The gold bar was cool and heavy in his hand.
Kakuzu's usually placid green eyes were fixed on the quality of the gold.
The Earth Grudge Fear tendrils writhing restlessly inside him froze as if under a spell, then obediently withdrew beneath his skin.
All five of his hearts skipped a beat at the same time—a rare occurrence.
"Pure gold, 99 percent purity."
Kakuzu expertly bit down on the bar, leaving a clear tooth mark.
He looked up at the Uchiha youth in black standing before him, the one who had kicked down the Black Market Exchange's door.
The murderous rage he'd felt at being interrupted had already vanished with the weight of the gold bar.
"Come work for Iwagakure as finance minister, or die. Pick one."
Uchiha Yoru withdrew his foot and slipped both hands into his pockets. His tone was as casual as if he were buying cabbage at the market.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes and warily sized Yoru up.
He'd lived for nearly a century and even fought Hashirama Senju, the First. He was an excellent judge of character.
The kid's presence was unfathomable. If they fought, Kakuzu would probably die here.
"Finance minister? What can Iwagakure offer me?"
Kakuzu tucked the gold bar into his robes with practiced ease, making no attempt to return it.
"If you're offering the kind of stingy base salary the Akatsuki Organization does, I'd rather fight to the death."
"Your horizons are a little narrow, aren't they?"
Yoru scoffed and rested a hand on Kakuzu's shoulder.
"Let me show you what real capital management looks like."
Space warped violently.
Kamui, mastered to its highest level, activated. The two vanished from the dim Black Market Exchange in an instant.
The top floor of the Tsuchikage Building in Iwagakure, inside the most