Kakuzu: Is This What a 41 Million Ryō Bounty Is Worth?

April is the season when Konoha blossoms in full bloom.

Between the Ninja Academy and the main street of East Street, there is a long corridor lined with cherry blossom trees, and the entire corridor is covered with bright and beautiful cherry blossoms.

In the morning, Shiraha accompanied Kushina to admire the flowers, and in the afternoon, he plunged into the laboratory.

Although Kushina was only using the Kurama 'Chakra in its initial stages, her strength underwent a qualitative change when she used the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Although Shiraha had mastered the "Crimson Dragon Calamity" technique before Kushina, Shiraha was still able to First Shinobi World War her based on his experience and skills.

But ever since Kushina learned the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode...

Shiraha was no match for him at all.

The Nine-Tails Chakra was so powerful that Shiraha was increasingly looking forward to the Innate Spell he would receive after his advancement.

Uzumaki Mito's seal still exists in Kushina's Sealing Space, but the restrictions on Kurama are much less than before.

The Kurama greatly increased Kushina's Chakra reserves, which in turn significantly accelerated the progress of Shiraha's experiments.

The golden Chakra refined by the Kurama is of the same "perfect" quality as its own Chakra, but the golden Chakra is gentler, which makes the cultivation process of the "Divine Tree" bloodline much smoother and increases its purity by 5%.

At this moment, Shiraha was conducting further experiments on cell fusion in the laboratory.

Orochimaru suddenly walked into the laboratory with a stern face.

Shiraha stopped his experiment and asked, "What's wrong, Orochimaru-sensei? What happened?"

"Hiruko defected."

Orochimaru said in a deep voice.

"Hiruko?" Shiraha was taken aback when he heard this. This person had a good relationship with the Three Ninja. He was an ordinary Jōnin with no special characteristics. Shiraha didn't have a deep impression of Hiruko. The only thing that made him stand out was that he was tall and handsome.

What did he do?

Shiraha asked, thinking that it couldn't be some political event again; an ordinary Jōnin shouldn't be involved.

Orochimaru: "He's secretly researching Forbidden Technique, attempting to modify his body, and he's even targeting the village's ninjas."

"Body modification?!"

Shiraha's eyes lit up. Another research-oriented ninja?

"He wants to perfectly fuse multiple Kekkei Genkai into his body to change his mediocre talent, but this is simply impossible," Orochimaru said in a deep voice.

Fusion of the Kekkei Genkai is more difficult than successful transplantation of First Hokage Cells.

When multiple bloodlines and cells converge in a ninja's body, it can cause a strong rejection reaction, leading to immediate death.

"Fusing the Kekkei Genkai? Did his experiment succeed?"

Shiraha pressed for details, showing great interest in the matter.

Although with the current level of medical and experimental technology, it is theoretically impossible to successfully fuse multiple Kekkei Genkai, the path he has chosen as a "Spirit Summoning Warlock" involves fusing multiple bloodlines.

However, Shiraha's fusion is based on the "Divine Tree" bloodline, with other bloodlines as secondary, allowing the "Divine Tree" bloodline to absorb other bloodlines and improve its purity and quality.

To fuse Kekkei Genkai, it would probably be necessary to maintain a balance between Kekkei Genkai.

Otherwise, if one bloodline is too strong, the other bloodlines will not be able to keep up, which will inevitably lead to a situation of devouring.

If they become stronger after absorbing each other, that's fine. But more likely, their bloodline power will weaken after they devour each other.

If Shiraha didn't have the Innate Spell "Eye of Truth" and "Super Brain Deduction," the difficulty of cultivating the "Divine Tree" bloodline and the "White Phosphorus Serpent" bloodline would be greatly increased.

"Judging from the samples he left behind, it seems he didn't succeed. However, the experimental data has been destroyed, so I don't know the specifics. The Third Hokage listed him as S-Rank Missing-nin and sent me to pursue him. I'm just letting you know that I might not be back for a while; who knows where he might go?"

Orochimaru's tone was somewhat irritated.

I don't know if it was because he didn't want to hunt down his former friends, or because it delayed his experiment.

"Orochimaru-sensei, how about this, I'll help you complete this task, okay?"

Shiraha spoke up.

He was very interested in this Hiruko. Regardless of whether his experiment was successful or not, the mere fact that he proposed the idea and took action to achieve it made him a genius.

It's worth going to see.

Perhaps we can gain inspiration from the Forbidden Technique developed by Hiruko.

Just then, Shiraha wanted to go to the mountains of the Land of Grass to find medicinal herbs. The White Creature he had captured earlier had almost no body tissue left after years of experiments.

