Konoha Ninja Shop System

Kakuzu led Jiraiya through the winding, rain-soaked streets of the Rain Shinobi Village. Narrow alleys twisted and turned like veins through the city, making it difficult for anyone unfamiliar with the area to navigate. Finally, they arrived in front of a heavy iron door, dull and grimy, tucked away in a secluded corner.

"Mr. Jiraiya, this is Orochimaru's laboratory. He's inside right now," Kakuzu said, nodding toward the door.

Kakuzu's tone was casual but respectful, tinged with a hint of sarcasm. In today's ninja world, the powerful and wealthy ruled everything — and those without resources could only survive by bending to their will.

Kakuzu had experienced this bitter truth firsthand. Before joining Akatsuki, Konan had promised him a hefty 100 million taels to join their cause. But even after more than ten days inside the organization, not a single coin had reached him.

Still, Kakuzu's mind was clear and practical. If he could serve Jiraiya well, then when the great ninja faced difficult challenges in the future, Jiraiya would surely turn to him first for help.

And when Jiraiya asked for help, the rewards would undoubtedly be generous.

With this thought in mind, Kakuzu's lips curled into a small smile. He imagined the day when he would collect all the nanorobots scattered throughout the ninja world—tiny mechanical wonders that would envelop his entire body, boosting his power beyond imagination.

---

"Orochimaru, that guy... he's hiding here," Jiraiya murmured with a sigh, eyes narrowed.

No wonder Jiraiya had searched high and low across the entire ninja world and failed to find any trace of Orochimaru.

It made sense now. Orochimaru was hiding in a secret place like this.

"If Orochimaru had been hiding out here, it's no surprise I couldn't track him down," Jiraiya admitted.

Kakuzu nodded. "Orochimaru said a few days ago he was going into seclusion. He hasn't come out in days."

"Seclusion?" Jiraiya asked, arching a brow. "Is he doing human experiments again?"

Jiraiya knew Orochimaru had a long history of forbidden body experiments. At first, Orochimaru had used spies from other villages as test subjects. Though cruel, Jiraiya had understood his friend's scientific curiosity.

But later, Orochimaru's experiments took a darker turn—he started abducting people from his own village for his cruel trials.

By the time Jiraiya found out, Orochimaru had already vanished overnight.

---

"I don't know the details," Kakuzu said, shaking his head. "He said he's working on a way to draw energy into his body, so he retreated to work in secret."

"Drawing energy into the body?" Jiraiya frowned in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

Was Orochimaru researching something strange again?

Kakuzu recalled what Orochimaru had once told him. "He said he's cultivating immortality. If he reaches the highest level, he believes he can ascend to heaven and live forever — coexisting with the heavens, shining alongside the sun and moon."

Jiraiya couldn't help but scoff. "Seriously? That sounds like nonsense."

Kakuzu gave a wry smile. "Yeah, I thought so too. But… whether it's true or not, I don't know."

In truth, Kakuzu secretly believed Orochimaru.

Why?

Because the martial arts manual Orochimaru used came from their mysterious boss — the same boss who had provided Kakuzu with powerful nanorobots.

These nanorobots had already increased Kakuzu's strength by several levels, though they were only a fragment of the complete set.

If he managed to collect all the nanorobots, Kakuzu knew he'd become unstoppable.

At that point, he could confidently walk through the ninja world with his head held high.

---

Not only did their boss's products possess terrifying power, but the boss himself was also an incredibly formidable presence.

Kakuzu remembered vividly the time the boss slapped him against a wall with a single casual strike — a blow that nearly ended his life.

If Kakuzu hadn't been blessed with five lives, his grave would've surely been dug long ago.

Although, to be honest, Kakuzu wasn't even sure if the boss would bother making him a grave.

The memory sent a chill down his spine every time he thought of it — a deep, bone-deep fear that no amount of bravado could erase.

---

Snapping out of his reverie, Kakuzu turned back to Jiraiya and said calmly, "Mr. Jiraiya, Orochimaru is inside. You should go in and speak with him."

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Kakuzu."

Kakuzu bowed slightly and produced a golden business card from his pocket.

"No trouble at all! Mr. Jiraiya, please accept this."

He handed the card over with a flourish. "Our Akatsuki organization is a newly established mercenary group in the ninja world. Every member is incredibly powerful—each one possessing Kage-level strength."

He paused to let the words sink in.

"If you ever face difficult problems in the future, come to us. As long as you pay the right price, we'll do everything in our power to help."

---

Jiraiya's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the Akatsuki to be so well-organized and powerful.

If such a group went out on a mission together, they would be a terrifying force.

Even elite Jōnin teams would think twice before engaging them — many would probably flee rather than risk battle.

Jiraiya understood now why Orochimaru wanted to join Akatsuki.

Who could resist the temptation of such power? The only potential drawback might be the pay.

With a solemn expression, Jiraiya carefully tucked the Akatsuki's business card into his arms.

His intuition told him that he might really need this organization's help one day.

---

Seeing Jiraiya accept the card, Kakuzu smiled with satisfaction.

"I'll leave you now. I don't want to disturb your reunion with Orochimaru."

With that, Kakuzu whistled lightly and turned away, heading back toward the Akatsuki's hidden base.

Despite the gloomy, rainy weather, Kakuzu felt elated.

He had just made a profit of 3.6 million taels — a significant step toward one of his small but important goals.

---

"I'm beginning to realize none of the leaders are good people," Kakuzu muttered to himself.

"They only make empty promises. I still don't know when I'll get my 100 million joining fee from Konan…"

What Kakuzu didn't know was that Nagato and Konan had no intention of ever paying that fee.

Words alone weren't enough — there was no evidence or contract to prove Konan's promise.

Without proof, Kakuzu would likely never see that 100 million taels, not in this life or the next.

---

His lack of education had been his downfall.

If they had signed a formal agreement from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

A few years later, Akatsuki would see the rise of labor contracts — and it was Kakuzu himself who promoted this change, born from the painful lesson he'd suffered.

Perhaps Kakuzu never expected that the bitter experiences of his past would one day drive progress and benefit the entire Akatsuki organization — protecting future members from the same fate.

---

After Kakuzu left, Jiraiya faced the iron door once again.

His heart pounded with excitement and nerves.

Behind this door was Orochimaru — his best friend and the reason he'd traveled so far.

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya knocked firmly on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Orochimaru, I know you're in there. Open up!"

Silence.

Several minutes passed, but there was no response.

Jiraiya knocked again.

"Can I just come in?"

Still nothing.

He chuckled softly to himself.

"Hehe, if you don't answer, I'll take that as consent. I'm coming in~"

With that, Jiraiya pushed open the iron door, stepping inside to face whatever awaited him.

pàtreøn (Gk31)