Another month passed. The season had reached late autumn.
Under ample advance preparation, the many affairs of the Land of Water had begun to operate methodically on their own, like a precision clockwork that had been wound.
The curse had faded. Although the Land of Water's people couldn't have their extreme personalities corrected in such a short time, at least things wouldn't worsen.
The flow of money and supplies was imbuing this once-blocked land with a somewhat unfamiliar vitality.
And today, Kakuzu also set foot on the Land of Water's soil.
Contacting Kakuzu, for Hii Kōri as he was now, was as simple as buying a newspaper on a street corner.
The Red Hot Sand Guild's tentacles had already penetrated into every corner of the ninja world including those gray-area intelligence networks and underground channels.
The black market, bounty exchange offices, underground auctions wherever there was profit to be made, guild personnel were active.
So when Hii Kōri issued the order to contact Kakuzu, the most time-consuming part was actually conveying the order down the chain.
Although an information network had been initially established, computers and telephones weren't yet widespread, and Hii Kōri certainly couldn't single-handedly produce enough cables and supporting equipment for every branch of the entire guild.
As for locating Kakuzu after receiving the order that took less than three days.
"Hooh... as expected of the Red Hot Sand Guild. Quite the large-scale operation..."
The tall man, using a brown cloak and black mask to conceal the stitching scars all over his body, his eyes showing a dull color, surveyed the bustling atmosphere of the port construction site and sighed with interest.
Having lived for so many years, Kakuzu could be described as well-traveled and experienced, but he had never seen a construction site of this scale.
Not to mention those new types of equipment that looked very special.
"Naturally. This is our guild's largest-scale project to date."
The guild employee leading the way proudly introduced the port's purpose to the ninja beside him. "Once completed, this will become the world's largest logistics port. Through here, goods from any corner of the world can be sent to any other location."
Faced with the employee's almost garrulous commentary, Kakuzu showed no sign of annoyance.
Given their relationship, after this, they would have no further intersection.
This employee couldn't afford Kakuzu, and Kakuzu would never receive a mission to assassinate this guy.
So there was no need to get angry or irritated.
Apart from money, Kakuzu had little interest in anything else.
"Alright, we've arrived, Mr. Kakuzu."
The two stopped before a three-story office building. The leading employee signed the registration form at the front desk and pointed to the staircase. "Mr. Sakaki's office is in Room 301 on the third floor. You can go up yourself, Mr. Kakuzu. I have other work to attend to."
Kakuzu didn't respond. He climbed the stairs like a gloomy shadow, without a footfall, and stopped before the office door.
He raised his hand and knocked, waiting for a response from inside before pushing the door open.
When doing business, Kakuzu was fairly polite. Even if he didn't respect the client, he had to respect the money the client offered.
"Ahaha, you must be Mr. Kakuzu."
Having received word that Kakuzu would likely arrive today, Sakaki Tatsuma was mentally prepared for his arrival.
Nevertheless, the unusual aura about Kakuzu still surprised him.
No killing intent, no hostility, no other emotions just the pure indifference precipitated from countless life-and-death experiences.
"Please, have a seat."
But recalling what Hii Kōri had told him about Kakuzu's background, Sakaki Tatsuma felt He pointed to the sofa in the reception area and walked over himself.
Kakuzu slightly slightly, walked silently to the other side, and sat down, his gaze also locked on Sakaki Tatsuma.
To be honest, Kakuzu found Sakaki Tatsuma's appearance somewhat different from what he had imagined a "client" to be. His face, which looked like it might break into "ahaha" laughter at any moment, didn't seem serious enough—let alone for someone holding a position like "Finance Section Director."
Stereotypes formed for a reason.
But it didn't matter. As long as he paid, he was the boss.
"The details of the commission should have been conveyed to you in advance by my people."
In his professional domain, Sakaki Tatsuma set aside his usual demeanor and pulled out a detailed draft contract he had prepared, pushing it across the table.
