Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

In this world, it was considered a form of etiquette for tenants to visit their landlords upon moving in. Most people renting a place would come to greet the landlord, and over time, this custom had become widely accepted. However, this habit often left Kakuzu overwhelmed. With dozens, sometimes hundreds, of tenants under his roof, it became a chore he could hardly keep up with. Besides, Kakuzu wasn't one to fuss over formalities.

Given that everyone had just moved to Konohagakure, they undoubtedly had plenty of tasks to handle. Kakuzu's policy was simple: as long as they paid their rent on time, there was no need for unnecessary pleasantries. A simple greeting in passing would suffice. But today, things were a bit different.

"Kakuzu-san, they insisted on meeting you," reported Maruboshi Kosuke.

"They?" Kakuzu paused, raising an eyebrow as he turned to Kosuke. So, it wasn't just one person.

Moments later, Kakuzu opened the door to his living room, where three young men were already seated around the central table. Upon seeing him, they immediately stood and greeted him with warm smiles, introduced by Kosuke one after another.

The trio looked strikingly distinctive. One was slim with pineapple-shaped hair, another was stocky with spiky red hair, and the last had medium build and long golden hair.

"Ino–Shika–Chō?" Kakuzu muttered instinctively. Their features and presence stirred an old memory.

The three chuckled upon hearing the nickname. The young man with the pineapple-shaped hair stepped forward courteously.

"We're honored that our reputation has reached you, Kakuzu-san. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yamanaka Shikame, and these are Akimichi Chotaro and Nara Shoroku."

"A pleasure to meet you all. I never imagined I'd encounter the legendary clans of Ino-Shika-Cho here," Kakuzu said, his tone carrying genuine surprise. Having members of these renowned clans as his tenants was unexpected. After all, they were shinobi clans—shouldn't they have stayed on their own land?

As the four gathered around the table, Kosuke dutifully served tea. Through their conversation, Kakuzu gradually pieced together the story. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans hailed from the southernmost region of the Land of Fire. Despite being relatively small in numbers compared to clans like the Senju and Hyuga, they had earned their reputation through the strength of their secret techniques and their unity.

Currently, each clan had only about a dozen members, though they anticipated growing to several dozen over the coming decades. With their own settlement in Konoha still under construction, they had chosen to temporarily stay at Kakuzu's property. Given their modest size, relocating the entire group to Kakuzu's larger rooms was manageable.

What intrigued Kakuzu the most was the balanced dynamic among the clans. They had a long-standing agreement to select clan leaders of similar age, ensuring generational harmony. The three before him, each in their early twenties, were their newly chosen clan heads. Once they were settled, the clans planned to expand their families.

This also meant that familiar figures like Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi—the ones hailed as veterans in the main storyline—would be born in the years to come.

Amid their conversation, Kakuzu noticed something peculiar about Shoroku.

"Nara Clan leaders practice medicine?" Kakuzu inquired with interest. He wasn't referring to modern medical ninjutsu or chakra healing but rather traditional medicine. He had seen Shoroku taking someone's pulse.

Shoroku chuckled modestly. "You flatter me. My clan used to practice medicine generations ago, and some techniques were passed down. However, with the advent of modern methods, our traditional practices are on the verge of being forgotten."

Kakuzu hadn't expected to find traces of traditional medicine in this parallel world. It made him curious about the origins of the Nara Clan's medical heritage. However, given the tumultuous history of the shinobi world, tracing their roots seemed unlikely.

"Traditional medicine is profound and timeless," Kakuzu said earnestly. "If there's an opportunity, could you teach me?"

Perhaps it was a sense of nostalgia, a desire to connect with his roots, or simply the pursuit of a new skill. Whatever the reason, Kakuzu felt compelled to learn.

Shoroku smiled generously. "Of course. It's just an old art. If you're interested, I'd be happy to teach you anytime."

Through this meeting, Kakuzu formed a bond with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. In the days that followed, his routine alternated between working at the glass factory and learning traditional medicine from Shoroku.

One sunny day, the courtyard glowed with warm sunlight. Kakuzu sat atop the roof, arms crossed, quietly observing the man painting below.

The man, in his early thirties, was strikingly handsome. With one hand, he held a paintbrush, while the other supported a palette of vibrant oil paints. Concentrating deeply, he infused his brush with chakra and began painting swift, elegant strokes across the canvas.

In no time, the scenery of the courtyard—the house and trees—came to life on the canvas. The house appeared vivid and lifelike, while the painted trees seemed to sway in the wind.

'Such mastery of technique. His work truly captures the spirit of the scene,' Kakuzu mused.

Judging from the calluses on the man's hands, it wasn't hard to tell that he was a shinobi. With the end of the Warring States Period, shinobi now had more idle time. Take this man, for example—he was both Kakuzu's tenant and, by the looks of it, a skilled artist.

The painting before him was already complete, but the artist dipped his brush into some white pigment. The next moment—swish! The brush in his hand moved swiftly, and the white streak sliced through the tree in the painting like a blade.

Then—crack!

The tree in the courtyard split in half.

"What the—?!" Kakuzu shot to his feet, leaping off the rooftop in a single bound. As he landed, his knees bent slightly, and the threads of Earth Grudge Fear extended from his arms, burrowing into the ground, ready to subdue the man at any moment.

Kakuzu didn't care who this man was or what his purpose might be. What he did know, however, was that if this man decided to paint a slash through the drawing of his house, his home would likely be cleaved in two. And that was absolutely unacceptable!

The man seemed to notice Kakuzu's arrival. Turning to face him, the two locked eyes for two seconds. Then, the man lowered his paintbrush.

"My apologies," he said with a polite bow. "I was simply indulging in a moment of idle curiosity. I should have come to pay my respects to you days ago, but I've been tied up and didn't have the time. I deeply regret the delay. My name is Yuhi Kōri. It's a pleasure to meet you."

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