Chapter 130 (Patreon)

The Konoha of today had expanded to nearly ten times its former size.

The village itself was more prosperous than ever, while the vast forests and winding paths surrounding it had also been incorporated into Konoha’s territory.

At that moment, two figures were making their way through one of those dense forests.

“Ugh... Why did the leader have to send the two of us on a reconnaissance mission?”

Hidan trudged forward with his Triple-Bladed Scythe resting across his shoulder, his voice utterly devoid of enthusiasm.

“Be quiet. You’re disturbing me.”

Kakuzu barely spared him a glance. The lower half of his face remained concealed behind his mask, while his eyes were fixed on the Bingo Book in his hands.

“Hey, Kakuzu. Every time we have a moment to spare, you pull out that little book of yours. What’s so interesting about it?”

“To you, this may be nothing more than a list of targets.” Kakuzu’s gaze remained on the pages. “To me, every name in this book represents money.”

He closed the Bingo Book and glanced coldly at Hidan.

“You’re still too young to understand. There is nothing in this world you can truly rely on. If there is one exception, it’s money.”

“Tch. Kakuzu, money is the only thing you ever think about.”

“As I said, you’re too young to understand.”

Kakuzu ignored him and abruptly changed direction.

“Hey, wait!” Hidan called after him. “Konoha isn’t that way. Where are you going?”

“We’ll make some money first,” Kakuzu replied without looking back. “We’re going to the Fire Temple. There’s a man there worth thirty million ryō.”

“The Fire Temple?”

Hidan scratched his head before following.

“If the leader blames us for failing to complete the reconnaissance mission on time, I’m putting all the blame on you.”

“Do whatever you want.”

The two continued through the forest, now heading toward the Fire Temple.

Two minutes after they disappeared, Yujiro dropped from the branches of a nearby tree.

“The Fire Temple... Chiriku, huh?”

Yujiro shook his head with an amused smile.

Kakuzu truly was obsessed with money.

“Scouting Konoha... Is Akatsuki preparing an attack?”

Yujiro was not particularly concerned. It was only Akatsuki, and he already knew every member of the organization along with their abilities.

His current goal was to discover a source of power that surpassed chakra.

If he wanted to become even stronger, that was the only path left to him.

With that thought, Yujiro followed them.

Half a day later, Kakuzu and Hidan finally arrived outside the Fire Temple.

Two enormous guardian statues stood on either side of its entrance, while a powerful barrier enveloped the entire temple.

Only those inside could open the sealed entrance. Any outsider who wished to force their way through would first have to destroy the two guardian statues.

Yujiro watched with interest from a distance.

“Earth Style: Earth Spear!”

Kakuzu stepped forward and hardened his right arm with Earth Style. His skin instantly turned pitch-black.

He threw a punch.

Boom!

The two massive guardian statues shattered beneath the force of the blow.

Kakuzu did not stop there. He struck the gate next, smashing through the sealed entrance and opening a path into the temple.

He and Hidan walked straight inside.

Yujiro leaped onto the outer wall of the Fire Temple and quietly observed everything below.

“Who destroyed the seal protecting the Fire Temple?!”

“Someone has broken through the main gate!”

“Everyone, grab your weapons!”

A commotion immediately erupted within the temple.

Moments later, a large group of monks rushed into the square carrying staffs.

“All right, you bunch of bald monks!” Hidan stepped forward and shouted. “Bring out whoever’s in charge! We don’t have all day!”

“Watch your tongue! We are revered monks of the Fire Temple!”

The monks immediately erupted in anger.

They were normally treated with great respect wherever they went. None of them had ever been insulted so openly before.

“Revered? Hahahaha!”

Hidan burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

“Did you hear that, Kakuzu? These bald fools actually called themselves revered monks! Hahahaha!”

“How dare you mock us!” one of the monks roared. “The Fire Temple was personally recognized by the Daimyō of the Land of Fire!”

“Die.”

Hidan’s laughter abruptly stopped.

With a cruel smile, he swung his Triple-Bladed Scythe.

The blade tore through the air and struck the monk who had spoken, cutting him down before anyone could react.

Blood splattered across the ground.

The monk was dead.

The sight left the other monks frozen in terror.

“Quickly! Bring Master Chiriku!”

“Hurry!”

“Tell Master Chiriku that enemies have entered the temple!”

Watching from atop the wall, Yujiro shook his head.

These monks were no different from the arrogant nobles of the Land of Fire. They placed far too much faith in their connection to the Daimyō.

“Hidan, killing worthless men like these earns us nothing,” Kakuzu said coldly.

“Heh... I simply can’t stand people like them.”

Hidan dragged his tongue across the bloodstained edge of his scythe.

“They’re always preaching about the Buddha’s compassion, but in my eyes, they’re nothing but garbage!”

He glanced at the blood on the blade before sighing in disappointment.

“Even their blood is worthless. I should hurry up and send every last one of them to Lord Jashin! Hahahaha!”

Hidan’s crazed laughter made the surrounding monks pale.

“Once Master Chiriku arrives, he’ll kill both of you!” one of them shouted.

“Hahaha! Aren’t monks supposed to value all living things?”

Hidan grinned and raised his scythe.

“Don’t worry. I’ll line you all up and send you to Lord Jashin one by one!”

“You two, that is enough.”

A calm voice suddenly came from behind the gathered monks.

“Withdraw your insults and leave the Fire Temple at once. If you do, I will spare your lives.”

The monks immediately separated into two rows, their expressions becoming respectful.

“Master Chiriku is here!”

“Master Chiriku, please kill these two intruders!”

“That’s right! They threatened to slaughter all of us!”

“You must punish them, Master Chiriku!”

Chiriku slowly walked through the crowd and stopped before Kakuzu and Hidan.

“You two should leave while you still can,” Chiriku declared with an imposing expression. “Retract everything you said, and I will allow you to live.”

From the confidence in his voice, even Yujiro almost believed that victory had already been decided.

Yujiro watched the situation unfold with great interest. He had no intention of intervening yet. There was still plenty of entertainment to be had before he made his move.

“Kakuzu, did you hear that?” Hidan laughed. “He said he’s going to spare our lives!”

“Hmph.”

Kakuzu responded with a contemptuous laugh.

He took out his Bingo Book, flipped through several pages, and carefully compared the portrait inside with the monk standing before him.

Kakuzu looked down at the portrait, then back at Chiriku.

After checking several times, he finally nodded.

“There’s no mistake. That’s Chiriku.”

“Tch. Why did you need to check so many times?” Hidan asked with a grin, resting the Triple-Bladed Scythe across his shoulder. “Why don’t we just kill him?”

Kakuzu put away the Bingo Book.

“Now that his identity has been confirmed, we will.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Kakuzu and Hidan shot forward, charging directly at Chiriku and the monks surrounding him.

Hidan sought only slaughter.

Kakuzu sought only money.

Their motives could not have been more different, but each of them was completely devoted to his own goal.