"Good. Will you be coming with me?"
Kawaki passed him a paper and pen. The seriousness in his voice left no room for doubt.
"No need. I'll wait here for you to take me out."
Kakuzu wasn't faking it—he was genuinely calm.
He had already made himself comfortable, crossing his legs as he got lost in thoughts of the freedom awaiting him outside.
The first thing on his mind upon stepping out would be replacing the two hearts he had lost.
As for seeking revenge against Kawaki—the thought barely surfaced before he buried it deep.
If possible, he never wanted anything to do with Kawaki again.
He'd heard the Land of Rain had grown even more lawless lately, descending into chaos.
Wandering ninja from all walks of life flocked there—it might not be such a bad place after all.
"Fine then. I'll head out first."
Kawaki left with the Anbu, leaving Kakuzu alone in the interrogation room.
"You two have other matters to attend to. This place doesn't need watching anymore."
After stepping out, Kawaki gave instructions to two Anbu members.
"Yes, Lord Kawaki."
Without hesitation, the two turned and walked away, showing no concern over leaving Kakuzu unguarded.
If someone actually escaped Konoha under Anbu watch, that would be a laughingstock.
Do they really believe Konoha's only powerhouse is Lord Kawaki?
"What a fine day today."
Kawaki tucked the paper containing the password into his robe. With a mere thought, he vanished from sight.
In an instant, he appeared in a quiet corner of Konoha's commercial district.
He emerged calmly from the shadows, careful not to alarm anyone nearby.
His destination was clear—he headed straight toward the banks operated by several great nations within Konoha.
Fortunately, this was a time of peace, or those banks wouldn't function normally at all.
Validating Kakuzu's password would've been a nightmare under different circumstances.
There were three banks in total. In order from nearest to farthest, Kawaki arrived first at the Bank of the Land of Earth.
Before even entering the door, a middle-aged man hurriedly approached him.
Kawaki didn't recognize the man, but clearly, the other knew exactly who he was.
"Lord Kawaki, your visit is our greatest honor."
The bank manager was from the Land of Earth. Fear of Kawaki clearly overshadowed any respect he felt.
That man had personally defeated the Tsuchikage.
And now, even stronger than ever, he was definitely not someone they could afford to offend.
"Titles and honors mean nothing. I'm simply here to withdraw funds."
Kawaki had no interest in small talk—they were meeting for the very first time after all.
"Have you ever conducted business with us before?"
The manager visibly started panicking.
As far as he could recall, although Kawaki was incredibly wealthy, he had never opened an account at this branch.
Could this be a robbery?
What should he do?
"No."
Kawaki shook his head, and the manager looked even more anxious.
"Then what money are you withdrawing?"
He asked nervously, already weighing whether to save his own life or hand over the cash.
The thought of resisting never even crossed his mind.
"What do you take me for?"
Only now did Kawaki realize how suspicious he must've seemed—did he really look that low?
Taking by force wasn't his way.
Kakuzu had it coming—that was a different matter entirely.
He then told the manager Kakuzu's alias used for deposits.
"I'll verify immediately, please wait a moment."
The bank manager pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead, told his subordinates to treat their guest well, and hurried away.
"Do you think Kawaki Hatake is just an ordinary common folk?"
A female employee had already checked the deposit stub and whispered into the manager's ear.
"Appointment? Then why don't *you* go talk to him?"
The manager shot her a glare. Right now, getting rid of that divine presence was the top priority.
The woman shook her head violently, like a rattling drum.
"Let's hope he at least knows the password."
Sighing inwardly, the manager steeled himself for the worst-case scenario.
Without another word, he grabbed the stub and headed out.
"Lord Kawaki, please verify the password."
Approaching Kawaki respectfully, the manager carefully spoke up, worried about accidentally offending the other party.
Kawaki still couldn't remember the password, so he pulled out a piece of paper, looked at it, and recited it.
"That should be correct," he added offhandedly.
"Perfectly correct! I'll have it retrieved right away."
After verifying everything matched, the manager finally felt relieved.
"Fine, I'll wait."
Kawaki stuffed the paper back into his pocket and waited quietly, showing no intention of supervising.
Even if the manager had ten times the guts, he wouldn't dare try anything.
After a while, the manager returned with a big leather suitcase in hand.
"Lord Kawaki, it's all here."
"Would you like to count it?"
Placing the suitcase next to Kawaki, the manager asked.
"No need. I trust your reputation."
Kawaki said smoothly and confidently.
"Of course, our bank values reputation above all else."
Trying hard to maintain his professional image, the manager had indeed engaged in dubious practices before—but never with someone as powerful as Kawaki.
"In that case, good. I'm leaving. You can continue with your work."
Kawaki picked up the suitcase and walked out.
The manager accompanied him all the way, not turning back until having escorted Kawaki half a street away.
Later, Kawaki visited another two banks. The process went similarly each time.
Once returning to Anbu headquarters, five hundred million in cash had already been placed inside his Storage scroll.
He also made a quick stop to buy some food—it was meant as a reward for Kakuzu.
Instead of going directly to Sakumo's office, he made straight for the interrogation room.
"I've gotten the money."
"Eat something first. I'll send you out of the village shortly."
Oh…
Kawaki set the food down in front of Kakuzu and said, "Thank you."
Already starving, Kakuzu didn't bother checking whether it tasted good or bad—he started devouring it immediately.
Kawaki remained silent throughout, patiently waiting without exchanging a word with him.
"I'm full."
Messily wiping his mouth, Kakuzu even let out a burp.
When you're starving, everything tastes good.
"Then let's go. I won't keep you."
"Feel free to visit anytime."
With a small joke, Kawaki stood up and opened the interrogation room door.
"I'd rather not come back."
Chuckling awkwardly, Kakuzu mumbled, "Honestly, who could afford to come here even once?"
"Haha… That works, too."
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade
Kawaki burst out laughing and strode out first.
Kakuzu didn't respond. He kept his head down and followed Kawaki in silence.
With Kawaki at the front, they passed through unchallenged.
Soon enough, the two of them exited the Anbu headquarters.
Kakuzu paused and glanced back briefly. He vowed never to return here again.
"Aren't you going? Do you want to stay a few more days?"
Kawaki urged him. He still needed to hurry back and handle official business.
Poor Shouta must have been swamped with work by now.
"I'm going, I'm going."
Kakuzu quickly caught up with Kawaki's pace.
If he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to afford it.
The accommodation fees here were outrageous!
"I won't accompany you further."
At Konoha's main gate, Kawaki retrieved the second half of the password from Kakuzu.
"There's no need to see me off."
"Goodbye."
"No, never again."
Before Kakuzu could even raise a hand to wave, he shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"He's pretty quick on his feet."
Kawaki watched until Kakuzu vanished from sight, then signaled the gatekeeping ninja to close the doors.
He wished Kakuzu a smooth journey ahead.
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