Takigakure (Part 2)

"As expected, this isn't an easy place to navigate." After walking the same path three times and finding himself no closer to the Sacred Tree, Ye Wuji realized that some form of ninjutsu or barrier must have been set up here.

"It seems the only way to get near the Sacred Tree is from the direction of the daimyo and his party, but that area appears to be the most heavily guarded. Forget it. Since this was just a test, if it doesn't work now, I'll try again later. If all else fails, I'll just wait until I can partner with Orochimaru for a heist. I'm sure Orochimaru would be quite interested in this as well." Ye Wuji decided to give it one last try; if that failed, he would return to his training.

"Hey, brat, what are you doing here? Are you lost? This isn't a place you should be wandering around." Just as Ye Wuji was about to take a step, a voice drifted down from above and behind him.

Ye Wuji turned his head to look and saw a woman sitting on the branch of a tree behind him.

Although the island only had one Sacred Tree, its size wasn't insignificant, and there were scattered trees growing around it. However, these trees stood individually, suggesting they weren't naturally grown but likely planted by Takigakure. There were also rockery-like structures; perhaps the daimyo or the Takikage came here to relax from time to time.

With a swish, the woman appeared in front of Ye Wuji. Only then did he see her clearly: she was quite beautiful, with green hair, a purple dress, a red scarf wrapped around her chest, and a Takigakure forehead protector. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Such a familiar outfit. As Ye Wuji looked at the female ninja who had suddenly appeared, his first reaction was that he should know her. But upon closer inspection, he couldn't place her. Takigakure didn't seem to have any famous ninjas, so why did she look so familiar? It was all because the gaps between Naruto episodes were so long and the series was often on hiatus, causing him to forget certain details.

"Hey, brat, I asked you a question. Where are your parents? Why would they let a little kid like you run around here? Even if there's no danger, this is still incredibly irresponsible." Seeing Ye Wuji staring blankly at her, the female ninja began to lecture him.

"I'm an orphan," Ye Wuji said in a low voice.

"Oh." Hearing this, the female ninja's tone softened. "Do you have any other relatives here, then?"

"I have a friend, I suppose," Ye Wuji thought about his relationship with Ukyo's family; it was indeed hard to define.

"A friend? Brat, do you even know what a friend is? Fine, I guess I'm just unlucky to have run into you. I was planning to take a break, but come on, kid, I'll take you to your friend. Once the event here ends, they'll seal the area back up, and it'll be hard for you to find them then." As the female ninja spoke, she stepped toward Ye Wuji, patted his head, and reached out to take his hand.

But just as her hand was about to touch his, she suddenly moved, and in the blink of an eye, a flurry of shuriken flew out.

After throwing the shuriken, she pulled Ye Wuji behind her and shouted, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"What sharp senses. I didn't expect that after all these years of being away, the village would produce such an impressive character." Beside where the shuriken had landed, a figure slowly emerged from the ground. He walked toward them, his eyes filled with killing intent.

The ninja was a man in his thirties or forties with black hair, a black face mask, standard ninja attire, and green eyes.

Isn't that Kakuzu? Ye Wuji recognized him at first glance. He was that money-grubbing member of Akatsuki who wore the North Star ring, possessed five hearts, and could use ninjutsu of all five natures—a Kage-level expert. Although he eventually fell to Naruto and his group, that was a tragic outcome caused by the protagonist's plot armor and Kakuzu's own carelessness. This was a man who had supposedly survived an encounter with the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Even if the details were unknown, surviving the First Hokage was a feat in itself.

Ye Wuji looked at Kakuzu's forehead protector; it was the same arrow shape with the tip missing, but with a line scratched through the middle, marking him as a missing-nin. It was clear from the protector that Kakuzu was originally from Takigakure—a fact Ye Wuji hadn't known. He had only learned about Takigakure from the movies, but the events in those movies didn't align with reality, perhaps because they were produced early on.

The fact that Kakuzu was from Takigakure was a huge surprise. Ye Wuji began to regret not paying closer attention to the anime. He had barely touched the manga and had skipped through most of the anime. When he watched Naruto, he hated the filler episodes and would either skip them or fast-forward.

He hadn't even watched many of Naruto's missions—the miscellaneous tasks like protecting people or acting as a bodyguard. He only knew those plot points existed without knowing the specifics. Now, Ye Wuji was finally tasting the bitterness of fast-forwarding; the characters and the plot didn't match up.

At the same time, Ye Wuji began to worry. Did he have some sort of protagonist treatment? Why did he keep running into unavoidable dangers? Facing Kakuzu was far more dangerous than that jonin, Shan Yi. Even Uncle Ukyo might not be able to win here, and this guy had five lives! One wrong move and he could easily suffer a devastating loss.

Ye Wuji's hand gripped the corner of the female ninja's dress tighter. He couldn't hold her hand—in fact, he shouldn't even be holding her clothes, as it would hinder her movements.

Facing Kakuzu's green, predatory eyes, Ye Wuji couldn't help but feel afraid. In his previous two battles, he hadn't really done anything, so he hadn't felt the true power of those opponents. The first time, he had collaborated with Nagato for an ambush and never faced a jonin head-on. The second time, he had faced a jonin, but that man had treated him like an ordinary child and dismissed him casually before Ye Wuji was rescued.

This time, facing Kakuzu directly—even though Kakuzu wasn't looking at him—the sheer pressure was something an ordinary person couldn't resist. People truly possessed a "presence," or perhaps a "field."

When Naruto first met Zabuza, he was so terrified he couldn't move, and that was with the Nine-Tails inside him. Even though the seal was intact, the foundation was there.

Fortunately for Ye Wuji, he was behind the female ninja; otherwise, he might not have been able to withstand Kakuzu's pressure, which could have caused mental trauma.

