Kizaru had defeated Hanzo, left him gravely wounded, and forced Amegakure to surrender.
The moment Danzō read that report, a dull throb spread through his temples.
Kizaru, as the Hokage's bodyguard, should have been accompanying Hiruzen Sarutobi to the meeting with the Tsuchikage.
So why had he appeared in the Land of Rain instead?
And not only that—he had fought Hanzo.
Did that fool move on his own again? Did he skip the meeting entirely?
The more Danzō thought about it, the worse his headache became.
"Have Kizaru report to me at once," Danzō said coldly as he set the report down.
A moment later, he frowned and changed his mind.
Knowing his nephew, there was no chance Kizaru would obediently come back just because he was summoned.
"Prepare two squads. We're heading to Amegakure."
"Yes, sir."
The ANBU operative bowed, then vanished from the tent.
Danzō let out a long breath and rose to his feet.
That brat always had a talent for causing trouble on the largest possible scale.
On one hand, Danzō was pleased. Kizaru had once again accomplished something astonishing on the battlefield.
On the other hand, the sheer disregard for orders was enough to make his blood pressure rise.
With mixed feelings, Danzō stepped out of the tent and began making his way toward Amegakure with his men.
By then, however, Kizaru was already preparing to leave.
"Kizaru, where exactly do you think you're going?"
Standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, Tsunade glared at him in open irritation.
Kizaru only smiled that same easy, infuriating smile.
"Sarutobi-sensei's still waiting for me back in the village, you know."
In truth, he was also thinking that the escort team bringing back the Third Raikage should be arriving soon.
More importantly, he still had not collected the money he was owed.
Tsunade stared at him for a moment, then sighed.
"Just be careful on the way back."
Her tone softened despite herself.
"Don't worry, Tsunade-nee-san. I'll leave the rest to you."
With that, Kizaru gave a lazy wave, turned around, and left with Matatabi.
At that moment, Danzō was still somewhere on the road.
Since traveling with Matatabi made it inconvenient for him to fly freely at full speed, Kizaru could only rely on Geppo, stepping through the air as he crossed forests and marshland at a rapid pace.
The Land of Rain was not especially large, and before long, he crossed the border and returned to the Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, after several days of travel, the escort team finally arrived in Konoha with the Third Raikage in custody.
Kakuzu, who had been fully prepared to collect his payment, instead received terrible news.
Kizaru was not there.
For a moment, Kakuzu's expression darkened.
That bastard…
He's not planning to dodge the payment, is he?
At the thought, Kakuzu's fists clenched. Even the five hearts inside his body seemed to beat a little harder.
That was seventy million ryō.
Seventy million.
When Konoha's reception team came to greet them on behalf of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakuzu had no interest in food, drink, or polite formalities. He simply claimed exhaustion and returned to the room Konoha had arranged for him.
If Kizaru truly intended to avoid paying him…
Should he go collect the debt himself?
The moment Kakuzu recalled Kizaru fighting the Third Raikage, reason immediately poured cold water over that idea.
From a rational standpoint, the risk was far too great.
He should let it go.
But from an emotional standpoint…
That was seventy million ryō.
Even if he died, he wanted to see that money first.
And so Kakuzu, a man who could neither rest easy nor confidently collect his own debt, found himself in an unusually bad mood.
He had even started considering whether going straight to the Hokage to demand payment would be easier than tracking down Kizaru himself.
Then, just as Kakuzu was seriously wondering whether he had been scammed, Kizaru returned to Konoha with Matatabi.
After casually greeting the two shinobi guarding the gates, he strolled back into the village as though nothing had happened.
A short while later—
"Yo, big bro. You're back already?"
Kizaru sat on the windowsill of Kakuzu's room, smiling lazily as though dropping in on an old friend.
The moment he heard that voice, Kakuzu opened his eyes.
His first words were immediate and direct.
"When am I getting paid?"
Kizaru placed a hand on his chest in mock hurt.
"How cold. We haven't seen each other in so long, and that's the first thing you say? I thought you'd at least tell me you missed me."
