Kakuzu instinctively wanted to look Gen in the eye but the memory of falling into his Sharingan's genjutsu stopped him. He quickly dropped his gaze, eyes lowered.
"For you," Kakuzu muttered, "not for Konoha?"
As expected of an old fox, he immediately caught the nuance.
Gen smiled faintly. "Serving me is serving Konoha."
Kakuzu's jaw tightened. What arrogance. You're not even Hokage yet… this one is dangerous. His ambition runs deep.
Out loud, Kakuzu said, "I never serve people. I serve money."
Gen chuckled. "Then let me rephrase, how about serving the money I give you?"
Kakuzu hesitated. "…What price can you offer?"
For all his ruthlessness, survival remained instinct. No man willingly threw away his life unless he had something worth dying for. And Kakuzu lived by one creed... money above all.
His saying was infamous, 'even judgment in hell is paid in money.'
His ties to Akatsuki were no different. Loyalty was not free but had a price.
Gen considered saying, Whatever you want, I'll pay it, but stopped himself.
That kind of bravado might give Kakuzu too much leverage, might make him think Gen could be milked indefinitely. Instead, he chose sharper words.
"Your price depends on your value."
Kakuzu's eyes flickered. "…So the more ability one has, the more money one earns?"
"That's right," Gen said smoothly. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Now, what do you choose?"
"Oh and I also have one of those black-and-red cloud cloaks at home." Gen added.
"Hmm?" Kakuzu looked up, surprise flashing in his gaze before he quickly looked down again. Don't tell me he's Akatsuki too? Is the leader really that strong?
Gen waved it off. "No need to be so paranoid. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't be talking this long. Killing you four times was only to make sure we could speak calmly."
That made Kakuzu's blood boil, but he didn't show it. Instead, he lifted his head and met Gen's Sharingan directly. "You seem to know my abilities very well."
"Takigakure's secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear...I've heard the stories." Gen's voice was casual, but precise. "On the battlefield in Uzushio, I met a woman named Konan. She wore the same cloak you do. She was fighting Sasori of the Red Sand from Suna. Later, I fought both of them."
He smirked. "That cloak? One of their apologies."
Kakuzu froze. So even Konan and Sasori were pushed back by him… If they'd told me, I wouldn't have lost four hearts today.
Finding replacements was not going to be easy.
Gen tilted his head. "Konan, Sasori… both are formidable. With you added to the mix, I have to ask...what's Akatsuki's true purpose?"
Kakuzu's mind clicked into place. "…So my role is to be an undercover agent?"
"Not quite," Gen corrected. "Not an agent. A collaborator. I give you money, you provide services. The price is determined by the value of those services. A fair trade."
He had no intention of binding Kakuzu through control or fear. A man who worshiped money couldn't be enslaved except by abilities like Kotoamatsukami. But why bother? The simplest medicine for this illness was money itself.
As long as Gen paid the most, Kakuzu's loyalty would follow.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed, then softened. "That… is indeed fair. I accept."
The words pleased him. 'Collaborator' implied equality. 'Undercover agent' implied chains.
Gen's tone sharpened. "But let's be clear, I won't pay for the first two jobs. The first two are your life-saving fee. Your life is worth at least that much, don't you think?"
Kakuzu's teeth clenched. He hated it but he nodded. "It's worth it. The first two are free."
"Good. Exchange contact information, and you can leave."
And so they did. Kakuzu turned and walked away without further resistance. True to his word, Gen didn't strike.
Moments later, a white thundercloud swept down and landed beside him. Two unconscious shinobi, twitching from lightning burns, were slumped on its surface.
Gen crouched, pried open one man's eyelid, and let his Sharingan flare. "Show me your secrets."
Nothing.
He frowned, thought for a moment, then forced open the man's mouth. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the cursed seal etched into the tongue.
"Root."
Checking the second shinobi confirmed it. Both were Danzo's men.
He rifled through their equipment, binoculars, long-range cameras, scrolls filled with sketches and notes analyzing his jutsu. One line caught his eye, high suspicion: Flying Thunder God Technique.
So, Danzo's rats had been tailing him.
Gen didn't hesitate. He killed them both, harvesting their souls and lifespans.
Why not keep them alive as leverage against Danzo? Because it would be useless. That old war hawk was too cunning, too protected by Hiruzen and his inner circle. He'd twist free of any trap, and might even turn it back on Gen.
No... better to erase the pawns completely. Evidence mattered for public action. But in the shadows, Gen needed no proof. Only results.
He burned the corpses clean, leaving nothing behind, and rose satisfied.
The battle had been worth it. Twenty-one Jōnin souls collected in one sweep.
Most weren't as refined as souls from the Five Great Nations, but they still met the standard. It was a massive step closer to his goal, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
With that in mind, he returned to Orochimaru's laboratory. The two wasted no time. Their destination now was Ryūchi Cave.
The entrance was impossible for ordinary shinobi to find but Orochimaru had mapped it long ago.
With Kyouki's speed, they reached it in less than an hour.
The cave swallowed them in darkness, and soon the first trial revealed itself.
Tagorihime's trial.
Before them rose a luxurious castle, every hall laden with colorful, fragrant dishes that seemed to outshine reality itself.
And waiting inside was Tagorihime.
She appeared as a radiant woman, youthful as a blooming flower, with long green hair, a golden crown topped with a jewel, golden slit pupils, pale skin, and a white robe marked by a magatama-shaped emerald.
But that beauty was an illusion. Behind it lurked sharp fangs, a forked blue tongue, and a face twisted into a predator's grin; the form of a snake demon that could terrify a child into nightmares.
Gen narrowed his eyes.
He had never seen Boruto, but in his last life he'd caught enough fragments online to know of Ryūchi Cave's trials. He didn't need spoilers, though. His mastery of genjutsu and his sharpened soul made the truth obvious. The castle, the feast, falsehoods, bait for the weak.
Beside him, Orochimaru only smiled faintly. He too had no intention of being fooled.
The real trial of Ryūchi Cave was about to begin.