Kakuzu of the Akatsuki!!!

"Who's there? Come out!" Issui called to the bushes behind him.

"Tch, you spotted me. Impressive, kid, actually managing to find me. Huh, are you a Konoha ninja? Not bad. Mind if I have something to eat?" Kakuzu walked out of the bushes. This is great, free food without spending any money. But this kid's impressive, seeing through my concealment. Konoha really has a lot of geniuses. Uchiha Itachi is one, and this kid's pretty good too. It makes me so jealous. Why does Konoha have so many geniuses?

"You... you're... Kaku... a missing-nin from Takigakure!!!" Once Issui got a clear look at the newcomer, panic surged through him. He had never expected it to be Kakuzu, the Akatsuki's Hokuto. What was this powerful Kage Level ninja doing here? His luck really was... how should he put it...

"Mm, not bad. Tastes decent. Kid, how old are you?" Kakuzu sat down across from Issui without hesitation, took a roasted rabbit, and began eating.

"Issui Kanna." Issui could only go along with it. He couldn't beat the man, but Kakuzu didn't seem inclined to attack. After all, Kakuzu only liked people whose heads were worth money.

"That's a fine name. How old are you?" Kakuzu asked Issui again. This kid's name is strange. Kanna, Kanna... where have I heard it? Right, it's the surname of those legendary descendants of a god. Honestly, weren't they wiped out ages ago? How did one end up here, and as a Konoha ninja at that? Right, didn't Pain say he wanted to recruit subordinates? Why not bring him back? One genius can make up for a lot of fools. Then I can focus on making money. Great, it's settled. That's what I'll do.

"I'll be nine after the new year," Issui replied calmly. What's he doing, asking such detailed questions?

"Oh, kid, interested in joining our organization, the Akatsuki? I'm telling you, you can't learn anything at all in your village. And our organization is made up entirely of Kage Level ninja. We can teach you lots of advanced Ninjutsu and forbidden techniques. Konoha's genius Uchiha Itachi is in our organization too, and our leader possesses the legendary Rinnegan," Kakuzu said. That should tempt the kid, right? Come on, accept, kid.

"Tch, not interested. Rinnegan? I've got the Eye of Heaven," Issui said disdainfully. Me, join the Akatsuki? No way. Not one member of the Akatsuki comes to a good end. Evil has never triumphed over good. Besides, I don't care about your Ninjutsu or forbidden techniques. As for Kage Level ninja, tch, I'll be one someday too. Besides, if I leave Konoha, my little Hinata will be away from me, and if I'm not careful, she'll be drawn in by that guy Naruto's protagonist halo.

"What? Kid, you're refusing!" Kakuzu was furious. Damn it, after all my persuasion, you still won't do it? Do you want to die?

"You're here to pick a fight, aren't you, mister? Then we'll have to fight. You may be strong, but I'm no pushover either." Issui thought, You may be a Kage Level powerhouse, but I know all about you. Even if I can't handle you, I can still run away. In a few years, you'll be easy pickings for me.

"Kid, I don't know where you got the courage to fight, but you have to die here today. I like fighting people who are worth money, but I'll have to teach someone who disrespects his elders like you a lesson." Kakuzu straightened up, ready to fight, his red eyes with green pupils gleaming with cruelty.

"Then I can't hold back. Eye of Heaven — White — Sealing Domain!!! Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave, Lightning Release: False Darkness, Lightning Release: Earth Flow!!!" Since killing the bandits last time, Issui's strength had improved again. His Chakra reserves now exceeded those of an ordinary Chunin, enough to unleash many powerful Ninjutsu. His physical condition had also improved considerably, and the second stage of the Eye of Heaven was about to awaken. He would use Kakuzu as his whetstone and see if he could awaken the second stage of the Eye of Heaven. He had been looking forward to it for a long time.

"What is this!!! I can't use Ninjutsu. Damn it, ah!!!" Kakuzu was furious. How does this kid have a third eye? A Kekkei Genkai? Damn it, this is all because I was too careless. Konoha's ninja are all damn monsters. Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Uchiha Itachi, and this kid too—not one of them is easy to deal with. I need to figure out the characteristics of his Kekkei Genkai quickly. If I can't use Ninjutsu, my hearts are as good as useless. Damn it, it specifically counters my abilities.

"Lightning Release: Four-Pillar Binding Technique!!!" Issui gave the dangerous Kakuzu no time to catch his breath. The two Lightning Release attacks just now had damaged at most one of his Ninjutsu hearts. His Sealing Domain currently extended only fifteen meters from him. It would be fine if Kakuzu didn't separate his elemental hearts, but once he did, Issui would be hard-pressed to deal with them. A Kage Level ninja as experienced as Kakuzu would surely discover the technique's weakness immediately and then leave the domain, putting Issui at a disadvantage. Kakuzu's Ninjutsu ability rating in the original work was 10!!!

Bang...

Kakuzu threw away one of his hearts, which had already been destroyed, but his mind was perfectly calm. Why did the kid put me in a ninja art barrier? Is he afraid I'll run? No, that's not right. He isn't capable of killing me, so once he had the upper hand, he should have run. No, he should know it would be hard for him to escape. So why? The range of his Kekkei Genkai's restriction can't expand indefinitely. Right, that's it. Is he worried I'll escape his domain? Hehe, I get it now, kid. You've been too clever for your own good.

