Looking at the three Kumogakure shinobi laid out neatly in front of him, Kakuzu found himself weighing his options.
The presence of Cloud shinobi this close to the Land of Fire border meant Kumogakure had already started moving against Konoha.
Should he drag these three back to the stronghold and report the intel first, or keep hunting for more Kumogakure shinobi along the border?
"Well done, scary fellow-san."
Before Kakuzu could decide, Kizaru's voice drifted down from above.
Kakuzu's eyes sharpened at once.
When did he get there?
He looked up toward the source of the voice, only to see Kizaru perched above him as casually as ever.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Kizaru dropped down from the tree and strolled over to Kakuzu's side, hands in his pockets, glancing lazily at the three unconscious Kumogakure shinobi on the ground.
"That attack just now was pretty frightening, y'know."
So he was nearby while I was fighting.
Hearing that, Kakuzu silently raised his evaluation of Kizaru yet again.
The man standing in front of him was becoming more mysterious by the minute.
The black market… and the villages posting those bounties… they were garbage. The intel they gave was nowhere near reliable enough.
After cursing the black market and its clients in his head once more, Kakuzu finally spoke.
"Three chūnin. All alive."
"Fifteen million. I'll settle the account," Kizaru replied with his usual easy smile.
"As long as they're alive, none of my clients ever walks away from a debt," Kakuzu said, his tone half reminder, half threat.
"Ooh, scary." Kizaru let out an exaggerated sigh, then added, "I swear on my dear teacher's life, I won't stiff you."
"I'd better not hear otherwise."
With that, Kakuzu stepped forward. Black tendrils spilled out from his body, binding the three Cloud shinobi and dragging them up off the ground as he prepared to head back.
"The Kumogakure forces should already be in the Land of Hot Water by now. Are we continuing the patrol?"
"Let's head back to the stronghold," Kizaru said with a faint smile, turning his gaze toward the direction of the Land of Hot Water.
Through Observation Haki, he was already picking up a great many familiar presences.
Kakuzu said nothing more. He simply dragged his three prizes behind him and headed back.
Since the stronghold across the border was already packed with shinobi from multiple villages, Kizaru gave up on the idea of wandering around to greet anyone and returned alongside Kakuzu.
Once they arrived, Kakuzu handed the three Kumogakure shinobi over, and Kizaru immediately summoned the stronghold's commander, Hyūga Nagayasu.
"The Kumogakure vanguard has arrived. Send word to every border stronghold. Tell them to abandon their positions and gather here."
"Understood!"
Though clearly shaken by the report, Hyūga Nagayasu understood the urgency. He didn't waste time asking questions. He bowed and quickly withdrew to arrange the orders.
Not long after he left, Kakuzu returned after finishing the handover.
"What a coincidence, scary fellow-san," Kizaru said lightly as he looked at him. "The second you show up, Kumogakure starts moving."
"Thirty million. No changes," Kakuzu said coldly, clearly worried Kizaru might use the situation as an excuse to cut his pay. "I'll keep patrolling tomorrow. And the day after that."
"Oh hoh, those are some touching words." Kizaru smiled. "Don't worry. Your pay isn't getting cut."
Kakuzu's expression eased slightly.
Taking into account that Kizaru was both his current employer and a bounty worth 750 million ryō, Kakuzu gave him a rare piece of sincere advice.
"Kumogakure could invade at any moment. You may not get another chance to retreat."
"Kumogakure, huh…" Kizaru sighed, as if remembering something mildly troublesome. "Those shinobi are like monsters. Real scary."
Kakuzu glanced at him. "You've been to Kumogakure?"
"I dropped off a little gift there once," Kizaru said, casually lifting his right hand into that familiar shape.
A little gift?
Kakuzu stared at him for a moment.
With Kizaru's lazy tone and that irritating way of putting things, Kakuzu suddenly understood why the bounty on his head had reached 750 million.
There was no way this man had done anything "little" in Kumogakure.
As he silently complained, Kakuzu became even more wary of the black market and the clients feeding him information.
There was definitely a serious problem with the intel they'd been hiding.
Just how much had those bastards left out?
Cursing them in his heart again, Kakuzu decided he needed to reassess this bounty from the ground up.
While the two of them talked, Hyūga Nagayasu returned after finishing the arrangements.
"Kizaru-sama, everything has been set."
Kizaru nodded to show he understood.
Hyūga Nagayasu looked at him, hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Kizaru-sama… what are our next orders?"
"Send two squads back to Konoha with the report. Everyone else falls back twenty miles and hides for now."
Hyūga Nagayasu blinked. "Shouldn't we leave a rear guard behind?"
Kizaru tilted his head. "A rear guard?"
"Y-Yes," Nagayasu replied, thrown off by the question.
Kizaru smiled faintly.
"There's no need for a rear guard. We'll just clean up the battlefield."
"Clean up… the battlefield?"
Hyūga Nagayasu froze.
For several long seconds, he just stared at Kizaru, unable to process what he had heard.
Then his face changed.
"Kizaru-sama… you mean to—"
"Staying up late and working overtime is a pain, y'know," Kizaru cut in with a lazy smile.
As he spoke, he stretched his arms and casually scratched at his neck, like he was talking about wrapping up a boring shift instead of facing an invasion force.
"Better to deal with the trouble all at once, clock out early, and get some sleep, right?"
Hyūga Nagayasu stood there in disbelief.
Staying up late? Overtime? Getting some sleep?
This was an invasion by Kumogakure.
"Absolutely not!" he blurted out.
He knew Kizaru was a genius from Konoha, but he had no idea what kind of record this man actually had. To him, this sounded less like confidence and more like madness.
Still smiling, Kizaru's tone hardened just enough to leave no room for argument.
"That's an order. Carry it out."
Hyūga Nagayasu stiffened.
He wanted to object. He wanted to argue. But in the end, he could only grit his teeth and force the words out.
"If that's the case… then, Kizaru-sama, please allow me to remain behind and fight at your side."
Considering his record, it would probably be useful to have a witness around—someone who could carry the story back to the village afterward.
So Kizaru gave a small nod.
Seeing that, Hyūga Nagayasu could only steel himself and quietly prepare for the worst.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, was thinking of something else entirely.
If Kizaru died here, that 750 million ryō bounty would vanish with him.
"For the sake of the village and those people," Kakuzu said, his expression turning serious, "are you really planning to throw your life away?"
Hyūga Nagayasu, who had already been feeling helpless and frustrated with Kizaru's decision, visibly stiffened when he heard that.
Then, as if something clicked into place, the way he looked at Kizaru changed completely.
Respect filled his eyes.
"Kizaru-sama," he said in a hurried voice, "you're still young. If you die here, it'll be the greatest loss Konoha could suffer. Let me stay. I'll cover the retreat!"
Kakuzu looked at Kizaru and, for a brief moment, saw a reflection of his own younger self—back before Takigakure had betrayed him.
That, along with the thought of losing 750 million, made him add in a low voice, "What a stupid decision. If you're leaving, now's your last chance."
Did these two completely misunderstand me?
Seeing the sincere respect in Hyūga Nagayasu's eyes, and the strange mix of scorn and admiration in Kakuzu's, Kizaru scratched the back of his head helplessly.
I seriously just want to get off work early.
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