Konoha Camp.
"You're going out to do something again?" Orochimaru asked as he watched Danzo head toward the camp's exit.
Danzo nodded calmly. "I plan to visit the Land of Wind border and see if I can find a chance to eliminate that group of sand ninja… Ishigakure ninja shouldn't dare launch a large-scale frontal assault for now."
"That may be so, but if the enemy moves, it could still be dangerous. I wonder where Kaede is right now. He's been missing for months," Orochimaru said thoughtfully.
Danzo stopped walking. "Kaede should still be somewhere within the Land of Rain borders. Maybe he's still hunting down the scattered Rain ninja. The Land of Rain has been in chaos lately... By the way, Kaede's bounty in the underground black market has reportedly reached over thirty million ryo."
This was the 45th year of Konoha's timeline, and thirty million ryo then was worth about ten times what it would be twenty years later, roughly equivalent to three hundred million ryo. A massive sum.
Orochimaru shrugged with a smile, "Over thirty million ryo? Sounds like my head is only worth about ten million. But sadly, no one will be able to claim that money. I doubt anyone dares to lay a hand on Kaede, haha."
"No," Danzo shook his head. "Don't underestimate the ninja active in the shadows. My men often operate in the underworld and gather intelligence… They say among those dark operatives are ninja who once fought the First Hokage himself!"
Orochimaru's expression changed slightly. "Ninja who faced the First Hokage? And are still alive…"
Ninjas decades later might not grasp just how powerful the First Hokage was. But Danzo lived almost in the same era and had even seen or at least heard countless legends of him. The First Hokage was nearly a one-man army, able to crush every other ninja single-handedly!
Even the Hanzō of the Salamander was only called a 'demigod', a title that made all the great nations wary. But the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was revered as the God of the ninja world!
He ended the Warring States Period with his Wood Release techniques, brought peace, and during his lifetime, wars between the great nations almost ceased entirely.
"If a ninja like that sets their sights on you, even someone as strong as Kaede would be in danger," Orochimaru said gravely.
Danzo resumed walking toward the tent's exit, slowly adding, "Our men can't find Kaede, and the underground ninja are even less likely to locate him. If my people do find him, they will bring him back quickly."
Danzo didn't want Kaede to get into trouble by accident during this era. To him, Kaede's power was a crucial weapon to break other villages.
One Rain ninja village wasn't enough.
If Kaede could bring down a major ninja village alongside himself, that would be ideal. But that was only wishful thinking, the gap between the Rain ninja village and the Five Great Shinobi Villages was too great. Though Hanzō of the Salamander was powerful, the overall strength of the Rain ninja was far behind the great villages.
Since Konoha's founding, only two ninja had managed to dominate the others single-handedly: Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage Hashirama Senju.
Danzo had personally witnessed Hashirama's overwhelming strength.
Kaede was strong, but still far from those two.
….
A small town in Amegakure.
Five combined ninjutsu techniques erupted simultaneously, completely engulfing the spot where Kaede stood.
The only chakra sensed nearby was Kaede's own, no clones or other bodies. Kakuzu was certain his attack had hit.
He held no intention to underestimate the silver flash with the thirty million ryo bounty, after all, this was the ninja who had killed the Third Raikage and the so-called 'demigod' Hanzō of the Salamander.
From the start, Kakuzu used his strongest attacks, aiming to kill Kaede with one blow or at least severely wound him, to ensure claiming the bounty.
Of course, "not underestimating" meant nothing more than that.
As a ninja who had once fought Hashirama and survived, even someone like Hanzō of the Salamander didn't faze Kakuzu. Plus, Hanzō's bounty was relatively low, so few cared to pay big money to kill him. Kakuzu wasn't interested in Hanzō.
But Kaede's bounty skyrocketed after killing the Third Raikage, and after taking down Hanzō, it broke thirty million ryo.
A staggering sum.
….
Dust swirled over the area struck by the five ninjutsu.
Just as Kakuzu moved to confirm Kaede's status, a voice suddenly came from the dust. Then, Kaede's figure emerged step by step.
"So it's you… So my head really is worth a lot now?" Kaede said.
Kakuzu had expected Danzo to send someone after him, but it was Kakuzu himself, he wasn't a member of Akatsuki yet, so the bounty was likely the motive.
Kakuzu's eyes shifted sharply as he noticed Kaede's clothes were torn, but his body was completely unharmed.
"My ninjutsu didn't work at all?!" Kakuzu showed a trace of shock.
He was sure his attacks had hit the target. He unleashed five different ninjutsu at once. Even if Kaede could counter one, it was impossible to defend against all five simultaneously.
"From what I sensed earlier, my attack definitely connected. His torn clothes prove that. But no injuries… Does he have special abilities like me?" Kakuzu quickly deduced.
Kakuzu had five hearts; he wouldn't die unless all were destroyed. Kaede might have a similar ability to redirect damage, making him difficult to kill.
As Kakuzu pondered Kaede's power, Kaede stepped forward, silver light glowing around him, releasing a surge of chakra.
Thud!
Kaede stomped the ground, denting the earth beneath.
"You disturb me during my meal and ruin my clothes…" Kaede said coldly, looking at Kakuzu, then vanished instantly.
"Hmm?!" Kakuzu's face changed abruptly.
He'd heard Kaede was fast, but not this fast, his vision couldn't keep up.
Still, Kakuzu wasn't overly panicked. No matter the attack, his original body wouldn't die as long as at least one heart remained intact. If Kaede dared close in for melee, Kakuzu would trap him with 'Earth Grudge Fear' and then attack his main body with his heart clones.
Kaede seemed to have a similar strange ability, but one strike wouldn't kill him. Multiple strikes might have an effect.
But,
Before those thoughts fully formed, Kakuzu's expression turned grim.
The silver flash hadn't attacked his main body, but instantly flickered to one of his heart clones. The clone exploded, shattering into countless pieces amid sparks.
Then,
The silver light appeared next to another heart clone.
"Damn it!" Kakuzu's face darkened.
This guy was attacking his heart directly, not the main body. Had Kaede seen through his ninjutsu?
Impossible!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kaede didn't hesitate, flashing repeatedly. Kakuzu's heart clones couldn't dodge and exploded one after another like bursting watermelons.
"Stop!!" Kakuzu finally showed panic.
But Kaede's movements never faltered. With a final palm strike, he shattered Kakuzu's last heart clone.
Kakuzu's main body stiffened in place.
He reached out toward Kaede, trying to do something, but felt his strength quickly drain away, and with a heavy thud, collapsed to the ground.
Silent.
Kaede appeared beside Kakuzu's main body, crouching down and leaning close to his head. "I know your ability inside out."
"You, " Kakuzu's vision dimmed.
Crack!
Kaede stood upright and stomped down, crushing Kakuzu's head into countless black lines and fragments.
In his final moment of consciousness, Kakuzu felt a fear he hadn't experienced in years, only once, long ago, when fighting Hashirama.
That battle had been a joke.
And so was this.
He barely understood Kaede's abilities.
The whole fight felt like child's play, his ambush failed, and he was effortlessly wiped out by Kaede.
"Did he see through my ninjutsu in an instant?"
"To be this strong…"
"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten involved this time…"
With those last thoughts, Kakuzu's consciousness faded completely.
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