Almost Exposed Because of Kakuzu

After the turmoil in Tea Country and Konoha came to an end, the ninja world seemed to return to peace.

Uchiha Feng also returned to his daily life of rigorous training, waiting for Uzumaki Ayaka to master the Four Symbols Seal or the Dead Demon Consuming Seal before sealing the Yin Nine-Tails and completing the final link in his path to becoming overpowered.

One day, Feng was sparring with Kuniyoshi as usual to practice his swordsmanship when Sada Hidemasa hurried into the backyard, interrupting their training.

"Lord! Lord!

I've learned something about Takigakure's tailed beast."

"??"

With all his thoughts focused on the Yin Nine-Tails, Feng had completely forgotten that he had previously ordered his subordinates to inquire at the Underground Marketplace about the tailed beasts of Takigakure and Kirigakure.

"Wait! You found information about Takigakure's tailed beast?"

But the moment Sada Hidemasa spoke, Feng instantly remembered and could not help crying out.

"Yes, my lord.

The information came from a very famous bounty hunter at the Underground Marketplace.

They say he is from Takigakure."

After arriving before Feng, Sada Hidemasa spoke respectfully.

Takigakure... a famous bounty hunter...

Kakuzu!

The moment Feng heard that, he almost instinctively knew who it was.

After thinking it over carefully, his eyes immediately lit up.

Nagato was still in Amegakure, pondering how to "resist rice," so Kakuzu most likely had not yet joined Akatsuki.

Given that man's obsessive love of money, if Feng promised him the position of Tea Country's Minister of Finance and revealed a little of his future plans, telling him that he might one day become the finance minister of the entire ninja world—

Feng could not think of any reason Kakuzu would refuse.

"Tell me everything!"

Thinking that he might be able to recruit Kakuzu, Feng stopped training and looked seriously at Sada Hidemasa.

In the Naruto world before Naruto: Shippuden, a Kage-level expert still carried considerable weight.

"Yes, my lord.

The person who accepted our secret commission at the Underground Marketplace to investigate Takigakure's tailed beast was nicknamed the Undying Warrior.

He is actually a rogue ninja from Takigakure and a renowned bounty hunter at the Underground Marketplace.

I had people verify it.

Not only does he have information about Takigakure's tailed beast, he even said that if we could afford the price, he could package up Takigakure's tailed beast and deliver it to our door."

Sada Hidemasa spoke again, explaining solemnly.

"He really said that?" Feng grinned upon hearing this, becoming even more certain.

"My lord, he has a good reputation at the Underground Marketplace and possesses a certain degree of credibility," Sada Hidemasa answered with certainty.

"Heh heh, fine. Arrange someone to negotiate with him. Ask how much it would cost to package Takigakure's tailed beast and deliver it to us.

If we can afford it, agree to his terms."

Feng smiled.

At the same time, he secretly considered:

Takigakure's tailed beast should be Chōmei, the Seven-Tails. It was not weak among the nine tailed beasts, though neither was it particularly strong.

But it had a very distinctive trait: it could fly. It was the only one among the nine tailed beasts capable of that, and flight was an exceptionally useful ability in the ninja world.

If Feng did not possess a flying Susanoo, he might have considered giving up the stronger Yin Nine-Tails and choosing to become the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki instead.

After all, flight meant air superiority, and as a transmigrator, Feng understood all too well just how important air superiority was.

But now, if Kakuzu truly could deliver the Seven-Tails, Feng planned to seal it inside Uzumaki Ayaka.

Then, when Ayaka used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, she could take the Seven-Tails into the Death God's belly with her.

Heh heh, Feng wanted to see how Uchiha Obito and Nagato would activate the Ten-Tails' Demonic Statue of the Outer Path then.

Chōmei, the Seven-Tails, was unlike the other tailed beasts. It had little reputation, and if it disappeared, there would be no replacement to find.

Without Chōmei, the Seven-Tails, Uchiha Obito's Eye of the Moon Plan and Nagato's terrorism would both have to be abandoned halfway through and rethought from scratch.

Although that would disrupt the plot and cost Feng his foreknowledge, it would also give him more time to develop.

Fortunately, he had watched Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. More development time was enough to give him absolute confidence that he could grow strong enough to fear no one.

"Hidemasa, if he really gets the tailed beast, don't let him come to Tea Country. Tell him we will make the exchange in Valley Country.

Also, stop investigating Kirigakure's tailed beast and the Mask Hall in the Land of Whirlpools."

After thinking for a while, Feng spoke again.

He had just realized that Kakuzu was no ordinary person. Letting him come directly to Tea Country would make it too easy for Black Zetsu and White Zetsu to follow the clues back to him. To avoid being exposed, he needed to take precautions.

"Yes, my lord. I'll make the arrangements immediately."

Sada Hidemasa nodded obediently. He was very satisfied with his current status and position, and someone was teaching him how to continuously improve his strength. Naturally, his loyalty to Feng was quite high.

Autumn passed, and winter arrived. The snow in the courtyard had piled up three feet deep.

Feng was still eagerly awaiting the chance to recruit Kakuzu.

Yet he had never considered that nine times out of ten, life did not go as one wished. Reality would not let everything proceed smoothly.

He had wanted to rely on a transmigrator's foreknowledge and stick his hand into every good opportunity.

But he had forgotten that the more he did, the more traces he would leave behind, and the easier it would be to expose himself.

While he was thinking of recruiting Kakuzu, Kakuzu—already "persuaded" by Nagato—was truthfully telling Nagato that someone had been inquiring about tailed beasts at the Underground Marketplace.

Had Feng not been cautious when giving Sada Hidemasa his instructions and chosen not to have Kakuzu deliver the goods directly to Tea Country—

White Zetsu would likely have found him by now, and Obito or Nagato would have seized him for brutal interrogation.

Feng remained unaware of this. Sada Hidemasa was still arranging for people to contact Kakuzu at the Underground Marketplace regarding Takigakure's tailed beast.

If nothing unexpected happened, White Zetsu would soon be able to follow the trail and find Feng.

Then, something unexpected truly did happen. The person Sada Hidemasa had arranged to meet with Kakuzu encountered Sasori of the Red Sands on the road from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Waterfalls, just as Sasori was massacring a city to gather materials.

The result spoke for itself. To Sasori, everyone in the ninja world except his grandmother Chiyo either beat him into submission or was beaten into submission by him and turned into material for human puppets.

The person Sada Hidemasa had sent out was naturally not very strong, and unfortunately became Sasori's material.

By the time Feng learned the news, reports had also spread that Sasori of the Red Sands had massacred a city and disappeared after fighting someone.

Only then did Feng belatedly realize that there had been no news regarding Kakuzu for so long. Perhaps he had already been recruited by Akatsuki. Continuing to involve himself with Kakuzu would be like delivering himself to their doorstep.

Thinking of that, he did not know whether to be happy or upset.

Logically speaking, he should be happy that he had nearly been discovered by Akatsuki while searching for tailed beasts and had narrowly escaped disaster.

But the price had been the deaths of several loyal subordinates, as well as losing the chance to recruit Kakuzu.

But...

Forget it. He should bring his people back first and stop sending them out to investigate anything.

Now that Kakuzu might have been recruited by Akatsuki, and Sasori had disappeared after fighting someone, he had most likely been recruited by Konan just as in the original story.

All of this showed that Nagato had figured out how to "resist rice," and Akatsuki was about to emerge into the open.

Feng did not dare draw attention at such a critical moment. If he accidentally attracted Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, he would no longer be able to lie low.