Kakuzu murmured softly, showing no signs of guilt. After all, he had somewhat guessed this outcome. He naturally walked to the seat opposite Hibari and slowly sat down.
Perhaps it was just a misconception, but Hibari felt that Kakuzu had slightly shifted his butt closer to the gold bricks.
Nevertheless, he was willing to sit down, which further reassured and pleased Hibari. Hibari smiled and said, "You readily gave your name, but I never said who I was. Yet, it seems you aren't very surprised?"
Kakuzu didn't immediately start eating or drinking. He simply sat there, looking at Hibari, and quietly said, "I had some suspicions, but I didn't expect it to really be you..."
At this point, Kakuzu looked around the room again, then continued, "Is this a trap?"
Hibari didn't directly answer. Instead, he used his chopsticks to pick up a leaf of vegetables from the hot pot and said, "Don't just sit there. Eat. This is delicious. I personally researched it; it's a multi-layered flavor."
Kakuzu listened, silently staring at Hibari for a long time, then slowly picked up a pair of exquisite ivory chopsticks placed on the table. He picked up a slice of meat from the hot pot, dipped it in his oil sauce, removed his black veil, revealing a slightly ferocious mouth, and began to eat.
Seeing this, Hibari chuckled and said, "As for a trap... I suppose it is. A money trap? How about it? Are you satisfied?"
Kakuzu chewed the meat slice twice, swallowed it, then replied, "This is indeed the most lethal trap for me..."
"Hahahaha, good. That's exactly what I need," Hibari said, laughing heartily.
Hearing Hibari's words, Kakuzu slightly furrowed his brow, then said, "Hmm? By your tone, it seems you don't just want to conduct a simple transaction with me?"
At this point, Kakuzu turned his head to glance at the wall of gold bricks again, then continued, "And this isn't forty million ryo; it's fifty million ryo..."
"Very sharp eyesight. How could an ordinary person estimate the value just by looking?" Hibari first praised Kakuzu with a chuckle.
Then he put down his chopsticks, picked up a cup of tea, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then looked at Kakuzu, speaking softly, "That's right, I'm indeed not just here for a simple transaction with you. To be honest, if you hadn't revealed your identity, forty million ryo, while a lot, wouldn't have been enough for me to personally appear in Tanzaku Quarters, much less waste two days of my time... Oh, wait, it's four days round trip."
Kakuzu's eyelids drooped slightly upon hearing Hibari's words, then he said, "In other words, the reason you appeared here isn't because of our transaction, but because of me?"
Hibari grinned, revealing a brilliant smile, then said, "That's right, Kakuzu, I came here specifically for you."
Kakuzu fell silent for a moment, then said, "Are you here to take revenge for what happened four years ago?" As he spoke, he put down his chopsticks, and his muscles tensed slightly, discreetly raising his guard.
Even though Hibari greeted him with a smile after he entered, and they were sitting here eating and drinking, fundamentally, this couldn't change the fact that he wasn't very familiar with Senju Hibari.
Therefore, he didn't really understand Hibari's temperament, nor could it change the fact that they had a past grudge!
So, upon hearing Hibari's words, Kakuzu naturally had to raise his guard!
Hibari didn't deny anything directly. Instead, he stared at Kakuzu in silence. The previously harmonious atmosphere, accompanied by this silence, gradually became oppressive.
The boiling hot pot bubbled and steamed. Just as the atmosphere slowly shifted from oppressive to tense, Hibari suddenly chuckled, instantly breaking the eerie situation.
"Hahahahaha, revenge, hahaha, that's a good word to use. The fact that you used 'revenge' instead of 'settle scores' indicates something, Kakuzu... In your heart, you don't actually harbor any hatred towards me. On the contrary, you think I should be the one to hate you, right?" Hibari asked, laughing loudly.
Kakuzu looked at Hibari and quietly said, "Shouldn't it be that way? Four years ago, in Takigakure's Mushiking Valley, you almost died by my hand. From any perspective, that's a mortal grudge..."
"Did you feel any resentment when my grandfather Hashirama killed you on the spot?" Hibari asked with a chuckle.
Kakuzu seemed to have paid no attention to such matters. He said, "As shinobi, one should be prepared for such things before making a move. Dying once isn't too heavy a loss for me. As for resentment, there's truly none."
Hearing Kakuzu's words, Hibari's smile widened slightly. There was no need to truly delve into whether his words were true or false, because it was meaningless. At this moment, the most important thing was that he was sitting in front of him, saying these words, because this represented Kakuzu's current attitude!
And Hibari wanted exactly that attitude! Nothing more! As long as Kakuzu didn't harbor hostility towards him now, that was enough.
