I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 39: A-Rank Ninja Combat Mission: [Rogue Ninja Kakuzu]!

Nara Shikano raised his right hand, and the Konoha ninja team came to an immediate halt.

"From the Village Hidden by a Waterfall..." Nara Shikano's gaze focused on the man's forehead. An iron forehead protector was engraved with a simple waterfall pattern, with a horizontal line crossing through the center, splitting the waterfall symbol. Its appearance was clearly different from a normal ninja's forehead protector. "A rogue ninja?"

Sitting on the deer cart, Nara Keisuke stared at the newcomer in astonishment. Compared to the old clan head, who lacked sufficient intelligence, Keisuke recognized the man's identity at a glance. A future member of the Akatsuki, one of the immortal duo—Kakuzu!

Why is this old man wandering around the main roads of the Land of Fire instead of being busy making money? Could it be that he also wants to try his hand at robbing caravans? Or is it because Konoha has been cracking down on bounty hunters like crazy for the past two days, which has provoked retaliation from the Bounty Station?

Nara Keisuke's brow furrowed slightly. There was too little information; he couldn't deduce the reason for Kakuzu's appearance here. But even so, his mind was already racing, preemptively formulating a battle plan to deal with him.

"A leaf-shaped symbol with a spiral mark in the center... Konoha ninja?" Kakuzu's hands hung at his sides, his green eyes gazing at Nara Keisuke's group from a distance, his posture calm and composed. "Seeing your forehead protectors can't help but remind me of the first Konoha ninja I ever fought... the First Hokage!"

"Don't be ridiculous, you green-eyed rogue ninja!" The young and spirited Sarutobi Asuma sneered. The beating he took yesterday seemed to have taught him no profound lesson. He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and, with quick, small steps, charged towards Kakuzu. "You think you're worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Lord First? Putting on a mysterious act, you're not even as good as my old man!"

Seeing Asuma act so impulsively, Nara Shikano's brow furrowed even deeper, but he didn't immediately try to stop him. What Kakuzu had just said was too shocking. A man who had once fought the First Hokage... Was this rogue ninja from Takigakure just bluffing, or had he really lived that long?

Since Asuma had already made his move, Shikano decided to use this opportunity to probe the opponent's strength. But first, he had to give Asuma some insurance...

With a thought, and without any hand signs, an extremely thin shadow tendril shot out, catching up to Asuma's steps and quietly connecting to his shadow.

"Your old man?" Kakuzu's brow furrowed slightly. He looked at the charging Asuma and shook his head with a hint of pity. "Do kids this age only know how to show off their parents?"

It happened in a flash. Just as Kakuzu's voice fell, his figure suddenly dropped low. He was in a half-squat on the ground, and he simply shot his right foot out in a horizontal kick. Although it was just a simple low side kick, the skill and speed Kakuzu displayed were such that Asuma couldn't react at all.

From the rear, Nara Shikano's pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly pulled on his shadow.

Bang!

Kakuzu's horizontal kick landed heavily on Asuma's chest, the impact producing a short, sharp sound. But before Kakuzu's power could be fully unleashed, Nara Shikano had already used the effect of the [Shadow Gathering Jutsu], and a materialized shadow tendril pulled Asuma back from in front of Kakuzu.

"Cough, cough!"

Back in the middle of the group, a red-faced Asuma clutched his chest, letting out a series of sharp coughs as a line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Hm? What was that jutsu just now? A ninja tool? A wire? Or something else?" Kakuzu retracted his right foot and slowly straightened up, looking at the Konoha ninja. "Kid, a word of advice. Don't act so recklessly in front of a strange ninja again. Otherwise, you won't have such a good teammate to save your life next time."

'The strength and speed he just displayed are on par with even the elite among Jonin... plus the enormous amount of chakra Inoichi just mentioned... Could it be that this rogue ninja from Takigakure is really as strong as he claims?'

A stream of thoughts flashed through Nara Shikano's mind, but not a hint of it showed on his face. "Rogue ninja of Takigakure, why are you blocking our path?"

Konoha was the number one ninja village in the world. That statement was indeed true. But Konoha wasn't the legendary "international police," meddling in everything. Generally speaking, Konoha ninja would not proactively help other countries or villages capture their rogue ninja. For example, Oyakata En, whom they had encountered earlier. If it weren't for their accidental meeting, the Konoha ninja couldn't be bothered with such rogue ninja.

Of course, there was another possibility: the rogue ninja had committed some crime within the Land of Fire and was wanted by the country's officials or by Konoha itself. In that case, Konoha ninja would specifically hunt them down.

"Let me state this first: I'm a bounty hunter now. I don't have a good impression of Konoha, but I don't have any ill will either," Kakuzu said, shrugging his shoulders frankly. "I was originally hunting a rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water, but I haven't had any substantial gains along the way. But I happened to run into you Konoha ninja... I'd like to ask, have you captured any rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water recently? Specifically, a ninja from the Chinoike clan."

