At nine in the morning, Kizaru arrived at the entrance of the hot spring inn right on time.
Kakuzu had already been waiting there for around ten minutes.
"Ohh, you're early. Scary fellow-san, aren't you?" Kizaru said with a smile as he strolled up to him.
"How are you going to test me?" Kakuzu asked directly. To him, making money was what mattered most.
"You're awfully impatient," Kizaru said lazily, still smiling. "Just follow me."
Without the slightest hesitation, Kakuzu followed Kizaru out of the hot spring district.
Once they left the streets behind and reached the outskirts of town, Kizaru finally stopped and glanced at Kakuzu from the corner of his eye.
"Keep up," he said with a grin.
The moment those words fell, Kizaru vanished from the spot with a Body Flicker Technique.
There was no way Kakuzu was going to let 780 million ryō slip away, so he immediately rushed off in the direction Kizaru had taken.
As a veteran Kage-level shinobi with balanced abilities across the board, Kakuzu's taijutsu and physical conditioning were exceptional. Since Kizaru was not moving at full speed, Kakuzu managed to catch up quickly.
While dashing toward the border of the Land of Fire, Kizaru turned slightly and looked at Kakuzu, who was keeping pace beside him.
"Ooh, not bad at all," Kizaru said with a smile.
Kakuzu remained expressionless when he heard the praise, but inwardly, he still felt a trace of pride.
He had just opened his mouth to speak when Kizaru's irritating voice drifted into his ears again.
"Ohhh, keep trying your best."
The instant the words reached him, Kakuzu saw Kizaru accelerate again, widening the gap by another three meters.
Damn it!
Cursing inwardly, Kakuzu had no choice but to speed up and continue chasing Kizaru's back.
Hot Spring Town was not far from the border of the Land of Fire, only about fifty to sixty li away.
As Kizaru gradually picked up speed, the two of them crossed the distance in less than ten minutes and arrived at a forest near the border.
Kizaru leaped down from a tree branch, his hands still tucked in his pockets, looking as relaxed as ever.
After landing, he turned around and looked behind him. Kakuzu had just arrived as well, landing two meters in front of him.
"Congratulations. You've passed the first stage."
Kakuzu stared at Kizaru with a cold expression, his eyes now far more serious than before.
This man's speed and physical ability are absurd.
At that moment, Kakuzu gained a much deeper understanding of the target standing before him.
"Now then, let's start the second test right away," Kizaru said as he looked at Kakuzu. "Don't disappoint me, scary fellow-san."
This bastard really has a rotten personality.
Hearing Kizaru's mocking tone, Kakuzu frowned slightly.
"What's the test?"
"Attack me. Beat me to death," Kizaru said. Then he paused deliberately, the smile on his face growing even more infuriating. "Otherwise, I might beat you to death instead."
"Good."
A sharp light flashed in Kakuzu's eyes. This was exactly what he wanted.
"Go ahead," Kizaru said casually, standing there without moving.
"You really know how to piss people off."
As he spoke, Kakuzu's right hand and arm turned black. He had hardened them with Earth Release: Earth Spear.
Bending his knees, Kakuzu said nothing more and shot forward in an instant, appearing right in front of Kizaru.
Worried that a direct strike might kill the man in one blow, Kakuzu aimed slightly off-center and slammed his hardened right fist into Kizaru's chest near the shoulder.
Clang!
A metallic sound rang out.
Kakuzu felt as though he had just punched solid steel, and surprise flashed through his eyes.
But though he was surprised, years of battle experience allowed him to react without hesitation. The moment his first strike failed, he twisted his body midair and drove his left leg hard into Kizaru's waist.
Another metallic impact sounded out. The force rebounding from the strike made Kakuzu exert strength in midair as he flipped back and landed on the ground.
So hard!
After landing, Kakuzu looked at Kizaru with a grim expression.
Kizaru had taken both attacks head-on without moving an inch, casually using Iron Body to block them. He smiled and turned his head slightly.
"Ooh, how scary. I really thought I was about to get beaten to death."
After saying that, Kizaru finally pulled his right hand out of his pocket and raised it.
In front of Kakuzu, a layer of Armament Haki wrapped around Kizaru's right hand.
