Earth Grudge Fear Obtained, the Born Evil Shimura Danzō (3/10)

One move.

Although it was said to be a single move, Kakuzu used his full strength, but he also reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Five Elements Great Barrage and the Earth Grudge Fear Ultimate Shot collided, leveling the surrounding forest to the ground with astonishing power!

Both were masters of the Five Elements Release.

Even among skilled players, there are differences in skill level.

Kakuzu knelt on one knee, coughing up black blood.

His upper body was ripped apart, his strong body covered in black dust from the explosion, and two of the masks on the Heart Monster behind him were nearly shattered.

I said--

"You're the first person to challenge me head-on with Five Elements Ninjutsu— "

Not to mention now, Hiruzen Sarutobi's Chakra is quite abundant.

Even before Kakuzu's talent was aligned with Konoha's, he wouldn't have stood a chance against him Kakuzu he used the Five Elements Release.

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and extended his hand toward Kakuzu.

"Third Hokage, you truly live up to your reputation—" Kakuzu hesitated for a moment, then grasped Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand and stood up.

This scene gave him a slight hallucination.

When Senju Hashirama fell to the ground, Mito Uzumaki released the Adamantine Sealing Chains and personally helped him up, reminding him to be careful.

"Put this on, even though your physique is extraordinary—" Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his Black Cloak with Red Clouds and threw it to Kakuzu, who was shirtless.

Actually, even the Lord Hokage didn't want to wear this strangely designed outfit anymore.

Wearing this back to Konoha, if he doesn't get checked by the Patrol Force, he'll actually have to start a thorough search!

"--Thank you." Kakuzu silently put on the cloak, and after a moment, he thanked him.

Although, in terms of strength, Hiruzen Sarutobi still couldn't compare to Senju Hashirama.

They are all stronger than him, and all have the ability to kill him.

Moreover, this indescribable, gentle, and unassuming demeanor—it evokes no anger or hostility.

It's pretty much the same.

Does the injury require rest and recuperation?

Hiruzen Sarutobi examined the Earth Grudge Fear Clone, its mask teetering precariously. "It truly possesses formidable power. With Earth Grudge Fear, one can be considered someone who lives as long as Heaven and Earth Longevity."

"Heh heh, barely managing to survive in this hellish Shinobi World."

Kakuzu chuckled softly, "Please wait a moment."

He found Hiruzen Sarutobi increasingly interesting.

They even asked him if he needed to recover from his injury?

Is it because they fear that extracting the essence of the Earth Grudge Fear would cause irreversible damage to him?

That's not the kind of thinking a ninja should have—especially since he's the Hokage.

The Earth Grudge Fear Clone transformed into black threads, which flowed into Kakuzu's back, making his slightly emaciated body plump up again.

With an outstretched arm, a large number of black threads emerged from the gaps, gradually tangling into a black ball.

Kakuzu remained expressionless, but a sound like a mask shattering emanated from his back.

Kakuzu pulled hard, seemingly without feeling any pain, and meticulously trimmed the excess parts of Hiruzen Sarutobi, packing them into a dense cuboid.

"Twenty million taels of silver from the Earth Grudge Fear, as a deposit to offset the cost of our encounter, plus ten million taels for intelligence fees."

"Thank you for your patronage, Third of Konoha." As he spoke, Kakuzu took out a Storage Scroll, sealed it inside, and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"What a businessman—" Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a thumbs up.

Although this scene was somewhat bizarre, Kakuzu evident.

Yes, it is possible.

"Next time you need to deliver goods, just go directly to the vicinity of Konoha."

"The Patrol Force or Anbu will find you. Just tell them to come find me."

"I will come to pick you up myself." Hiruzen Sarutobi weighed the scroll in his hand and said with a smile.

Kakuzu smiled. "Although Konoha is considered one of the strongest of the Five Great Hidden Villages, I'm not so easily discovered by your men—"

"I just happened to run into you and --"

Kakuzu glanced at Shimura Danzō, a clear smirk playing on his lips. "Forget about him."

Shimura Danzō expressionless, but he had already clenched his teeth.

Damn, my fists are so itchy!

I really want to punch Kakuzu in the face and then use my Wind Release to chop him into mincemeat!

While Hiruzen does possess a small amount of personal charisma—

But why should I be targeted like this?!

Isn't it just that he enjoys using bounty hunters without paying them, and then occasionally killing a few more to make some extra money?

"Even if it goes undetected, it will still serve as a checkpoint to fill the gaps in our Konoha's security."

"If that's the case, I can add more money," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle.

The words "add more money" made Kakuzu's eyes narrow.

This understated tone only amplified the air of a nouveau riche.

Just how rich is Konoha?

"Then it's a deal, Hokage -sama." Kakuzu thought for a moment, then used the honorific title.

He did not hesitate to show respect to Hiruzen, who bore the spirit of Hashirama.

Moreover, this is a super-rich client.

"Next time you come, you can also visit old friends in Konoha."

