Chapter 17: Missing-nin Kakuzu
When Hibari arrived at the Konohagakure gate, Hiruzen seemed to already be waiting there.
Hiruzen, who was chatting with the two guard shinobis at the gate, spotted Hibari as soon as he approached. A smile then spread across his lips.
"Well, well, Hibari, your getup has a touch of Hokage-sama's style from back in the day... It actually looks pretty good," Hiruzen said with a chuckle, looking at Hibari.
"Making Hashirama-jiisan my goal and surpassing him, that's my dream! As for this outfit, as long as it looks cool, that's all that matters," Hibari said, walking over with a grin.
The two guard shinobis also started teasing him after seeing Hibari.
"Hibari-kun, it's not like being in the village when you're out there. Be careful with everything."
"That's right, make sure to learn well from Hiruzen-san. When you come back, we'll buy you a drink... Oh, wait, you're not old enough to drink yet. If Hokage-sama found out, that would be terrible. How about we buy you milk instead, hahahaha."
Hearing these well-intentioned jests, Hibari also chuckled and replied, "Kuno-jisan, Seiki-senpai, I'm holding you to that! With my appetite, you'd better prepare thirty dairy cows, hahahaha."
After a brief chat, Hiruzen checked the time and said, "Alright, no time to lose. We're on a mission and can't waste too much time. You two get the milk ready quickly. When I bring this kid Hibari back, he'll drink a month's worth of your wages."
Everyone laughed. Hibari and Hiruzen bid farewell to the two guard shinobis and stepped out of the Konohagakure gate.
Watching Hibari's retreating figure, Kuno and Seiki both smiled.
"Truly worthy of being Hokage-sama's and Tobirama-dono's grandson. So young, yet his conduct and manners are impeccable. Is this the result of a prominent clan's upbringing, the Senju clan?" Kuno said with a smile.
"Hmph, that depends on the person. Young Master Hibari is excellent, he hasn't shamed the Senju clan. But look at the character of those Uchiha clan members? They look down on everyone! They're on par with the Senju clan, so why is the gap so huge?" Seiki seemed to recall some unpleasant memories and snorted.
"Indeed. Each and every one of them acts like they're some 'genius,' thinking no one is worthy of speaking to them. Isn't Young Master Hibari also a genius? Why isn't he so arrogant?" Kuno nodded in agreement with Seiki's words.
"I think Hokage-sama and Tobirama-dono definitely won't let them continue running rampant like this. Just you wait, even though they contributed to the village's establishment, this village isn't exclusively theirs, the Uchiha's!" Seiki stated with conviction.
Hibari didn't hear their conversation. If he had, he would have understood that the Uchiha clan in the Konohagakure seemed to be heading down a path of becoming 'unpopular.'
However, he assumed that Tobirama, being such a capable person, wouldn't let them go unchecked.
...
The country where the Takigakure was located bordered the Land of Fire, where the Konohagakure resided.
However, compared to a major power like the Land of Fire, their country was quite small. Yet, due to its advantageous geographical location and a clever national policy that generally avoided disputes with other nations, coupled with the Takigakure's not-so-weak ninja forces, no one bothered to invade them.
At this moment, deep within a dense forest, a shinobi wearing a Takigakure missing-nin forehead protector and with most of his face covered by a mask, walked through the lush woods.
This was Kakuzu, the missing-nin from the Takigakure who would later join the Akatsuki and form the 'Immortal Duo' with Hidan of the Jashin cult.
He stopped upon seeing a crimson rock, and his slightly hoarse voice emanated from beneath his mask.
"Hmph, just a transaction, yet they hide their faces. What are they afraid of?" Kakuzu snorted.
As soon as he spoke, there was some movement in the forest, and then four shinobis abruptly appeared in the dense woods, forming a square formation, tightly surrounding Kakuzu.
Kakuzu, however, remained unperturbed by this display, still standing still.
He first surveyed the four shinobis, noticing they wore no distinguishing marks or forehead protectors that would reveal their identities.
"Though I released the information on the black market, I didn't expect that the individuals it attracted wouldn't even dare to reveal their identities," Kakuzu said softly.
"This matter is too significant. The deeper meaning behind it, a mere Takigakure... No, a mere missing-nin like you isn't qualified to know. Our identities are naturally..." a leading shinobi began to respond.
However, before he could finish, Kakuzu casually cut him off.
"Alright, I don't want to hear those pointless words. I'm not interested in guessing your identities. I'll ask only one question: Do you have enough money?" Kakuzu said with a hint of disdain in his voice.
