Kakuzu: That'll Cost Extra!

The moon sank, and crows cried.

The meeting, pleasant for both host and guest, lasted three days. They had got along well and discussed everything they needed to. Kagami Uchiha then took his leave of the Daimyo and set out for Konoha.

Early that morning, outside the Daimyo's palace, the two men bid each other a reluctant farewell.

The Daimyo gripped Kagami Uchiha's hand, his reluctance plain on his face as he spoke earnestly:

"Brother Kagami, must you leave so soon? I truly hate to see you go."

Kagami Uchiha replied with a gentle smile. "The village has just survived a great war, and there is much to rebuild. To live up to Your Highness's faith in me, I must restore its strength as quickly as possible so I can help shoulder your burdens."

"In that case, I won't insist you stay. But don't forget to visit me in the Capital when you have time. I'll be waiting to welcome you!"

Inside a public restroom in the Land of Fire.

The restroom hid a secret. Behind an inconspicuous stall door lay an entrance to a Bounty Station connected to the underworld.

Murder, robbery, kidnapping, smuggling, covert plots to destabilize nations—every transaction that could not bear the light of day converged here. For the right price, there was no job this place would refuse.

Just then, a tall figure emerged from the shadows.

A black mask concealed most of his face. A slash ran across his Takigakure Forehead Protector, and his dark green eyes were cold as ice. It was Kakuzu.

Ignoring the looks cast his way, he walked straight to the counter and dropped a cloth bundle onto it with a heavy thud.

"Tsuchiishi, the Iwagakure rogue ninja. His head's in there. One million ryō." Kakuzu's cold voice carried across the counter.

The clerk opened the bundle to inspect it, checked the bounty notice, then counted out the money and handed it to Kakuzu.

Kakuzu counted it with care. After checking the last stack of bills, he nodded in satisfaction, put the money in his case, and turned to leave.

He was particular about money. Every time he collected a reward, he counted it bill by bill. It was not that he distrusted the Bounty Station; he simply enjoyed the feeling. Through all his long years, only money had ever made him feel secure and content.

"Mr. Kakuzu, a moment, please."

Kakuzu stopped and turned toward the clerk behind the counter.

"A major client has requested you by name for a job. The pay is substantial. Would you be interested?"

"Requested me by name? What's the price? You know I don't come cheap."

"Fifty million ryō!"

"What? Fifty million? What's the job?" Kakuzu caught his breath. He was plainly interested.

"Kill someone!"

"Who?"

The clerk handed him a bounty notice.

"Kagami Uchiha?" Kakuzu was surprised.

"That's right." The clerk nodded solemnly.

"He's Konoha's newly appointed Hokage. They say he personally killed Ginkaku, one of Kumogakure's veteran fighters. His ninjutsu is formidable, and he's awakened the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyō Sharingan. He won't be easy..."

"Are you refusing the job?"

"No. I'm saying it'll cost extra!"

"The client is willing to raise the price within reason. The target is no nobody, after all. Name your price."

"Sixty million ryō." Kakuzu steeled himself and named a high price.

"Deal!" the clerk said with a faint smile.

Damn it. I should've asked for more, Kakuzu cursed inwardly.

But he had already said it. There was no changing the price now.

"Fine. I'll take the job!"

"Excellent. From now until six months have passed, you needn't bring us his head. Once news of the target's death becomes public, you may collect your payment. The client has their own means of verifying the report."

Kakuzu nodded, then turned and left.

Konoha, huh? Since Hashirama Senju, no one there has been worthy of a fight with me. Hashirama and I respected each other as warriors, though neither of us managed to kill the other. But...

In truth, he had once been ordered to assassinate Hashirama Senju. The moment he saw Hashirama, he knew the man was no ordinary human. Kakuzu threw a Shuriken from a safe distance, then turned and ran...

Still, a man had to make his own reputation. Thanks to that exploit, Kakuzu could charge more for jobs than anyone else.

Kagami Uchiha: Third Hokage of Konoha. Specializes in Fire Release. Suspected to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan. Killed Kumogakure's Ginkaku single-handedly. Extremely dangerous.

Target's current location: the Land of Fire Capital.

Kakuzu studied the bounty notice as he walked, deep in thought.

He had tried to assassinate Hashirama Senju. Madara Uchiha had simply run too fast for him. Now there was Kagami Uchiha. He would take the man's head, claim the money, and show the Shinobi World what a true number-one assassin looked like!

His mind made up, he headed straight for the Land of Fire Capital.

Night had fallen completely, blanketing the Land of Fire's mountain forests.

The group had traveled all day. A late-autumn chill rode the evening breeze through the trees. All was quiet save for the soft rustle of leaves.

Hayama Shirakumo hurried to Kagami Uchiha's side and asked quietly, "Lord Hokage, it's getting late, and we've been traveling all day. Shall we stop here to rest?"

Kagami Uchiha swept his gaze over the still forest and gave a slight nod. "Yes. We'll rest here for a while."

The others found a level clearing and gathered dead branches for a campfire. Flickering orange light drove back the night's chill and illuminated their figures.

The Shadow Guard relaxed their vigilance a little and took the chance to catch their breath.

Then, just as the fire danced and calm settled over the clearing—

Whoosh!

A sharp whistle tore through the silent night!

Several black Shuriken shot from deep within the dark forest, cutting through the air at tremendous speed straight toward Kagami Uchiha beside the campfire!

"Enemy attack!" Genichi Senju shouted. He darted in front of Kagami Uchiha.

His hands flashed through Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A thick earthen wall rose before them.

Hmph! Hidden in the shadows, Kakuzu scowled.

So Kagami Uchiha travels with the Shadow Guard. What a bother.