"Lady Mito told me that your generation is fading away like fallen leaves—"

"She said that Lord Hashirama had mentioned you many times, saying that you were a talented but unlucky young man—" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with emotion.

In fact, Senju Hashirama never mentioned it, but who would have known?

Sometimes, having just one anchor point is enough to express your feelings.

Moreover, the missing-nin who had been spared by Senju Hashirama, after several decades, came to visit Mito Uzumaki under the influence of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He's still working for Konoha.

The two events, one after the other, have revitalized the beautiful story from previous years.

This would not only make Mito Uzumaki slightly happier.

This also allows Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation to indirectly resonate with Senju Hashirama's formless formation.

Although it won't have an immediate effect, it's a subtle and gradual process.

Perhaps one day there will be an unexpected reward.

"Lord Hashirama and Lady Mito? After all these years, they still remember me—" Kakuzu trailed off, somewhat speechless.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "This missing-nin from another village, a bounty hunter—"

"I will prepare a gift to visit you, if Lady Mito is willing to see me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, see you next time."

Having said that, he turned and left with a flourish, waving goodbye.

Shimura Danzō, however, did not move. Instead, he stood still, squinting as he sized up Kakuzu.

He chuckled coldly and said, "You'd better keep your promise, I'll be watching you closely—"

Kakuzu laughed too.

Logically speaking, this should be the most classic good cop/bad cop strategy.

The problem is, given Hiruzen Sarutobi's charismatic personality, even if Danzo were to portray a villain, he wouldn't stoop to such a low and brutal level.

It can only be said that this person's nature is like this; he is Born Evil Darkness of the Shinobi.

Even if you follow the Hokage, you won't learn much.

Who do you think you are?

"The one who signed the contract with me was Hiruzen Sarutobi, not you. Are you the Hokage?"

Kakuzu retorted without hesitation, "If you came alone, even with those Root wolves in Root, could you stop me?"

Is it difficult?

Shimura Danzō with a disdainful air, "As for the Hokage, I am not now, but I will be in the future—"

He now possesses the spirit of Lady Mito, which was given to him voluntarily by Hiruzen.

"Let's go, Danzo!"

"Don't ruin your friendships—" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice drifted from afar.

"Hmph--" Shimura Danzō pointed to his own eyes, then to Kakuzu, and then turned and left.

This means he will always be watching Kakuzu.

Interestingly, when Hiruzen Sarutobi called him, he didn't say another word.

"This guy's really not smart—" Kakuzu silently complained to himself, "Poor Hokage, having to work with someone like this."

However, Kakuzu had a different view on Hiruzen Sarutobi, and even on Konoha.

A sense of curiosity welled up inside me.

Kakuzu tightened his black robe with Burning Cloud.

He was just thinking that Konoha now is not what it was when Senju Hashirama was alive.

Now it seems, perhaps not.

Thinking about it carefully, I haven't seen those people at the Root do anything against the rules in the past year.

Instead, a more efficient and meticulously planned Anbu has emerged, possessing far greater deterrent power and an air of mystery than before.

Has anything changed?

"We still need to observe further—" Kakuzu lifted the briefcase full of money in his hand, the heavy feeling giving him peace of mind.

But another question arose in his mind.

The Five Great Hidden Villages are not actually very well-off financially these days. Judging from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha seems to be quite wealthy now?

Where did this money come from?

More than where the money came from, Kakuzu was curious about how Hiruzen Sarutobi would spend it.

Should we store him away? Or recruit more powerful individuals like him?

A ninja like this is truly one of a kind in the Shinobi World.

What about the rest? We can't just give it all to the ninjas below, can we?

Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a slight special quality—

However, Kakuzu still harbors many stereotypes about the higher-ups in Hidden Village.

Having roamed the Shinobi World for so many years, the best I've ever seen is Hiruzen Sarutobi; it's already extremely rare for someone to have even a little bit of humanity.

As for distributing it to the ninja below, that was a blind spot in Kakuzu's thinking.

"He's probably saving it; perhaps this Third Hokage and I are kindred spirits—"

He also needs money to give him a sense of security.

"But to be so sincere as to offer money to recruit someone from another village like me is truly unique."

Kakuzu shook his head, deciding to visit Konoha when he had the chance before thinking about these things again.

Now that we've received the money and even prepaid such a large deposit...

Let's get to work first!

Otherwise, it would violate his Ninja Way.

On the other side.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō headed towards Konoha.

"Danzo, you should sometimes be mindful of your reputation—"

"A balance of tension and relaxation, of strictness and leniency, is the better way to manage people," Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly.

Although using Danzo as the bad cop was indeed a tried and true method, it never failed.

The problem is that I have to give him a few pointers from time to time, otherwise even with Danzo's personality, he'll eventually realize something's wrong.

Danzo's answer, however, took Hiruzen Sarutobi by surprise.

"Hiruzen, I understand your good intentions, but I can't do this—"