"Takigakure... green eyes... You're that Takigakure assassin who tried to assassinate the First!" Caozhen blurted out.
Kakuzu's attempt on Hashirama's life had happened over twenty years ago. Caozhen had only recently become a genin at the time. Though he had never seen Kakuzu's true face, the incident had caused a huge uproar, so he remembered some of the wanted characteristics—such as those rare green eyes.
The First had not wanted to make a big issue of it, lest it damage the hard-won peace. However, the Second had insisted on investigating and uncovered many clues about the assassin's appearance, using them to pressure Takigakure into handing over the killer.
The result...
In the end, Takigakure claimed that the assassin had defected.
Normally, such a claim would naturally have had little credibility.
But Takigakure had been highly credible at the time, because its upper ranks, including the village leader, had all been wiped out!
That left everyone else with no choice but to believe them.
From then on, Takigakure never recovered, and only then did the Second stop pursuing the matter.
"Assassin? You mean..." Akaseki froze upon hearing that.
Seeing that a Uchiha Clan ninja had recognized him, Kakuzu's stitched-up mouth curled even further.
Though the assassination had failed, it was still... the achievement he was proudest of!
Takigakure had certainly sent more than one person to carry out assassination missions, but when Konoha ninja heard "the Takigakure assassin," they would only think of one particular person—the one who had once tried to assassinate the First...
"What was that guy called again?" Akaseki suddenly stalled, unable to remember.
"That, that..." Caozhen could not remember either.
Kakuzu: ...
Before Ranwu at the side could say his name, Kakuzu could no longer hold back. "Remember the name 'Kakuzu'! This is the name of the