The newer generation always replaces the old—the waves of time wash over everything.
Throughout the years, the shinobi world has seen countless talents emerge. And now, Kakuzu could confidently say that someone was about to surpass both Madara and Hashirama.
The first bounty on the list: Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Identity: Hokage of the Land of Fire
Age: 33
Bounty: 1,690,000,000 ryo
The amount made Kakuzu pause. It had been a long time, but his memory, especially when it came to money, was flawless. If he recalled correctly, even at his peak, Senju Hashirama's bounty had only been around 1.7 billion.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen... is he really that powerful now?" Kakuzu muttered.
After thinking about it, he realized it wasn't entirely surprising. Having lived in this world for thirty years and witnessed two shinobi world wars, he understood how economies fluctuated. The Daimyo of the Five Great Nations had undoubtedly devalued their currency to ease financial strain. So, Hiruzen's bounty being so high made sense—money simply wasn't worth as much anymore.
If Tobirama could see this from the afterlife, he would probably laugh in disbelief. His student had truly outdone him, not only surpassing his teacher but also closing in on his elder brother's level.
"A blessing for Konoha, a blessing for the shinobi world..."
Kakuzu shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. Hiruzen's bounty had little to do with him right now. His focus was on his true target. He continued scanning the list.
Second Bounty: Mizukage Mufu of the Land of Water
Bounty: 1,620,000,000 ryo
"Why is this guy's bounty so high?" Kakuzu pondered for a moment before understanding.
It had to be the notorious Blood Mist policy. The prominent kekkei genkai clans of Kirigakure probably hated Mufu to the core, which explained his high bounty ranking.
He continued down the list.
Third Bounty: Raikage A of Kumogakure
Bounty: 1,492,000,000 ryo
Fourth Bounty: Tsuchikage Ohnoki of Iwagakure
Bounty: 1,457,000,000 ryo
...
By the time he reached the eighth and ninth positions, Kakuzu suddenly froze.
Eighth Bounty: Kakuzu, Leader of the Land of Dragons
Bounty: 1,200,000,000 ryo
His emerald-green eyes twitched slightly.
Being a third party observer made it easy to be indifferent about these things. It was different, however, when he was on the receiving end. Seeing his own name on the list triggered a wave of irritation.
Reaching out, he ripped the first bounty poster from the board. He stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen's face—the face of an upstanding, righteous shinobi—and felt a surge of annoyance.
"Has this monkey been drinking too much sake?"
"Or did he print this bounty himself?"
"Maybe the textbooks in Konoha now declare the Third Hokage as the strongest Hokage in history."
Kakuzu felt his breath grow heavy.
This was pointless. He had no business with Hiruzen for now. Without hesitation, he turned and left.
"Wait! Sir, are you accepting this bounty?" A bald worker hurried over to ask.
Kakuzu ignored him and continued walking.
Seeing that he wasn't responding, the worker tried to grab his arm.
"Get lost."
With a single shove, Kakuzu sent the man stumbling back. He had no time for trivial matters. Right now, he had only one goal—to meet this so-called "strongest Hokage."
As night fell, Kakuzu perched on the rooftop of an inn, his cloak billowing in the evening wind. He let out a chuckle, mocking himself.
"Heh. Got a little too worked up today."
He hadn't expected a simple bounty poster to stir his emotions like this. As a transmigrator, he knew Hiruzen was officially recognized as the strongest Hokage. Yet, the thought of challenging him still riled him up.
"He's just a brat compared to me, and I actually let this get under my skin. Ridiculous."
Perhaps this was what Uchiha Madara had felt when he used to compete with Hashirama. After spending thirty years in this world, Kakuzu had unconsciously been swept up in its ways.
He glanced at the bounty poster beside him. His mind was calm now, but that didn't mean he couldn't use this for some fun.
Taking this poster to Konoha wouldn't do much. The brainwashed believers of the Will of Fire would only see it as proof of their leader's greatness.
"But... if I hand this to Black Zetsu and have him deliver it to Uchiha Madara... Would he be able to resist breaking out of his hideout?"
A smirk crept onto Kakuzu's face. Now that would be an interesting experiment.
It was time to see just how much patience Madara had developed over the years.
Putting those thoughts aside, Kakuzu refocused on his own objective. He mentally reviewed the timeline of this world.
The person he was looking for should already be born by now. However, there was no record of them in the underground black markets, which was strange.
Maybe it was time to change his approach.
As he pondered his next steps, a gentle breeze brushed against his collar.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the darkness. The wind had come from that direction. And hidden within it—was killing intent.
Kakuzu didn't get up immediately. Instead, he waited for a while, letting those approaching figures draw closer. Only then did he rise unhurriedly, rolling his neck with a slight crack.
One couldn't help but marvel at the irony of the world—once a hunter, now seemingly someone else's prey.
"A bounty of 120 million ryō, just sitting here in the open… Let's see who exactly has the guts to come for it."
As his words fell, the bushes remained silent.
Tch.
Kakuzu leaped down from the rooftop in one fluid motion.
Thieves with ambition but no courage—just a bunch of nobodies. Running into him here was either their misfortune or their sheer bad luck. If it were just a few small-time rogues, he wouldn't even bother making a move.
However, after a brief moment of sensing their chakra, he paused.
"Kumogakure shinobi, huh…? Your chakra is… interesting."
Rustle. Rustle.
Faint movements echoed from the darkness of the undergrowth. Kakuzu had already called them out—continuing to hide at this point would be meaningless.
The first to step out was a young man with golden hair, a rugged face, and a body packed with explosive muscles. Behind him followed several other Kumogakure shinobi. Judging from their chakra, they were all at least mid-to-high-ranking jōnin.
The youngest of the group stood at the center, wearing sunglasses and carrying seven swords on his back. The moment he laid eyes on Kakuzu, he showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he crossed his arms under his waistband, shifted his right shoulder back, and struck a bizarre stance with his back partially turned.
The golden-haired man at the front spoke up.
"Kakuzu-san, I apologize for disturbing your rest. We are shinobi of Kumogakure, merely passing through on a mission. I am the son of the current Raikage. This is my younger brother, Killer B."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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