"The commission type is long-term personal security. The mission is to protect my personal safety and, at my discretion, ensure the security of specific items or information. Working hours are theoretically around the clock, but there will be reasonable rest arrangements. The mission term is tentatively set at five years, renewable depending on circumstances. The area of operation is currently primarily the Land of Water, but may involve various locations throughout the ninja world in the future."
"The first three months will be considered a probationary period. If suitable, it will extend into the formal commission term. If unsuitable, we will pay you the corresponding compensation at the originally agreed rate."
"A trial period? Reasonable."
Kakuzu reached out and picked up the draft contract, responding to Sakaki Tatsuma's words while reading the various clauses. "After all, for a long-term guard, if we don't get along, that would be quite troublesome."
He read very quickly, finishing the few pages of the draft contract in no time. He read the compensation section three times.
Because Kakuzu couldn't take other work during these five years, the compensation Sakaki Tatsuma offered was very generous.
And besides the initial quoted price, the contract also mentioned additional holiday allowances, resource guarantees, and year-end bonuses.
Even from Kakuzu's perspective, he had to marvel at the guild's wealth and generosity. But a guild with influence spanning almost the entire world naturally had such resources.
His green eyes lingered on those numbers for a few seconds, then he looked up at Sakaki Tatsuma and asked in a magnetic voice, "In the event of force majeure or threats beyond my ability to handle, I have the right to prioritize my own evacuation. Is that acceptable to you?"
With no intention of bargaining whatsoever, Kakuzu simply added a disclaimer clause.
If a hidden village were recruiting him, the price he'd quote would be far higher than this, and he might abscond at any time. But a guild was different.
"Ahaha, of course. But with your strength, Mr. Kakuzu, there generally shouldn't be any threats you can't handle, right?"
Sakaki Tatsuma let out his signature laugh. He casually pressed the bell beside the sofa, calling for someone to print two new copies of the document.
"Then, going forward, I will stay within your line of sight, or in the optimal defensive position. Unless you request it, I will not interfere with any of your actions."
Neither affirming nor denying Sakaki Tatsuma's words, Kakuzu instead explained his own operational policy. "Additionally, if you require some 'extra services,' I can also accept those commissions. The fee will be 70% of the market price."
Although the guard term might be very long, for Kakuzu—whose entire body had been replaced by Earth Grudge Fear and who couldn't die unless killed—time was not worth mentioning.
Finding such a stable and generous client naturally made him very happy, to the point where he was even willing to discount assassination missions for Sakaki Tatsuma.
"Uh... I probably won't need that."
Sakaki Tatsuma was momentarily stunned, then realized that the "extra services" Kakuzu mentioned probably meant eliminating competitors or uncooperative trading partners for him.
"Given our guild's current scale, we generally don't need to use such competitive methods anymore."
"I hope so."
Kakuzu wasn't surprised by his response. He simply nodded slightly, as if to say, "You're the boss. Whatever makes you happy."
A moment later, the newly printed contracts were brought in. After the two checked them, they signed their names one after another.
About another hour later, Hii Kōri—the true enabler of this contract—finally arrived, rather late.
The moment he pushed the door open, Kakuzu, standing in the corner of the room, immediately locked him.
Until Hii Kōri appeared in his field of vision, Kakuzu had not detected his presence. In a guard mission, that alone would be a major disqualification.
"Yo. All done talking?"
Hii Kōri had changed into a bright, light yellow, loose yukata with a carp pattern. His long hair, now nearly half red and half white, was casually tied back. He had put his large round-frame glasses back on.
He naturally walked over to Sakaki Tatsuma, patted his shoulder, then opened the desk drawer, pulled out two packs of snacks, and tossed one to Kakuzu over Sakaki Tatsuma's dissatisfied protests.
"I see... Sunagakure's Hii... the Red Hot Sand, huh..."
Watching Hii Kōri smile as he held his own pack of snacks out of Sakaki Tatsuma's reach, the two of them wrestling playfully, Kakuzu's pupils slightly contracted, then relaxed.
He did not use the epithet "Crimson of Agony."