The activity of the newly cultured cells gradually decreases, causing the potency of the "Deep Blue Potion" to decline.

Shiraha hadn't gone back before because he felt the place was eerie.

Now that he himself has reached Kage Level strength, and with Kushina, a wealthy woman who is Kage Level in her normal state and whose strength is unknown when she is overpowered, he can go to the Land of Grass to find out.

"You?" Orochimaru was taken aback upon hearing this, and reminded him, "The fusion experiment is basically impossible. If you're doing this for the sake of it, you're just wasting your time. Of course, if you still insist on pursuing Hiruko, I think the Third Hokage certainly won't object."

"Okay, then I'll go find Kushina now."

Shiraha put down the experimental equipment in his hand.

Orochimaru's lips twitched. Shiraha was actually going to bring Kushina along, clearly determined not to give Hiruko any chance to escape.

If Kushina were to use the Kurama ' power now, she would probably be even stronger than the Third Hokage.

"Shiraha." Just as Shiraha was about to leave the laboratory, Orochimaru called out to him.

"What's wrong?"

"If you encounter Hiruko, I hope you will show mercy."

"I can't guarantee that I'll be able to catch him."

"Um."

The Hokage Office.

"Be careful, and come back soon."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.

"Yes!"

Shiraha and Kushina bowed slightly to the Third Hokage, took the mission orders, and left the Hokage Office.

After the two left, Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Actually, he didn't really want Kushina to go out, especially after discovering that Kushina wasn't as easy to fool as he had imagined.

In addition, his impression of Shiraha had changed from "successor to the Will of Fire" to "a scheming person," and he was a little afraid that Shiraha would lead Kushina astray.

But he simply couldn't refuse.

After finally getting rid of Uzumaki Mito Retired Emperor, the "retired emperor," Kushina learned the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which greatly increased Konoha's strength but also added a lot of uncertainty.

It can be described as a mixed bag of joy and sorrow.

Fortunately, Kushina is not interested in power, Shiraha currently has no intention of vying for power.

Things should get much better once Orochimaru takes over his position.

Unfortunately, Tsunade had a big argument with them recently because of Sakumo's death and has gone away to clear her head. Otherwise, we could have eased the tension with her and then used her to win over Kushina.

Headache!

Using the Third Hokage Kushina's pass, Shiraha led Kushina, Genin, out of Konoha.

The two raced through the forest, Kushina asked, "Shiraha, where are we going?"

"According to Orochimaru-sensei, Hiruko, like him, had previously met the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields through a mission, so he might go to the Land of Rice Fields first."

Perfect timing, you can check how Sora and Naomi are doing lately.

"Afterwards, we'll go to the Land of Grass again; I need to find some things."

Shiraha explained.

"Hmm." Kushina nodded and fell silent.

Seeing that Kushina looked conflicted, Shiraha took the initiative to ask:

"What are you thinking about?"

Kushina: "Shiraha, do you think it won't be difficult to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools now that Kurama is helping us?"

"Theoretically, it's possible. After all, I feel you're even more powerful than the Third Hokage now. But from a practical standpoint, it's not the right time yet." Shiraha Yu's expression was firm. He already had a meticulous plan for helping Kushina rebuild her country.

"Why?"

Instead of answering Kushina's question, Shiraha asked in return, "What do you think is needed to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools, besides strength?"

"Land! And money! But most importantly, we must bring back our people, the former citizens of the Land of Whirlpools," Kushina replied after a moment of contemplation.

Shiraha nodded. "Indeed, you are right, but the most urgent task is to have a stable and safe environment."

"With us protecting our clan, won't we be safe?" Kushina asked. After obtaining the Nine-Tails Chakra, she felt that she could do many things.

"You didn't understand what I meant. Strength is certainly the most important thing, but you need to understand that it's not enough for you to be strong. We don't yet have the ability to fight against the entire Shinobi World, and no one knows if there is anyone in the Shinobi World stronger than you," Shiraha said, shaking his head.

"I just wanted to rebuild the country, how did that make me an enemy of the Shinobi World?" Kushina was a little confused.

"Why do you think the Land of Whirlpools was besieged? One reason is that the Uzumaki Clan is a staunch ally of Konoha. Other countries wanted to deal with Konoha, so they chose to concentrate their forces to wipe out the Uzumaki Clan first."

In addition, the powerful Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan are also the envy of many.

But the fundamental reason is that the existence of the Land of Whirlpools threatened the very foundation of the great powers' rule.

Throughout the Shinobi World, some small countries may not have ninja villages, but they will definitely have daimyo.

Only the Land of Whirlpools has a powerful ninja village, but no daimyo.

