Why choose Sunagakure Village as the next stop? The reason was simple—three of the five great ninja villages had already been visited, Mist was ruled out, leaving only Sand.
Gaara, a well-known figure in the Naruto world, hailed from here. His mastery of sand techniques was unparalleled, and he later became Kazekage, though he doesn't stand out for any notable battle accomplishments.
As they walked, stopping here and there to chat, it became clear that the two had grown closer.
Now that she felt comfortable, Anya realized Kakuzu wasn't as hard to get along with as she'd thought. Sometimes he even treated her, a rare gesture from someone known for his stinginess.
Right now, the two were dining at a restaurant. After finishing a satisfying sip of soup and letting out a soft burp, Anya said happily, "Uncle, I want to form an organization in the future. Will you join me?"
Kakuzu had long grown used to Anya's casual way of addressing him. As for the invitation, he simply responded with a cold chuckle, "Kid, you're not strong, but you've got ambition. If you want me under your command, fight me and win first."
"No," Anya replied. "Not under my command. I just want to build an organization with like-minded people—to do things no one could accomplish alone. We'd all be partners, equal to each other."
"Partners? Hmph. Naive." Kakuzu's voice dripped with disdain and mockery.
Unfazed, Anya continued, "Aren't we partners now? You love money, I love money. You enjoy killing, and I don't mind it either."
His words left Kakuzu silent for a moment, but the man—who usually worked alone—still shook his head. "Don't bother trying to recruit me. I won't join."
Anya didn't press further. "Fine then. This round's on me."
After settling the bill, Anya stepped outside and saw two characters written above a building entrance. Her mind stirred with sudden interest.
Kakuzu noticed immediately. "What is it? Want to gamble?"
"You play?"
Kakuzu shook his head. "I never gamble."
Anya understood—it would be bad if he got desperate. The casino might not survive his anger.
Gambling was actually quite common in the Naruto world—slot machines, mahjong, pai gow (a tile-based game), and more. This time, Anya entered a card game.
Back in her previous life when she was a thief, she gambled often—and usually won. With her nimble fingers, learning a few tricks of the trade was easy. Of course, she wouldn't go overboard—after all, whoever ran the casino surely had powerful backing.
But there was no need to worry here. She had Konoha behind her, and Kakuzu beside her. After observing for a while and understanding the rules, she joined the table.
Beside her, Kakuzu watched in disbelief as Anya turned a single chip into a mountain of them.
Unable to resist, he quietly bought a few chips himself—but lost everything just as quickly. He grew furious, his face turning red with anger.
All of this was naturally unknown to Anya. He felt like he had won enough, so he cashed out his chips and left the casino. Looking at his fat wallet, he couldn't help but sigh. He should've thought of this path to riches sooner — I was such an idiot before, actually thinking I could make a living just doing missions. Seems like being a ninja must have fried his brain, ignoring such a golden opportunity for fortune. From now on, money probably wouldn't be a concern anymore.
As he leisurely imagined what it'd be like living richly, Anya noticed Kakuzu's expression looked somewhat gloomy. "Uncle, what's wrong?" he couldn't help asking.
Kakuzu replied darkly, "Nothing. We're heading to Sunagakure Village, right? Let's get going. We've wasted too much time on the road."
After several days of travel, the two had already arrived in the neighboring country of Sunagakure — Sanshouo Hanzo's area.
This place was constantly raining. The air smelled damp, matching the overcast weather. Even the most optimistic person would probably feel depressed here.
Anya couldn't help but exclaim, "This place is so dreary!"
Kakuzu agreed, "I smell war. Villages covered by warfare are usually like this."
"Alright then, let's get going."
They hadn't walked more than a couple steps when a brown-haired boy carrying a basket suddenly ran out: "Excuse me, do you have anything to eat?"
"Huh, a beggar?" This was Anya's first encounter with one. Thinking about it though, it made sense — war-torn times likely meant many orphans. He himself was an orphan too; after all, with an adult soul trapped in a young body, the absence of parents felt more like freedom than sorrow.
Before Anya could respond, Kakuzu's eyes turned icy cold. "Get lost."
Intimidated by Kakuzu's aura, the boy stumbled backward a few steps before turning around and running off shakily.
Sighing, Anya said, "Uncle, you scared him."
Then, flicking his finger behind his back, Anya sent some of the money he'd won earlier flying into the boy's basket.
Kakuzu snorted disdainfully, "Giving money to strangers? Foolish."
"Just some gambling winnings. It came too easily — I figured I'd donate a bit, call it good karma."
Anya's indifferent attitude reminded Kakuzu of all the money he himself had lost gambling. His mood immediately soured further. Wordlessly, he continued forward. Anya felt puzzled about what had gotten into Kakuzu, shrugged, and followed.
The boy who had run away reached behind a large rock where Nagato and Konan were waiting for him.
The boy gasped for breath as he spoke, "Nagato, Konan, that masked man was really dangerous! For a moment, I thought he was going to kill me!"
Konan worriedly said, "Yahiko, you mustn't recklessly run out like that again — it's too risky."
Nagato instead remarked, "That young guy just now seemed to throw something into your basket. Take a look — what is it?"
"Okay, let me check."
Yahiko reached into his basket and pulled out wads of cash. Instantly, his eyes lit up. "Wow! Money! That boy gave us money! Seems like he's actually a good person!"
Yes," Konan nodded happily, "Now we can buy something to eat. Nagato, what would you like to have?"
"Hmm, anything's fine."
"Something about that strange youth earlier unsettled Nagato. He couldn't explain it, but he sensed a deep darkness surrounding him — the kind that made even his Rinnegan feel uneasy. He hadn't encountered anything like this since awakening his divine eyes.
Meanwhile, Anya had no idea what she'd just missed. If she knew how close she'd been to the legendary Rinnegan, who knew what she might have done?
They had barely made it halfway through Sanshouo Hanzo's area when both were stopped by several Rain ninja.
"Halt! Who are you and why have you entered this battlefield zone?"
"Battlefield?" Anya asked in surprise. "I thought this village signed a peace treaty with Konoha."
"Not with Konoha — with Sunagakure. Our leader Hanzo will lead us to break the dominance of the Five Great Countries."
Anya just stood there, speechless. That demigod really was a war addict. Unable to defeat the powerful Leaf Village, he immediately turned to pick on Sunagakure instead. No matter how hard they tried to break the Five Great Countries' monopoly, it was almost guaranteed to end in failure."
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