment."

Kakuzu offered a brief explanation, glancing slightly at Hidan, and continued in a completely calm tone, "Of course, if you want to do what you want, regardless of the organization leader's orders, I won't stop you. Please do as you please."

"Of course I know that."

Upon hearing this, Hidan tugged at his silver hair, utterly irritated, and said, "Disobeying the organization's orders means being expelled, being expelled means being hunted down, and if I'm hunted down, then I'll..."

Hidan counted on his fingers, muttering to himself, when suddenly his eyes widened in horror. "Then I won't have time to perform the sacred ritual for Lord Jashin!"

"It seems I can only be patient for a while, Lord Evil God. I will definitely offer you more sacrifices in the future."

At this point, Hidan suddenly knelt down and prayed loudly, making some strange yet ritualistic gestures as he spoke.

idiot!

Kakuzu cursed under his breath, then turned his head away, refusing to pay any more attention to the guy.

"By the way, Kakuzu." After a while, Hidan, who had finished praying, suddenly asked curiously, "I heard that there's something in Takigakure that can increase chakra dozens of times after drinking it, called the Hero's Water. Is that true? Have you ever drunk it?"

Hero's Water?

If you ask this, I'll become interested.

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's ears perked up slightly. He finally closed the roster in his hands, raised his head, and said in a deep voice, his expression a mixture of reminiscence, melancholy, and sigh, "Back then, Hashirama Senju, revered as the God of Shinobi, was narrowly defeated by me. Although he was powerful at the time, he still..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Kakuzu, you bastard, I'm asking about the Hero's Water, not your little business with the First Hokage."

Hidan was taken aback, and after realizing what was happening, he interrupted Kakuzu and shouted impatiently.

Just as Kakuzu was extremely annoyed by Hidan's rambling, long-winded, and tedious cult rituals, Hidan himself also hated the stories of his battle with the First Hokage that Kakuzu would bring up from time to time.

"Humph!"

Kakuzu snorted coldly. Fighting the First Hokage was something he was always proud of and would mention to everyone he met. Hidan's sudden interruption naturally displeased him.

Just as he was about to say something, Hidan suddenly seemed to remember something and asked with some doubt, "I remember last time you said that you fought the First Hokage to a draw, right? How come this time it turned out that you narrowly lost to me?"

I once fought against the First Hokage!

Later on, I was evenly matched with the First Hokage!

And now, the First Hokage was narrowly defeated by me!

How come this guy's story keeps changing?

It's getting more and more exaggerated and unreliable.

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's expression tightened, and he was speechless for a moment. After a while, he said in a low voice, "This happened decades ago. So much time has passed that it's normal for me to not remember it clearly."

"So it was an Alzheimer's attack, ugh."

Hidan muttered something, and although his voice was soft, it reached Kakuzu's ears with perfect clarity.

"idiot!"

Kakuzu cursed, and although his expression was hidden behind his mask, it must have been quite interesting. With Hidan making such a blunder, he lost all interest in talking about his past glory.

Hidan, unconcerned, came closer and said with a grin, "Hey, Kakuzu, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me about the Hero's Water."

Kakuzu pondered for a moment before speaking, "The Hero's Water does indeed have the effect of amplifying the chakra of the human body, and the multiplier of this amplification effect varies from person to person."

"The rumors were actually true."

Hidan's eyes lit up, and he muttered, "It seems to be a good thing. I can use it as a gift for Lord Jashin in the future."

Kakuzu glanced at him and continued, "There are gains and losses. Hero's Water has a dual nature. As the price for gaining chakra, it will devour the user's lifespan and corrode the user's body afterward."

"So, you might die after drinking this water, right?"

Hidan chuckled and licked his lips: "I've never died before. I really want to try what death feels like, hehe..."

"By the way, Kakuzu, have you ever tasted the Hero's Water? How did it feel?"

"You talk too much, Hidan."

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's gaze darkened considerably, and his voice became much colder than before. Clearly, Hidan's question seemed to have stirred up some unpleasant memories in his heart.

"Judging from your expression, I know without a doubt that you've drunk the Hero's Water."

Hidan remained oblivious to the chilling aura emanating from Kakuzu, maintaining his carefree demeanor.

"Humph!"

Kakuzu snorted coldly, but did not utter a rebuttal, clearly acknowledging the fact.

The reason why Hero's Water is named after heroes is because it was originally meant for heroes who were willing to give their lives for their villages.

Kakuzu, who once regarded Takigakure Village as everything, was naturally within its sphere of influence.

Back then, as a top Jonin of Takigakure, he was given the Hero's Water by the village's higher-ups when he was sent to assassinate Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi at the time.

