socalfunplaces Chapter 148 Encountering the Enemy, Kakuzu
Chapter 148 Encountering the Enemy, Kakuzu
Chapter 139 Encountering the Enemy, Kakuzu
While everyone was resting and discussing the enemy situation, in the southern part of the River Country, about 20 kilometers away from the Jiangcao Gold Mine, in the Morino Castle, a large and magnificent mansion, Morino Tsukasa, the young patriarch of the Morino family, was entertaining two guests.
The man was about thirty years old, muscular, with fierce eyes and a short beard.
The other person wore a mask, revealing only a pair of calm and indifferent green eyes. He wore a headband from the Takigakure rogue ninja tucked into his hood, identifying himself as "Undying Hunter" Kakuzu.
"Lord Black Rock, your wolf pack truly lives up to its reputation, so easily defeating the Leaf Village's forces." Morino Tsukasa praised the bearded man.
"I didn't expect that besides our wolf pack, you also hired an undead hunter?" The ninja named Black Rock's tone was somewhat unfriendly.
"The new wolf king of the pack? You'd better show respect to your seniors, or you won't be able to hold this position for long." Kakuzu's deep voice rang out, his tone calm, yet exuding an undeniable pressure.
"Hmph!" Black Rock snorted coldly, and ultimately did not refute.
The "Wolf Pack" organization has been on the verge of destruction several times, but it has continued to exist under the name of "Wolf Pack" because it has been supported by someone behind it and has been constantly recruiting wandering ninjas and rogue ninjas.
Kakuzu, the "Undying Hunter," is a true veteran among underground bounty hunters.
"The enemy is ultimately Konoha. The more powerful we have, the better our chances of winning," Morino Tsukasa said, trying to smooth things over. "Only by making Konoha feel pain will they understand that the affairs of the Land of Rivers are not something they can interfere in at will."
"If I encounter any Konoha ninja with bounties on their heads, their bodies are mine," Kakuzu said.
"Of course, please go ahead." Morino Tsukasa nodded in agreement. "If this mission is successful, the Morino family is willing to establish a long-term employment relationship with the two of you, and we will not be stingy with the remuneration."
Black Rock nodded. The "wolf pack" lives on the edge of a knife, driven by money and pleasure. As long as the pay is high enough, they are good employers.
As for the ownership of the Konoha ninja corpses for which bounties were placed in the underground, he did not argue—Konoha bounties were extremely rare, like winning the lottery, and very difficult to come by.
Kakuzu nodded slightly. He could collect the Morino family's reward and also have the opportunity to take down Konoha's wanted criminals—two sources of income, making it a worthwhile move.
The three reached an agreement and soon went their separate ways.
After seeing the two off, Morino Tsukasa returned to the hall and sat alone in deep thought.
The Morino family had planted spies in the Daimyo's residence and knew early on that the gold mine had been sold to Konoha by Minamoto no Mori.
The family had a heated argument over this, with the young clan leader, Tsukasa Morino, strongly advocating for resistance against Konoha.
He was never content with living in a remote corner and had long associated with wandering ninja organizations and underground bounty hunters, aiming to expand his family's power and even plotting to establish an independent country.
Genjiro sold the Drunken Grass Gold Mine to Konoha, hoping to use it to suppress them, which made him very resentful.
After the argument, his father, Morino Iwao, entrusted him with handling the matter.
Morino Tsukasa understood his harsh father's intentions: if he succeeded, his prestige would soar; if he failed, he would be the perfect scapegoat.
He knew this perfectly well, yet he remained confident he had a chance. Konoha was strong, but it was coveted by major powers, limiting the resources they could dedicate there.
If the Konoha ninja are severely damaged enough, the Morino clan will have a chance to maintain control of the area. Morino Tsukasa will then use this achievement to seize real power within the clan and lead it to prosperity.
In Kikyo Castle, after asking Kazekazaya for some details, the Konoha members went to rest.
The mission leader for this mission is Minato Namikaze, so Senju Hoshino is happy to have some free time.
However, he had other plans for his trip to the Jiangcao gold mine.
His two planned ventures—the Red Cross Society, which provides free medical care, and a newspaper and media company—both require substantial funding.
Although Magnet Release: Gold Sand Technique can extract gold from the earth, its extraction efficiency is not high in ordinary areas.
He decided to leave the mark of the Flying Thunder God at the Zuijiangcao Gold Mine so that he could come back to refine gold in the future.
