A-Rank Ninja Battle Mission [Rogue Ninja Kakuzu]!

Nara Shikano raised his right hand, and the Konoha ninja team immediately halted.

"From Takigakure..."

Nara Shikano's Line of Sight focused on the other man's forehead. A simple waterfall-shaped pattern was engraved on his iron headband, with a horizontal slash running through its center and splitting the waterfall emblem apart. It looked distinctly different from a normal Ninja Headband.

"A rogue ninja?"

Seated atop the deer cart, Nara Kaikei stared at the newcomer in astonishment.

Unlike the Old Clan Head, whose intelligence-gathering abilities were lacking, Nara Kaikei recognized the man at a glance.

A future Akatsuki member, one half of the Immortals Duo—Kakuzu!

Why was this old man wandering around the official roads near the Land of Fire instead of busy making money?

Could he be planning to rob merchant caravans too?

Or had Konoha's recent crackdown on Bounty Hunters provoked retaliation from the Bounty Exchange?

Nara Kaikei furrowed his brow slightly. There was too little information for him to determine why Kakuzu had appeared here.

Even so, his mind rapidly began devising a battle plan against Kakuzu, preparing for the worst.

"A leaf-shaped emblem with a whirlpool mark in the center... Are you Konoha ninja?"

Kakuzu let his hands hang by his sides. His green eyes gazed across the distance at Nara Kaikei's group, his posture calm and composed.

"Seeing your headbands inevitably reminds me of the first Konoha ninja I ever fought...

"The First Hokage!"

"Don't make me laugh, rogue ninja with the green eyes!"

Young and hot-blooded, Asuma Sarutobi scoffed. Yesterday's brutal beating apparently hadn't taught him much of a lesson.

He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and charged toward Kakuzu with quick, choppy steps.

"You think you're worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the First Lord?

"You're all talk. You're not even as good as my old man!"

Seeing Asuma Sarutobi act so rashly, Nara Shikano's frown deepened, but he did not immediately speak to stop him.

What Kakuzu had just said was simply too shocking.

A man who had once fought the First Hokage...

Was this Takigakure rogue ninja merely bluffing, or had he truly lived for so long?

Since Asuma Sarutobi had already made his move, Nara Shikano intended to use this opportunity to test the other man's strength.

But first, he had to give Asuma Sarutobi an extra layer of insurance...

At a thought from Nara Shikano, without any hand seals, an extremely thin shadow tentacle caught up to Asuma Sarutobi and silently connected to his shadow.

"Your old man?"

Kakuzu's brow creased slightly. Looking at the charging Asuma Sarutobi, he shook his head with faint pity.

"Kids your age only know how to brag about their parents?"

No sooner had he spoken than—

Kakuzu's body suddenly dipped low. He crouched halfway to the ground and simply lashed his right leg forward in a side kick.

It was only a simple low side kick, yet the experience and speed Kakuzu displayed left Asuma Sarutobi with no time to react.

Nara Shikano's pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly pulled on his shadow.

Bang!

Kakuzu's right foot slammed heavily into Asuma Sarutobi's chest and abdomen, their collision producing a sharp, brief sound.

But before Kakuzu could fully unleash his force—

Using the effects of the Shadow Gathering Technique, Nara Shikano's solidified shadow tentacle yanked Asuma Sarutobi back from in front of Kakuzu.

"Cough, cough!"

Back among the group, Asuma Sarutobi clutched his chest, his flushed face twisting as he coughed rapidly. A line of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and trickled down.

"Hm? What was that just now? A ninjutsu? A ninja tool? Steel wire? Or something else?"

Kakuzu withdrew his right foot and slowly straightened, looking toward the Konoha ninja.

"Kid, here's a piece of advice. Don't act so recklessly in front of unfamiliar ninja again.

"Otherwise, you won't have such good teammates to save your life next time."

The strength and speed he displayed just now were no less than those of an Elite Jonin... And with the enormous Chakra amount Inoichi mentioned... Could this Takigakure rogue ninja truly be as powerful as he claims?

Thoughts flashed through Nara Shikano's mind, but not a trace of them showed on his face.

"Takigakure rogue ninja, why are you blocking our path?"

Konoha was the greatest ninja village in the world.

That was certainly true.

But Konoha was not some legendary "international police force" that had to meddle in everything.

Generally speaking—

Konoha ninja would not actively help other countries or ninja villages capture their rogue ninja.

Take Homura Oyashiro, whom they had encountered earlier.

Had they not run into each other by chance, the Konoha ninja would not have bothered with rogue ninja at all.

Of course, there was another possibility.

That was if a rogue ninja from another country had committed some crime within the Land of Fire and was wanted by either the Land of Fire authorities or Konoha.

In that case, Konoha ninja would still specifically pursue and capture the rogue ninja.

"Let me make this clear first. I'm a Bounty Hunter now. I don't have a favorable impression of Konoha, but I don't hold any hostility toward it either."

Kakuzu spread his hands and spoke frankly.

"I was originally tracking a rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water, but I hadn't gained anything substantial along the way.