Kakuzu stared at him for a second, then answered flatly,
"…I missed you."
He said it like a man swallowing poison.
"Oooh, scary. You really do know how to move a man's heart, big bro."
Still smiling, Kizaru hopped down into the room.
"Well then, since you're in such a hurry, come with me. I'll get you your money."
Kakuzu stood up instantly.
"Let's go."
The smile on Kizaru's face widened a little, and the two of them left together.
As they walked through the streets of Konoha, Kizaru spoke up in that same loose, leisurely tone.
"You know, big bro, we've known each other a while now, but I still haven't heard your name."
"Kakuzu."
There was no point hiding it, so Kakuzu gave his real name without hesitation.
"Kakuzu, huh? Nice name."
Kizaru tucked his hands into his sleeves as he walked.
"Leave me a way to contact you later. Feels like we'll be doing plenty of business together."
The moment the subject turned to money, Kakuzu's attention sharpened immediately.
Without wasting words, he told Kizaru how to reach him through black-market channels.
Kizaru listened with interest, and amidst that oddly friendly conversation, he led Kakuzu straight to the Hokage Building.
Once inside, Kizaru headed for the second floor with practiced familiarity—the location of the Hokage's office.
He did not knock.
He simply pushed the door open and walked in.
"I'm back, Sarutobi-sensei."
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just been using his crystal ball to monitor the village.
The moment Kizaru stepped in, Hiruzen swiftly snatched up a nearby file and placed it in front of the crystal ball.
"Ahem!"
After two deliberate coughs, the Third Hokage looked at his disciple with a stern expression.
"Kizaru. How many times have I told you to knock before entering?"
Kizaru glanced meaningfully toward the desk, his smile as shameless as ever.
"Knocking's a hassle, you know."
Hiruzen's eyelid twitched.
Then he straightened up and calmly said, "I was observing the Third Raikage's detention."
"Mm~ how diligent. As expected of Sarutobi-sensei."
Kizaru dragged a chair over and sat down without the slightest bit of restraint.
Only then did Hiruzen shift his gaze toward Kakuzu standing behind him.
The instant he focused on the man, his expression grew more serious.
This one was powerful.
There was a dangerous presence around Kakuzu that could not be ignored.
Kizaru crossed one leg over the other.
"Anyway, Sensei, it's time to settle the bill. Mr. Kakuzu here is still waiting on his bounty."
Hiruzen fell silent for a brief moment.
Truthfully, he did feel some pain at the thought of the money.
But once he remembered that Kizaru had practically crushed Kumogakure's military strength by himself, captured the Third Raikage alive, and created the perfect opening for future negotiations…
That pain became much easier to bear.
After opening a drawer, Hiruzen took out a prepared approval form and handed it over.
"The request for one hundred and fifty million ryō has been approved. Take this to Elder Koharu and collect it."
One hundred and fifty million?!
Even Kakuzu's eyes shifted slightly.
He looked at Kizaru in silence.
When it came to making money, this man was even more terrifying than he was.
Kakuzu had worked himself half to death for seventy million.
Kizaru had casually talked his way into another eighty million on top of that.
At that moment, Kakuzu became even more interested in the future cooperation Kizaru had mentioned earlier.
Hiruzen, meanwhile, quietly observed Kakuzu's reaction.
From Hyuga Natsuyu's earlier report, he had already learned part of the conversation between Kizaru and the bounty hunter.
Now, seeing Kakuzu's genuine reaction, he became certain of one thing.
Kizaru had really not pocketed any of that money for himself.
Other than being a little too loose with finances, his disciple's character was surprisingly upright.
The thought made Hiruzen feel a rare trace of shame.
After all, there were times when even he blurred the line between public funds and personal use.
"Thanks a lot, Sarutobi-sensei."
Kizaru rose to his feet with the document in hand.
"Go on," Hiruzen said, waving him off. "Koharu is in the next office."
Kizaru lifted the approval slip and gave it a casual wave.
Then he glanced at Kakuzu, signaling for him to follow, and the two of them walked out together.
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