Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi once again parted on bitter terms.

Before Danzō could return to Root’s headquarters, one of his operatives suddenly appeared before him.

“Lord Danzō, the jinchūriki left the village earlier today.”

“What? Why was I not informed sooner?”

Danzō glared coldly at the masked shinobi.

In truth, he knew it was not because the operative had delayed reporting the matter. There simply had not been enough time to reach him before now.

Without another word, Danzō turned around and headed back to the Hokage Building.

He kicked open the door to the Hokage’s office once again.

“Hiruzen, why has the jinchūriki left the village? Did she defect, or did you give her permission?”

Under ordinary circumstances, Hiruzen would have explained the situation.

Today, however, the anger from their earlier argument had yet to subside. Danzō had once again forced his way into the office without showing the slightest respect for the Hokage’s authority.

Even someone as patient as Hiruzen finally reached his limit.

“Danzō Shimura, mind your attitude. This is the Hokage’s office, not Root.”

It was as though Hiruzen intended to release all the resentment he had accumulated over the years.

Once he began, he showed no intention of stopping.

One by one, he listed the actions Danzō had taken over the years that had repeatedly undermined the Hokage’s authority.

“From this day forward, your position as an advisor to the Hokage is suspended. Return to Root and think carefully about how you intend to appease the nobles of the various nations.”

Hiruzen’s voice grew harsher.

“If you had not created this disaster and nearly caused our forces on the front lines to collapse, would Kushina have needed to place herself in danger? And you still have the nerve to question me?”

His gaze hardened.

“If anything happens on the battlefield, you had better be prepared to take responsibility with your life!”

Being reprimanded so openly left Danzō both shocked and furious.

The hand hidden beneath his robes almost tore open the scroll he carried and released the weapons sealed within it to silence the old man in front of him once and for all.

In the end, however, he suppressed the impulse and turned away from the Hokage Building.

Danzō understood the situation clearly.

A surprise attack would not be difficult. With the puppets Orochimaru had created and sealed inside the scroll, there was a high chance he could kill Hiruzen.

But if he did so, he would be branded a missing-nin and permanently lose any claim to the position of Hokage.

Even if he intended to seize power through a coup, now was not the right time.

He would endure a little longer.

Once Orochimaru completed the preparations on his end, Danzō would have a far greater chance of silencing every voice that opposed him.

On the road to the front lines, Kushina Uzumaki sat cross-legged within her inner world, resting against Roy’s chest.

“Roy-kun, do you think Naruto is crying at home?”

Before Roy could answer, she continued speaking to herself.

“Probably not. He’s such a well-behaved child. Besides, Kaorui and Nonō are looking after him.”

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

“That little boy probably hasn’t even realised his mother is gone. He must be holding Karin’s hand and babbling away to her.”

Kushina had been away from Konoha for less than half a day.

It had not even been as long as the time Nonō usually spent carrying Naruto around the village.

Even so, this was the first time mother and son had ever been separated by such a great distance.

“Do you want to go back?” Roy asked softly, resting his chin on top of her head.

“No.”

Kushina shook her head.

“Now that I’ve come this far, I can’t return without accomplishing anything.”

The ten-minute break passed in what felt like an instant.

When Kushina opened her eyes and resumed the journey, she unconsciously increased her pace.

At the same time, although many bounty hunters had lost their lives on the battlefield, several had successfully returned to the black-market bounty stations with proof of their kills.

Their success immediately stirred the greed of countless others.

Another large group of bounty hunters set out toward the front lines between Konoha and Kumogakure.

Most travelled in groups of three to five.

There were also a few who worked alone, but even they remained relatively close to the others for safety.

There was only one exception.

No one dared to approach within several dozen metres of him.

Many of the bounty hunters watched him with unease, wondering why he had accepted this particular assignment.

Ordinarily, he avoided missions involving the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

This time, however, he had acted completely against his usual habits.

The man they feared was Kakuzu.

Once a jōnin of Takigakure, he had made his living as a bounty hunter after becoming a missing-nin.