He felt no qualms about "borrowing" a local gold mine.
Not to mention that Konoha only has a ten-year mining right, which is far from enough to mine the gold; even if the gold mine returns to the Land of Rivers in the future, the benefits will not fall into the hands of the common people, but will only be divided up by the noble forces.
Ordinary people are just working in the mines, exploited and suffering from illnesses, in exchange for a meager livelihood.
Furthermore, if he has time, he'd like to look for that "Life Curry Shop." He wonders if Granny Sansho has developed an ultra-spicy Life Curry, and whether it truly possesses the exaggerated, magical effects described in the original story.
After leaving the reception room, Hoshino Senju, accompanied by another lightly injured ninja he had healed, strolled around Kikyo Castle.
The last time they passed by, they only glanced at the place briefly and didn't take a closer look. This time, since they were going to rest here for the night, he relaxed and strolled around.
With nothing to do after dinner in the evening, he sat alone by the window, lost in thought. If he wanted, he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique right now and return to Tsunade's side in the blink of an eye.
But Minato is right next door. Given Minato's sensory abilities and familiarity with the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could easily be exposed.
After sitting quietly for a moment, he got up and knocked on the door of the water gate.
Minato has an exceptional talent for sealing techniques, and Hoshino Senju decides to invite him to work together on the design of "Lightning Sword Transformation" and medical talismans.
Shuimen was indeed highly skilled and had a broad perspective. He pointed out many detailed problems, and the development made great progress.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
The five of them got up early, had a simple breakfast, and then set off.
The Jiangcao Gold Mine is located in the southern part of the River Country, about 300 kilometers from Kikyo Castle.
To conserve their energy for any unexpected situation, the five of them moved at a normal ninja pace.
Around nine o'clock in the morning, the group arrived at a place about 100 kilometers away from the mine and Morino Castle.
Minato became more vigilant, using his Earth Vein Sensing Technique to probe every so often.
Xingyuan Qianshuo also formed the "Un" hand seal, using Kagura's Mind's Eye to sense the enemy's situation. Others thought it was just an ordinary sensory ninjutsu and didn't pay any attention to it.
After traveling another fifty kilometers, Xingyuan Qianshuo sensed a large number of ninjas—a total of twenty-six. Among them, five were Jonin-level, and the two strongest had reached the level of elite Jonin.
"This chakra—is it so complex and vast?" Hoshino Senju thought to himself, a chill running down his spine. "Five different types of chakra intertwined together... could it be Kakuzu?"
Based on his memories of the original work and the fact that the other person was a bounty hunter, he easily guessed the origin of the strongest person.
He had considered recruiting Kakuzu into the "Star" organization, but because the system mission required "a belief level of over 20%", he only listed him as a candidate for the time being.
"Given Kakuzu's five lives and fighting style, it would be difficult for Minato to kill him now." Hoshino Senju's mind raced. "Minato's strength lies in extreme speed and one-hit kills, while Kakuzu excels in survival and elemental superiority. Even if Minato manages to kill one of Kakuzu's lives with a Flying Thunder God technique, Kakuzu will be on guard afterwards and bombard him with wide-range ninjutsu to destroy the Flying Thunder God kunai, dragging the fight into a war of attrition."
A thought flashed through his mind, and he decided to deal with Kakuzu himself. Kakuzu possessed Kage-level strength, so it was best not to drag it into a war of attrition. Relying on his intelligence advantage, he quickly devised a strategy in his mind.
Less than ten kilometers later, Shuimen also sensed the enemy and raised his hand to signal the troops to stop.
"Enemy forces have been spotted about five kilometers ahead, numbering twenty-six, two of whom are extremely strong," Minato said in a deep voice.
Dekayi and Kida Maki looked solemn, but showed no fear. Their team had experienced many life-or-death missions and were already used to fighting.
Minato pondered for a moment, then took out a dozen or so specially made Flying Thunder God kunai and distributed them to Dekaichi and Maki. As teammates, they had excellent teamwork and naturally understood how to coordinate.
Then, he handed two kunai to Chisaku and Kazehaya.
"These are specially made kunai that I carry with me. I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to your side," Minato explained, mainly to Kazekazuchi Shinobu.
Xingyuan Qianshuo took the kunai and solemnly said, "Minato, I will deal with one of those two strongest enemies."
Minato thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
While using his Earth ley line sensing technique along the way, he not only scouted out enemy positions but also sensed the chakra of his teammates.
