章節 21: Chapter:21
A tall man stepped into the underground black market.
The man wore a black robe with red clouds, and a Takigakure headband with a slash through it rested on his forehead. His face was obscured by a black cloth, but his eyes were a strange, ghostly green—two eerie lights that sent chills down the spine.
"It's the S-rank rogue ninja, Kakuzu!"
Inside the black market, more than a dozen people were gathered, looking for bounty missions. Some were wandering ninjas, others were rogue shinobi, all exuding a wild, dangerous aura.
As wanderers without allegiance, these ninjas lived on the edge, constantly ready to draw their weapons at the slightest provocation. Normally, they were feared. However, when they saw the tall man walk in, they backed away as if they had encountered something far more dangerous, giving him a wide berth.
Kakuzu, the S-rank rogue ninja from Takigakure, was renowned for his immense power—perhaps even on the level of a Kage. He frequently accepted high-paying bounties in the black market and had a 90% success rate in his missions.
The 10% failure rate wasn't due to him failing to kill his targets, but rather because he simply hadn't encountered them.
"Lord Kakuzu, welcome!"
In this underground market, only one man dared to greet Kakuzu enthusiastically—a man with a mustache and narrow eyes named Mishima Yoshi. He was the manager of this particular black market.
While others viewed Kakuzu as a terrifying "monster," to Mishima, he was simply walking money. With Kakuzu's extremely high success rate, every mission he accepted promised a significant profit for the black market. Naturally, Mishima was always pleased to see him.
"Any high-paying bounties lately?" Kakuzu asked, his tone indifferent.
Not long ago, he had killed his teammates because they had been too noisy. Now, with peace and quiet, he felt better and decided to check the black market for new bounties.
"Yes, indeed. There's a bounty of 30 million ryo that just came in," Mishima Yoshi replied with a smile.
"30 million, huh?"
Kakuzu's eyes flashed with interest at the mention of such a high bounty.
"What's the target?" he asked.
"It's Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the Uchiha clan from Konohagakure," Mishima Yoshi said, handing over the bounty notice with reverence.
Kakuzu took the notice, glancing briefly at the picture of the target before his eyes focused on the reward: 30 million ryo.
A bounty this high was rare, and Kakuzu couldn't help but feel tempted.
"Any recent sightings of him?" Kakuzu asked.
"He left Konohagakure recently. The last report placed him near Fanye Town, on the outskirts of the Land of Fire, just yesterday," Mishima answered.
"Fanye Town, huh?"
After slipping the bounty notice into his robe, Kakuzu turned and walked out of the black market.
As Kakuzu's imposing figure disappeared into the distance, Mishima Yoshi's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He hoped Kakuzu would kill Uchiha Fugaku and claim the bounty.
...
One day later, Uchiha Fugaku arrived at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.
Dark clouds loomed ahead.
The sky was like a black curtain, blocking out all sunlight, leaving the land under a constant, oppressive gloom.
The Land of Rain was known for its perpetually stormy weather, positioned between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. Its unfortunate location meant it had been a frequent battleground during the various Ninja Wars, often caught between Iwagakure and Konohagakure.
Fugaku continued his journey, preparing to enter the Land of Rain when he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
In front of him stood a man.
The man wore a black mask and had an unsettling pair of green eyes. He was tall, muscular, and donned a black robe with red clouds—the unmistakable uniform of the Akatsuki.
"S-rank rogue ninja, Kakuzu."
Thanks to the memories of his previous life, Fugaku recognized Kakuzu instantly. It was also clear from the Akatsuki cloak that Kakuzu had already joined the infamous organization.
What Fugaku hadn't expected was to encounter Kakuzu so soon. He had thought their paths would cross years later, when the Akatsuki began their hunt for the Tailed Beasts.
"You recognize me?" Kakuzu asked with mild interest.
"How could I not recognize a notorious S-rank rogue ninja?" Fugaku replied calmly.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Kakuzu inquired, genuinely surprised.
As one of the most feared rogue shinobi, Kakuzu was accustomed to seeing others flee or tremble upon hearing his name. Even elite jonin typically ran without a second thought when they encountered him.
But Fugaku remained calm.
"Why should I be afraid?" Fugaku responded, his voice composed.
"Interesting," Kakuzu remarked, clearly intrigued. Fugaku's confidence wasn't an act—he appeared genuinely unafraid.
In Kakuzu's experience, a handful of people had shown such confidence before. Aside from one exception, all had ended up as corpses that Kakuzu had exchanged for bounties.
Pulling out the bounty notice, Kakuzu glanced between Fugaku's face and the portrait.
"You're Uchiha Fugaku, aren't you?"
"So, you're after my bounty," Fugaku said, glancing at the notice in Kakuzu's hand. He now understood why their paths had crossed.
But how had Kakuzu known about his whereabouts?
Fugaku had been careful to conceal his movements. It shouldn't have been easy to track him.
"Does that mean you admit it?" Kakuzu's gaze sharpened as he looked at Fugaku like prey, and a menacing aura erupted from him.
On a nearby tree, several hundred meters away, a masked man with orange hair watched intently.
This man was a member of Root, codenamed "Wind." His real name was Yamanaka Fū, and he hailed from the Yamanaka clan.
Like the Aburame, the Yamanaka clan had strong ties to Danzo Shimura. It was through this connection that Yamanaka Kaze had joined Root.
"How did Uchiha Fugaku end up encountering Kakuzu, an S-rank rogue ninja?" Yamanaka Fū wondered.
As a Root member, he was familiar with Kakuzu's infamous reputation.
But what puzzled him was how Kakuzu knew Fugaku's location. Fugaku had been very discreet, so how had Kakuzu tracked him?
"Could it be…?"
A realization struck him.
He had been reporting Fugaku's location at intervals, and now it seemed likely that the Root had leaked this information to Kakuzu.
Lord Danzo must be using Kakuzu to eliminate Uchiha Fugaku.
Despite his surprise at the conclusion, Yamanaka Fū felt no guilt or remorse. Root members were trained to follow orders without question or emotion.
(End of this chapter)
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