Kakuzu

"Sister Tsunade has been out for several years now. What are you planning to do in the future? Are you going to keep living like this?" Beichen Haotian took a sip of wine before speaking.

"Mm. Unless Konoha is in danger, I don't plan to go back anytime soon." Tsunade drained her cup and spoke with slightly bleary eyes.

Haven't you gotten over it yet? Sister Tsunade is in the prime of her youth. It would be a waste to let it pass by.

Tsunade knew what Beichen Haotian meant. Remembering the past, she felt a sudden, inexplicable pain in her heart and pretended not to care. "Then let it be wasted. It's not as if there's anyone left to appreciate it anyway."

Who said there's no one? I'm one. Don't be so pessimistic. Life can't be perfect in every way. Otherwise, when we came into this world, we wouldn't have arrived crying.

You? What would a kid like you know? You're so young.

"I'm almost fourteen. I'm not that young anymore," Beichen Haotian protested.

Tsunade smiled without saying anything.

Although Beichen Haotian's verbal skills weren't bad, he didn't possess the heaven-defying ability known as Talk no Jutsu. For the time being, he couldn't change Tsunade's mind.

Forget it. Looks like I can't convince you. You're completely different from how you used to be. Without experiencing what you did, I really can't understand you. Take care of yourself.

Tch. Why have you started acting like our teacher? You've become so nagging. You don't seem like a man at all.

"I'm not a man yet. I'm still a boy," Beichen Haotian retorted.

Tsunade's face flushed, and she said nothing. Although she hadn't been in love with Dan Katō for long and they hadn't finished everything they should have done, she had been an adult for many years and naturally understood what Beichen Haotian meant. Shizune was still young. Although she was more mature than others her age, she still didn't understand. Besides, she was busy wrestling with an entire table of food.

After that, the two didn't discuss anything important. They ate and chatted idly. Beichen Haotian talked about things in Konoha and amusing incidents from his missions, while Tsunade talked about interesting things she had encountered during her travels. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Beichen Haotian liked drinking. After losing Nawaki and Dan Katō, Tsunade had often drowned her sorrows in alcohol and drank frequently as well. The two hadn't seen each other for years and were extremely happy, so they both got drunk.

When they left, Beichen Haotian used Chakra to dispel some of the alcohol, leaving himself in a state between drunkenness and sobriety. With the overstuffed Shizune beside him, he headed toward the inn.

Shizune was still young and couldn't help much, so Beichen Haotian sent her back to her room. He supported Tsunade into the inn room, gave her some water, placed her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Tsunade grabbed his arm. Her eyes were glazed with drunkenness, and she murmured, "Nawaki, Dan... don't leave me. I miss you so much."

Beichen Haotian turned around and looked at Tsunade's drunken, unconscious state. He couldn't help shaking his head, feeling somewhat moved.

A little alcohol couldn't possibly make Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin and a master of Medical Ninjutsu, drunk. With the slightest effort, she could sober herself up. Unless Tsunade was avoiding reality, numbing herself, and trying to use alcohol to forget her sorrow.

He tried to pry Tsunade's hand open, only to find that she was gripping him tightly. Using brute force might hurt her, making things truly troublesome. Looking back at Tsunade's flushed cheeks, her moist lips murmuring softly, and her delicate face, Beichen Haotian suddenly came up with an idea. It was a somewhat shameless idea, but after hesitating for a while, desire won out.

Transformation Jutsu.

With a puff, Beichen Haotian crouched down and formed Hand Seals. A flash of white smoke later, he had transformed into Dan Katō.

That night, Tsunade dreamed. She dreamed that the Dan she had yearned for day and night had reunited with her. For the first time ever, he kissed her on the lips and touched her chest, making a great deal more progress than when he had only kissed her forehead. But soon, he left. In the dream, she frantically searched for him, but still couldn't find him. In the end, she even dreamed of the days when she had played with her younger brother in her youth.

Early the next morning, Beichen Haotian woke up rather late. One reason was that he had been drinking, and another was that he hadn't slept in for a long time and wanted to indulge himself a little. He had only just woken up when it was already noon.

Beichen Haotian ate lunch under Tsunade's slightly suspicious gaze as if nothing had happened. Tsunade couldn't figure out whether it had been reality or a dream. If it had been real, she couldn't remember clearly; her mind was foggy. But if it had been a dream, it had felt somewhat real.

After spending two more days playing with Tsunade and obtaining a way to contact her in the future, Beichen Haotian left. He still had things to do. It wasn't time for romance yet.

Beichen Haotian's destination for his next battle was the Land of Iron. He wanted to properly experience this unusual country in the shinobi world. The Land of Iron was a nation of samurai, with its own culture, authority, and military strength. It held a unique position in the shinobi world.

When he entered the Land of Iron, it was winter. The sky was gloomy, and heavy snow fluttered through the air. Goose-feather snowflakes fell in thick waves, covering the entire world in white. The temperature in the Land of Iron was extremely low, and people with poor physical constitutions could hardly survive. Beichen Haotian's physique was exceptionally strong, so he wasn't afraid of the cold at all. Still wearing a black trench coat, black shirt, and black trousers, he walked through the blizzard.

