'A member of Akatsuki...'
Lexon mused as he looked at the man.
'The "North" ring, who was that again?...'
Lexon couldn't quite recall at the moment.
The man wore a straw hat, his head bowed slightly, obscuring his face and making him unrecognizable.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Kaku shouted at him.
The reputation of the "Akatsuki," the number one super-group in the Naruto world, had not yet fully spread; they were still relatively unknown. Therefore, Kaku did not recognize the man's identity.
'Ah...'
Lexon suddenly remembered who the "North" (北) ring likely represented in Akatsuki at this time...
'Kakuzu?'
Lexon stared at the man's figure, which gradually overlapped with the image in his memory.
'It should be correct. It's Kakuzu.'
'Then what is Kakuzu here for?'
Lexon pondered.
'Two minor ninja villages in conflict... Idu is the financier for one of them... Akatsuki is a mercenary organization, and Kakuzu is focused on making money... Did the other ninja village post a mission on the black market to eliminate Idu? And Kakuzu took it?'
"Where is Idu?" Kaku asked the man.
He thought Kakuzu was another bodyguard hired by Idu.
"Dead." Kakuzu's familiar voice came from under the straw hat. His head lifted slightly, revealing a face wearing a black mask, his emerald-green eyes staring straight at Kaku and the others.
'So he really was intercepted...'
Lexon thought.
'This Idu is really miserable. Konoha's Root wanted to kill him, and Akatsuki's Kakuzu also wanted to kill him.'
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for Idu.
"Dead?" The face under Kaku's mask twitched slightly. He also realized their target had been intercepted.
'But, ultimately, the mission is still complete.'
He glanced at the corpse of his subordinate, who was no longer breathing.
'The loss of one subordinate in exchange for the mission's completion.'
'This trade was not a loss.'
'Then let's leave it at that.'
"Our objective was also to kill Idu. Since he is already dead, our goal has been achieved," Kaku said to Kakuzu, signaling his other subordinate to carry the dead man's body.
He clearly didn't want to start a conflict with Kakuzu.
For him, as long as the mission was complete, it was fine.
"There's no point in killing you. No money in it..." Kakuzu muttered to himself.
Kaku and the others heard his muttering clearly and turned to leave.
"And the leader also said we shouldn't conflict with Konoha too early..."
"Lightning Style: Lightning Spear!" Seals formed. Lightning-natured chakra gathered on Kaku's arm into a long spear, which he forcefully hurled at Kakuzu.
"Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear."
The numerous sutures on Kakuzu's body split open. Countless black threads burst out, enveloping the incoming Lightning Spear and forcibly crushing it until it dissipated.
"Attack!" Kaku faced Kakuzu, his expression icy as he commanded.
His two subordinates glanced at each other, then formed seals and launched ninjutsu at Kakuzu.
'So why did you have to mention "Konoha"...'
Lexon thought, looking at Kakuzu.
'This captain of mine won't allow anyone who knows Konoha took action to live.'
'Even if Kakuzu might not say anything, and even if he did, no one would necessarily believe him... my captain "Kaku" here doesn't want to leave even the slightest possibility...'
'However...'
Lexon couldn't help but glance at Kaku. '...you can't beat him.'
'That guy is the man who can boast for a lifetime about landing a kunai on Hashirama from 800 meters away. You really can't beat him.'
Lexon was very clear about Kakuzu's strength. 'Kage-level strength, no doubt.'
'Albeit probably on the lower end of Kage-level.'
'But he wasn't someone Kaku could mess with.'
"Why aren't you attacking?" Kaku suddenly looked at Lexon.
"I'm from the Uchiha clan. It's better if I use my Sharingan to find the right opportunity to strike," Lexon gave a random excuse.
"If you won't attack, then die." Suddenly, Kaku formed seals and blasted lightning at Lexon.
'So violent?'
Lexon's figure flashed, avoiding the swift lightning.
"What's wrong with you?"
"If you don't follow 'Root's' procedures and will, you have no value in 'Root'!" Kaku seemed to have been dissatisfied with Lexon for a while and wanted to kill him here. His hands blurred through seals again, launching another lightning attack, even shooting several kunai along with it.
"What if your Lord Danzo blames you for this?" Lexon "narrowly" avoided the flashing lightning and the incoming kunai.
"I will naturally explain myself to Lord Danzo," Kaku replied.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness Hun..." His seal speed was incredibly fast, clearly preparing to unleash a powerful ninjutsu to annihilate Lexon in one blow. Then he would support his subordinates, and finally, he would blame Lexon's death on the man they had just encountered.
But in the next instant, the Lexon he was staring at suddenly vanished.
He abruptly felt his neck tighten, his seals were interrupted, his feet left the ground, and breathing became difficult.
"Can't we just get along..." A calm voice came from the person choking him and lifting him into the air.
'Why is he so strong...'
Kaku felt that this man's strength was completely different from what his investigation had shown...
Then, through his mask, he saw the other's blood-red Sharingan spinning with a strange, evil pattern.
His mind suddenly went blank. He felt as if he had fallen into a strange space, nailed to a cross, unable to resist, unable to move.
The figure of the other man appeared before him, holding nails.
He was clearly smiling, yet it was terrifying.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"
From within the unknown space, bursts of miserable, intense screams echoed.
...
Lexon set down Kaku's lifeless body, thinking to himself.
'So this is what it feels like to use Tsukuyomi... In the illusory space Tsukuyomi builds, I'm like an absolute creator, able to do whatever I want... It's a very strange feeling.'
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes.
'As expected, using the Mangekyo Sharingan's associated ocular jutsu still puts a bit of a burden on it... It seems I'll have to wait until I upgrade to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to use it freely...'
'I should use other methods if I can... I don't want to go blind.'
While Lexon dealt with Kaku, Kakuzu had dealt with Kaku's two other subordinates.
'He is the man who landed a kunai on the First Hokage, after all. His finishing speed is certainly fast.'
"So, what will you do next?" Lexon looked at Kakuzu, smiling warmly.
Kakuzu looked at Lexon, frowning slightly.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]