That Asshole Kakuzu

"Ding! Quest issued: Head to the Akatsuki base in Amegakure. Reward: one draw."

Chen Xiaoxi had really wanted to fight Itachi Uchiha and see just how strong the legendary Itachi from the original story was.

But the system's quest had come out of nowhere, and it put that idea out of his mind. After all, he had already joined Akatsuki. There was no need to rush.

"Then let's get going too, Chen Xiaoxi."

Konan seemed relieved as she spoke. Then the two continued onward, heading for Amegakure.

The Land of Rain, Amegakure.

Amegakure was a ninja village in the Land of Rain.

It had been founded by the legendary shinobi known as the "Demigod," Hanzo of the Salamander.

Because of its geography, Amegakure was caught in an endless rainy season, with rainwater flowing into the inland lake surrounding the village.

The village lay at the border where the three great nations—the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth—met.

As a result, whenever these three nations went to war, the Land of Rain was almost inevitably caught in the crossfire, sometimes swallowed up by it entirely.

And during the Second Shinobi World War,

the ruler of the time, Hanzo of the Salamander, had even launched a war against the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Iron in an attempt to expand the Land of Rain.

Although he had won his battles personally, at the national level, the war had been a complete defeat.

From then on, this land had become a place steeped in death and resentment.

By now, Hanzo of the Salamander had also been killed by the mysterious Masked Man and Uzumaki Nagato, and Amegakure had become Akatsuki's main base.

At that moment, inside a dark cave,

the sound of dripping water echoed without end, and damp air filled the space.

"Well, well... Looks like Konan's back, Pain."

A man who looked like a black-and-white pitcher plant spoke in a strange voice to the orange-haired man before him.

"Two completely different chakra signatures."

At that, the orange-haired man raised his eyes slightly and looked toward the cave entrance. In a detached voice, he said,

"Looks like Konan managed to bring back that Sasori of the Red Sands after all..."

When the mysterious Masked Man had assigned the missions, Konan had been given only one target. So naturally, Pain had already reached his own conclusion.

Just then, footsteps drew closer and closer to the entrance.

At last,

a woman wearing Akatsuki's Red Cloud Black Robe and a black-haired boy dressed all in black appeared together.

They were, of course, Konan and Chen Xiaoxi, who had come all the way from the Land of Wind.

"Oh? Konan, is this really Sasori of the Red Sands?"

"He's surprisingly young!"

Seeing the two of them appear, the pitcher-plant man beside them let out a curious cry of surprise.

Deva Path Pain, standing nearby, furrowed his brow slightly.

This guy was Sasori of the Red Sands?

What was going on?

Didn't the intel say Sasori was a red-haired man?

Was there somewhere in the Ninja World where people could dye their hair?

"What happened, Konan?"

After a moment's thought, he looked at her and asked in a cold voice.

"Are you sure... this guy is the genuine, genius Puppeteer Sasori of the Red Sand?"

There was a note of doubt in Pain's voice.

At that,

"No, Pain."

"On the contrary, I can say for certain that he isn't Sasori of the Red Sands."

Konan stopped and shook her head slightly, speaking calmly.

"Hm?"

Pain gave a surprised sound.

Oh? She'd brought the wrong person on purpose?

Beside him, Zetsu let out an exaggerated gasp of shock.

There was no doubt that Konan's answer had left both of them completely puzzled.

If she knew he wasn't Sasori of the Red Sands, why had she brought him to Akatsuki's headquarters?

The mysterious Masked Man's orders had explicitly specified Sasori of the Red Sands as the target...

"I brought him back"

"because... I saw him kill Sasori of the Red Sands with my own eyes."

"?"

At her words, Deva Path Pain and Zetsu both changed expressions.

"When I found Sasori of the Red Sands, I happened to see Chen Xiaoxi fighting him."

"It happened so suddenly that I hadn't even figured out what was going on before I saw Sasori of the Red Sands and his Kazekage Puppet pierced by the short blade at Qingyu's waist."

Anyone capable of killing Sasori of the Red Sands had the strength to join Akatsuki."

Konan lowered her eyes slightly and spoke calmly. This time, she explained everything in much greater detail than she had when speaking to Itachi Uchiha.

After listening, Deva Path Pain and Zetsu both turned their gazes to Chen Xiaoxi and the short blade hanging at his waist.

With a blade that small,

how had he managed to kill Sasori, a Puppeteer...?

Could it be some kind of special ninja tool?

If he really had the power to wield such a weapon, then he did have the strength to join Akatsuki...

"Hey, hey..."

"You were supposed to recruit new members, and you found some frail little kid like this?"

Suddenly, another unfamiliar voice rang out inside the cave, interrupting their thoughts.

As the words fell,

a man in a loose Red Cloud Black Robe and a black mask appeared behind Pain.

His eyes were a strange shade of green.

When Konan saw him, her eyes narrowed slightly. From his appearance alone, she could tell he seemed to be the other person the Masked Man had asked Pain to recruit—

the rogue ninja from Takigakure, the immortal Kakuzu.

At that moment, Kakuzu seemed somewhat impatient.

He strolled over to Chen Xiaoxi.

Then he looked down at him from above.

Standing in front of Kakuzu's burly frame, Chen Xiaoxi naturally looked quite slender.

"You must be Kakuzu, the immortal shinobi and Worker of Akatsuki?"

"Pleased to meet you."

There was no way Chen Xiaoxi wouldn't recognize that familiar face.

"Tch, you little brat..."

"That faint chakra of yours makes me seriously doubt whether you're strong enough to fight alongside me."

"You're so weak... it makes me want to crush you right now."

Hearing this, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke.

The atmosphere in the cave instantly grew tense.

Chen Xiaoxi, however, remained just as calm as before. He smiled at Kakuzu, entirely unruffled.

Having watched Naruto, Chen Xiaoxi knew Kakuzu all too well. Kakuzu was an asshole who liked killing his teammates. Apart from Hidan, the fanatical cultist who had managed to survive thanks to his immortality, nearly everyone else who had partnered with him had been taken out by Kakuzu. None of them had come to a good end.

And now, it seemed he was about to attack Chen Xiaoxi, too...