A dim candle burned on the table in the room.
The flame was tiny, and a thin wisp of black smoke rose straight up with the heat until a faint cough stirred the air and scattered it.
Kakuzu opened his eyes and looked at the coughing child.
Oda Hideyoshi.
He was the target of Kakuzu and Hidan's current mission.
The mission was simple: make sure Oda Hideyoshi stayed in their hands and wasn't taken by anyone else.
The mission wouldn't last long, either. Once the Water Garden Festival was over, they could hand Oda Hideyoshi over to Saito Ayaka, and the job would be done.
Yet for such a ridiculously simple task, one that could've been handed to a few Genin—or no, even servants—the Land of Water and the Land of Fire had paid a hefty sum to hire members of the Akatsuki.
Hidan might've been an idiot, but Kakuzu wasn't.
There was definitely something fishy going on. And with Lin Qing invited to the Water Garden Festival, Kakuzu had guessed from the start that this was a trap aimed at Lin Qing.
The Conglomerate hadn't bothered to hide anything from him. They'd said outright that they were targeting Lin Qing, and that Oda Hideyoshi was one part of their plan. As long as Kakuzu completed the mission, he could ask for whatever he wanted.
"Whatever I want?"
"That's right, whatever you want... We have money."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, savoring how candidly the other party had said those words.
It was intoxicating.
Just then, the array drawn on the table gave a faint pop.
A wisp of smoke spread through the room. Kakuzu waved it away and picked up a scroll.
He unrolled it and read the information inside, then gave a cold laugh.
"Hidan, time to get to