Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Kakuzu's Astonishment
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Kakuzu, who had lived to eighty-two in the shinobi world where the average lifespan was a mere thirty years, was truly a living fossil. He had weathered countless storms in his life—what kind of scene hadn't he witnessed?
A combination of the Uchiha Clan and the Uzumaki Clan?
Holy shit, he'd truly never seen that before!
Truly a sight for sore eyes... Kakuzu secretly clicked his tongue.
Those crimson Sharingan eyes—absolutely unmistakable!
Back when Kakuzu was still in the Hidden Waterfall Village, he had clashed with plenty of Konoha ninja. He had even attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Only to be beaten half to death by Hashirama, nearly losing his life in the process.
Even after defecting from the Hidden Waterfall Village to become a bounty hunter, the Uchiha Clan of Konoha remained the last group Kakuzu wanted to provoke.
These red-eyed maniacs were infamous throughout the shinobi world as battle-crazed lunatics. Only the Kaguya Clan of the Hidden Mist Village could rival them in sheer madness.
Any Uchiha who awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was jonin-level in strength. Moreover, their combat prowess ranked among the absolute elite of jonin across all nations.
And then the Uzumaki Clan...
That distinctive red hair—absolutely unmistakable!
Rumor had it the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out seventeen years ago. No one knew where the leader had dug up this woman.
Even stranger: wasn't the Uchiha Clan holed up in the Hidden Leaf Village? How could their bloodline be out here?
And he'd never even heard these two's names before...
Kakuzu, a regular at the Bounty Exchange after years roaming the shinobi world, was completely baffled.
"Ah, hello there. I'm Gato, a non-combatant merchant in charge of the organization's funding." Gato rubbed his hands together as he approached, his posture humbly deferential.
He escorted the pair to the center of the camp, showing no signs of underestimating them just because they were women.
"I'm Kakuzu."
Though wary of this bizarre duo deep down, Kakuzu stayed stubborn on the surface.
"Hmph, you're too slow. The boss said you'd handle the Star Ninja Village first."
"Sorry, we came from the Land of Water and got held up."
Uzumaki Kasaba sat down by the campfire at the camp's center with little Karin in tow, then smiled as she tilted her head.
"But a mere Star Ninja Village? It'll be over in no time."
Uchiha Hikari cut straight through the conversation, turning to Gato.
"Location."
Her tone was ice-cold and brooked no refusal—like that lord back in the day. A chill shot down Gato's spine. He hurriedly pulled out a map scroll and handed it over.
"I'll take care of it."
Uchiha Hikari snatched the map scroll, unfurled it for a quick glance to confirm the Star Ninja Village's coordinates, then vanished in a burst of body flicker.
"I'll go watch the fun, too."
With those amused words, Kakuzu also melted into the night.
The camp was left with just Gato and the Uzumaki mother-daughter pair.
This left Gato feeling awkward. He quickly rummaged through the cargo and pulled out some toys for little Karin to play with.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Kasaba produced a scroll inscribed with Uzumaki secret techniques and resumed her studies.
As Uchiha Hikari raced forward, she sensed Kakuzu trailing behind her.
Gradually, Kakuzu caught up, flying parallel alongside her.
"Don't give me that look."
Kakuzu let out a tsk with a smirk, his cyan pupils flicking toward Uchiha Hikari as he explained.
"I'm just heading to the Star Ninja Village to snag a decent ninja and replenish my secret technique."
"Don't expect me to lift a finger to help you."
Kakuzu actually had quite the interest in the Uchiha Clan. If she didn't have a bounty on her head—or weren't an organization member—his moneymaking urges might have already kicked in.
A pair of Sharingan eyes could fetch a fortune on the black market.
"Just stay out of my way."
Uchiha Hikari snorted coldly and picked up her pace.
"Hmph hmph."
Kakuzu accelerated to match her.
The Star Ninja Village lay in the eastern reaches of the Land of Bears, bordering the Land of Earth, Land of Birds, and Land of Wind.
It was encircled by a Hell Valley choked with toxic gas—a natural moat that also sealed off attacks from those three nations across three fronts.
This very chasm of Hell Valley had thwarted countless villages eyeing the meteorite, granting the Star Ninja Village two hundred years of relative peace and growth.
But the meteorite seemed to emit a radiation-like curse, steadily corroding the bodies of those who drew power from it. Over those two centuries, every practitioner of the Peacock Mystic Method had met a gruesome, inevitable death!
By the time Uchiha Hikari stood before the gates of the Star Ninja Village, dusk had deepened into night. Her Sharingan reflected the sparse lights flickering from the village huts.