Hashirama Senju never needed anyone to protect him when he went out.

Bah. Young people these days... Back then, all I gave Hashirama Senju was one Shuriken.

Bang! An explosion cracked through the air.

Uchiha Tsukiyama's hands raced through Hand Seals. He drew a breath, opened his mouth, and hurled out a blazing red fireball.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The dense, rounded fireball roared toward Kakuzu, carrying a wave of searing heat.

They've found me. Fine, I'll break through head-on. Once I kill them all, I'll still be the number-one assassin!

Kakuzu stepped confidently out of the shadows to face the oncoming jutsu, his hands forming seals without pause.

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

He spat out a tightly compressed mass of wind. It struck the fireball and burst apart, a violent blast of air sweeping everything around it.

At the sight of him, Kagami Uchiha understood. So it's Kakuzu.

He raised a hand to stop the others from attacking and called out, "Kakuzu, why are you attacking us?"

"I seem to recall you learned what Konoha ninja can do a long time ago!"

"And you still came here looking for death?"

Kakuzu's face darkened. "Hmph. Brat, do you think you're Hashirama Senju?" he rasped.

"I've merely come to borrow your head."

"Hmph! You half-human monster! How dare you attack the Uchiha Clan's Hokage?" Uchiha Tsukiyama shouted.

"Coward, hiding in the shadows!"

"Something's wrong with him. Why does he have so many hearts? What kind of monster is he?" Shizuya Hyuga frowned as he quietly activated his Byakugan and warned the others.

"Why waste your breath on him? Protect Lord Hokage. I'll handle this!" Hayama Shirakumo said impatiently, turning to the others.

Lord Hokage is the sun that shines on every commoner in Konoha. Where did this old ghoul come from? I won't let him run wild!

"Vacuum Sword!" Hayama Shirakumo gripped his sword in reverse and snapped his wrist, sending several sharp wind blades straight at Kakuzu's face.

Kakuzu showed no trace of panic as the blades closed in.

The muscles in his arms tightened. Earth Release Chakra spread over his limbs and torso, and his skin instantly hardened into a jet-black shell.

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

The wind blades struck his hardened arm, throwing off a shrill shower of sparks but failing to break through.

Kakuzu sneered. "Is that all you've got?"

Thud!

Uchiha Tsukiyama's figure streaked through the moonlight, a dark blur.

"What?!"

Kakuzu had no time to think as the sudden slash came at him.

Black tendrils burst from his body. Countless dark threads gathered before his chest to form a shield.

Boom!

Kakuzu flew backward like a cannonball.

Before he could land, Uchiha Tsukiyama was already upon him. Kakuzu swung his Earth Spear-hardened fist at him...

Whoosh—

Uchiha Tsukiyama's eyes flared crimson, three Tomoe slowly turning in each pupil.

Not good. Kakuzu knew better than to meet an Uchiha's gaze. A single instant was enough to fall under a genjutsu.

Just then—

"Konoha-Style Swordsmanship!" A sword rang out behind Kakuzu.

With a wet thrust, Hayama Shirakumo drove his short sword through Kakuzu's heart from behind.

"Hmph. You came to attack Lord Hokage with skills like that?" Hayama said with a sneer.

"Watch out, Hayama!"

The sudden shout shattered the forest's silence.

Kakuzu, whom they had thought defeated, let out a hoarse, eerie laugh.

His pierced heart stopped beating, but another heart inside him took over. Countless black Earth Grudge Fear threads surged through the wound and wrapped around the blade lodged in his body.

"Naive brats..."

The black threads tore through his robe. With a cold shout, he released four masks from his back, leaving them floating in midair.

But after they landed, the one bearing a water marking quietly crumbled.

Then—

Fire flashed from the fire mask. "Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"

A vast sheet of flame surged toward the group.

Genichi Senju immediately stepped forward, his hands racing through seals.

"Tiger—Snake... Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

Chakra surged in his throat. He spat out a torrent that rushed along the ground, then reared up into a thick wall of water before the others.

Boom!

The raging flames slammed into the water wall. Steam billowed up at once, and white mist rolled in every direction amid a constant hiss.

The wall shuddered violently beneath the fire's assault, water spraying everywhere, but it held back the onrushing sea of flames.

After casting Water Formation Wall, Genichi Senju stood where he was, chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.

Then a calm voice rang out.

"Stand back!"

Kagami Uchiha walked out from behind the others and took his place at the very front.

Hum—

Crimson light erupted in his eyes.

The Tomoe of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly. An instant later, the pattern transformed, and his Mangekyō Sharingan stood fully revealed beneath the night sky.

Its eerie red spread outward in deep, intricate patterns. An invisible pressure swept through the forest like a tide.

Across from him, Kakuzu's pupils contracted. A chill he had not felt in years crept into his heart.

"Kakuzu, would you like to dance too?"

Kagami Uchiha folded his arms, his gaze icy and his expression cold.

As he spoke, pale-purple bones emerged from the air around him. Arm bones and half a rib cage took shape, piece by piece.

They rapidly grew into a towering giant of Chakra. Thick Chakra muscle covered its bones, giving it a massive, imposing frame.

Susanoo stood in the night like a mountain, its overwhelming pressure bearing down on them all.

What the hell is that thing?

Is that a power any normal ninja should have?

Hashirama Senju was barely human, and it looks like Kagami Uchiha doesn't qualify as one either.

"So this is Lord Hokage's power?"

Hayama Shirakumo stared up at the towering Susanoo, murmuring to himself.

"Kagami... So it really is the Mangekyō Sharingan. Lord Madara's power!"

"This is the Uchiha's supreme power. But what about us Senju and our Wood Release..."