Kakuzu, having reached the ripe old age of eighty-two in a world where the average lifespan was barely thirty, was a living fossil. He had weathered countless storms and witnessed every conceivable horror the shinobi world had to offer.
A duo consisting of an Uchiha and an Uzumaki?
To hell with it, I actually haven't seen that one! Kakuzu marveled inwardly.
He couldn't mistake those crimson Sharingan eyes. Back when he was still a shinobi of the Hidden Waterfall, he had clashed with numerous Leaf ninja—he had even attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He had been beaten within an inch of his life for his trouble.
Even after deserting his village to become a bounty hunter, the Uchiha clan remained the one group Kakuzu most loathed to provoke. Those "red-eyed lunatics" were world-renowned battle maniacs; only the Kaguya clan of the Mist could rival them in pure insanity. Any Uchiha who awakened the three-tomoe was a Jōnin-level threat at minimum, and their combat prowess sat at the absolute apex of their rank.
And then there was the Uzumaki...
That distinct red hair was unmistakable. It was rumored the Uzumaki had been wiped out seventeen years ago; he had no idea where the Leader had found this woman. Furthermore, weren't the Uchiha confined to the Hidden Leaf? How was there a bloodline wandering the world?
After decades of roaming the black markets as a regular at the exchange offices, Kakuzu found himself genuinely stumped.
"Oh my, hello to you both! I am Gato. I'm just a non-combatant merchant responsible for the organization's fundraising," Gato said, scurrying forward with his hands rubbed together in a humble gesture. He invited them into the center of the camp, showing no trace of condescension despite them being women.
"I am Kakuzu," the masked man announced. Though he felt a prickle of wariness, his tongue remained sharp. "Hmph. You're too slow. The Leader said you would handle the Star Village ahead of us."
"Apologies. We traveled here from the Land of Water; it took some time," Vanilla replied. She sat by the campfire with little Karin and offered a graceful smile. "But it is only the Star Village. It will be settled soon."
Hikari cut the conversation short, looking directly at Gato. "Location."
Her tone was icy and brooked no argument—reminiscent of the Leader himself. A chill ran down Gato's spine as he hurriedly produced a map scroll and handed it over.
"I will handle it," Hikari said. She glanced at the coordinates on the map and vanished in a flicker of movement.
"I'll go watch the show," Kakuzu added, his interest piqued. He disappeared into the night a second later.
In the camp, only Gato and the Uzumaki mother and daughter remained. Feeling awkward, Gato began rummaging through his crates to find toys for Karin, while Vanilla pulled out a scroll of Uzumaki secret arts and returned to her studies.
Sprinting through the forest, Hikari sensed Kakuzu following her. Eventually, he caught up, running parallel to her.
"Don't look at me like that," Kakuzu chuckled, his green eyes darting toward her. "I'm just heading to the Star Village to snatch a decent heart for my secret technique. Don't expect me to lift a finger to help you."
Kakuzu was actually quite interested in the Uchiha. If she didn't lack a bounty and wasn't a fellow member of the organization, his desire for profit might have already gotten the better of him. A pair of Sharingan could fetch a fortune on the black market.
"Just stay out of my way," Hikari grunted, increasing her pace.
"Heh." Kakuzu sped up to match her.
The Hidden Star Village lay in the eastern part of the Land of Bears, bordered by the Lands of Earth, Birds, and Wind. It was surrounded by the "Hell Valley," a canyon filled with toxic gas that served as a natural barrier against invasion. This geographic advantage had granted the village two hundred years of relative peace.
However, the "Star"—a meteorite—emitted a form of radiation that ravaged the bodies of those who trained with it. For two centuries, every shinobi who practiced the Mysterious Peacock Method met a tragic, agonizing end.
As Hikari stood before the gates of the Star Village, the sky had turned dark. The sparse lights of the houses were reflected in her Sharingan. Kakuzu stood off to the side with his arms crossed, curious to see her tactics.
Hikari simply walked straight in.
An assassination strike? Kakuzu guessed. In a minor village like this, the only real threats were the Leader and a handful of elites. Once the "Starshadow" was neutralized, the village was essentially conquered.
Sure enough, moments later, an explosion tore through the silence of the night! Billowing smoke rose from the village center. Kakuzu moved in to get a closer look.
When he arrived, the "Starshadow Building"—a modest three-story wooden structure—had been mostly leveled. The remains were engulfed in roaring flames. From the wreckage, the Third Starshadow crawled out, his right shoulder mangled to the bone.
Staring at the silhouette walking calmly through the fire, the Third Starshadow gasped, "Who... who are you? Have you come for the Star?" His voice, framed by a handlebar mustache, trembled violently.
"With strength like yours, you dare call yourself a Kage?" Hikari stepped out from the flames. Looking at the "Starshadow" hat on the old man's head, she found the sight pathetic.
She had expected a challenge when she heard the village had its own "Kage." Instead, a single Fire Style jutsu had leveled his headquarters and left him on the brink of death. Her interest vanished instantly.
"Lord Starshadow!"
Dozens of Star shinobi suddenly swarmed the area. Led by the radical Akahoshi, the group—composed of both regular ninja and Anbu in animal masks—stared at the girl in the fire as if facing a demon. They had no idea how she had crossed Hell Valley or entered their perimeter undetected.
"Attack! She's alone! Kill her!" Akahoshi roared. His hands blurred through seals as he activated the Mysterious Peacock Method.
Vast amounts of pale purple chakra erupted from his body, coalescing behind him into the shape of a dragon that lunged at Hikari. The other shinobi followed suit, their chakra forming tigers, eagles, bears, and leopards that pounced from all directions.
"All of you, come at once!" Hikari shouted. She ignored the beasts and charged straight for Akahoshi, the loudest among them.
Akahoshi's face paled. He steered his chakra dragon toward her.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The girl's hands were a blur. A literal sea of fire erupted from her mouth, meeting the purple chakra head-on. The collision resulted in a deafening explosion. Akahoshi's dragon was instantly incinerated, crushed by the overwhelming wall of heat.
But something faster than the flames was already upon him.
Before Akahoshi could even blink, Hikari had burst through the fire. Her hand clamped onto his skull like a vice.
She slammed him down.
BOOM!
Akahoshi hit the ground face-first. The impact was so violent that the earth shattered beneath him, cratering the soil.
A chakra tiger lunged at her from the side. Hikari tilted her head, letting the claws whistle past her ear. She flowed into the opening, driving a fist into the ninja's jaw and launching him several meters into the air.
Without waiting for him to land, she plunged into the thick of the Star shinobi. The crimson Sharingan in her sockets spun at high speeds, reading every twitch and breath of her enemies. She moved like a ghost through their ranks; every strike of her hands and feet was accompanied by the sickening crack of breaking bone.
Using nothing but taijutsu, she systematically dismantled the Star shinobi.
In a matter of breaths, the village's elite had been routed.
Kakuzu, perched on a tree branch, watched the "dance" of Uchiha Hikari below. A rare sound of genuine admiration escaped his mask.
"Truly... a child of the Uchiha."