Chapter 165: Kakuzu: Damn It!

The entire Akatsuki organisation was mobilised.

This was the second time the Akatsuki had ever gone into full action since their formation. The first was the Night of the Nine-Tails, which ended in failure.

This time, their mission was to recruit new members.

Join and live.

Refuse and die.

As a notorious immortal ninja in the underground black market, who had even fought the legendary First Hokage, Kakuzu was naturally their first target.

And the boss himself was conducting the interview.

Pain and Konan were searching everywhere for Kakuzu's whereabouts.

"I heard that during the Third Shinobi World War, Kakuzu scammed several billion ryo in the Land of Grass and then suddenly disappeared. Nagato, could he have retired?" Konan hesitated as she looked at the Deva Path Pain beside her.

"Unclear. But from the information we have, a few billion Ryo shouldn't be enough to make him quit the bounty business. There must be something we're missing," Deva Path Pain said coldly.

With the help of White Zetsu, they had tracked Kakuzu's last known location to a bounty station in the Land of Lightning.

A large-scale search was sure to find traces of him.

An immortal ninja? Such talent would be perfect for the Akatsuki.

...

Land of Lightning.

Near an underground black market.

A ninja who had just collected a bounty was walking away with a satisfied smile, unaware that someone with glowing green eyes had silently set their sights on him.

Until he reached a secluded area.

Whoosh!

Kakuzu suddenly spewed a mass of black threads from his mouth, binding the ninja tightly.

"Damn! It's you, Kakuzu!"

Recognising the signature technique, the ninja immediately realised who had ambushed him and felt a wave of panic.

Unlike his once respected title as an immortal ninja, Kakuzu had become a disgrace in the black market, with his name even appearing on some bounty boards.

"Kakuzu! So it's you! Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by every black market member for violating the rules?"

"Hmph! I fought against Senju Hashirama. Do you think you all could pose a threat to me?" Kakuzu sneered.

He then snapped the ninja's neck effortlessly, rummaging through his pockets to pull out a thick wad of cash.

"This one's worth it, 20 million ryo. Plus, his head should fetch a few hundred more," Kakuzu chuckled.

Ever since he was swindled by Hyuga Satoru, Kakuzu had been blacklisted by numerous black markets, with demands to return the billions he had scammed before being allowed to accept any more bounties.

Kakuzu had been furious.

In his youth, he had already accrued several billion in debt?

With no money to give, he turned to robbing other bounty hunters instead.

With his strength, he found it easy to ambush unsuspecting ninjas.

So, Kakuzu became a notorious predator, lurking in the shadows of the underground black market and targeting ninjas who had just collected their bounties.

Some smaller black markets were practically plucked clean by him.

For several months, bounty hunters avoided those places, leaving them desolate.

Many black markets even offered bounties to the unknown predator, and the reward was enough to tempt even Kakuzu himself.

That damn Hyuga kid!

If not for him, I wouldn't be hiding and scavenging like this!

What method did he use to scam the black market's bounty? I want to know!

After a bit of searching, Kakuzu found his second target: a big catch.

Bounty hunters were becoming more cautious, making it harder for Kakuzu to score easy marks.

Finding such a lucrative target was rare.

Licking his lips, Kakuzu silently tailed the ninja, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Just as he was about to make his move, two figures in black robes with red clouds descended from the sky, blocking his path to the ninja.

"Kakuzu, we finally found you."

"Waaaah! Kakuzu?! You've been following me? So you're the one who's been attacking bounty hunters!" the ninja screamed as he fled.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Konan and Pain exchanged glances, sensing something was off but unsure what it was.

"Damn it! No matter who you are, you'll all die here!!!" Kakuzu's eyes filled with bloodlust.

He had experienced two job losses in such a short time!

His mask wriggled as four black-threaded monsters emerged, launching a chakra cannon.

Konan and Pain were still confused.

Was it necessary to react this way just because they called his name?

Deva Path Pain raised his hand calmly.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful, repulsive force blasted Kakuzu's attack away.

Unyielding, Kakuzu attacked again.

"Universal Pull!"

One of Kakuzu's black-threaded monsters was pulled in and had its heart crushed by Deva Path Pain.

"Konan, it seems this guy is beyond reasoning. Let's cool him off with some attacks first."

"Understood."

Konan spread her giant wings and took them to the air, transforming them into bombers.

Kakuzu's eyelids twitched.

These two were not easy to deal with!

It seemed he had to get serious.

"Hmph! You two may be strong, but you're still far from Senju Hashirama's level."

Deva Path Pain sneered.

"And what of the so-called God of Shinobi? He is nothing compared to a true god. Besides, isn't his old opponent now serving under me?"

A god? Old opponent?

Kakuzu sensed something was off but didn't pay much attention.

He was too focused on avenging his lost opportunities.

He continued to attack.

Three minutes later...

Kakuzu lay on the ground, dishevelled and defeated.

Only one heart remained.

The duo's abilities were overwhelming. The man controlled repulsive and attractive forces, while the woman bombarded him with countless explosive tags.

It was the first time in years that he had felt the threat of death.

No, even fighting Senju Hashirama hadn't been this challenging!

Deva Path Pain stood over him, his clothes barely ruffled, looking down coldly.

"Now, can we talk properly?"

"What do you want?" Kakuzu instinctively tightened his grip on his trousers, where he kept his small fortune.

"Join the Akatsuki, or die!"

Pain offered only two choices.

Kakuzu remained silent.

Human traffickers?

He didn't even know what the Akatsuki was!

Konan landed and briefly explained the Akatsuki's mission.

"How much is the salary?" Kakuzu immediately asked.

???

Konan and Nagato exchanged confused glances.

This was the first time a recruit had asked about pay!

Usually, they talked about ideals, changing the world, or making the world feel Pain.

How had the conversation shifted to this?

"Do I get bonuses for killing enemies? How much for capturing each Tailed Beast? Are there year-end bonuses?" Kakuzu bombarded them with questions.

Deva Path Pain's face grew darker with each question.

Konan sighed, "You're skilled in accounting, right? If you join the Akatsuki, you'll be in charge of our finances."

"Deal!" Kakuzu leapt to his feet, his eyes gleaming with greed.

In his mind, anyone who could trounce him must belong to a powerful organisation with astronomical finances.

With him managing the funds, he'd never worry about money again.

He had some savings of his own and could even invest.

He was going to be rich.

Having just lost another job, this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

Kakuzu looked at Konan with growing satisfaction.