In that battle, Kakuzu risked his life, consuming all the Hero's Water in his hand, but he was still no match for the God of Shinobi.

Moved by his spirit of sacrificing himself for the village, Hashirama Senju spared his life and spared his life.

After drinking the Hero's Water, he miraculously survived, but in his dazed state, he never expected that upon returning to the village, he would be met with the stigma of mission failure and severe punishment.

This was an extremely difficult thing for him to understand, and a cruel act, for someone who had dedicated half his life to the village.

Kakuzu didn't understand why at the time, but he does now.

At that time, his prestige was so high that it threatened the rule of the higher-ups, and after drinking the Hero's Water, he developed serious health problems, especially his heart.

After all, the Hero's Water will backfire on the user's body, and the heart is the life pump and power engine of the human body. After drinking the Hero's Water, the first place to suffer backfire is the source of life in this human body.

Although Kakuzu did not die due to his immense strength, he suffered from various physical problems such as heart failure and difficulty breathing.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are barely clinging to life.

In this state, he naturally had no value whatsoever to the higher-ups of Takigakure.

What they didn't expect was that Kakuzu survived. Not only did he not die in prison, but he also transformed into a vengeful demon, consumed by intense hatred. He robbed them of their healthy, yet corrupted hearts, and also stole the village's secret techniques—

Earthly resentment!

This is a secret technique that involves stealing another person's healthy heart to replace one's own, thereby replenishing one's vitality and prolonging life!

Before Takigage Village established itself as a ninja village like Konoha, their ancestors had studied Hero Water for hundreds of years and were well aware of its advantages and disadvantages.

The secret art of Earthly Grudges was born from the water of heroes.

(Hero's Water consumes a person's lifespan and health, and as everyone knows, the heart is the core of the human body. Whether it's lifespan or health, the heart's function is crucial. This is just my own speculation, combining the effects and drawbacks of Hero's Water with the characteristics of Earth Grudge. Take it with a grain of salt.)

After silently recalling for a moment, Kakuzu suddenly stood up abruptly. Hidan was slightly startled, but said nonchalantly, "Did I hit the nail on the head? So you want to kill me to silence me? Surely not? Besides, you also..."

However, Kakuzu merely glanced at him indifferently and then turned and left.

"Hey, Kakuzu, where are you going? That's not the direction of Takigakure Village, you're going the wrong way!"

Hidan was taken aback, then called out anxiously.

Could it be that Kakuzu's Alzheimer's symptoms have worsened?

They don't even recognize the roads anymore.

Hidan quickly caught up and stood beside Kakuzu. He was about to ask a question, but when he saw that Kakuzu was intently looking at the list of wanted bounties in his hand, he understood.

"Seriously? We're going to the bounty office at this hour? The boss specifically instructed us not to do anything else while on a mission."

The words that Kakuzu used to teach Hidan a lesson are now being said by Hidan.

Kakuzu's eyes flickered slightly, and he explained calmly, "There's no need for us to make our appearance yet. Let's take this time to check out the bounty office. Of course, you can stay here and do nothing if you wish."

That spendthrift woman would be happier than happy to know how eagerly he's going to the bounty hunters.

.............

The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

In a dense forest on the northwestern border of the Land of Fire.

My name is Sakura Haruno. I am a member of Team 7, a graduate of the 61st class of Konohagakure.

At this time, our Class 7, under the guidance of Kakashi-sensei, was carrying out a C-level mission that was held every half month.

Fourth C-level mission!

The mission is to protect Shibuki-kun, the young leader of Takigakure Village, and bring him back to his village.

I heard that his father was the previous leader, a very powerful man who was respected by everyone.

Although C-rank missions don't involve encountering hostile ninjas, I still feel a little uneasy.

Sakura walked slowly, her expression seemingly calm and casual, but her heart was full of vigilance. Her body was tense, and her eyes were observing everything around her without making a sound.

'Is this guy really the leader of Takigakure? He seems completely unreliable.'

Sakura glanced out of the corner of her eye at the black-haired boy hiding behind them, who was looking around anxiously.

'While Takigakure isn't one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it's still a village with a certain heritage and strength. Is this the leader they chose?'

'Could it be a case of the father passing away and the son succeeding him?'

Sakura thought to herself, feeling that she was already quite alert and nervous, but the young leader of Takigakure was even more nervous than her.

Although the leader of Takigakure Village is not qualified to be called "Kage", he is still the leader of a village and the military head of a country.

If we consider Sakura and her fellow villagers in Konoha, their status is equivalent to that of the Hokage.