"What... what is this?"
Kakuzu used the last of his strength to focus his gaze on the golden parchment scroll that had landed on the tip of his nose. This sacred object didn't look like something a ninja would do; it looked more like a legendary demon's pact to seduce souls.
"It's just an employment contract."
Gen'yō's majestic yet calm voice resonated clearly through the Kamui Dimension and reached Kakuzu's ears.
" Hidan, that muscle-bound madman, is just a pollutant. But you're different, Kakuzu. You may be a greedy, profit-driven scoundrel, but you've lived for nearly a century, accumulating incredibly rich experience in the underworld, and more importantly..."
Gen'yō's voice carried an undisguised hint of admiration.
"You possess an extraordinary intuition for money, making you a natural-born money-making machine. Killing you would be a terrible waste. Although my Uchiha Divine Kingdom is full of martial virtue, it is currently in a period of rapid expansion and urgently needs a 'financial manager' who can oversee everything, is ruthless, and meticulous in budgeting."
Chief Financial Officer?
Kakuzu was stunned. This man had gone to great lengths to beat him half to death and even strip him of his heart, all to recruit him to settle scores, a rank-one missing-nin who was a notorious murderer and Five Great Nations in the black market and a headache for the five great nations?!
"Do I have a choice?" Kakuzu a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows. He was at the mercy of others, like a fish on a chopping board. He couldn't even move a finger, and the five hearts hanging in mid-air were still in their hands.
Of course.
Gen'yō's answer surprised Kakuzu, but his next words plunged Kakuzu into an icy abyss.
"You can choose to refuse. In that case, this scroll will turn into a ball of flame. Orochimaru's laboratory is in dire need of a bio-battery with tenacious life force. I can assure you, he will use the most advanced life-sustaining equipment to ensure your Earth Grudge Fear never dies, and then he will slice your body, draw blood, and extract Chakra every day until the end of time."
Bio-batteries? Immortality? Blood samples?!
Kakuzu hearing those words conjured up an image in Kakuzu's mind: the pale-skinned, serpentine, cold-blooded man's smile. Orochimaru's name was a name that even brats in the black market would have nightmares about!
Compared to falling into the hands of that freakish scientist, being a bookkeeper is like heaven!
"I'll sign... I'll sign..."
A powerful will to survive instantly overcame all dignity. Kakuzu struggled to move his chin, his eyes filled with tears of humiliation.
He had dominated the Shinobi World for nearly a century, and even Hashirama Senju couldn't subdue him, yet today he was about to sign a contract of servitude.
"The choice of smart people."
Buzz!
The five hearts that had been stripped away in mid-air, including the water-attribute heart that represented the origin, transformed into a stream of light and shot back into Kakuzu's body!
"Cough!"
His heart returned to its normal position, and a massive amount of Chakra instantly filled his limbs and bones. Kakuzu sat up abruptly, breathing in large gulps of fresh air. He felt as if he had just escaped the brink of hell.
"I've already used the system... cough, the power of Kamui might to inscribe a soul imprint on the scroll. I've dripped your blood and pressed my handprint on it. From this day forward, you are a member of the Uchiha Divine Kingdom. If you dare to harbor even the slightest thought of betrayal, even if you run to the ends of the earth, this contract will instantly crush your soul."
Gen'yō gave Kakuzu absolutely no chance to breathe.
Kakuzu stared at the golden contract, gritted his teeth, and bit his fingertip, dripping a drop of blood onto it before pressing down his bloody handprint.
Swish!
The moment the contract was established, the scroll transformed into a golden stream of light, directly entering Kakuzu's brow and forming a faint Uchiha Gunbai mark.
At this moment, Kakuzu clearly felt that his life and death were completely out of his control.
"Very good. Kakuzu, welcome to the Divine Kingdom."
As Gen'yō finished speaking, the remaining four hearts in mid-air returned to Kakuzu's body. The black lines of the Earth Grudge Fear stitched up the wound again. This cash cow of the Akatsuki had officially changed bosses.
"Well then, my esteemed steward, I have an urgent task for you."
Gen'yō's voice instantly shifted from the imposing authority of a superior to the calculating scheme of a businessman.
"Since Konoha dares to offer a bounty of 10 billion yen and the entire village's wealth, then I'll accept it without hesitation. Go to the black market, mobilize all your connections and channels, and use every pretext to take this bounty and cash it out. I want Konoha to not only face the ravages of war in the next month, but also experience the complete collapse of its financial system!"
Using Konoha's money to attack Konoha?!
Kakuzu hearing this plan, Kakuzu's eyes, which had previously held a hint of humiliation, instantly lit up. His inherently greedy nature was completely ignited by this insane plan!
"Hehehe... If it's this kind of job, I'd be more than happy to oblige. When it comes to money laundering and extortion, no one in the Shinobi World is better than me!" Kakuzu stood up, dusted himself off, and his smile turned sinister and greedy.
"Then go and do it. You'll get a 1% commission after it's done."
"Thank you, my lord!"
After dealing with this minor incident, Gen'yō cut off the spatial projection.
Above Konoha.
Inside the golden Susanoo, which stands a thousand meters tall, Gen'yō slowly opened his eyes, his gaze refocusing on the battlefield below.
Dealing with the Immortal Duo would only take a few minutes in real life. But in a battle of this level, a few minutes is enough to bring about a dramatic change!
Just as Gen'yō looked down...
boom!
The entire Land of Fire let out a mournful cry of unbearable suffering!
Below, the colossal Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands was already shattered. And Madara Uchiha, standing atop the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, was now emitting a chilling, maniacal laugh.
The enormous, withered Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was transforming into streams of incredibly powerful Ten-Tails Chakra, continuously pouring into Madara's Impure World Reincarnation body!
His armor shattered, his skin turned an eerie pale white, and six black Truth-Seeking Orb slowly formed on his back. A terrifying pressure, far exceeding what had just occurred and even faintly touching the Six Paths thresholds, swept across the entire area like a tsunami!
"Hahahaha! Uchiha Gen'yō! You're too arrogant! You actually dared to be distracted during the battle!"
Madara, who had transformed into the rudimentary form of the Six Paths, suddenly raised his head, his Rinnegan flashing with a fanatical fighting spirit.
"Now, it's time to change the way we play this game!"