"Well now, what a coincidence, scary fellow-san. Our techniques are kind of alike, aren't they?"
Looking at Kizaru's hand, which had not visibly changed much, Kakuzu instinctively sensed danger.
I can't block that head-on.
Relying on pure battle instinct, Kakuzu immediately came to the correct conclusion.
"Now then… my turn," Kizaru said.
As soon as the words fell, he rushed straight at Kakuzu.
He raised his right hand high and brought it crashing down from above.
Because this was only a test, Kizaru did not move at full speed, giving Kakuzu just enough time to react.
Chakra burst from Kakuzu's legs as he leaped backward, barely avoiding the blow.
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted.
The spot where Kakuzu had been standing instantly collapsed into a massive crater several meters wide.
Retreating all the way to a large tree a few meters away, Kakuzu looked through the cloud of dust at the huge pit in the ground and could not help cursing inwardly.
What the hell is this supposed to mean by "excellent taijutsu"?
This is obviously a physical monster!
Realizing once again that the black market's information was garbage, Kakuzu immediately decided that Kizaru's bounty had to be raised.
"Don't lose focus during a fight, scary fellow-san."
Kizaru's voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Kakuzu was startled. Before he could react, a terrifying force slammed into his backside.
Kizaru had kicked him clean off his feet.
The power behind it was so overwhelming that Kakuzu had no time to adjust his posture in midair before he smashed heavily into the ground.
"Damn it!"
Kakuzu slowly rose from the ground and glared upward at Kizaru, who was now standing on the trunk of a tree, casually swinging the leg he had just used.
It had been many years since Kakuzu had been reduced to such a miserable state.
His expression turned vicious as he stared at Kizaru.
This bastard… I'm going to kill him.
Just as Kakuzu's anger reached its peak and he was about to go all out, Kizaru spoke from the tree.
"You've passed the test. Congratulations, scary fellow-san."
The thing that stopped Kakuzu was not Kizaru's words.
It was the 30 million ryō employment fee.
Forcibly suppressing the killing intent rising in his chest, Kakuzu looked at Kizaru and asked, "What's the mission?"
Kizaru jumped down from the tree and landed in front of him.
"You've probably already guessed it. I'm actually a shinobi from Konoha."
Kakuzu said nothing. He simply looked at Kizaru and waited for him to continue.
"There's been a bit of unrest in the ninja world lately. We're stretched thin on manpower at the border, so we need a capable shinobi to assist with patrol duties."
"I won't participate in a war," Kakuzu said flatly. He knew very well how unstable the current situation in the ninja world was.
"No, no, no. You don't need to fight in the war," Kizaru said, raising his right hand and lazily wagging his index finger. "You just need to patrol the border at fixed times and fixed locations. If you spot an enemy, report it immediately."
"How many days for 30 million? And how long do I patrol each day?"
"Three days. Twice a day. One hour each time."
Ten million ryō a day for only two hours of work.
Kakuzu found that acceptable.
"In addition," Kizaru continued, "if you discover enemies and kill them or capture them alive, you'll receive extra payment based on their strength and status."
Killing enemies for money?
Kakuzu's interest immediately deepened.
"How much?"
"Killing a genin gets you 500,000 ryō. Capturing one alive gets you 1 million.
Killing a chūnin gets you 3 million. Capturing one alive gets you 5 million.
Killing a jōnin gets you 10 million. Capturing one alive gets you 15 million."
Kizaru paused, then smiled.
"As for targets with greater strength or higher status… there's no upper limit on the price."
Kizaru's own 750 million bounty, the 30 million employment fee, and now the additional rewards for capturing or killing enemies…
Kakuzu ran the numbers in his head, and his eyes immediately lit up.
This time, he really was going to make a fortune.
"Fine," Kakuzu agreed without hesitation.
"Then your employment starts today," Kizaru said with a smile. "Come with me."
"Wait."
Kakuzu looked at Kizaru and asked his final question.
"When do I get the deposit?"
Kizaru looked back at him, scratched his head, and replied in his usual laid-back tone, "I'll hand it over once we reach the base."
Kakuzu nodded.
He had never worried about clients failing to pay.
"Lead the way."
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