There was no need to antagonize the client. Using an enemy's nickname for the employer's important companion to their face was definitely not a good thing.
That the Red Hot Sand Guild had some connection to Sunagakure was something he had suspected, but he had never bothered to investigate the intelligence.
At first, he didn't care. Later, there was no need.
Seeing the guild expand to this extent, Knowing he would eventually be on the guild's payroll sooner or later, he would have to be insane to dig up that kind of information.
Again: as a professional mercenary, Kakuzu knew exactly what to say and what to do.
And in a certain sense, he also had a basic goodwill toward Hii Kōri—he liked anyone who could make Konoha look bad.
Of course, his "liking" meant nothing. If they crossed paths,
he would still strike, and if he took a mission, there would still be no discount.
Keeping personal preferences separate from work was one of Kakuzu's strengths.
"Lord Hii didn't need to avoid me."
Tearing open the snack packaging, Kakuzu used the black tendrils at his wrist to curl the contents inside and stuff them into his body, speaking to Hii Kōri as he did so.
The interior of his body had been almost entirely replaced by Jiongu's black tendrils. The only necessary organs left were his hearts—even his brain wasn't essential.
In a sense, the Kakuzu of today was actually a Earth Grudge Fear aggregate wearing the skin of his past self and inheriting his memories.
So eating didn't necessarily require his mouth; using the tendrils worked just as well.
"Although your bounty on the black market is 75,000,000 ryō, that's still far less than the compensation Lord Sakaki is offering me. There's no way I would attack you in front of a client."
"...Only 75 million? Hii, you're pretty cheap!"
Before Hii Kōri could answer, Sakaki Tatsuma mocked him first.
"You son of a—"
Stumped by Ahaha-kun's retort, Hii Kōri didn't know what to say.
He couldn't very well admit that he was indeed sold cheap, could he?
Even though he did think so.
In the original story, Asuma Sarutobi had a bounty of 35,000,000 ryō, and the monk Chiriku had 30,000,000 ryō.
Their most famous shared identity was that they had both been members of the Guardian Ninja Twelve, who protected the Fire Daimyō. Asuma had later continued to operate as a Konoha jōnin for a long time, while Chiriku had become the abbot of the Fire Temple. That was probably where the 5,000,000 ryō difference came from.
Oh, right—Asuma Sarutobi was also the Hokage's second son.
As for Hii Kōri's documented achievements... He had led the modernization of Sunagakure's combat readiness, manufactured large puppets capable of grappling with giant summoned beasts, operated under multiple pseudonyms on the battlefield, then single-handedly infiltrated behind enemy lines to attack a major Konoha stronghold, annihilating nearly two thousand enemies in one strike.
Afterward, he had eliminated Katō Dan and his escort squad, influenced dozens of elite ninjas, and captured Tsunade... Adding all this together, he was worth the same as those two?
Gah—That's not how bounties work! I don't accept this!
"But, business is business. Avoiding potential trouble is always good for both parties in a transaction, isn't it?"
Not revealing what he was brainstorming, Hii Kōri devoured his own snack in one go, proudly pushed aside the wailing, chagrined Sakaki Tatsuma like a victor, and wiped the food residue from the corner of his mouth while explaining to Kakuzu.
Of course, he knew that given Kakuzu's temperament, the two of them probably wouldn't come to blows in front of Sakaki Tatsuma. But as he said, there was no need to bet on "probably."
Even if he wanted to copy some techniques or test abilities, there would be plenty of opportunities later.
"Especially for us ninjas—all our rushing about is just to earn some commission. If we can take it easy, let's take it easy."
"That's only right."
To this, Kakuzu nodded in agreement.
"Come to think of it, I used to know someone who was quite similar to you, Kakuzu."
As he said this, Hii Kōri suddenly thought of a certain woman—Mei Mei.
"That woman was also the type who would do anything for the right price."
"Oh? Sounds like someone worth meeting."
"Mm... that might be difficult. I don't know if I'll ever see her again."
"That is a shame."