The leading shinobi, whose words were interrupted, frowned slightly. However, he didn't act on impulse. Instead, he subtly nodded to the subordinate opposite him.
Seeing this, the subordinate quickly took out a small scroll from his lower back, then half-knelt on the ground and performed a release seal, undoing the scroll's sealing.
A puff of smoke drifted away, revealing three stacks of gleaming gold bars on the scroll. By their weight, it was a substantial amount.
"The amount of money you requested was too large, so we converted it to gold. Are you satisfied?" the leading shinobi asked, looking at Kakuzu.
Kakuzu carefully inspected the gold bars, then said, "As long as the quantity is sufficient, I'd accept it even if you changed it to copper coins..."
As soon as he spoke, Kakuzu reached out to take the gold bars, but before he could even bend down, the leading shinobi spoke.
"Hold on. We've shown our sincerity. Shouldn't you tell us the information now?" the shinobi said, his gaze fixed on Kakuzu.
It seemed that if Kakuzu did anything suspicious, they would immediately turn hostile and engage in battle there.
Kakuzu's movements froze. The atmosphere instantly grew tense, and everyone held their breath, seemingly waiting for something...
A gust of mountain wind blew through the trees, causing Kakuzu's mask to flutter slightly.
At this point, Kakuzu finally spoke, "Not far from the border of the Land of Fire, in the Land of Waterfalls, there's a rarely visited valley. It has no formal name, but the people living nearby call it 'Mushiking Valley.' According to my information, the Seven-Tails, Chomei, should currently be hidden within that 'Mushiking Valley.' If you inquire there, you should be able to find the location..."
As soon as Kakuzu finished speaking, the shinobi who had produced the gold bars immediately questioned him, "You're speaking without proof. How can we confirm the truthfulness of your words? If you're deceiving us, how can we find you again?"
Kakuzu raised his head and looked at the shinobi, then said, "First, I obtained this information recently when I was still serving in the Takigakure, from the Konohagakure shinobi, Sasuke Sarutobi, who was cooperating with the Takigakure Village. My name might not be well-known, but you should know what the name Sasuke Sarutobi means, shouldn't you? That's the credibility."
Sasuke Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi's father, as previously mentioned, was a formidable asset to the Konohagakure, a close friend of First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Tobirama, and their highly trusted aide.
Sasuke's name was renowned throughout the ninja world. Later, Mikoto Uchiha even named her son 'Sasuke Uchiha' in the hopes that he would become a great shinobi like him. This demonstrates how prominent Sasuke's name was in this era.
"Sasuke Sarutobi? Konohagakure is involved in this matter? You didn't mention that before!" The leading shinobi's expression changed, and he spoke with a very unfriendly tone.
However, Kakuzu's masked face curved into a smile. He said, "Firstly, whether Konohagakure is involved or not is not within the scope of the information we traded. I am only selling information about the Seven-Tails, Chomei. What I just gave you could be considered a bonus..."
At this point, he paused. The next second, dense black threads suddenly erupted from his body, instantly binding the shinobi who had just been responsible for taking out the gold, who stood before him.
His actions instantly heightened the tension in the atmosphere. The other three also drew their weapons and took defensive stances.
Only then did Kakuzu continue in his slightly hoarse voice, "Secondly, I am not obligated to help you confirm the authenticity of this information. Remember this: when I take the money, do not stop me... Otherwise, I will get very angry, and when I get angry, people might die..."
As soon as he spoke, the black threads that had been wrapped around the ninja instantly retracted back into Kakuzu's clothes. Kakuzu then reached down and resealed all the gold bars into the scroll, putting it away.
The four surrounding shinobis no longer dared to stop his actions. Seeing this, Kakuzu's mood improved slightly. He then said, "Since you're still sensible, I'll give you one more piece of information. Unless something unexpected happens, Sasuke Sarutobi will definitely report the news about Chomei and my defection to Konohagakure. Konohagakure will also undoubtedly take action. So, if you want to do something... do it quickly. I hope you succeed. That way, perhaps we can continue to cooperate in the future..."
After speaking, Kakuzu calmly walked out from between the two ninjas who had been encircling him from the front.
It wasn't until Kakuzu's figure disappeared that the leading shinobi spoke, "Damn it, this matter involves Konohagakure now, it's no longer just a small Takigakure affair..."
"Captain, what about our mission..."
"A mission is a mission. Try your best to handle things before Konohagakure gets too involved. If it really comes to that... you should understand. We're all missing-nin with no identity now!" The captain's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he said in a deep voice.
After speaking, he looked in the direction Kakuzu had just left, his mind pondering something unknown...