"But then I happened to run into you Konoha ninja...

"I wanted to ask whether Konoha has recently captured any rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water. More specifically, a ninja from the Chinoike Clan."

A Bounty Hunter pursuing Homura Oyashiro?

Nara Shikano grasped the situation at once.

He wanted to say more, but at that moment, Inoichi Yamanaka's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

Uncle Shikano, if he truly is a Bounty Hunter, then combined with his identity as a Takigakure rogue ninja, he is most likely the infamous Kakuzu of the black market.

Even through mental communication, Inoichi Yamanaka spoke quickly and urgently.

According to the intelligence gathered by the Analysis Unit, Kakuzu is one of the strongest Bounty Hunters under the Bounty Exchange. His speed and efficiency in completing missions far surpass those of other Bounty Hunters.

After receiving Inoichi Yamanaka's information, Nara Shikano turned back to Kakuzu.

"That is classified information of Konoha. We cannot disclose it."

Kakuzu fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

"You people born in ninja villages really are stubborn..."

Unless there was a special reason, Kakuzu did not want to provoke Konoha ninja either.

With that time, he might as well complete a few more bounty missions and earn more money.

Battles between ninja had no meaning.

In this world, only money was a truly reliable "companion."

What was more, no matter how experienced a ninja was, there was no guarantee they would escape battle without injury.

Injury made one weaker. Weakness increased the risk of survival, and could even lead directly to death.

Never fight unless necessary.

Even when fighting, never let down one's guard.

That was the cautious creed Kakuzu had gained from nearly seventy years as a ninja.

"Hmm, wait. Your face seems familiar somehow..."

Kakuzu suddenly fixed his gaze on Choza Akimichi, his eyes sweeping over the brown armor engraved with the character for "food" that Choza wore.

Since he had not intended to fight the Konoha ninja earlier, he had naturally not paid close attention to their composition.

But Choza Akimichi's build was simply too conspicuous.

No matter how much Kakuzu ignored him, he could not help noticing his presence.

"You seem to be the pig of Konoha's new generation of the Pig Deer Butterfly formation..."

Swish!

Nara Shikano suddenly hurled a kunai toward Kakuzu. The heavy kunai tore through the air and embedded itself directly in front of him.

"We are indeed Konoha's Pig Deer Butterfly formation."

Nara Shikano spoke coldly.

"Since you know who we are, leave at once!"

Through their brief exchange just now, along with the intelligence Inoichi Yamanaka had provided—

Nara Shikano judged that Kakuzu was most likely a powerful ninja at the Elite Jonin level.

The Cross-Generation Pig Deer Butterfly team was not incapable of dealing with such an opponent.

The problem was that young ninja like Nara Kaikei and Kurenai Yuhi were nearby.

Nara Shikano could not guarantee that he could fully protect those Chunin during the battle.

And he had not heard much about Kakuzu's reputation...

For this unexpected encounter, it was better to avoid conflict first.

Of course, if the other party made a move...

"Since you're the Pig Deer Butterfly team, I can't let you go so easily!"

Kakuzu's tone suddenly heated up, like an angler who had unexpectedly found a big catch.

"Missing out on the Chinoike Clan's fortune can be made up for with the heads of Pig Deer Butterfly. That would be quite good—"

"Now, Choza!"

Nara Shikano cut Kakuzu off with an angry shout.

"Inoichi, take Kaikei and the others back!"

Before the Old Clan Head could finish speaking—

With a bang, Choza Akimichi's body suddenly expanded. His entire body grew proportionately enormous, transforming him into a majestic giant beyond all sense of reality.

The giant leaped high into the air, wrapped his arms around his knees, and curled into a hedgehog-like ball. At the same time, his hair lengthened and hardened, covering his entire body.

"Akimichi Clan... It's the butterfly!!"

Choza Akimichi spun at high speed in midair, descending upon Kakuzu with the crushing force of Mount Tai.

Rolling Bomb Needles Tank!

The instant Nara Shikano spoke, Kakuzu sensed that something unusual might be happening and tried to dodge aside.

But at that moment, the kunai embedded in front of him suddenly erupted with Yin Release Chakra. The prepared Shadow Binding Technique directly pinned Kakuzu in place, leaving him unable to move for the moment.

Kakuzu struggled to raise his head. Choza Akimichi's Rolling Bomb Needles Tank had already descended over him.

BOOM!!!

[Detected: A-Rank Ninja Battle Mission triggered!]

[A-Rank Mission: Rogue Ninja Kakuzu]

[Mission Objective: Defeat/Kill Takigakure rogue ninja Kakuzu]

[Mission Reward: A-Rank Ninja Scroll]

[Mission Notice: An A-Rank Ninja Battle Mission against the same target may be completed once per season]

Old man Kakuzu really had fought the First Hokage.

But it definitely was not the widely circulated rumor online about "throwing a shuriken from eight hundred miles away."

According to the Book of the Deceased—

Old man Kakuzu had been Defeated by the First Hokage's Wood Release.

Well...

That sounded even more like a joke...