Ye Wuji admired the female ninja. Facing a monster like Kakuzu, she showed no fear. He racked his brain, trying to figure out how to subtly warn her so she would know the danger and call for reinforcements. He couldn't be too direct; if Kakuzu realized he knew the secret of his ninjutsu, he would likely be killed immediately—perhaps even have his heart harvested as a spare.

Still, there might be a way. If he could just stall for time... Right, Uncle Ukyo was here, and there were other Takigakure ninjas. If they could arrive quickly, that would be ideal.

While Ye Wuji was still thinking of how to warn her, the female ninja began to speak. "Yo, isn't this our Uncle Kakuzu? My mistake, excuse me—it should be Grandfather Kakuzu. How do you have the time to come home for a visit? But tell me, Grandfather Kakuzu, you must be over a hundred years old by now, right? Let me calculate exactly how old you are..." Ye Wuji watched as she chatted away with a grin, actually counting on her fingers. After a moment, she continued, "Sorry, I really can't calculate it. But you should have been resting in hell a long time ago. Why did you crawl back out? Is hell not fun anymore?"

"Do brats these days have no respect for their elders? Has no one taught you manners, child?" Kakuzu's eyes widened, his voice chilling.

"I have plenty of respect for the young," the female ninja said, patting Ye Wuji's head. "See? I'm very respectful to the young. As for respecting the old, I don't see anyone here worth respecting. Don't you agree, Grandfather Kakuzu?"

"Enough with the nonsense. Kakuzu, why are you here? You aren't welcome. You betrayed the village, and yet you dare to come back and cause trouble? Looking at you, I can tell you've mastered the Earth Grudge Fear. Such a disgusting technique—no one has practiced it in years, only you. You've turned yourself into a monster, haven't you?"

"Hehehehe," Kakuzu let out a cold laugh. "You're quite something, brat. To even know the secret technique of Takigakure... it seems your status in the village is quite high. But don't you know that knowing too much usually leads to an early death?"

"An early death is better than becoming a monster like you. But speaking of which, Senior Kakuzu," the female ninja changed her tone again, "I'm genuinely curious. According to the logic of ninjas, even if some are afraid of death, a guy over a hundred years old like you should have come to terms with it, right? Of course, everyone fears death—I fear it too, and I sometimes think about how to extend my life. But living as a monster like you? That doesn't seem to have much meaning. If it were me, I'd rather die looking beautiful than live on as a monster."

"Just the thoughts of a child. When you watch yourself slowly age and approach death, I suspect you'll try any method available," Kakuzu said coldly.

"That's possible, I suppose. Whatever, I'll worry about that when the time comes. Anyway, whose mission did you take this time? The target shouldn't be me, right? Could it be the new daimyo?" Just as she said this, an explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of the high platform.

The female ninja turned her head, glanced at the platform, and slapped her forehead. "I knew it."

"Brat, what do you mean by that?" Not only was Kakuzu curious, but Ye Wuji was as well. He looked at the female ninja, feeling a surge of admiration. She said she was afraid of death earlier, but facing Kakuzu and knowing his identity, she still speaks to him with this tone. Could she be an expert too? Ye Wuji wondered.

"It's simple. You, Kakuzu, are known for not moving without money. When the village sent you to assassinate the First Hokage, you demanded payment, didn't you? And that was a mission from the village. Now that you're a missing-nin, regardless of your motives, you wouldn't move without a price. The only thing that could bring you here is the inauguration of the new daimyo. You're here to assassinate him, aren't you? And since there's money involved, someone must have posted a mission in the black market. You probably didn't take this job alone. But it seems this daimyo is quite valuable if even you showed up. Unfortunately for you, you were discovered by me." The female ninja smiled as she laid out her analysis.

"The brat is indeed sharp. Your analysis makes sense. But do you think you can stall me here? Once I kill you, I can just go and finish the job. As long as I get the daimyo's head, it doesn't necessarily have to be me who does the killing. Now, brat, do you have any last words? Considering I was once part of this village, I can grant you that much courtesy." Kakuzu prepared to strike.

"Keep that courtesy for yourself. Since you're an old-timer of this village, I'll grant you the chance for last words in the name of our shared home," the female ninja retorted.

"How unlovable. Don't regret it when you die, brat. But since you said you wanted to die beautifully, I won't take your heart. That's my courtesy to you."

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" As soon as Kakuzu finished speaking, he unleashed his ninjutsu. A water dragon instantly surged toward the female ninja and Ye Wuji.

BOOM! A massive crater appeared where they had been standing. If that had hit Ye Wuji, he would certainly be dead.

Ye Wuji looked at the female ninja, then at the crater created by the Water Dragon Bullet. He didn't know what had happened; before he could react, he had already been moved to the side. He seemed to have heard her shout, "Secret Technique: Scale Powder Technique."

After shifting positions, the female ninja performed a series of complex hand seals and chanted, "Secret Technique: Scale Powder Concealment." Ye Wuji looked at her, then at Kakuzu. From the moment she used her secret techniques, he knew she was formidable. Few ninjas possessed secret techniques; those who did usually belonged to clans that passed them down through generations. Yet, this woman had used two in a row.

However, Ye Wuji looked around for a long time and saw no changes in the environment. What does this secret technique actually do? he wondered. Seeing no reaction, he assumed the ninjutsu had failed, but he saw no trace of frustration on her face.

"Wait here. I'll deal with that guy and then take you to your friend. Remember, don't wander off—it's very easy to get lost here." After releasing the technique, the female ninja brought Ye Wuji to the side of the Sacred Tree, used hand seals to open a door in the trunk, and ushered him inside.