"Hahahaha, excellent. I like broad-minded individuals like you!" Hibari said, laughing heartily.
Kakuzu found Hibari's words somewhat amusing. As for being broad-minded, while he wasn't exactly narrow-minded, he wasn't overly broad-minded either. If it were an ordinary person who killed him once, it would be strange if he didn't try to find an opportunity to steal that person's heart.
Only Senju Hibari, the guy whose money-making ability made him willing to admit defeat, and whom he even secretly admired, could make him truly let go of a mere heart.
"Since you don't bear any ill will towards me, then it's easy to talk. Frankly, during these past four years, I did look for you. What for? I indeed wanted to vent my anger and beat you up or something. But as for that matter now, I'm no longer so stubborn. On one hand, it's because I took care of the culprit... Don't give me that surprised look. What? Is it so unbelievable that I dealt with that scoundrel Reigetsu?" Hibari asked with a raised eyebrow and a chuckle, looking at Kakuzu's slightly surprised expression.
Kakuzu didn't hide anything and said, "I also wanted to cause trouble for Reigetsu, but his Hozuki clan holds some standing in the Land of Water, and he's even the Second Mizukage's brother. Therefore, I never found the right opportunity. Now, suddenly hearing what you just said, I'm naturally a bit surprised..."
"What's wrong with him being the Second Mizukage's brother? I'm the grandson of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage. Didn't I still encounter a ruthless person like you back then? You wanted to kill me? As the saying goes, when you're out in the world, you can't avoid getting cut. We're all shinobi. It's one thing in peacetime, but when it comes to fighting, no one will hold back because of who's behind you. Otherwise, you'd just be asking for death, wouldn't you?" Hibari chuckled, speaking very casually.
Without waiting for Kakuzu to say anything, Hibari continued, "In short, after some planning, I captured that guy Reigetsu alive. Therefore, I'm in a very good mood. As for what happened back then, there's no need for me to hold it against you, a hired hand. It's time to turn the page. If you don't believe me, think about it yourself: if I wanted to deal with you, given your 'delivering yourself to my doorstep' act this time... Do you really think you'd be sitting here eating with me in one piece?"
Upon hearing Hibari's words, Kakuzu thought Hibari was a bit too confident, but then he considered that this guy had silently captured Reigetsu, the Second Mizukage's own brother, alive. If he had meticulously planned for Kakuzu's 'delivering himself to his doorstep' act, it would indeed have been very difficult for Kakuzu to escape unscathed.
After a moment of thought, Kakuzu said, "Since you're not just here for a transaction, and meeting me isn't about those past grievances... Then, it means that this time, you specifically came to see me because you have a use for me? In other words... you want to hire me?"
At this point, Kakuzu glanced towards the door, then continued, "As a high-ranking member of Konohagakure's Anbu, you shouldn't be lacking in experts who can do dirty work like me... So I'm very confused. What exactly do you want to do?"
"Don't think of people so darkly. What dirty work? I, Senju Hibari, walk the straight path and sit upright. When have I ever done any dirty work?" Hibari said, somewhat displeased.
As he spoke, he completely disregarded the fact that he was currently dealing with someone from the black market, and even a missing-nin from Takigakure, a Konoha ally, to buy corpses. He also didn't consider that not long ago, he had blown up the Land of Water's Daimyo. It was as if he truly had never done anything 'dirty.'
After a slight pause, Hibari said, "However, you're right. I called you here for something specific, Kakuzu. I need you!"
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Seeing his somewhat astonished expression, Hibari quickly added, "Don't misunderstand! I need you to become my person... Ugh, no, that's not it. What I mean is, I'll pay to buy... cough, cough, that's not it either. In short, ah, right! Join me, okay? No, not 'join' as in that kind of 'join,' I mean like a subordinate!"
As Hibari's words fell, Kakuzu felt another chill deep in his heart. He truly felt as if he had entered some kind of dragon's den or tiger's maw, and his rear end might be in jeopardy.
Nevertheless, he finally understood Hibari's meaning and then asked, "As one of Konohagakure's higher-ups, you want to bribe me, a missing-nin from an allied village? Is that appropriate?"
"What's appropriate or not? Perhaps it's difficult for you to do such a thing yourself, but for me to clear your name, it's just a matter of a single word..." Hibari said domineeringly.
However, Kakuzu didn't doubt whether he had that ability. After a moment of silence, Kakuzu glanced at the gold bricks by the wall and quietly said, "My price is very high."
Upon hearing this, Hibari grinned, a brilliant smile on his face, and said, "Coincidentally, I believe talent is priceless. That extra ten million ryo is your welcome gift, hahahaha."
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