Mr. Kakuzu's Resounding Nickname

"Huh? Wait a moment."

Just as the staff member was about to leave, Mr. An noticed the small figure behind Uchiha Jie.

"Who is this?" he asked, bending down slightly, trying to appear more amiable.

"This is my new disciple. Come, say hello to Uncle An."

Uchiha Jie's voice was filled with pride as he pulled Hinata closer.

"You're the best-informed person I know, so you should know her identity."

"Uncle An..."

Hinata called out cautiously. Mr. An's face lit up. Although he was bald and burly, with a face full of wrinkles, Hinata could still tell he was trying his best not to look intimidating.

"Hyuga Hinata, don't be afraid. Though my disciple and I aren't blood brothers, our relationship is closer than that."

Mr. An extended his right hand, letting Hinata hold his finger as a handshake.

"Uncle needs to think hard about what gift to give you."

He stood up and turned back to instruct, "Bring some fresh fruit juice."

After the staff member left, Mr. An pulled Uchiha Jie onto the sofa. The quality of the sofa here was indeed good; it didn't collapse under his weight but sank deeply.

Mr. An leaned heavily against the back of the sofa, just as Uchiha Jie had done moments before. He took out his usual cigar but then saw Hinata sitting on Uchiha Jie's other side and quietly put it back in his pocket.

"Fortunately, you showed up before I saved enough money, or I would have hired someone to kill Uchiha Itachi by now," he said, looking at Uchiha Jie's mask with a grin.

"Who were you planning to hire? Tell me," Uchiha Jie leaned back on the sofa. "Let's see who would dare take that job."

"His real name is Kakuzu, but he has a very famous nickname."

"What nickname?" Uchiha Jie chuckled.

"Pseudo-First Hokage. He claims to have fought the First Hokage and survived," Mr. An explained. "And he's indeed very powerful, proficient in various Ninjutsu, and his mission completion rate is among the top on the bounty board.

"The Rogue Ninjas banded together and gave him the moniker Pseudo-First Hokage."

"And the most important thing is, he loves taking missions and doesn't ask for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, only money. It seems he'll do any mission as long as the price is right."

"It's just that this guy rarely operates in the Land of Fire, otherwise I would have found him already," Mr. An shook his head and looked at Uchiha Jie, asking, "So, what do you think? Can this Pseudo-First Hokage kill Uchiha Itachi?"

"If he could kill Uchiha Itachi, he would be ranked first on the bounty list hanging outside."

Uchiha Jie spread his hands. "Besides, he and Uchiha Itachi have joined the same organization this time. You must have heard of them."

"Akatsuki."

"In a place where the sun is always hidden by clouds, in the Land of Rain, which has suffered from the wars of the Five Great Nations, someone founded this organization. Their goal is to bring dawn to that weeping nation."

"That's a good name, quite profound," Mr. An laughed. "But I remember this organization is very low-key, and there's almost no information about them."

"The Land of Rain has been in chaos since Hanzo of the Salamander died. Even the bounty exchange has trouble operating in such a place."

"I didn't expect Mr. Kakuzu to be hiding in such an organization, and Uchiha Itachi joined it too."

"I still have Uchiha Itachi for a purpose, and he's not someone who can be easily killed,"

Uchiha Jie looked at the eager Mr. An and advised, "As for the so-called Akatsuki, I suggest you curb your curiosity. I've saved you twice already, and I don't want to save you a third time."

Although Uchiha Jie wore a mask, Mr. An could still detect the seriousness and earnestness in his tone. However, he still hooked his arm around his good friend's neck.

"The more you say it, the more curious I become," Mr. An scratched his bald head, his gaze passing over Uchiha Jie to Hinata, who was sitting quietly on the other side.

"Little girl, you must be curious too, right? Why don't you ask your master to tell you, and then you can secretly tell me?" he said with a smile.

"I can tell you information about Akatsuki, but you can't post it for sale."

Uchiha Jie glanced at Hinata, who was also becoming curious, and shook his head. His good friend was great in every way, except for his extreme curiosity about all sorts of information, to the point of risking his life for it. He couldn't let him corrupt his disciple.

"The leader of Akatsuki possesses legendary eyes," he said with a smile.

"There are plenty of legends. In some people's eyes, the Sharingan and Byakugan are also legendary eyes," Mr. An grinned, but when Uchiha Jie said his next sentence, his eyes widened like two big light bulbs.

"Those are the eyes of the legendary progenitor of shinobi, the Sage of Six Paths."

However, after two seconds, Mr. An seemed to calm down. He said, "If that Akatsuki leader truly had the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, the Land of Rain wouldn't be in that state."

"Of course, just like if I gave you a pair of Sharingan now, you wouldn't be able to use them. Not everyone can wield the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. But still, those are the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths; even with many restrictions, they are incredibly powerful."

"For example, the rain in the Land of Rain now carries a trace of the power of those eyes. As soon as you set foot on the Land of Rain, you will be detected by those eyes."

"No wonder there's been no news from the Land of Rain for so long."

Mr. An nodded, his voice suddenly becoming serious. He sat up, looked at Uchiha Jie solemnly, and patted his muscular chest.

"Old Jie, we're friends. You've always been the one giving, providing me with all sorts of information, helping me build this bounty exchange bit by bit, and saving me twice."

"Now that your clan has had such a major incident, my first thought was to avenge you. But now it seems you're going to do it yourself. So I want to ask, my friend, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Hahaha, that's why I came to you, Old An," Uchiha Jie laughed. He looked at Mr. An's serious face and patted his sturdy body.

"Bring out all the information you have about the Land of Water, especially about their Jonin named Ao."