Naruto: Born Gifted in Konoha

Under the watchful eyes of several ninjas at Konoha's gates, Saitama easily completed the registration process before leaving.

Naturally, everything in that registration was fake. Even Saitama's appearance and chakra fluctuations had been copied from a victim.

Standing at the gates with Konoha behind him, Saitama let out a slight smirk.

"I look forward to our next meeting!"

He strolled away, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding forest.

As he walked, his appearance began changing gradually until he quickly reverted to his original form—though no one noticed.

...

No one truly knew who controlled the underground Golden Exchange—it remained a mystery to all. After all, such a gray organization covering the entire Shinobi World and surviving untouched for many years could not have been built by ordinary means.

In Saitama's memories, there were many speculations about the Golden Exchange. Many believed only the Black Zetsu, who had been working behind the scenes and plotting for centuries, possessed the ability to cultivate such a well-established organization.

However, Saitama didn't care about any of that. All he wanted was to track down Kakuzu—either defeat him, or die trying.

Of course, at his current strength, getting killed wasn't an option anymore, so only one choice remained: defeat Kakuzu and bring him into the organization!

Although the main body of White Zetsu hadn't come along, he had assigned a clone to assist Saitama with intelligence support.

While Saitama wandered aimlessly around Konoha Village, the White Zetsu Clone searched throughout the Land of Fire using the physical characteristics of Kakuzu that Saitama had provided.

You've gotta be kidding me—he actually found him! And the suspected location of Kakuzu wasn't far from where Saitama stood.

Once the clone reported all the information it had gathered to Saitama, Saitama immediately set off on his way.

...

[Boom!] With just one punch, a black hardened fist smashed into a Mist ninja wearing a rogue-nin head protector, sending him flying through the air as his body spun several hundred degrees before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Kakuzu stared coldly at the target he had knocked away, his glowing green eyes betraying nothing. His face remained emotionless beneath the mask.

This rogue ninja had once assassinated a minister of the Land of Water, slaughtering the minister's entire family merely because the man had failed to show him the respect due to a Jonin.

Unsurprisingly, the Daimyo of the Land of Water was furious and issued a bounty worth ten million ryō for his capture.

However, this ninja excelled in the Mist's Assassination Technique and was extremely cunning—making it impossible for anyone to complete the mission so far.

But today, he met Kakuzu, and things became simple.

[Pu!] The rogue spat out a mouthful of blood. Kakuzu's punch had crushed his chest completely inward.

"Who exactly are you?" he struggled to stand up, his gaze filled with icy hostility.

This man—who attacked without warning the moment they met—was clearly far stronger than the rogue could handle.

Kakuzu cast a quiet glance at his enemy but said nothing, continuing to walk toward him calmly.

To Kakuzu, this rogue was just a walking bounty—not worth wasting words on.

Swish! Taking a couple normal steps forward, Kakuzu suddenly accelerated and vanished from the rogue's sight, leaving behind a shallow crater where he had stepped.

"Damn it!"

The rogue ninja's face paled. One hand clutched his chest while the other drew out an unusually long kunai—a specialized weapon for assassinations.

At the same time, he twisted his body, trying to locate Kakuzu.

Bang! His pupils constricted. A massive fist rapidly expanded in his field of vision.

In that instant, he spotted Kakuzu's movement, but unfortunately, his body couldn't react fast enough to dodge.

'It's over!' That thought flashed through his mind just before the fist slammed heavily into his throat.

Hiss! If speed is sufficient, inertia keeps the target in place.

That was exactly what happened here. Kakuzu's speed and strength were extreme. As a result, when Kakuzu struck, instead of being sent flying,

he remained rooted to the spot as Kakuzu's fist pierced straight through his throat and exited from the back of his neck.

The scene became instantly gruesome, yet Kakuzu seemed unfazed, showing no sign of surprise.

With the rogue ninja's eyes wide in shock, Kakuzu slowly withdrew his bloodied hand. Blood streamed down his arm, spraying steadily onto the ground.

"What a waste. But ten million ryo—that's about the level I expected!"

Kakuzu flung his hand, splattering droplets of blood across the ground, while the enemy toppled straight down.

Even so, ninjas possess strong vitality. Despite having his throat obliterated by Kakuzu's punch, the rogue wasn't dead yet.

His eyes bulged wide, wanting to speak but unable—only broken wheezing emerged, like the rattling spin of a damaged windmill.

Standing silently in place, emerald-green eyes calmly observed his opponent's final breaths. Kakuzu felt absolutely nothing—even close to smiling. After all, another payout had arrived.

Bang! Kakuzu stamped his foot with a dull thud, launching the corpse airborne.

He gave it a kick, sending the body soaring forward. Then, with a single sweep of his arm, he hoisted the corpse over his shoulder.

"I think there's a Golden Exchange not far ahead. I'll head there."

Muttering to himself, blood dripped steadily from his shoulders to the earth.

With every step he took, crimson streaks marked the ground beneath him, leaving behind a sinister and macabre trail.

Suddenly, Kakuzu halted mid-step. Glancing sideways into the nearby forest,

on the thickest branch stood a tall figure clad in black robes, standing upright, almost yawning out of boredom.

Internally startled, Kakuzu realized this enemy hadn't just arrived—he'd been here all along. And Kakuzu only noticed now; such carelessness was a grave mistake among ninjas!

Swoosh! He bent his knee and dashed backward, increasing the distance between them.

"Who are you?" Kakuzu's emerald gaze locked onto Saitama, tension creeping into his voice.

He hadn't felt this nervous in quite some time. And Saitama radiated a subtle pressure constantly bearing down on him.

"Kakuzu?" Dressed entirely in white, Saitama had already identified him as one half of the infamous 'Immortal Duo,' yet he asked again.

Kakuzu shuddered once more. Very few people knew his name—practically no one currently alive could pronounce it correctly.

But the guy in front of him, who not only looked very young but even somewhat immature in facial features, actually knew his real name.

Boom! Kakuzu's foot stomped down, creating a shockwave that left a crater on the ground. The corpse of the rogue ninja from earlier was already tossed aside.

Whoosh! Kakuzu vanished in a blur—he had launched the first attack. He wanted to test this mysterious young ninja who had suddenly appeared.

Boom! His fist slammed onto the branch where Saitama stood, snapping the entire tree in half. The force of the punch even left an impact crater on the ground.

"He's pretty fast!" Kakuzu felt a twinge of tension. That last punch hadn't hit the enemy at all.

Crack! Saitama appeared behind Kakuzu, twisting midair as he delivered a single powerful kick toward him, tearing through the air with an ear-splitting sound.

"Nice!" Kakuzu seemed prepared—he spun around and threw a punch in one smooth motion!

Boom! Saitama's leg met Kakuzu's fist head-on. Shockwaves exploded outward from the point of contact, blowing surrounding trees into disarray.

"So you really are Kakuzu, huh?" Saitama smirked slightly, almost looking pleased.

Kakuzu's punches were no ordinary strikes—they could shatter the [Sealing Wall] of the Fire Temple with a single blow.

Kakuzu himself was also somewhat surprised. Any ninja able to match him in strength couldn't possibly be just an average ninja.

Heki's eyes narrowed slightly. Kakuzu withdrew his fist and leapt backward.

He decided to use ninjutsu against Saitama. Although this was only their first meeting, Kakuzu preferred cutting threats off before they grew. Even though Saitama hadn't truly communicated or interacted with him yet, he saw it as dangerous not to act.

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