The Land of Whirlpools is the only country where the military and government are integrated.

Shiraha explained.

"Military and political integration?" Kushina seemed a little confused.

"Other countries, especially the Great Nations, all have a one-country-one-village system, with military and political affairs separated. The daimyo controls the economic lifeline of the country, while the ninja villages do not engage in production. At most, they are self-sufficient to a certain extent, but overall they rely on the funds allocated by the daimyo to maintain their operation. That is why the ninja villages attach so much importance to mission quotas."

While it may seem that Konoha Konoha nothing for the Land of Fire in the Second Ninja World War, the Land of Fire's international standing and prestige actually increased.

Konoha will gain access to more funds and missions from countries other than the Land of Fire. This will allow our ninjas to receive more training and higher rewards.

As for the defeated nations, the daimyo will definitely cut funding, which will cause the ninja villages to shrink in size in order to reduce expenses.

Generally speaking, the daimyo and the kage of a ninja village are of equal status, but the ninja villages rely heavily on the daimyo to prevent their economies from collapsing.

Shiraha continued.

"And then?" Kushina asked, wondering why Shiraha stopped halfway through his story.

"Are you an idiot? Don't you understand?" The Kurama inside the Sealing Space cursed, "The Uzumaki Clan established itself as Ninja Clan, integrating economy and military, and its strength is among the best in small countries. This is a good example for all the major ninja villages."

But for the daimyo, the Land of Whirlpools was a ticking time bomb. If one day the leader of a ninja village were to try and emulate the Land of Whirlpools, the daimyo would be the first to be eliminated.

"Can't you just talk properly? Why do you have to swear?" Kushina complained. She had never been interested in these convoluted things, and Kurama, Kurama was often easily fooled by Shiraha, and he didn't seem that smart. In Shiraha's words, they were like two peas in a pod.

"I don't want to be friends with an idiot. You embarrass me."

Kurama pouted.

"Hmph!" Kushina angrily blocked out the Kurama.

"You got mocked by the Kurama again, didn't you?" Shiraha asked with a smile, it was obvious at a glance.

Kushina pouted and said reproachfully, "It's all your fault! You had to make the problem so complicated!"

"I want you to think more when you encounter problems in the future."

Shiraha poked Kushina's forehead hard.

Kushina covered her forehead and retorted, "Does every country have to have the same system? Cherry blossoms are beautiful, but chrysanthemums are just as lovely. Why should a great power be so domineering?"

"You approach things with an inclusive mindset, so of course you can't understand the thoughts of those politicians." Shiraha shook his head and said, "Let me give you an example. If the Fire Country Daimyo ordered me to be killed, what would you do?"

Kushina didn't hesitate and said fiercely, "I'll twist his head off and then change his name."

"Impressive!" Shiraha gave Kushina a thumbs up. "This is exactly what the daimyo are worried about! As long as a ninja is strong enough, killing a daimyo is a piece of cake."

Kushina: "But as long as the Daimyo doesn't provoke me, I would never do such a thing."

"Your thinking doesn't mean everyone thinks the same way. If even one person out of a hundred disagrees with you, the Daimyo is in danger. That's because ninjas possess power that ordinary people simply cannot match, and that's the root of the Daimyo's worry."

The current situation is because no single ninja village in the Shinobi World possesses the strength to contend with the entire world; otherwise, overthrowing the one-country-one-village system would have been inevitable. Maintaining a relative balance between nations allows the daimyo to remain powerful and secure.

Therefore, the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools was inevitable!

Shiraha's words silenced Kushina. It seemed that rebuilding the Land of Whirlpools was not just about facing former enemies; it might mean fighting against the entire world.

Given her current strength, she probably wouldn't be able to do it. No matter how confident Kushina, she wouldn't believe she could fight against multiple major powers at the same time.

"Therefore, before establishing a nation, we can first absorb the former Uzumaki clansmen in the form of an organization, and then improve their overall strength and gradually accumulate power."

Those small countries without ninja villages are all forces we can win over. This is called small countries surrounding a large country! We'll fight for independence and equality through armed struggle. When our strength is enough to confront multiple large countries simultaneously, that will be the time for the Land of Whirlpools to be officially rebuilt.

"The more chaotic a major country is, the sooner the opportunity for reconstruction will come," Shiraha explained.

"I understand. I'll listen to you. I'll make you king when the time comes." Kushina nodded. As long as she could protect the Uzumaki Clan first, it didn't matter if the founding of the kingdom was delayed. After all, Shiraha was so smart, and she was very confident.

"Of course you are the king. All I need is to be the king's man."

Shiraha said with a smile.

Kushina punched Shiraha in the chest.

