Chapter 177: The Adorable Side of Kakuzu

Kimimaro's life in the Akatsuki organization officially began.

And there were only three things he did in the organization.

Work, work, and more work!

Kakuzu would take on a bounty mission almost every week to hunt down ninjas and earn money.

Although Kimimaro didn't have to do it himself, he had to go along.

After all, the Akatsuki organization stipulated that unless there were special circumstances, everyone had to travel in pairs.

On the one hand, it was to support each other, and on the other hand, it was to supervise each other to prevent the other party from doing something that would betray the organization.

The purpose of pairing a newcomer like Kimimaro with a veteran like Kakuzu was more for surveillance.

Of course, Kimimaro still had considerable freedom.

Kakuzu wasn't particularly loyal to the Akatsuki organization and wouldn't keep a close eye on Kimimaro all the time.

He only joined the Akatsuki organization because he was defeated by Pain and had no choice but to join.

As long as Kimimaro didn't go too far, Kakuzu wouldn't bother to care.

Moreover, their brief previous encounter had made him realize that Kimimaro's strength was not to be underestimated.

He wouldn't turn against Kimimaro unless absolutely necessary.

As a seasoned veteran, Kakuzu wasn't a fool.

Therefore, Kimimaro also had enough free time to conduct his own research.

In the laboratory, eight pills were placed in front of him.

One was the special soldier pill he had made before, which was brown.

The other seven black pills were the black food pills he had just developed.

These were all made from the black blood pepper he had picked before.

In order not to reduce the effect, Kimimaro retained the spicy taste while adding many different medicinal herbs to match the medicinal properties, and only then did he complete the research.

These medicinal herbs added to the black food pills were all picked and purchased when he was on missions with Kakuzu.

Kimimaro had invested a lot in this.

"The loss is higher than expected. With so much black blood pepper, only seven pills were made. But both the taste and the effect are better than the previous special soldier pills."

In order to improve the previous unpalatable taste, Kimimaro specially incorporated Liu Maoxing's cooking skills.

So although the black food pills were spicy, they tasted great.

Simply put, they tasted like extremely delicious Mapo Tofu.

Originally, he had made eight black food pills, but Kimimaro had eaten one for testing, so now there were only seven left.

It was a bit of a waste, but without trying it, he wouldn't know the specific effect.

The final result was very satisfying to him.

It restored ninety percent of his physical strength and eighty percent of his chakra, far exceeding ordinary soldier pills.

And the side effects were negligible for Kimimaro's body.

As for what effect it would have on others, he didn't know.

He didn't intend to give this to others; everything was adjusted according to his own body characteristics.

After doing all this, Kimimaro's gaze fell on the Pikachu beside him.

At this moment, Pikachu was condensing lightning crystals, and beside it were ninety-nine identical crystals.

The crystals were yellow with a lightning pattern in the middle.

This was the lightning crystal needed to activate the Thunder Temple.

"Pika..."

Looking at Pikachu's listless appearance, even its lightning tail drooped, it was obviously exhausted.

The hundredth lightning crystal was completed.

Pikachu's legs went weak, and it sat directly on the ground.

"Little guy, you've worked hard."

Kimimaro smiled and rubbed Pikachu's little head. Its entire face was filled with grievance, and its teary eyes made it look even cuter.

"Alright, your hard work won't be in vain. Didn't the Lightning Fang we brought back last time become bigger? Tomorrow we'll set off and find someone to modify the sword for you. You'll be able to use it soon."

"Pika!"

Pikachu, who had a aggrieved face, suddenly perked up.

"Not feeling wronged anymore?"

"Pika!"

Pikachu nodded cutely.

The Akatsuki Lightning Fang version of Pikachu was about to be launched.

"You're going to the Land of Artisans?"

The next day, Kakuzu was quite surprised when he learned of Kimimaro's intention to go to the Land of Artisans.

"I want to find a ninja craftsman to modify this Lightning Fang and make it smaller for the little guy to use."

Kimimaro pointed to the Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Lightning Fang is a top-notch weapon in the ninja world, and you want to give it to this little mouse? I've never seen anyone as extravagant as you."

Although Kakuzu didn't care about ninja swords, he couldn't help but complain when he heard Kimimaro's idea.

"Making the best use of everything, right?"

"Forget it, it's rare for someone to survive a month as my teammate. I'll go to the Land of Artisans with you. I happened to see ninjas from the Land of Artisans on the bounty list before, so I won't be bored when we get there. The amount is a bit small, but every little bit counts."

If these ninjas knew that Kakuzu was going there because of this, they would probably want to give Kimimaro a piece of their mind.

"Thank you, Senior Kakuzu."

"Have you found a suitable ninja craftsman?"

"About that... not yet. I'm not very familiar with that area, so I plan to inquire more after we get there."

Hearing this, Kakuzu extended his right hand towards Kimimaro.

"What's this for?"

Kimimaro was puzzled, not understanding what Kakuzu meant.

"Give me one hundred thousand Ryo, and I'll help you find a ninja craftsman who can modify the Lightning Fang. I guarantee it'll be done well."

"Senior Kakuzu also knows ninja craftsmen?"

Kimimaro was a bit surprised.

"When I was roaming the ninja world, your grandfather wasn't even born yet. Of course, I know a lot more than you. Modifying the Lightning Fang isn't something an ordinary ninja craftsman can do. With my help, it can save you a lot of trouble."

Kimimaro was delighted to hear this.

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

This saying was indeed true.

When it came to knowledge of the ninja world, few people could compare to Kakuzu, who was nearly ninety years old.

"If Senior Kakuzu is willing to help, of course, I'd be more than happy. But... we're teammates after all, are you going to charge even your own people?"

"Don't try to get close to me. My only true companion is money, and with you, it's just a temporary arrangement. Give me the money, I'll help. No money, no help."

"Senior Kakuzu is really heartless."

Although Kimimaro said this, he still readily handed over one hundred thousand Ryo to Kakuzu.

It was just a small amount of money.

Any trouble that could be solved with money wasn't considered trouble to Kimimaro.

Kakuzu quickly counted the money, and after confirming it was correct, he said, "Refreshing. We can set off now, I'll lead the way."

After getting the money, Kakuzu's mood visibly improved.

As long as the money was in place, Kakuzu, who could even take down a Kage-level ninja, suddenly seemed inexplicably adorable in Kimimaro's eyes.

He really was a pure-hearted old man.

Unlike the old folks in Konoha, whose minds were full of twists and turns.

Teaming up with Kakuzu during this time had been quite enjoyable overall.

The two set off for the Land of Artisans.

And at this moment, the Land of Artisans was also not peaceful.

(End of Chapter)