After confirming the money was all there, Kakuzu's expression softened slightly, and his mood calmed.
Anya seized the moment to ask, "Uncle, why do you look unhappy? You're even missing two masks. Did you run into a powerful enemy?"
Kakuzu fixed a heavy stare on the necklace in Anya's hand and spoke in a low voice, "You know? Normally I replace my hearts every five years—the longest being eight. But since I obtained this necklace, I've already gone through three hearts in just three years. Combined with the two currently missing, that means I've lost five lives in three short years."
Anya, who had been about to put the necklace around his neck, stiffened and forced a smile. "Uncle, it's just a necklace. It can't be that ominous, right?"
Kakuzu sneered and fixed a heavy stare on Anya without speaking.
At this moment, something clicked in Anya's mind. The first time he saw the necklace was the very day Kakuzu activated the Sharingan—the same day Tsunade's younger brother died. The second time was when he went to complete the mission his teacher had abandoned, during which he nearly died multiple times. Could this necklace actually be cursed?
Although Anya didn't truly believe in curses, he still stopped what he was doing and instead placed the necklace inside his puppet, then grinned, "Uncle, could it be that you've been getting distracted in battle because this kid owes you money, causing all these problems?"
Kakuzu paused momentarily, not responding immediately. It turned out Anya had surprisingly hit the nail on the head. No one had ever dared to owe him money before—that brat was the first. What's worse, he'd kept owing for so long. Every time he thought about it, Kakuzu felt like his skin was crawling with irritation, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. No wonder he had been distracted during battles.
After quite some time, Kakuzu picked up the chest and said coldly, "Kid, this is the last time. If you dare to owe me again, I will kill you."
Anya was completely desensitized to Kakuzu's death threats and showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Leaving already?" Anya tried to persuade him. "Uncle, we haven't seen each other in such a long time. Let me treat you properly."
Kakuzu responded in an extremely aloof tone, "No time."
Anya continued persuading, "Hold up, Uncle. I know you've got things to do. Just give me a minute, will you?"
Kakuzu always sensed that this little brat had ulterior motives, but since he insisted on persuading him, Kakuzu decided to give him a chance to speak rather than leaving immediately.
Anya hurriedly brought a chair for Kakuzu and poured him a glass of water with excessive hospitality, then began revealing his true intentions, "Uncle, you know, I told you a while back that I want to establish an organization."
Instantly, Kakuzu spat out the mouthful of water he had just taken and stood up saying, "Goodbye."
"Wait now," Anya quickly pressed Kakuzu back into his seat, clearly displeased, "C'mon, Uncle, you're wise enough to know better than that. Listen to me finish. I can replenish those two hearts for you immediately."
Kakuzu was shoved back into his chair by Anya, his fury rising—but just as he began to emit a killing intent, he retracted it after hearing Anya's final words. Internally, he marveled at the boy's growth. He remembered their first meeting when the boy's chakra was pitifully weak, probably still a Genin. The second time around, he had barely escaped with his life from the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. Now, during their third encounter, he had actually been held back by this kid. Although Anya had clearly held back his strength, Kakuzu sensed subtle signs indicating that the boy might already be his equal. How did he accomplish this?
Listening further, Anya continued: "Uncle, rest assured, this Organization is practically like Kinto Exchange now—a loosely connected bounty group. We simply take missions together and complete them."
"What does that have to do with my current situation?" Kakuzu replied uninterestedly.
"Of course there's a difference," Anya smiled. "Before, you worked alone. Now, you could work with several or even dozens of others. Won't mission efficiency be much higher?"
Still unmoved, Kakuzu muttered, "Companions? That kind of thing isn't something I need."
Anya stated indifferently, "To you, they're more than companions—they're ready-made cannon fodder and hearts. With them around, not only can they draw enemy fire, but replenishing hearts during battle would also be quite convenient. If you worry about sharing profits, just kill them all after completing the mission."
These words completely won Kakuzu over; this kid knew him inside out. Yet Kakuzu still had doubts: "Since you let me kill them freely, wouldn't all your effort establishing the Organization go to waste?"
"Those who catch my eye will be carefully separated from you in mission assignments. So, no need to worry—you can kill anytime you like." At this moment, Anya appeared indifferent.
Convinced finally, Kakuzu agreed, "Brat, I hope you mean what you say. I agree."
A delighted expression appeared on Anya's face: "Uncle, I knew you cared about me. You'd definitely come in to help."
After Kakuzu agreed, he got the feeling that he'd been played by this kid. But thinking again about his words, joining didn't seem entirely bad either, so he asked, "What's this Organization called? How many members are there now?"
"Well, we haven't settled on a name yet. As for numbers, including us two, there'll be three altogether."
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu immediately regretted his quick agreement—it seemed rash to promise anything when nothing had been decided yet. This kid clearly had ulterior motives.
Seeing Kakuzu's displeasure—but relieved he hadn't immediately gone back on his word—Anya exhaled with relief and continued, "Of course, that's how things stand right now. But I've already figured out ways to recruit new members. More people will come soon."
"Do tell."
"This requires your help too, Uncle," Anya whispered conspiratorially as he edged closer to Kakuzu.
From initial anger through growing understanding to eventual appreciation, Kakuzu's facial expressions continuously changed while listening to Anya speak.
After hearing Anya's entire plan in one go, even he couldn't help blurting out, "You brat, you're truly a born bad seed. I agree to this deal, but let me make one thing clear—if anything goes wrong halfway through, I'll kill you myself."
Anya nodded and replied, "Of course. You're willing to help me like this; if you suffer any losses because of me, I'll repay it with my life."
Hearing that, Kakuzu didn't say a word. He simply grabbed the two chests and vanished into the room.
Just a few days later, a message suddenly spread across the Kinto Exchange—someone had reportedly seen massive amounts of gold inside a valley near Takigakure, so bright that even from a distance, the sun hitting it blinded anyone nearby. Many strongly suspected it was a gold mine. In no time at all, countless reckless fortune-seekers who received this information began rushing toward Takigakure.
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