Beichen Haotian moved lightly across the snow, occasionally taking a few sips of strong liquor as he proceeded at an unhurried pace. Two hours later, Beichen Haotian, who had been completely absorbed in his journey, suddenly stopped. He raised an eyebrow and glanced to his left. Several black dots were gradually approaching from that direction.

He hurriedly leaped onto a snow-covered tree and used the Breath Concealment Technique, quietly remaining there. Soon, five ninjas dressed in a hodgepodge of clothing appeared in Beichen Haotian's field of vision. Their faces were tinged with panic, as if some monster were chasing them from behind.

"Hahaha! Hand over what you're transporting, or I'll make sure you die without a complete corpse!" A low, deep, arrogant voice came from behind the five, making them increase their speed once again.

"Courting death. You don't know how to appreciate mercy." A middle-aged ninja appeared in Beichen Haotian's field of vision. He wore a rogue-ninja forehead protector, a black mask over his face, and a black vest with gray trousers. His eyes were gray as he quickly pursued the five men ahead.

One group fled frantically while the other focused on pursuit. Neither had the leisure to sense its surroundings, so neither noticed Beichen Haotian.

Huh? Kakuzu? How could it be him? How did this money-obsessed fellow end up here? Did he accept some lucrative commission from the Black Market?

"I should go take a look. Whatever Kakuzu is trying to seize must be worth quite a bit. Maybe I can benefit from it," Beichen Haotian said to himself, his eyes lighting up. After Kakuzu disappeared into the distance, Beichen Haotian activated Observation Haki to its fullest and followed far behind him.

A quarter of an hour later, Kakuzu finally caught up with the five men ahead and reached the range for casting his jutsu. He immediately unleashed a powerful technique. Kakuzu didn't use Earth Grudge Fear. Instead, he formed Hand Seals to perform the jutsu, and his Hand Seal speed was extremely fast. As someone from the same era as the First Hokage, he was insignificant before Hashirama Senju, but he was undoubtedly far stronger than most others.

Fire Style, Head Hunter.

Kakuzu opened with a high-level jutsu. Five enormous fireballs appeared out of thin air, causing the air to heat up. The snowflakes melted as the five fireballs descended from the sky toward the five people ahead.

The fleeing five men's expressions changed. Gritting their teeth, they stopped. They knew they couldn't escape the technique's range.

Water Style, Water Wall Formation.

Water Style, Water Wave.

Earth Style, Flowing Wall Earth Style.

Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique.

Earth Style, Flowing Wall Earth Style.

The five turned around and launched their jutsu almost simultaneously. A wall of water and two walls of earth blocked the front, while a stream of water descended from above and a fireball shot toward the fireballs falling from the sky.

Boom, boom, boom... Violent explosions rang out. Snowflakes danced through the sky, and water vapor spread everywhere. The shock waves from the explosions shook the snow from the tree, while several verdant pine branches snapped under the impact.

"You've got some skill. Unfortunately, I've already figured out most of your capabilities. My next move will take your lives. What you're transporting is worth a great deal," Kakuzu said, his pupils contracting. Murderous intent filled his exposed eyes as he looked at the five men as if they weren't living beings at all.

With a wet squelch, something stirred on Kakuzu's body. Two masses of sinister black material suddenly shot out from behind his shoulders. They resembled living creatures and bore strange masks that sent chills down the spine.

Fire Style, Head Hunter.

Wind Style, Crushing Wind.

Terrifying Chakra surged forth. Five massive fireballs, carrying temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius, once again descended from the sky. Terrifying high-pressure tornado wind bullets shot out in solid chunks. The wind fed the flames, while the flames intensified the wind. The five fireballs, each several meters in diameter, were driven until they reached ten meters across. When they struck the ground, they immediately spread outward, turning an area hundreds of meters wide into a sea of fire.

The snow melted and water vapor rose high into the air, only to be swept away by the gale along with countless leaves, branches, and trunks. The high-pressure tornado wind bullets shredded everything into pieces. The area hundreds of meters wide was left in utter ruin, devoid of life.

Faced with Kakuzu's combined jutsu, the five men fought with all their strength. Unfortunately, Kakuzu had already reached Kage-level by this point. Under the combined attack of a Kage-level expert using secret techniques, the four men couldn't withstand it even when they gave everything they had. They either turned to ash in the endless sea of flames or were torn apart by the high-pressure wind bullets, leaving almost no remains.

With another wet squelch, Kakuzu withdrew the monsters created by Earth Grudge Fear into his body and calmly waited for the sea of flames to dissipate. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, Kakuzu slowly walked to the place where the five had died. He bent down and picked up an azure crystal from a pit in the ground.

Watching from the darkness, Beichen Haotian's pupils suddenly contracted and his heartbeat quickened. He recognized what Kakuzu had taken from the pit.

This thing will be extremely useful to me.

"Who's there? Come out now!" Overcome with excitement, Beichen Haotian let his aura leak out. Kakuzu's eyes turned vicious as he glared toward Beichen Haotian's hiding place.