Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"Come help, tie them all up."

"You're not going to kill them?"

Holding the hemp rope, Kakuzu asked.

Don't be fooled by the thickness of this hemp rope. No matter how tightly it's tied, it's useless against Konoha's Anbu. As long as they're still able to move, they have plenty of ways to break free.

"At least they weren't guys who wanted to kill for money. Besides, Lao Lan and I were planning to go on a trip to Konoha. I'm in a good mood, so I'll spare their lives."

Travel, tourism?

Where to?

...Konoha?

Is a major ninja village like Konoha considered a famous historical site?

Oh, I think there really is one. I remember it being called the Hokage Rock.

"Snapped."

Kakuzu suddenly slapped his forehead.

He never used to have this kind of wild imagination...

"These things won't stop them from coming after us again."

Despite saying that, Kakuzu had already started to take action, binding an immobile Anbu member tightly.

"It's alright, my immobilization spell can immobilize them for about six hours."

Why bother tying them with this rope? Why not just leave these guys behind and go?

Having secretly memorized the name of the "Immobilization Technique," Kakuzu, puzzled, was about to ask when he saw Zheng Jing binding the hands and feet of an ANBU member.

The method was less like binding an elite ninja and more like a hunter binding a wild boar he had just hunted.

Then, Zheng Jing picked up the hidden soldier, darted to the woods beside the official road, found a conspicuous tree, tore open a section of the pre-prepared hemp rope, and hung the hidden soldier on it.

Ok.

It looks more like a raccoon that the hunter just caught in a trap.

"What are you doing...?"

"Huh? Still don't understand? That's why I said, Old Deng, you're getting more and more boring!"

Zheng Jing patted the dark guard's buttocks, making him swing back and forth with the force of the movement.

"Tie them up and hang them on a conspicuous tree. Make sure anyone walking along this road can see them at a glance, understand?"

"..."

Konoha's Anbu members wear masks to conceal their identities when carrying out missions.

But at this moment, Kakuzu felt that even through the mask, he could sense the turbulent emotions surging within these immobilized Konoha ninjas.

"Then, shouldn't we take off their masks?"

Kakuzu suddenly asked.

"Hey!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing beamed with joy.

He jumped to Kakuzu's side and pointed at him with a grin.

"That's interesting, but you're still a bit green. Of course, we'll save the mask-removal for next time."

As he spoke, Zheng Jing reached out and pointed at the mask of one of the ANBU members.

"Did you hear that? If you're so ungrateful and dare to chase after me, hmph, next time I'll take off your masks!"

"Next time, hehe, I'll take nothing – masks and clothes, nothing at all!"

The secret agents naturally couldn't respond.

Zheng Jing didn't care, and just grabbed another piece of hemp rope.

The one he just killed was the only member of the Dark Guard who had spoken.

Before speaking, the member of the secret service briefly exchanged glances with another member, which of course did not escape Zheng Jing's keen eyes.

Since they're all class monitors, they should naturally receive the same treatment; their names should be displayed in the most eye-catching place!

"Oh?"

Zheng Jing suddenly paused.

—Did it work?

Seeing that Zheng Jing had stopped moving, Itachi hesitated.

Although his body became uncontrollable and his chakra was extremely difficult to mobilize after being suddenly affected by the opponent's strange technique, Itachi discovered that he could still barely use his eye technique.

To ensure a successful strike, he even resorted to using his long-hidden eye power.

Logically speaking, there should be no possibility of failure this time.

But Itachi felt something was off.

Because this time, the illusion he cast didn't give him that "sense" of success he usually did.

Of course, most importantly, he did not feel any "restraint" on his body and his body relaxed in the slightest.

Just as Itachi hesitated, Zheng Jing moved again.

He ripped the mask off Itachi's face.

"Oh!"

Squinting slightly, Zheng Jing pointed at Itachi's face.

"It really is you, kid!"

He used the immobilization technique casually, with little internal energy, so it's no wonder that Uchiha Itachi, who has already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, was able to create some room for manipulation.

Meanwhile, Itachi's first thought was one of astonishment that he had actually failed.

Then, before he could think about the reasons for his failure, and even less time to think about why Zheng Jing seemed to know him, Itachi saw Zheng Jing reach behind his ear, flick his wrist, and pull out a majestic stick.

Without saying a word, Zheng Jing raised his stick and aimed it at Uchiha Itachi's face.

