บท 106: Chapter 105: Kakuzu's Belief
Once the figures of Uchiha, including Tetsuka, had disappeared, Byakuya turned to Shisui and said:
"Shisui Uchiha, they abandoned you. Not one of them volunteered to stay in your place. Is such a family worth your loyalty?"
Shisui looked at Byakuya, who was trying to sow discord, and replied, "I stayed of my own volition. Don't ruin the relationship I have with my clan. Once they gather the ransom, they will naturally come to redeem me."
"I think it's more likely they will bring a group of Jonin to attack me."
Byakuya shook his head and spoke of the most probable scenario.
Shisui opened his mouth but didn't know how to refute. Given the clan's temperament, the likelihood of them coming to attack was indeed high, at least to reclaim the face lost to Byakuya.
"If you know this, why did you let us go?"
Shisui couldn't understand Byakuya. To him, Byakuya was an enigma; whether it was his identity or his intentions, everything was unclear.
He even vaguely suspected that Byakuya had intentionally left him behind.
Byakuya saw through Shisui's thoughts and directly revealed them: "Don't be so formal. Just call me Lord Byakuya. I came today for Kakuzu but didn't expect to encounter you as an unexpected surprise."
"Since capturing you is the same as capturing everyone, I might as well take you all and make some money."
"Lord Byakuya, you are indeed straightforward..."
Shisui could feel Byakuya was telling the truth, but his attitude was excessively disrespectful, completely disregarding the Uchiha clan.
"Thank you for the compliment. I mostly tell the truth."
Shisui, sweating profusely, directly skipped over this topic and got straight to the point: "Lord Byakuya, I wonder what about me caught your eye that made you take action?"
"Your talent and strength..."
Byakuya paused briefly and then continued, "My organization lacks talents like you, so the moment I saw you, I wanted to recruit you."
Shisui's expression turned serious, and he shook his head, refusing, "Sorry, I am a ninja of Konoha. I have no intention of joining any other organization, now or in the future."
Byakuya countered, "You are a ninja of Konoha, but aren't you also a ninja of the Uchiha clan?"
"I am a ninja of Konoha and also a ninja of the Uchiha clan! But I will never become your ninja."
Shisui declared firmly, becoming more vigilant towards Byakuya.
How Did Byakuya Know About the Conflict Between the Uchiha Clan and the Village?
Did the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village spread outside, known even to ninjas from other villages?
Byakuya didn't trouble Shisui, instead chuckling as he said, "I was just joking. Don't be too sensitive. I merely think that instead of being ostracized in Konoha, the Uchiha clan should consider living in a new environment. If you want to enjoy the benefits of staying in Konoha and also aspire to become Hokage, it will only bring immense pain. After all, ever since Madara Uchiha's defection, your clan has completely lost any chance of becoming Hokage. That's the fate of losers, eternally unable to rise again."
Hearing these words, Shisui's face darkened.
He could sense Byakuya's malice towards the village and the Uchiha clan. Where did this malice come from, and why was he using such venomous words to curse the Uchiha?
Just as Shisui was about to retort, Hanzo arrived beside Byakuya, bringing Kakuzu along.
After a battle lasting over ten minutes, the injured Kakuzu was finally subdued by Hanzo. Now, he only had one heart left, with explosive tags plastered all over his body, preventing him from making any rash moves.
Despite Kakuzu's strength, he was still slightly inferior to Hanzo, who possessed the power of a genuine Kage.
At this moment, Kakuzu also noticed the captured Shisui and sighed inwardly. Not only was his prey snatched away, but he himself had become prey. Since when did the ninja world have ninjas who rendered him powerless, and why did two of them appear at once?
However, after seeing the salamander beside Byakuya, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed he had guessed Byakuya and Hanzo's identities.
"Hey, Uchiha kid over there, our luck is really bad. After expending most of our chakra, we were captured by a third party. But why is the renowned demigod also taking on bounty missions?"
Even though he had already guessed it, Shisui was still quite shocked to hear the exact identity of the masked ninja as Hanzo of the Salamander.
After his identity was guessed, Hanzo fell silent.
To outsiders, he was still the demigod. To Byakuya, he often mentioned the title of demigod, but in his heart, he no longer considered himself one. This title felt more like a joke.
"Being a demigod isn't easy these days since you still have to make some extra money."
Byakuya took over the conversation, walking to Kakuzu's side, and continued, "Besides, I'm here specifically to find you, Kakuzu."
"What do you want from me? I only know how to kill and complete missions!"
Kakuzu didn't recognize Byakuya, but out of respect for Byakuya's strength, he responded.
Even though he hadn't fought Byakuya, Kakuzu recognized that capturing Shisui indicated significant strength. From Kakuzu's perspective, Hanzo seemed to be training his successor by targeting a bounty hunter like him. Additionally, it was curious that a figure as prominent as the demigod left Amegakure without the Five Great Shinobi Countries noticing.
"We value your killing skills, Kakuzu. And so, we intend to hire you to work for us."
Byakuya clapped his hands, signaling the salamander to spit out the loot it had just acquired.
Taking Shisui's katana in hand, Byakuya pushed the rest of the loot and weapons toward Kakuzu.
"These items should demonstrate my sincerity. Additionally, there is the fee to buy your loyalty. Given the money involved, Kakuzu, I doubt you'll refuse this job."
Kakuzu fell into deep thought, torn about what to do. Glancing at Hanzo in the distance and then at the loot in front of him, Kakuzu eventually nodded:
"I can work for you, but let's be clear: if I don't get paid on time, I could betray you at any moment."
"Well, dah~"
Byakuya nodded, then added, "But if you break the agreement, I'll find where you stash of money and destroy it all."
Hearing this, Kakuzu's heart skipped a beat.
Money was his faith, more important than life itself. His only joy in the shinobi world was making money; everything else was meaningless.
With that, Byakuya took out a contract he carried and handed it to Kakuzu.
Kakuzu carefully perused the contract, scrutinizing every detail before cautiously signing it.
Now a member of the Akatsuki, Kakuzu looked over at Shisui and asked, "Boss, can I kill this Uchiha? His bounty in the black market is quite high."
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