Not Getting Along, But Kakuzu Can't Kill His New Partner!

Kakuzu had expected Xuan Yu to complain about him taking on too many missions, or perhaps to negotiate for a lighter workload.

But he never would have guessed in a million years that even after taking every single bounty mission from three different Bounty Exchange offices, Xuan Yu would still find the amount lacking.

This left Kakuzu speechless, and he decided that once he finished picking up the last few missions, he would drag Xuan Yu along to grind through them at a frantic pace.

He wanted to show Xuan Yu through the missions themselves just how "few" they really were.

Kakuzu stopped talking about the missions, and Xuan Yu didn't dwell on the workload either.

While his real body headed to the next Bounty Exchange with Kakuzu, his Chakra Clones, scattered elsewhere, had already begun clearing D-rank and C-rank missions.

Once all four of his attribute points exceeded 20,000 and he learned a few more powerful ninjutsu, his Chakra Clones might even be able to solo B-rank missions with ease.

The process of picking up the remaining missions went off without a hitch.

When Kakuzi stepped in, one was worth two.

Xuan Yu truly believed that Kakuzu held some sway in every black market across the Ninja World.

After bringing Xuan Yu to three black market Bounty Exchange offices to collect missions in one go, Kakuzu began executing them alongside him.

He flipped through the mission scrolls in his hand and said to Xuan Yu, "We start with the valuable ones. These targets are worth over ten million ryo and are in the immediate vicinity; they are the priority."

Xuan Yu shook his head. "That's too inefficient! Even though we picked up missions from three offices, we're only dealing with small fry. Unless we run into a bounty target that one of us can't handle alone, we should split up and split the earnings fifty-fifty at the end."

"I've already organized the mission scrolls. This batch is yours, and this batch is mine."

As he spoke, Xuan Yu handed a stack of mission scrolls to Kakuzu.

Kakuzu took the scrolls and scanned them quickly.

He realized there was a significant difference between the missions he was to perform and those Xuan Yu had chosen.

Xuan Yu's missions ranged from D-rank to S-rank, while his own were strictly A-rank and B-rank.

However, once both of them completed all their tasks, the total commission earned would be roughly 75 million ryo.

After a moment of contemplation, Kakuzu nodded. "Once all missions are complete, we'll meet at the previous inn."

He didn't know why Xuan Yu wanted to divide the missions this way, but it was undoubtedly beneficial for him.

The toughest nuts to crack—the S-rank missions—were all his responsibility.

Meanwhile, the D-rank and C-rank grunt work that he found utterly uninteresting would be handled by Xuan Yu.

With the tasks assigned, Kakuzu didn't waste any time and headed straight toward the location of one of his bounty targets.

As he left, a Ninja Cat followed him from the woods, keeping a safe distance.

Once Kakuzu was gone, Xuan Yu didn't delay either and began grinding missions with a satisfied smile.

Watching the direction Kakuzu had departed, Xuan Yu chuckled to himself, "Kakuzi is still too young! With my Chakra Clones doing the labor and the Ninja Cat clan providing intelligence support, isn't clearing these missions a walk in the park?"

"Once I finish the missions on my end, I can help Kakuzi turn in his bounties at the Empty District Bounty Exchange. Even though it adds the extra step of transporting the targets to the Empty District, it effectively makes Kakuzi work for me."

While Xuan Yu and Kakuzu were frantically grinding missions, the upper echelons of the Akatsuki were also keeping a close eye on them.

At the top of the high tower in Amegakure, Heavenly Path Pain stood silently, gazing into the distance.

Konan stood not far behind him, her beautiful face as cold as frost, as if she were incapable of ever showing a smile.

After a long while, Heavenly Path said casually, "It seems Kakuzu and the new recruit are getting along well. So much time has passed, and there hasn't been any report of the new recruit dying in an accident."

"I just don't know if Kakuzu is actually getting along with Xuan Yu, or if their missions have simply been so smooth that no casualties have occurred."

Unlike Heavenly Path, Konan had a different perspective.

The cold beauty watched the rain falling before her and said calmly, "Perhaps it is that Kakuzu is unable to cause his new partner any misfortune."

While other members of the Akatsuki might not be entirely certain of the truth behind Kakuzu killing his teammates, Konan and Nagato—who stood behind Heavenly Path—undoubtedly possessed some accurate information.

However, because Kakuzu was a repeat offender who rarely left evidence of his treachery, and because he contributed significantly to the Akatsuki's growth without causing any unbearable negative impact, Heavenly Path and Konan generally didn't pry too deeply into his actions as long as he didn't go too far.

Heavenly Path didn't dwell on Konan's bluntness, moving on to another topic instead.

"That new recruit named Xuan Yu is indeed quite special."

Konan asked calmly, "Special in what way?"

Currently, she rated Xuan Yu as being slightly above the passing mark, but she hadn't yet discovered anything particularly special about him.

If Kakuzu hadn't successfully invited Xuan Yu to join the Akatsuki, Xuan Yu, who had repeatedly disrupted Kakuzu's missions, might even have been considered an enemy of the organization.

Heavenly Path answered her question quickly.

"I had people conduct a comprehensive investigation into Xuan Yu these past few days. The information he gave us is basically accurate. In the eighteen years he lived in the Leaf Village, he was nothing more than an expendable Uchiha civilian."

"But the reality is that, aside from not displaying the Uchiha Clan's unique bloodline limit, he is a genius in every other aspect. Orochimaru is also very interested in him and has contacted him privately recently."

The Akatsuki's intelligence-gathering capabilities were formidable.

Although Heavenly Path didn't know what kind of deal Orochimaru and Xuan Yu had made, he was aware that the two had been in contact.

After a moment of thought, Konan asked another question: "Could he be a mole planted by the Leaf Village to infiltrate the Akatsuki?"

Heavenly Path shook his head. "The possibility is very slim. Given the situation in the Leaf Village, it is difficult for them to trust an Uchiha to that extent. If our intelligence is correct, the powder keg that is the Leaf Village is about to explode."

Konan said with a hint of surprise this time, "Has it already reached this point?"

She certainly understood what Heavenly Path meant by a powder keg.

The grievances and entanglements between the various clans of the Leaf Village and the Uchiha Clan were hardly top-secret information.

As long as one had access to intelligence channels and kept a close watch on the Leaf Village, it was easy to see that the Uchiha Clan and the village's other clans and leadership were steadily entering a state of high pressure and extreme danger.

This conflict would arrive sooner or later; it was just that no one knew when it would occur or to what extent it would erupt.