Hokage: Immortal, I Open Unlimited Eight Gates

But this was merely Chiba's assumption. Whether his thoughts were accurate remained to be confirmed.

"Can you let me go now?" Kakuzu asked cautiously, watching Chiba lost in thought.

Hearing this, Chiba waved his hand dismissively. "Go on."

Seeing that Chiba truly had no intention of killing him, Kakuzu slowly backed away, taking cautious steps toward the town while keeping his eyes on his opponent.

Chiba paid no mind to Kakuzu's wary retreat, but as his gaze fell upon the severed arm lying on the beach, he suddenly called out, "Wait."

Kakuzu immediately turned, tensing as if ready to react at a moment's notice.

Seeing this, Chiba smirked and pointed toward the severed limb. "Aren't you going to take your arm?"

Kakuzu exhaled sharply, relieved that Chiba wasn't planning to ambush him. Then, with an indifferent shrug, he replied, "No. It has your space-time Ninjutsu mark on it. Why would I keep it?"

Though losing an arm would significantly weaken him, with his Earth Grudge Fear technique, he could always take another from some unfortunate soul.

Hearing this, Chiba briefly considered marking Kakuzu again with the Flying Thunder God seal. However, after weighing the pros and cons, he abandoned the idea. While the seal couldn't be removed through normal means, Kakuzu's ability to replace body parts made it an unreliable strategy.

"Then go," Uchiha Chiba said, before adding with a smirk, "Oh, and by the way, I'm the Konoha agent sent to investigate the Milk Clan's business. Keep that in mind."

"I understand. I'll leave the Land of Hot Water immediately," Kakuzu replied. Then, after a pause, he asked, "What's your name?"

Kakuzu was genuinely curious about this Uchiha who had managed to defeat him. Despite his extensive experience, he had never heard of such a powerful individual from the Uchiha clan.

"Chiba," he answered simply.

"I'll remember that. My name is Kakuzu. I owe you my life today. If you ever need help, you can find me at the underground gold exchange."

With that, Kakuzu wasted no time. In just a few flickers, he vanished into the darkness.

...

By the time Uchiha Chiba returned to town, the sun had already set.

Back at the inn, he found that Orochimaru had returned as well, and Nawaki had regained his usual form after an afternoon of rest.

"Chiba-kun, did you learn anything?" Orochimaru asked. Given how late Chiba had returned, he figured the mission had yielded some results.

Hearing this, Chiba shrugged. "We can head back. The matter is resolved."

"Huh? Resolved?" Nawaki asked in disbelief.

"Of course. You think I'm lying?"

Orochimaru, intrigued, leaned forward. "Oh? Chiba-kun, care to share the details?"

Unlike Chiba, he had spent the afternoon investigating the town but had found nothing.

Seeing Orochimaru's curiosity, Chiba didn't hold back and recounted his encounter with Kakuzu.

When he mentioned that Kakuzu had supposedly fought Senju Hashirama, Nawaki swallowed hard, looking at Uchiha Chiba in shock. "Chiba, was that guy really that strong?"

Though Nawaki had never seen his grandfather in action, being a member of the Senju clan, he had grown up hearing of Hashirama's legendary prowess. Aside from Uchiha Madara, this was the first time he had heard of someone surviving a battle with his grandfather.

"It's not that impressive," Uchiha Chiba scoffed. "He probably just threw a shuriken at First Hokage from 800 meters away and called it a fight. After all, if he couldn't even handle me, how could he possibly be a match for the First Hokage?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "So, is this Kakuzu fellow dead?"

Chiba smirked. "Dead."

Technically, he wasn't lying—he had killed Kakuzu once.

But he had spared him for a reason.

Kakuzu was now on Chiba's mental list of "financial reserves." Although he didn't currently have an urgent need for money, he knew that might change in the future. And given that Kakuzu was the wealthiest bounty hunter in the ninja world, he was the perfect "bank" to tap into when the time came.

If Chiba ever needed funds, he could always "borrow" some from Kakuzu. Whether he repaid the debt or not would depend entirely on his mood.

And he wasn't worried about being exposed. After all, he was the only one who had encountered Kakuzu. Even if someone recognized him later, he could always claim that Earth Grudge Fear had saved him.

"So, we're heading back to Konoha tomorrow?" Nawaki asked Orochimaru.

Orochimaru hadn't expected the mission to be completed so quickly, but he nodded. "Yes. We just need to inform the Nara clan representative in the Land of Hot Water before we leave."

"Great! Now that Chiba's back, let's get some food," Orochimaru suggested.

"Finally! I can eat properly again. I was starving!" Nawaki cheered.

During their voyage, he had suffered from severe seasickness, barely managing to eat enough to stay alive. Anything he ate would come right back up.

Chiba chuckled and nodded. He was hungry too.

...

That night, Orochimaru lay in bed, unable to sleep.

His mind kept drifting to Chiba's strength.

Though he had never met Kakuzu, he assumed the man was at least an Elite Jōnin. Yet, after fighting him, Uchiha Chiba had returned without a single scratch.

It puzzled him.

He briefly considered the possibility that Chiba had exaggerated his victory. However, recalling the young Uchiha's prideful nature, he quickly dismissed the thought.

After hours of contemplation with no clear answer, Orochimaru gave up and decided to stop thinking about it.

...

The next morning, after having breakfast, Orochimaru led Chiba and Nawaki to the Nara clan's shop in the Land of Hot Water.

The Nara representative welcomed them warmly. Upon hearing that the issue had been resolved, he happily signed the mission report.

However, when he learned that the mastermind behind the attacks was the Fenglan clan of Kumogakure, his expression darkened. Without hesitation, he wrote a letter requesting Orochimaru to deliver it to the Nara clan head in Konoha.

...

Three days later.

The trio finally set foot on the Land of Fire once more.

Seeing Nawaki's exhausted state, Orochimaru suggested they rest before returning to Konoha. However, Nawaki, eager to reach home, declined the offer.

And so, they set off for Konoha immediately.