What Are You Doing?

Kakuzu heard Qingcheng's mockery and immediately shouted, "That's my achievement! I'm someone who walked away from the First Hokage alive!"

Qingcheng retorted, "Idiot, has it ever occurred to you that the First Hokage thought you were just a refugee and nearly gave you two steamed buns?"

Hearing that, Kakuzu's face instantly flushed red, and he looked utterly enraged.

Things had indeed happened just as Qingcheng said. After the First Hokage removed the Explosive Tags, he used a Perception Technique to check whether anyone had stepped on them.

Then, the First Hokage sensed the hiding Kakuzu. With a Body Flicker Technique, he appeared directly behind him.

Seeing the First Hokage suddenly appear, Kakuzu was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body, and he began trembling all over.

The First Hokage said kindly, "Young man, someone has been placing Explosive Tags around here. Be careful. Don't step on one."

Hearing the First Hokage's words, Kakuzu nodded at once and said angrily, "I don't know which bastard set up those Explosive Tags. No sense of public decency at all, putting them right on the main road. Thank you, great Hokage-sama."

Seeing Kakuzu shivering, the First Hokage took out two rice balls and said with a smile, "You look hungry. Here, have these two rice balls. They're my lunch ration."

Hearing Qingcheng's mockery, Kakuzu instantly flew into a rage and said angrily, "That was because I was clever enough to disguise myself and survive under the First Hokage's hands!"

Qingcheng sneered. "Plenty of people survived under Hashirama's hands. He was just too softhearted. Why didn't you try assassinating Uchiha Madara? Surviving under Madara's hands would have been impressive."

Kakuzu was instantly speechless. His face turned red, and he pointed at Qingcheng as he shouted furiously, "Who the hell are you, to spout such nonsense in front of me? Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"

A smile appeared on Qingcheng's face as he looked at the enraged Kakuzu. He said softly, "My name is Uchiha Shimada. I'm Uchiha Madara's father. Hand over your money. This is a robbery~"

With that, Qingcheng activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. His black eyes turned scarlet, and the three tomoe within them formed an inverted four-bladed windmill pattern.

Kakuzu stared in shock. "Th-That's the Mangekyō Sharingan? Who exactly are you?"

After saying that, Kakuzu became guarded and prepared to form hand seals with both hands to activate the Jiongu Technique.

Qingcheng smiled. "I'm faster. You actually dared to stare into my eyes."

Kakuzu was instantly alarmed. He had been so angered by these masked men that he had kept staring at the Mangekyō Sharingan across from him.

As an old hand in the Shinobi World, Kakuzu naturally knew that one must not stare into an Uchiha's eyes, especially not a Mangekyō Sharingan's, or they would be controlled by genjutsu.

Qingcheng put on a serious expression and said softly, "Sharingan Genjutsu: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change." Those strange Mangekyō Sharingan eyes emitted a fierce scarlet gleam.

Kakuzu's body shook. The light vanished from his eyes, and he looked drowsy, like a man who had lost his soul.

Inside Kakuzu's mind, a huge pair of Mangekyō Sharingan appeared. He saw himself hanging from a cross, nails driven into all four limbs, unable to move his body.

Mirror Heaven and Earth Change was originally an A-rank genjutsu, a forbidden-level Ninjutsu. It was similar to Tsukuyomi's ocular technique, dragging people into a false space and making them instantly lose consciousness.

Qingcheng also used part of his mental power to invade Kakuzu's consciousness and firmly control him.

Seeing Kakuzu's mind hanging from the cross, Qingcheng said seriously, "Now it's time for me to punish you. Write down the Ninjutsu for Fire Release: Searing Migraine."

Qingcheng then said greedily, "Kakuzu, hand over every other Ninjutsu you know."

With that, Qingcheng took out a blank Ninjutsu Scroll and handed it directly to Kakuzu.

The soulless Kakuzu accepted the Ninjutsu Scroll and began writing. The first Ninjutsu was Fire Release: Searing Migraine.

Qingcheng did not know which ninja clan this Ninjutsu came from, but Kakuzu had definitely stolen it from a major ninja clan.

Although Searing Migraine was a B-rank Ninjutsu, its power was comparable to an A-rank Ninjutsu. It covered a huge area, burned at an astonishing speed, and could easily engulf an entire forest.

The second Ninjutsu was Lightning Release: False Darkness; the third was Water Release: Water Curtain Wall, followed by Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet and Earth Release: Earth Spear Technique.

Qingcheng said to Kakuzu, "Write down Fire Release Ninjutsu and Lightning Release Ninjutsu. High-level ones. Don't pad the list with trash."

Kakuzu began writing again, recording two more A-rank Ninjutsu: Fire Release: Blazing Great Dragon Flame Technique and Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Great Barrage Technique.

A-rank Ninjutsu were all forbidden-level techniques, usually mastered by Kage-level Experts. These techniques required enormous amounts of Chakra, so the Kakuzu in the original work had not used them recklessly.

But that did not change the fact that this guy was a street thug of the Shinobi World, fond of robbing others of their money and stealing Ninjutsu from major ninja villages.

He even stole other ninja's hearts. To gather five Chakra hearts of different attributes and master the Jiongu Technique, many ninja had suffered at his hands.

Once Kakuzu possessed five hearts, his strength became extremely formidable. Yet he continued his old trade, robbing money even more frequently, stealing higher-ranked Ninjutsu, and harvesting other people's hearts. He was extremely difficult to kill. If he had not encountered Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, he would certainly have lived until Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

For example, Elite Jonin from major ninja villages generally mastered two B-rank Ninjutsu or one A-rank Ninjutsu, and were proficient in two or more Chakra nature transformations.

When such Elite Jonin encountered Kakuzu, they were nothing more than a dish on the table. Being able to survive under Kakuzu's hands was already fortunate. Thus, Kakuzu's life only grew more comfortable. As long as the Kage-level Experts of the major ninja villages did not move, Kakuzu had nothing to fear.

And Qingcheng liked street thugs like this. The more Ninjutsu you knew, the more he liked you. Once he subdued you with the Mangekyō Sharingan, wouldn't your Ninjutsu become his?

That was why Kakuzu was prey Qingcheng had to hunt down. Besides, he was so rich. Anyone who could earn even Konan's wholehearted praise was someone Qingcheng liked very much.

Kakuzu suddenly stopped writing and stared blankly ahead.

Qingcheng said seriously, "Keep writing! Why did you stop?"

Mr. Ado, who stood nearby, saw Kakuzu being controlled by genjutsu and immediately began to flee. He shouted, "Someone is attacking our Exchange Office! Everyone, get them!"

Then, with a swish, Ado used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the hall.

Qingcheng's face darkened as he said, "You ran that fast? What a slick Body Flicker Technique! Anyone with a Body Flicker Technique like that definitely isn't ordinary."