A bounty hunter chasing Oyakata En?

Nara Shikano instantly grasped the situation. He wanted to say more, but just then, Yamanaka Inoichi's voice suddenly sounded in his mind. 'Uncle Shikano, if the other party is really a bounty hunter, then given his status as a rogue ninja from Takigakure, he is most likely the infamous Kakuzu from the black market.' Even during their mental communication, Inoichi's words were fast and urgent. 'According to the intelligence gathered by the Analysis Team, Kakuzu is one of the strongest bounty hunters under the Bounty Station, and his speed and efficiency in completing missions far exceed other bounty hunters.'

After receiving Inoichi's intelligence, Nara Shikano turned back to Kakuzu and said, "That is a Konoha Village secret. No comment."

Kakuzu was silent for a moment, then sighed. "You guys from the ninja villages are really stubborn..." If it weren't for a special reason, Kakuzu didn't want to provoke Konoha's ninja either. With that time, he might as well do a few more bounty missions and earn more money. Fighting between ninja was meaningless. In this world, only money was the one truly reliable "companion."

What's more, even the most experienced ninja couldn't guarantee that they would never be injured in battle. Getting injured would make one weaker, which would increase the risk to one's survival, and could even lead directly to death.

If it's not necessary, never fight. Even if you fight, never be careless. This was the cautious wisdom Kakuzu had gained from his nearly seventy years as a ninja.

"Hm, wait a minute, I feel like I've seen your face somewhere before..." Kakuzu's gaze suddenly fixed on Akimichi Chōza, sweeping over the brown armor he wore, which was engraved with the character for "Food" (食). He hadn't intended to fight the Konoha ninja just now, so he naturally hadn't paid close attention to their personnel. But Chōza's physique was simply too conspicuous. No matter how much he ignored it, Kakuzu had still noticed his presence.

"It seems to be the Boar of Konoha's new generation of Ino-Shika-Chō..."

Swish!

Nara Shikano suddenly threw a kunai towards Kakuzu. The heavy kunai cut through the air and embedded itself directly in the ground in front of him. "We are indeed Konoha's Ino-Shika-Chō combination," Shikano said coldly. "Since you know our situation, leave at once!"

Through the brief exchange just now, and the intelligence from Inoichi, Nara Shikano judged that Kakuzu was most likely a powerful ninja at the elite Jonin level. The off-generation Ino-Shika-Chō team was not incapable of dealing with an opponent of this level. The problem was the presence of young ninja like Nara Keisuke and Yūhi Kurenai. Shikano couldn't guarantee that he could completely protect the safety of the several Chunin during a battle. Plus, he hadn't heard much of Kakuzu's reputation... It was better to avoid this unexpected encounter for now.

Of course, if the other party were to make a move...

"Since it's the Ino-Shika-Chō team, then I can't let this opportunity pass so easily!" Kakuzu's tone suddenly rose in intensity, like a fisherman who had unexpectedly spotted a big fish. "Missing out on the Chinoike clan's fortune can be compensated for with the heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō. That's not bad at all—"

"Now! Chōza!" Nara Shikano cut off Kakuzu's words with a roar. "Inoichi, take Keisuke and the others back!"

The old clan head's voice had barely finished when, with a "boom," Akimichi Chōza's body suddenly expanded. He grew proportionally larger, becoming a magnificent giant that transcended reality. The giant leaped high into the air, wrapped his arms around his knees, and curled up like a hedgehog. At the same time, his hair grew long and hard, covering his entire body.

"The Akimichi clan... it's the Butterfly!!"

Akimichi Chōza began to roll and spin at high speed in mid-air, descending with the force of Mount Tai, crushing down towards Kakuzu. "Spiked Human Bullet Tank!"

The moment Nara Shikano had spoken, Kakuzu had realized that something special might be happening and had wanted to flicker away to dodge. But just then, the kunai that had been stuck in the ground in front of him suddenly erupted with Yin Release chakra. The pre-prepared [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu] directly pinned Kakuzu in place, making him unable to move for a moment.

Kakuzu struggled to raise his head. The Akimichi Chōza-model Spiked Human Bullet Tank was already pressing down on him from above.

BOOM!!!

[A-rank Ninja Combat Mission Detected!]

[A-rank Mission: Rogue Ninja Kakuzu]

[Mission Content: Defeat/Kill Takigakure Rogue Ninja Kakuzu]

[Mission Reward: A-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]

[Mission Tip: The A-rank combat mission for this target can be completed once per season.]

(Author's Note:)

Old Man Kakuzu did indeed fight the Great Pillar (Hashirama). But it was definitely not the "one shuriken from eight hundred meters away" that is widely rumored online. According to the data in the "Sha no Sho" (Book of People), Old Man Kakuzu was defeated by the Great Pillar's Wood Release. Hmm... although that sounds even more like a joke...

(End of Chapter)

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