He had already noticed that Chisaku's chakra level exceeded his own, and even in his normal state, it was still quite astonishing.
He was surprised but didn't ask any questions. At this moment, Qian Shuo volunteered to fight, so he readily agreed.
He also wanted to see for himself just how strong Qian Shuo really was.
The group continued forward and soon encountered the enemy head-on.
This place is typical of a land of rivers: two hundred meters away on one side of the road is a desolate rock wall, and on the other side grows sparse but tall trees. Perhaps due to the southern climate, the dark green leaves have not yet fallen.
Among the enemy were also sensory ninjas who, upon discovering them, split into several teams to encircle them. The "Wolf Pack" organization excels at mimicking wolf packs in hunting, using numbers to defeat fewer enemies, seeking only victory.
However, just as they were setting up their formation, Kakuzu's calm voice rang out: "We've had good luck today. Minato Namikaze, bounty of eight million taels; Senju Hoshino, bounty of five million taels." Kakuzu's tone was indifferent. "These two are mine. The wolf pack must not try to take them, or they will all be killed."
The wolf pack was indignant upon hearing this, but intimidated by the fearsome reputation of the "Undying Hunter," they all looked at their leader, Black Rock.
"If you can kill one of us before we do, you can have the other one. But if we get there first, the body is ours," Black Rock said coldly. He conceded, but also left room for maneuver for his side.
Kakuzu nodded slightly, which was considered an acceptance.
The members of Konoha lined up fifty meters away, and could hear the other party's arrogant words clearly.
"Minato, leave that masked man to me," Hoshino Senju said bluntly.
"Chisaku, that person has very strong chakra, and it's quite strange," Minato warned.
"Understood, I will be careful," Xingyuan Qianshuo replied.
Minato said no more, planning to quickly eliminate the remaining enemies before returning to support Chisaku.
Both sides were full of confidence and exchanged no unnecessary words. The wolf pack of about twenty people spread out and approached in a hunting formation.
Hoshigen Chisaku, concerned that his and Kakuzu's ninjutsu were too destructive and could easily injure their teammates, pointed directly at Kakuzu and shouted, "Hey, masked man—your opponent is me."
Having said that, he instantly darted toward the side of the rock wall.
"Five million taels? Just what I wanted. If I defeat you sooner, the eight million taels will be mine too." Kakuzu didn't care at all and chased after him.
Although Xingyuan Qianshuo was confident, he dared not be careless and quietly activated his double-tomoe Sharingan under the cover of his colored contact lenses.
Soon, the two faced off, standing more than thirty meters apart.
"Boy, meeting me is your misfortune," Kakuzu said in a deep voice.
Xingyuan Qianshuo remained calm and did not respond, but several countermeasures had already flashed through his mind. He focused his mind, formed a hand seal, and white smoke floated, creating two shadow clones.
The shadow clones dart left and right, still starting with a variation of the "Dance of the Crescent Moon".
"Shadow clone? A probe? A pincer attack?" Kakuzu's mind raced. Decades of combat experience taught him that he should never underestimate any opponent.
He formed hand seals, activating the Earth Grudge Mode, and countless black threads surged from his body. However, to conceal the masked monster and the secret of multiple lives, he did not remove his outer garment, nor did he reveal the four masks sewn onto his back.
Xingyuan Qianshuo remained expressionless, his main body standing still and observing, as if waiting for the result of the shadow clone's probing.
The black lines on Kakuzu's body suddenly lengthened, shooting towards his left and right shadow clones. The shadow clones seemed to have anticipated this, nimbly dodging but still attempting to close the distance. Kakuzu's eyes narrowed; judging from this response alone, he knew this young man was exceptionally strong.
A twitch appeared on his shoulder, and suddenly two strange-looking masks emerged.
"So cautious?" Xingyuan Qianshuo thought to himself, "Luckily, I had a backup plan—actually, three shadow clones."
When he formed the hand seals, he openly created two clones, while secretly hiding one behind his main body. As soon as the shadow clone appeared, it used its teleportation ability to conceal itself and simultaneously circled around behind Kakuzu.
The two visible shadow clones sensed that the invisible clone was in place through chakra resonance, and then a sharp buzzing sound rang out from their palms!
Each of the left and right shadow clones held a rapidly spinning chakra ball, its center a deep blue and its edges bright white, shaped like a giant shuriken, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.
Wind Release: Rasengan!