"Kid, your domain's range shouldn't be very large, should it? You placed this restriction on me because you were afraid I'd leave the area you control, didn't you? Kid, you're too clever, but sometimes clever people end up hurting themselves. If you hadn't bound me, I'd still be in the dark. But now... Secret technique: Earth Grudge Fear!!!" Kakuzu released the three hearts he had collected. One had been damaged in the attack just now, so with his own heart, he now had four in total!!!

"Is that so? But how are you going to escape my bindings? And right now, you can't use Ninjutsu inside the domain. In a little while, you might lose your life to my Lightning Release Ninjutsu," Issui said calmly, though inwardly he was astonished. He really is worthy of being a Kage Level ninja, an old monster who survived fighting Hashirama Senju.

"Haha, do you know what these things around me are? They're hearts I took from other ninja. Thanks to my secret technique, they've fully retained the Chakra attributes of their original bodies. And although I can't use Ninjutsu, I can sacrifice a heart to survive, giving up a pawn to save the rook. Wind Release: Pressure Damage!!!" Kakuzu said arrogantly.

A tornado compressed to high density struck the pillars binding Kakuzu with Lightning Release. The wind's nature transformation reached its extreme, and the swirling storm burst over a wide area, destroying all the earth and trees around it. In that instant, Kakuzu and two of his hearts left the domain. The wind-attribute heart turned to ash in an instant from the massive eruption of Chakra.

Issui had no choice but to dart out of the Wind Release's range. Damn it, I'm at a disadvantage. I didn't expect Kakuzu to have such formidable combat experience, destroying one of his own hearts to turn the situation around. Sure enough, no Kage Level powerhouse is easy to deal with. Now I can only run, but I can't accept it. Am I going to run when the fight's only just begun?

"Kid, spacing out in a fight isn't a good idea. Fire Style: Searing Migraine!!!" Kakuzu's voice rang out, accompanied by a tsunami of flames. A small fireball landed on the ground in front of Issui, instantly spreading its flames and swallowing everything around it. Fortunately, his wind-attribute heart had already been destroyed. Otherwise, with Wind Release supporting it, the fire-attribute Ninjutsu Searing Migraine would have been even more powerful.

Issui narrowly dodged the Fire Style attack, but he was still caught in the blast. His clothes bore several scorch marks, and a patch of his little face was red where a stone thrown up by the explosion had struck him. The same Ninjutsu was far more powerful in the hands of a Kage Level ninja than one below Kage Level.

"Ox-Monkey-Rabbit-Rat-Boar-Rooster-Ox-Horse-Rooster-Rat-Tiger-Dog-Tiger-Snake-Ox-Ram-Snake-Boar-Ram-Rat-Ren-Monkey-Rooster-Dragon-Rooster-Ox-Horse-Ram-Tiger-Snake-Rat-Monkey-Rabbit-Boar-Dragon-Ram-Rat-Ox-Monkey-Rooster-Ren-Rat-Boar-Rooster, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!!" Issui rapidly completed all the hand signs for the B-rank Water Release technique within ten seconds. After advancing to Chunin, his Eye of Heaven restored Chakra much faster, which was also what gave him the confidence to keep fighting.

All the water on the ground (the water was actually a small lake formed by Issui's initial Ninjutsu, Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave, but much of it had been evaporated by Kakuzu's Fire Style) was gathered by Issui's Ninjutsu, forming a giant water dragon that spiraled toward the area where Kakuzu stood.

"Tiger-Snake-Tiger-Snake-Tiger-Snake, Water Release: Water Formation Wall, Earth Release: Earth Shore Return." Having multiple hearts really was useful. Two of Kakuzu's hearts worked with him simultaneously to release two defensive Ninjutsu.

It could be said that Issui's attack had failed.

But the real attack was hidden beneath that Ninjutsu. Issui quickly darted behind Kakuzu, opened his mouth, and shouted, "Lightning Release: False Darkness!!!"

"Kid, you're too slow. Did you think I didn't know about your little trick? I don't know why you have so much Chakra, far more than a Genin or Chunin, but you're too slow. And Lightning Release: False Darkness is a Ninjutsu with tremendous piercing power; it doesn't need to be used from behind. It could have broken through my Earth Release and Water Release and then attacked me, though its power wouldn't have been very great by then. Kid, you possess many powerful Ninjutsu, but you don't know how to use them. Don't you have anyone guiding your training? Ninjutsu exists to attack the enemy, but you use yours in a complete mess. Die, fool!!!" Kakuzu kicked Issui flying, his words full of scorn.

Kakuzu pressed his advantage, kicking and punching Issui until he felt as if he were about to fall apart.

"Cough, cough, you... I..." Issui felt like a clown. He had thought he could kill the powerful Kakuzu, but instead he was about to die. Was this his fate? He couldn't accept it. He had thought that knowing the entire course of the Naruto world meant everything would go smoothly, that he would get whatever he wanted and beautiful women would throw themselves into his arms. But which of the powerful people in Naruto didn't have a trump card? He had thought that after watching a few episodes of the Naruto anime, he could understand every character, then use his wits to defeat stronger opponents, kill them, become a hero, and become a genius. So he was still living in the anime!!!

P.S.: In the next chapter, the protagonist will erupt in power, his transmigration halo will activate, the second stage of his Kekkei Genkai, the Eye of Heaven, will awaken, and the Flame Demon will descend!!!