In the past, many bounty hunters had admired his overwhelming strength and attempted to form teams with him.

Every hunter who accompanied him, however, was eventually killed by Kakuzu and exchanged for whatever bounty had been placed on their head.

Over time, no one dared to approach him again.

Originally, Kakuzu had no intention of accepting this assignment.

His past encounter with Konoha had left a deep scar upon him, and he understood perfectly well what kind of retaliation could follow from provoking one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Unfortunately, the bounties offered this time were exceptionally generous.

Someone had also contacted him privately and promised an additional payment far beyond the official reward.

Completing this single assignment would earn him more money than several of his previous missions combined.

Konoha was also currently occupied with the war against Kumogakure.

For Kakuzu, it was the perfect opportunity to overcome the shadow his past encounter with the village had left behind.

And so, he came.

As he travelled, Kakuzu studied the intelligence document in his hand and committed the targets to memory.

A considerable number of Konoha shinobi had bounties on their heads.

He needed to identify the most valuable ones and eliminate them first.

Suddenly, Kakuzu stopped.

He turned his head and stared into the forest beside the road.

When the other bounty hunters saw him halt, they instinctively stopped as well.

A moment later, an orange-haired man wearing a black cloak patterned with red clouds emerged from between the trees.

He’s strong.

Kakuzu immediately became cautious.

The stranger looked directly at him.

“Takigakure missing-nin, Kakuzu.”

“Who are you?” Kakuzu asked. “Did you accept the bounty on my head?”

His fingers twitched with the urge to attack.

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to pursue his bounty.

Among bounty hunters, Kakuzu was infamous for his ruthlessness and overwhelming strength. Few were foolish enough to make an enemy of him.

The young man before him was likely an inexperienced newcomer hoping to build a reputation by defeating someone famous.

“My name is Pain.”

The orange-haired man’s expression remained completely emotionless.

“You may also call me a god.”

Kakuzu’s eye twitched as he stared at him in disbelief.

“Kakuzu, the immortal shinobi,” Pain continued. “I have come to invite you to join the Akatsuki. Together, we will create a new world.”

The moment the other bounty hunters realised Pain had come specifically for Kakuzu, they hurried away.

None of them wanted to be caught in the fighting if Kakuzu suddenly decided to slaughter everyone nearby.

Neither Kakuzu nor Pain spared them so much as a glance.

Pain’s incomprehensible declaration left Kakuzu speechless.

Ever since the leaders of Takigakure had betrayed and punished him, he had ceased believing in comrades.

Only money could be trusted.

Money would never betray him.

Kakuzu had no intention of wasting any more time on the stranger. He would eliminate Pain quickly, complete his original assignment, and collect the bounty.

The moment he reached that decision, Kakuzu attacked without warning.

A torrent of Fire Release carrying terrifying heat surged forward and swallowed Pain completely.

“Fool.”

Pain’s voice sounded from within the flames.

“Shinra Tensei.”

An invisible force erupted outward.

The flames were instantly blown apart.

Kakuzu, despite standing more than ten metres away, was struck by the same repulsive force and sent sliding dozens of metres across the ground.

For a moment, he could not determine what kind of ninjutsu Pain had used.

During his life of nearly a century, Kakuzu had witnessed more techniques than most shinobi could imagine.

Yet he had no recollection of anything resembling the power he had just experienced.

More importantly, Pain’s eyes were unlike any he had seen before.

They were clearly some form of powerful dōjutsu.

It did not matter.

Once Kakuzu used his secret technique to tear out Pain’s heart and claim it for himself, everything the man possessed would fall into his hands.

“Lightning Release: False Darkness!”

Kakuzu rapidly formed a sequence of hand seals.

A concentrated spear of lightning erupted forward, crossing the distance to Pain in an instant.

At the same time, Kakuzu thrust out his right arm.

Black threads burst from within it, extending the limb across the dozens of metres separating them.

His hand closed in on Pain’s chest.