At this moment, the Kurama in the Sealing Space suddenly spoke up to warn:

"Kushina, someone is following you from directly behind, about two thousand meters away. The seal isn't completely broken, so my senses aren't precise enough. Use Mind's Eye of the Kagura to sense it."

"Someone's following me?" Kushina was startled. She stopped and closed her eyes, using Mind's Eye of the Kagura to sense her surroundings.

Soon, a familiar and powerful Chakra appeared within Kushina's perception range.

"What's wrong?"

Shiraha also stopped and asked.

Kushina reopened her eyes and explained, "It's that ninja who attacked us last time, his name is Kakuzu, right? He followed us, probably because of you."

"Kakuzu? It's all about bounties again. Has the Bounty Hunter Ninja become this competitive?" Shiraha was stunned for a moment. If what Kakuzu said before was true, then he should be almost eighty years old. With his strength, he should have accumulated a lot of savings over the years.

This kind of work ethic, working overtime even during the Chinese New Year, is truly terrifying.

What could have happened to a man in his seventies that made him so obsessed with money?

Is he working for someone else?

Even capitalists would recognize this as expertise.

"He's here just in time. It'll be a good opportunity to settle the score with him from last time. You can't try to take it from me." Kushina smiled, rubbing her hands together, looking eager to try.

Her strength had improved rapidly recently, and she didn't dare to use her full strength against Shiraha, so this "sparring partner" came at just the right time.

"Don't worry." Kakuzu arrived yet, but Shiraha was already smiling.

"Should we go find him?" Kushina asked, her body already turning back and heading towards the rear.

Shiraha also chased after them.

Kakuzu seemed surprised that his "prey" would come to him. He was even a little stunned when Shiraha and Kushina appeared in his sight and rushed towards him.

"I didn't expect you to dare come to the Land of Rice Fields. Since that's the case, I'll accept the 40 million ryo head without any hesitation," Kakuzu said in a deep voice.

"I raised the price again?!" Shiraha was stunned. What kind of market price was this? Why was he, an ordinary Medical Ninja, so expensive?

At this moment, Kushina, who was walking Kakuzu, paused and suddenly pointed at herself, asking, "What about me?"

"You?" Kakuzu glanced at Kushina and said indifferently, "You don't seem to be on the list of bounties exceeding 3 million ryo. Judging from your appearance, you're worth at most 1 million ryo, right? I'll just take your head as a bonus."

"Pfft!" An untimely laugh rang out.

Kakuzu and Kushina both looked at Shiraha.

Shiraha waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't laugh unless I really couldn't help it!"

"Damn it!" Kushina was furious and embarrassed. She clenched her fists and slammed them together, unleashing a torrent of violent Chakra from her body. A fiery red aura filled her entire body.

"I'll help you build up your Chakra!" Upon seeing a fight, the Kurama in the Sealing Space excitedly sat up and clasped its hands together.

At this point, the seal on its body was not as strong as before. Only the torso was suppressed by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, and its limbs could move flexibly. This was mainly because Mito had taken precautions.

Kurama can understand this, since Kushina and Shiraha are the only humans who are truly willing to believe in the Tailed Beast.

Kakuzu felt a blur before his eyes as Kushina arrived in front of him with an exaggeratedly explosive speed.

Earth Release · Earth Spear!

Kakuzu swiftly completed Hand Seals, instantly strengthening his body with Earth Release techniques.

Seeing Kushina swinging her fists, ready to fight him head-on, Chakra 'Kakuzu flashed with a hint of mockery. No matter how powerful your chakra is, you have to know how to use it. Blindly charging in like this is not the fighting style of a ninja at all.

Thinking of this, Kakuzu suddenly swung his fist at Kushina. His fist, enhanced by Earth Release, could even deform Orochimaru's Rashomon. How could it be just a mere...

Boom--!

Kakuzu and Kushina's fists collided.

Kakuzu was as if he had been hit by a speeding train, and his body shot out like a cannonball.

A trench over a hundred meters long was plowed into the ground.

He was upside down, with his head facing down and his feet facing up, half of his body buried in the ground, and cracks appeared on his body.

Kakuzu pushed hard with both hands and pulled his head out of the ground, looking utterly disheveled.

"What monster?"

Kakuzu at Kushina, who was enveloped in a red aura, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

He actually broke through the ' Earth Release: Earth Spear ' defense with brute force. If he hadn't mastered the ' Earth Grudge Fear ' secret technique, he might have been killed just now.

This 41 million tael reward is a bit steep.

Boom!

Kakuzu think, Kushina had already charged over.

P. S.: My suggestion is to make this chapter count as an extra chapter. What do you all think?