Before the blow even landed, Itachi felt a gust of wind rushing towards him.

Having traversed countless hellish battlefields, he could clearly feel death approaching him.

But what can he do right now?

Unable to move his body and with difficulty mobilizing chakra, his only remaining reliance was his eyes.

More accurately, it is the Tsukuyomi technique residing in his left eye, which he has not yet mastered.

For Itachi Uchiha, at this moment, he had no choice but to fight—

"Ok?"

Zheng Jing suddenly stopped holding the stick.

The wind blowing from above suddenly hit Itachi's face, making his wide-open eyes sting.

"Wait a minute, you're still working as an ANBU member, which means..."

Zheng Jing retrieved the Ruyi Jingu Bang and slung it over his shoulder, then looked Uchiha Itachi up and down.

"You haven't done that beastly, stupid thing yet, have you?"

Chapter 179: I Have No Objection

"untie."

Zheng Jing pointed the tip of his staff at Uchiha Itachi.

Even without the immobilization spell, Itachi remained motionless.

Meeting Zheng Jing's golden eyes, with the golden cudgel pointing at his face, he tensed his features, remained silent, and just stared at Zheng Jing.

Itachi tried his best to search his mind for any information that might be related to the face in front of him.

The mission is to capture Akatsuki members who have entered the country; if necessary, targets may be killed on the spot.

The primary target is Kakuzu, a famous bounty hunter. Information about him was already in the Anbu's archives before he joined the Akatsuki organization.

Unfortunately, this person never leaves anyone alive when he takes action, so there is very little information about him. Apart from his name and appearance, there is only an assessment of his strength based on his past battle records.

Their combat style and methods are completely unknown.

The secondary targets are the two people who appeared next to Kakuzu.

The demon slayer Zheng Jing, and the bespectacled death god Aizen.

Compared to Kakuzu, there is even less information about these two. If Konoha hadn't, like other major ninja villages, planted people in the bounty hunter circle, they probably wouldn't have been able to get these two titles.

According to intelligence analysis, it is highly likely that Kakuzu's trip was to recruit these two individuals into the Akatsuki organization.

The only strange thing is that after Kakuzu successfully recruited the two, he did not disguise his whereabouts at all, nor did he rush to leave the Land of Fire.

No, to be more precise, he was completely fearless.

This is unusual.

For this reason, not only were two squads of ANBU deployed for this mission, but Itachi Uchiha was also specifically chosen to participate, in the hope that his superb genjutsu would allow him to capture the three alive if possible.

Now, Itachi has realized the problem.

All their previous analyses and assumptions...

I'm afraid that's all wrong.

Kakuzu was not the one in charge of the trio at all; in fact, he acted as if he had the least say among them.

Moreover, the sheer strength of the monster assassin Zheng Jing caught them off guard.

As for Zheng Jing's attitude towards him, and the things he said to him earlier, these were the information that Itachi cared about the least at the moment.

Itachi knew he had quite a reputation.

On the one hand, he did indeed have many achievements in foreign wars; on the other hand, it was also related to the clan's propaganda to the outside world.

He's used to this kind of thing—he's never heard of the other person, but the other person has.

And such a beastly act of stupidity...

The Anbu is a team that does the dirty work, and Itachi never considered himself to be clean.

If he had to say something, it was Zheng Jing's way of speaking that bothered him.

It was as if this man knew what he was going to do next.

Itachi Uchiha's silence made Zheng Jing frown even more.

He pressed his staff directly against Itachi Uchiha's forehead.

"I, Old Zheng, am asking you a question: Did you commit those heinous acts of patricide, matricide, extermination of your clan, and cruelty to the elderly and children?"

Itachi was dumbfounded.

Having experienced the battlefield before the age of five and served as a member of the secret service for so many years, he should have long since developed the ability to remain calm in the face of adversity.

Zheng Jing's words instantly erased all other thoughts from Itachi's mind, leaving only intense confusion.

How could this man know about this?

"It seems not."

As he said this, Zheng Jing's expression did not improve at all.

"you--"

"Keep quiet."

As soon as Itachi opened his mouth, Zheng Jing rebuked him.

After hesitating for a moment, Itachi shut his mouth.

"Old Zheng."

Arriving beside Zheng Jing, and seeing Zheng Jing's furrowed brows in deep thought, Aizen softly asked, "Shall I do it?"