Xingyuan Qianshuo knew the abilities of the two corners of the face like the back of his hand. He didn't wait for the masked monster to appear. Instead, he used his strongest killing move to destroy multiple of the monster's lives in one blow.
Kakuzu's mind was on high alert: "I absolutely cannot get hit!"
Just as the two spiral shuriken were thrown, the two grotesque face masks on his shoulders suddenly opened their mouths and shouted, "Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Fire Release: Head Carving!"
A gale and flames erupted, colliding violently with the spiraling shuriken in mid-air!
However, at the same instant, an invisible shadow clone suddenly appeared behind Kakuzu, also holding a spiral shuriken in its hand!
The three shuriken hummed simultaneously, the two on the left and right perfectly masking the one behind.
Just as the wind and fire ninjutsu collided with the Rasengan, unleashing a towering storm and waves of fire, the Rasengan from behind struck Kakuzu squarely in the back!
Boom! Boom boom!
Three loud explosions erupted almost simultaneously, accompanied by piercing whistles, a fierce wind, and dust and flames that swelled and scattered in all directions!
"How is this possible?!" Kakuzu's mind went blank the moment he was hit.
His extensive combat experience allowed him to instinctively use Earth Release: Earth Spear to harden his defenses, but it was too late to fully unleash his power.
The next moment, he was completely engulfed by the rapidly expanding cluster of tiny wind blades—countless wind blades, invisible to the naked eye, pierced, cut, and tore from all directions!
Xingyuan Qianshuo's main body maintained a posture of waiting for an opportunity, while he and his two visible shadow clones provided cover. Having the advantage in intelligence, he never intended to test the waters.
Each of the three shadow clones possessed approximately 20,000 chakra. Although the size of the Rasengan was controlled, its power was still terrifying enough.
"I was hoping to hit all three shots, but only the hidden one hit," Hoshino Senju thought to himself. "Not a complete loss. I just wonder—how many lives of Kakuzu can I exchange for this?"
The people on the other side were also alarmed by the earth-shattering explosion.
Minato's fighting style was even faster than that of Hoshino Senju. When a teammate threw a Flying Thunder God Kunai, he transformed into a golden flash, activating his instant kill mode—more than a dozen bounty hunters fell like mowing grass.
Only the Wolf King Black Rock remained, using the rare bloodline limit "Steel Release" to harden his body and forcefully block Minato's fatal attack.
However, the sudden and brutal death of his subordinates sent a chill down Black Rock's spine. His only chance of victory lay with Kakuzu, the "Undying Hunter" whom he had never gotten along with.
But just then, a deafening roar came from the other side. Gale-force winds, flames, and dust shot into the sky, and even he and Minato had to stop their fight and look in that direction.
Standing amidst the turbulent currents, Xingyuan Qianshuo stared intently at Kakuzu within the swirling wind blades. Even with his two tomoe, he could hardly make out the raging wind blades.
The sharp whistling and roaring lasted only a very short time. As the wind blades dissipated, Kakuzu's body plunged into the huge crater carved into the ground.
At this moment, the raging winds and turbulent currents still whipped up clouds of dust. Xingyuan Qianshuo did not rush forward, but instead formed hand seals to sense the surroundings.
At the bottom of the pit, Kakuzu's chakra was in complete disarray; of the original five different types of chakra, only two remained.
"Did he take away three lives?" Hoshino Senju thought to himself. Even if he controlled the power, a direct hit would likely have killed Kakuzu's five lives as well.
He quickly realized the problem – Kakuzu's Earth Release heart had been there all along, and he instantly hardened it with Earth Spear.
Just then, he sensed Kakuzu's chakra becoming active again, and immediately burrowed into the ground, rapidly traversing the soil. The direction wasn't towards him, but rather towards the path the Konoha group had taken.
"Trying to escape? Going against the grain?" Xingyuan Qianshuo's mind raced, and he glanced to the other side—the last enemy was also fleeing, with Minato in hot pursuit.
A slight smile played on his lips as he formed another hand seal, creating a shadow clone. The clone leaped into the pit to investigate, finding a pool of black liquid at the bottom with tiny fragments of a white mask floating on it.
After a brief investigation, the shadow clone vanished from the pit with a thought.
When it reappeared, it was already 30 kilometers away on the way it came.
Xingyuan Qianshuo sensed Kakuzu's movements—the other party emerged from the ground about 500 to 600 meters away, paused briefly, and then continued to flee, heading in the direction of the shadow clone.
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