Kakuzu stood frozen in place, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He hadn't even made a move, yet his body refused to obey him.
This was the legendary God of Shinobi!
He had a premonition that if he so much as tried to attack, he would surely die!
Renya and Hashirama naturally noticed Kakuzu standing not far away, staring blankly.
Renya instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword. Just by looking at Kakuzu's outfit, he could tell that the man was a shinobi.
Out in the field, one had to be cautious when encountering another ninja—no one could know if the other held hostile intent.
The moment this guy made any suspicious movement, Renya would not hesitate to strike.
Hashirama, on the other hand, had no such concerns. He even offered Kakuzu a friendly smile.
Only, that smile looked absolutely terrifying in Kakuzu's eyes.
As the two approached from afar, Kakuzu's legs went weak. He nearly turned around and bolted.
Assassinate the God of Shinobi? What a joke!
This wasn't Kakuzu's fault. The oppressive aura exuding from Senju Hashirama was simply overwhelming.
He began to fall into self-doubt.
[Can I really assassinate the God of Shinobi? Isn't this just walking to my death? Honestly, I never even encountered him before...]
But soon, he gathered his courage again.
[No, I'm the pride of Takigakure! If I succeed in assassinating Senju Hashirama, I'll become a hero of the village!]
With that thought, a burning battle spirit flared in his eyes.
But the moment he laid eyes on Hashirama again, that hard-earned fighting spirit vanished completely.
Even when the two walked past him, Kakuzu didn't have the courage to make a move.
Renya gave Kakuzu a strange look. Something about this guy felt off, but since he hadn't shown any hostility, Renya didn't pay him much mind.
At this time, Kakuzu hadn't yet obtained the Earth Grudge Fear technique. His appearance was vastly different from his time in the Akatsuki, so it was normal that Renya didn't recognize him.
But then, he noticed the portrait Kakuzu was holding and his eyes flickered—suddenly, something clicked...
So this guy was Kakuzu!
Renya had seen fragments of memories about him in the mind of Takigakure's elder, though he hadn't clearly seen his face. It wasn't until he saw the portrait that he remembered.
Still, he didn't let it show and pretended not to know anything.
Once the two of them were well out of sight, Kakuzu's knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Just now, the oppressive pressure from Senju Hashirama had nearly suffocated him.
"This... this is the God of Shinobi?"
A mere smile was enough to completely extinguish any thought of resistance.
Kakuzu slammed his fist on the ground and muttered in frustration,
"Damn it... how could I be such a coward!"
He was supposed to be the genius of Takigakure, yet he didn't even have the courage to attack.
It would've been fine if he hadn't encountered Senju Hashirama at all—but having met him and still lacking the nerve to strike, how was he supposed to explain himself to the village elders when he returned?
With that thought, Kakuzu stood up and looked toward the direction Hashirama had gone.
"For the glory of Takigakure... I'll risk everything!"
Then, he pulled out the intelligence scroll given to him by the higher-ups.
Earlier, he hadn't taken Senju Hashirama seriously and hadn't bothered to look at the scroll.
But after facing Hashirama directly, he realized the vast difference between them.
"Let's see what the God of Shinobi's weakness is!" Kakuzu slowly unrolled the scroll—and was instantly dumbfounded.
"There's... nothing?!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Thinking he had misread it, he quickly closed and reopened the scroll.
Still blank.
Only now did Kakuzu realize—how could Senju Hashirama have any so-called weaknesses?
If he had any, would he still be called the "God of Shinobi"?
After understanding this, he tossed the scroll to the ground and chased after Hashirama's direction.
...
"Hey, little Renya, was that guy just now Kakuzu from Takigakure?" Hashirama asked curiously.
"Yeah, Hashirama-san," Renya nodded. "I saw a bit of him in that old guy's memories from Takigakure."
"Haha, so that's it." Hashirama didn't mind at all.
After all, even people who attacked him got forgiven—let alone someone who didn't even act.
That was also why Renya hadn't made a move earlier...
Since the person involved didn't care, why should he stress about it?
If he went around picking fights, Hashirama-san would just start preaching about peace again.
Just then, both of them turned their heads at the same time.
They saw Kakuzu charging toward them at an incredible speed.
Renya was a bit surprised—this guy actually dared to attack?
He had thought Kakuzu had already given up on the mission and run away.
Didn't expect him to still have a death wish...
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Kakuzu didn't waste words and directly launched an attack on the two of them.
He knew he couldn't match Hashirama in a direct fight, so he could only hope to severely injure him in a sneak attack.
He was thinking too optimistically—both of them easily dodged the attack.
"Your name is Kakuzu, right?" Senju Hashirama asked.
Kakuzu's pupils shrank sharply, utterly shocked.
How did the God of Shinobi know his name?
He hadn't said a single word!
"I advise you to stop. I don't want to hurt you," Hashirama said earnestly.
From Kakuzu's previous attack, he could tell that the man was only at the elite jōnin level—not nearly strong enough to be his opponent.
Kakuzu ignored him and kept attacking.
Hashirama looked helpless—why didn't anyone listen to reason these days?
Just as he was about to make a move, he heard Renya speak.
"Hashirama-san, let me handle this."
Renya drew his katana, clearly itching for a fight.
Kakuzu's strength was considerable—perfect for a warm-up.
And even if he lost, it didn't matter. Hashirama-san was right next to him.
"Alright, but be careful," Hashirama said.
With himself watching nearby, he didn't worry about Renya's safety, but he still couldn't help but remind him.
"I got it, Hashirama-san."
Kakuzu, seeing Renya step forward, quietly let out a sigh of relief.
At least his opponent was this youth and not the God of Shinobi...
"You brat, you think you can stop me?" Kakuzu bared his sharp teeth.
He couldn't beat the God of Shinobi, but surely he could take on this kid?
Before he even finished speaking, his Earth Spear shot straight at Renya's throat.
Renya activated his Sharingan—three tomoe spun rapidly, instantly capturing the attack's trajectory, allowing him to dodge with ease.
"Sharingan?" Kakuzu was a bit surprised.
Renya instantly appeared in front of Kakuzu, slashing with his katana.
Kakuzu quickly twisted his body to evade.
But Renya had already used his Sharingan to predict the movement—his wrist flipped, and the blade swept across Kakuzu's neck, leaving a razor-thin cut on the skin.
Kakuzu leapt back rapidly, creating distance between them, shock written all over his face.
If he hadn't reacted in time just now, his head would've rolled.
Kakuzu stared at Renya grimly, his voice hoarse:
"You little punk... I'll admit you've got some skill... but compared to me, you're still lacking."
Renya's eyes were fixed on Kakuzu's neck. There, a fine bloodline slowly appeared.
But the blood wasn't red—it was black...
Kakuzu grew puzzled. What was this brat looking at?
He followed Renya's gaze and instinctively touched his neck—his fingers met something sticky.
Looking down, he saw that the blood on his fingertips was black.
Kakuzu: "???"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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