Kakuzu

The man before Hyuuga Nen wore the forehead protector of a missing-nin from the Waterfall Hidden Village. He was dressed in a black vest, and his exposed forearms and upper arms were marked with what appeared to be black stitches.

He wore a black mask, and his eyes were unlike those of an ordinary person; they were a blood-red color with green pupils. Combined with his attire and appearance, he exuded an aura of intense murderous intent.

Is this man Kakuzu?

Watching the man walk toward him, Hyuuga Nen felt a surge of surprise, though he did not let a single trace of it show on his face.

The man seemed to notice Hyuuga Nen watching him and shifted his gaze toward him.

As the two passed each other, Hyuuga Nen continued toward the exit of the Bounty Exchange. The man, however, stopped and turned his head to watch Hyuuga Nen until he had left the building.

With a "thud," a corpse was tossed onto the table. Seeing this, the person in charge of the Bounty Exchange immediately stepped forward and said, "Mr. Kakuzu, it has been a long time." The manager spoke with the tone of someone making polite small talk.

"Less chatter. Count it quickly and hand over the bounty," Kakuzu said with an impatient tone.

The manager nodded somewhat nervously and immediately began to inspect the corpse.

While checking, the manager thought he heard Kakuzu whisper, "What a fine heart."

"Mr. Kakuzu, what did you say?" The manager looked up, eyeing Kakuzu with a hint of confusion.

"None of your business. Are you done yet? If you are, hand over the bounty immediately!" Kakuzu snapped viciously.

"Right away, right away," the manager said, sounding a bit flustered.

After taking the bounty handed over by the manager, Kakuzu licked his finger and began to count the bills one by one, checking them carefully.

Once he confirmed everything was correct, Kakuzu put the money away and asked the manager, "Who was that man dressed as a samurai earlier?"

"Ah, that was Mr. Shinji. He hasn't been with us for long, but his mission completion rate is quite good."

Although a bit puzzled, the manager still answered Kakuzu's question.

"Give me a copy of his file," Kakuzu demanded in an unquestionable tone.

"Mr. Kakuzu, this... this is against the regulations of our Bounty Exchange, as you well know," the manager stammered.

Kakuzu said nothing, merely staring at the manager with eyes full of murderous intent.

Unable to withstand the pressure Kakuzu exerted, sweat broke out on the manager's face, and he eventually handed the file over to Kakuzu.

After handing the file to Kakuzu, the manager rubbed his hands together uneasily. "Mr. Kakuzu, I hope you won't spread this information around. If you do, I will be punished."

As the manager said this, he seemed to ignore the wandering samurai and bounty hunters watching the scene from within the exchange, attempting a final, futile struggle.

With a "hmph," Kakuzu did not respond to the manager, took the file, and walked toward the exit.

"Shinji, a wandering samurai, has been in the Land of Sea for less than a year," Kakuzu muttered to himself while reading the file as he walked.

"It seems I have found another candidate for a spare heart."

Kakuzu spoke with a tone of satisfaction, then pulled a thick booklet from somewhere on his person.

He opened the booklet and flipped through it carefully. The front of the book contained records of ninjas with bounties at the underground exchange and their respective prices. Some of these bounty notices were marked with large crosses, seemingly indicating the fates of those individuals.

The last few pages of the booklet did not seem to contain bounty notices; instead, each portrait on these final pages had a heart symbol drawn over it.

Kakuzu placed the file at the back of the booklet and examined it closely. After putting the book away, a strange smile appeared on his face.

By this time, Hyuuga Nen had returned to his temporary lodging and confirmed that no one was following him. Once inside his room, he sat down with a furrowed brow.

That man earlier must have been Kakuzu. He looks incredibly strong and carries such an oppressive presence, Hyuuga Nen thought to himself.

He seemed to be watching me the entire time until I left the Bounty Exchange. Why? Could he have seen through my disguise?

But aside from the Byakugan, no one should be able to see through my disguise. That shouldn't be the reason.

After pondering for a while, Hyuuga Nen still could not reach a conclusion.

At this moment, it occurred to him that Kakuzu was not wearing the black cloak with red clouds associated with the Akatsuki. Could it be that Kakuzu hasn't joined the Akatsuki yet? Or did he take the cloak off to remain hidden?

Kakuzu is undoubtedly a powerhouse. If I were to clash with him now, I would be no match for him.

Hyuuga Nen thought it over and decided to leave the Land of Sea to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

With that in mind, he took out a map and began to measure his options.

Looking at the island nations on the map, Hyuuga Nen analyzed, "The Land of Artisans lies to the west of the Land of Sea. It is controlled by Takumi Village. Among the smaller nations, Takumi Village's strength is quite respectable."

However, the country was too small; if an accident occurred, Hyuuga Nen would have nowhere to hide, so he dismissed the idea of going there.

As for the Land of Waves, there was nothing there that could attract his interest.

Finally, Hyuuga Nen cast his gaze toward the Land of Tea, which lay across the sea from the Land of Sea.

"Is the Land of Tea my only option? Although it doesn't have a hidden ninja village, it borders the Land of Fire. For someone like me, that carries a certain level of danger."

Hyuuga Nen sighed internally. "There's no help for it. I have no choice but to go to the Land of Tea."

Having made his decision, Hyuuga Nen acted immediately. He packed his belongings, checked out of his room, and headed straight for the docks of the Land of Sea.

A few days later, at the underground Bounty Exchange in the Land of Sea.

Kakuzu returned to the manager to inquire about Shinji again.

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Kakuzu, but the man you are looking for seems to have already left the Land of Sea," the manager said apologetically.

"He's not in the Land of Sea? Then where did he go?" Kakuzu asked, taken aback.

"I'm not sure. He might have taken a mission in another country. You know how it is—bounty hunters like you sometimes travel to other places to complete their tasks."

Hearing this, Kakuzu nodded. Like me, wandering everywhere for the sake of a bounty? he thought.

Kakuzu pulled out his booklet again, flipped to the last few pages, and silently stared at the targets recorded there.

Forget it. I'm not short on hearts right now anyway. I'll put this matter aside for now. With that thought, Kakuzu turned and left the Bounty Exchange.