Naruto: Reborn as Kakuzu, the Immortal Assassin

The moment Mufū realized Kakuzu wasn't dead, his guard went up. His powerful sensory abilities flared to life, swiftly scanning for Kakuzu's location. Not on the left, not on the right, and no chakra signals from the ground. That left only one possibility.

Mufū snapped his head upward. His sharp gaze caught Kakuzu's towering figure clearly silhouetted against the sky. Kakuzu's blackened fist, wrapped in a whirlwind of devastating force, plummeted toward Mufū like a meteor. If that punch landed, there was no doubt it would result in instant obliteration.

"Tch! Don't underestimate me!" Mufū raised his left hand, forming the Opposing Seal with a single hand. Chakra surged to his feet as he rapidly slid backward.

BOOM! BOOM!!

Shards of rock and plumes of dust erupted into the air. Mufū narrowly avoided Kakuzu's iron fist, which smashed into the ground like a cannonball, leaving a massive crater in its wake.

"Kakuzu-san, I can see you're strong, but don't underestimate the shinobi of Kirigakure," Mufū quipped, his voice steady despite the chaos. As a disciple of the First Mizukage, his skills were certainly not lacking.

His left hand blurred through a series of seals—single-handedly. Single-handed seals were considered an advanced skill in the shinobi world, showcasing unparalleled chakra control. They allowed for faster jutsu activation by reducing the required seals and execution time.

Just as Mufū was about to launch his Water Release counterattack, the lifeless figure of Ruto behind him suddenly stirred.

Ruto's eyes snapped open, blazing with a spark of vitality. He could feel the ropes binding his hands—crafted from Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear threads—beginning to fray.

The moment the bindings disintegrated, Ruto knew exactly what to do.

Shk!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.

"Argh!"

Mufū, his jutsu uncast, was struck by a searing pain in his side. His usually half-closed eyes flew open, wide with shock and fury. Glancing sideways, he saw Ruto, the man who had stabbed him in the waist.

"You traitor! I'll kill you myself!" Mufū roared, his voice brimming with anger and disbelief.

But Ruto, the knife still buried deep, ignored him entirely. If the Mizukage was determined to hunt him down, then he had nothing left tying him to the village. His sole resolve now was survival—for the sake of those dearest to him.

The thought gave him strength. He twisted the kunai deeper, eliciting another guttural groan from Mufū.

Under normal circumstances, Mufū wouldn't have hesitated to turn and eliminate the backstabber. But now, he faced a far more formidable enemy: Kakuzu. His only chance was to retaliate against Kakuzu during the brief moment his punch had missed.

That plan, however, was now in shambles.

Kakuzu retracted his fist and rose to his full height, his cold eyes fixed on Mufū. The look wasn't that of a rival sizing up an opponent—it was pure disdain, a predator toying with its prey.

Mufū clenched his teeth. He couldn't afford to lose face in front of Konoha shinobi. Determined, he maintained the single-handed seal, ignoring the excruciating pain.

"Oh? Still planning to dance?" Kakuzu sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

"Heh. Don't get cocky! Even if I die, you'll witness my final defiance!" Mufū spat through gritted teeth.

"Is that so?" Kakuzu's interest piqued. "What are you planning? A dramatic self-detonation?"

As he stepped closer, Kakuzu's body underwent full hardening, his skin taking on the unyielding texture of iron.

"Go ahead. Show me your resolve." Kakuzu's taunting tone was enough to make anyone's blood boil.

Mufū's mind raced. Attacking Kakuzu in his hardened state would be nearly impossible without a large-scale jutsu. But then, a sudden idea flashed through his mind.

With renewed determination, he altered the seal.

"Water Release: Ripple Burst!"

Chakra surged, transforming rapidly under his command.

With a thunderous roar, water exploded at Mufū's feet, shrouding the battlefield in a dense mist. Ruto, sensing danger, leapt back instinctively.

What unfolded next was a sight to behold.

Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of ryo bills soared into the air, scattered by the force of the jutsu. Each bill, soaked by the water, began to tear and disintegrate.

Kakuzu froze mid-step. His pupils dilated as he processed the scene.

"I… what…"

The shinobi, who had lived for decades, felt his mind reel. His worldview, his principles, his very sense of reality crumbled.

The world seemed to crumble at this moment, as if all logic and reason were falling apart. That 30 million ryō—painstakingly earned and counted twice by Kakuzu himself—was now in ruins before his eyes. This despicable excuse for a human, if he had grievances, should have taken them out on Kakuzu directly. Why did he have to target the money? It was nothing short of an outrage, a crime against heaven itself.

Kakuzu wanted to roar, to vent his frustration and fury. But this was the shinobi world, where words alone solved nothing.

"HAH!" A thunderous shout burst from Kakuzu's throat. His body became a streak of black lightning, and his iron fist smashed into Mufu's abdomen with a force that could split mountains. Mufu's eyes widened in agony, his mouth opening as a torrent of blood gushed forth.

One punch wasn't enough. Kakuzu followed it with a flurry of brutal blows, each landing with precision and unrelenting power. By the time he stopped, Mufu was limp, barely conscious, utterly incapable of resistance. Grabbing the man's head, Kakuzu lifted it roughly and sneered.

"Your Mizukage is here too, isn't he? Let him come and settle this!" His tone carried the weight of authority, like a schoolyard bully demanding an adult intervene after a fight.

Mufu coughed up more blood at the words but managed a mocking smile despite his battered state. Instead of responding directly to Kakuzu, his gaze shifted sideways to Ruto, who was standing nearby.

"You… you should know… the Mizukage is powerful, far beyond anything you can handle. Hahaha…"

Ruto, who had been in the middle of removing his Kirigakure forehead protector to distance himself from the Mizukage's faction, froze at those words. His expression stiffened, and he slowly looked up at Kakuzu, his eyes filled with calculation. Could Kakuzu's strength possibly rival that of the First Mizukage? The question hung heavily in the air.

Kakuzu, however, wasn't interested in speculation. His eyes burned with fury as he glanced at the shattered remnants of his 30 million ryō. Without hesitation, he delivered a final, decisive punch that rendered Mufu unconscious.

Initially, Kakuzu had come here upon hearing rumors of a Tailed Beast, hoping to collect some materials for his experiments. The internal affairs of Kirigakure had never concerned him. But this man, Mufu, had gone too far. A 30-million-ryō loss demanded an explanation! If he didn't get one, Kakuzu resolved to don a Kirigakure uniform, use his Water Release techniques at the borders, and slaughter Konoha shinobi until Hashirama Senju himself brought the Buddha Statue to wipe out Kirigakure entirely. They had severed his financial lifeline—he had no qualms about severing theirs in return.

This was a matter of principle.

Meanwhile, on another part of the island, the Mizukage, Byakuren, was preparing to seal the Three-Tails. As Chūki formed a hand seal behind him, he suddenly stepped forward, alarm evident in his voice.

"Mizukage-sama, there seems to be trouble on Mufu's end. I'll head over to check it out!"

Just as Chūki was about to move across the water, Byakuren called out, stopping him.

"If someone capable of giving Mufu trouble has shown up, your presence won't make much of a difference. I'll go myself."

Turning slowly, Byakuren gazed toward the island's southern shore, where an ominous and powerful chakra pulsed, waiting for him.

"What about the Three-Tails' sealing?" Chūki asked hesitantly.

"Put it on hold for now. That beast isn't going anywhere. Stay here and keep watch—I'll handle this and return shortly."

Byakuren's calm yet commanding tone left no room for argument as he headed toward the growing storm of power awaiting him.

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