Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

The mountains stretched endlessly, their peaks like jagged teeth piercing the sky. Shrouded in dense mist, the landscape felt both majestic and foreboding, a scene of raw power and mystery. Beneath the thick veil of fog, there was no solid ground—only rivers snaking across the terrain like veins, their waters converging into the heart of the sea. The sprawling ocean spread like a devouring beast, its countless branches carving the land into fragmented islands.

This was the Land of Water—a realm of countless isles, each with its own unique culture and charm. The isolation bred by distance and treacherous waters made every island a world of its own, distinct from the rest.

Among these islands lay Ryūgetsu Island, an obscure, overgrown place teeming with dense forests but lacking fresh water. Uninhabited for years, it had become a forgotten, wild corner of the Land of Water—a perfect hideout for those seeking to vanish.

In the suffocating mist, the clash of steel echoed sharply.

Clang! Clang!

Figures darted through the haze, blades colliding in flashes of sparks. Five shinobi clad in gray and black uniforms, their foreheads marked with the symbol of the Land of Hot Water, slid across the damp ground, regrouping into a predatory formation. Encircling their prey, their eyes gleamed with the thrill of the hunt.

At the center of their circle stood a lone shinobi. His red-brown hair framed a face of sharp features, his lean build marked with the scars of countless battles. Around his arm, a forehead protector bore the symbol of Kirigakure—four diagonal lines flowing like cascading water.

The leader of the Hot Water shinobi, Tetsu, unfurled a wanted poster, his lips curling into a sinister grin as he studied the familiar face.

"Well, well, who would've thought you'd fetch such a price?" he sneered. "Thirty million ryō. That's not a sum anyone could ignore. Don't hold it against us, Ruto. It's nothing personal."

Kirigakure's defector, Ruto, locked eyes with the bounty hunters.

"Tetsu, you're swimming in waters far deeper than you realize. Even if you kill me, you'll never see that thirty million."

Tetsu chuckled, unfazed. "Spare me your warnings. We've done our homework. Boys, let's finish this quick!"

Ruto sighed. There was no reasoning with men blinded by greed.

"So be it," he muttered, raising his hands as his fingers danced through a sequence of seals.

Tetsu barked a command. "Careful! He's releasing his Boil Release—everyone, masks on and hold your breath!"

The bounty hunters snapped into action, donning crude gas masks as Ruto exhaled. A pale mist poured from his mouth, curling and mingling with the natural fog. The air grew heavier, the temperature rising subtly.

"Now!" Tetsu roared, launching a flurry of shuriken. His comrades followed suit, unleashing a barrage of weapons and low-level jutsu. Ruto leaped backward, his hands never breaking from their seal as he continued to release his mist.

Minutes passed in a tense game of cat and mouse, but luck turned against Ruto. A blade grazed his arm, drawing blood. Wincing, he stumbled, his footing unsteady as the bounty hunters tightened their net.

Tetsu laughed triumphantly. "You're cornered, Ruto. Be smart and come quietly, or we'll make sure you leave here in pieces."

Surrounded, Ruto remained eerily calm. He regarded Tetsu with a faint smirk.

"You think you know me because you've read my bounty notice? How naïve. Ask yourself—why hasn't Kirigakure come for me themselves? Why offer a bounty instead of sending their own?"

Tetsu hesitated, his bravado faltering for a split second.

"It's because they know," Ruto continued, his voice cold. "They know fools like you will do their dirty work without understanding the danger. You walked into a trap, and now it's too late."

A flicker of fear crossed the bounty hunters' faces as the mist thickened, the temperature around them spiking ominously.

"Boil Release"

"What did you say?!"

Ruto's calm expression, coupled with his steady tone, showed not a hint of panic. This unshaken demeanor sent a wave of unease rippling through the ranks of bounty hunters and even their leader, Ameinu.

Suddenly—

"Ahhh! Wh-what's happening?!"

One of the bounty hunters cried out in pain, clutching his wrist. To his horror, he realized the exposed skin on his hand had begun to decay, rotting away at an alarming rate.

As his agonized voice echoed through the mist, the others began to notice something was terribly wrong.

During the battle, they had felt a vague discomfort, like a small flame searing their bodies. However, with the intensity of the fight and no significant chakra fluctuations, they had brushed it off. Now that they had paused, the reality hit them like a storm.

Their clothing, exposed to the mist, was disintegrating bit by bit, and any bare skin was rapidly corroding. For some, it wasn't just flesh being eaten away—the corrosive effect had reached their bones.

In mere seconds, the hunters who once held the upper hand were reduced to chaos. One by one, they dropped their weapons, writhing in agony, clutching at corroded arms and other afflicted areas. But it was futile.

As long as they remained shrouded in this mist, every inch of their bodies would suffer the same fate.

Ameinu, the bounty hunters' leader, fared slightly better due to his skill, but even he couldn't escape the searing pain of his flesh decaying. Gritting his teeth, he turned a pained glare toward Ruto.

"You... What did you do?!"

Lowering his hands, the seals complete, Ruto responded with a cold, detached tone:

"Did you really think wearing gas masks or holding your breath would save you?"

He took a step forward, his voice as steady as ever.

"This isn't poison gas. What you're facing is my unique kekkei genkai—Boil Release."

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