Chapter 123: Recruiting Kakuzu

After bidding farewell to the Minato couple, Obito transformed into the masked man's appearance and appeared at the black market closest to Konoha.

Although his attire at this moment was filled with a sense of oddity, in the black market, everyone was hiding their identities, and there was no shortage of bizarre outfits. Instead, he was not particularly conspicuous.

The black market might be the most chaotic and lawless place in the entire ninja world, but even with its disorder, the key to its stable operation and existence lay in its adherence to the most fundamental rules of the ninja world.

Ninjas exist for missions and bounties.

The person receiving Obito was an ordinary girl, with chakra fluctuations so weak they were pitiful, even inferior to a Genin.

But she was clearly a veteran, wearing a standard professional smile, "Dear customer, are you here to issue a commission or take on a mission?"

Obito rasped as he took out a sealing scroll from his cloak, "Here is 43 million ryo. I want to issue a commission specifically designated for the bounty hunter Kakuzu."

The girl was delighted, this was a big job, the kind she might only handle a few times in her lifetime. If completed, she would also receive a substantial reward.

She immediately handed the scroll to the staff nearby, and after verifying that the funds inside were sufficient, she smiled happily, "Customer, after deducting the black market's 20% handling fee, the total bounty for this commission is 35 million ryo."

"We will now contact the bounty hunter Kakuzu as per your request. May I ask what the specific commission is?"

Obito took out a wooden plaque engraved with a specially made Flying Thunder God mark and slowly handed it over, "Give this plaque to Kakuzu. Have him activate the mark on it three days later at the mountaintop near Amegakure."

"As long as I sense the mark and arrive at the scene, he will have completed the mission."

The girl was momentarily stunned and hesitated slightly, "Customer, are you trying to meet this bounty hunter?"

"But most bounty hunters are very cautious and usually do not have any direct contact with their employers. I'm afraid he may not accept this mission."

Obito let out a raspy chuckle, "Just issue the commission. He will accept it."

What a joke—this commission required him to do practically nothing. He only needed to meet him, and he would earn 35 million ryo.

That bounty alone was equivalent to the combined bounty for a Konoha Elite Jonin, the Hokage's son, and a Twelve Guardian Ninja.

With Kakuzu's personality, there was no way he wouldn't take this money.

Even if he sensed danger, he would still show up, relying on his own strength.

The girl didn't understand where this customer's confidence came from, but her professional ethics kept her from asking more. Instead, she nodded and smiled, "Alright, I will handle this matter properly. Does the customer have any other commissions?"

Obito did not respond and simply turned around and left.

The girl seemed accustomed to dealing with such odd clients and was not surprised in the slightest. She turned around and began drafting the mission commission...

———

Three days later, at the Uchiha clan's training grounds.

Kakashi wrapped lightning around his tanto and slashed at Obito.

[T/N: Tanto is a Japanese knife]

Obito gripped a kunai and clashed against Kakashi.

For a moment, the two figures flickered like illusions, exchanging dozens of blows at different positions.

In the end, Kakashi sheathed his tanto and said with satisfaction, "Alright, that's enough. Today was quite productive."

Obito nodded, "Kakashi, your chakra has increased again. It's now about three Ka's worth."

"Moreover, you've mastered the ability to infuse Lightning Release chakra into your blade and combine it with the Hatake clan's swordsmanship. You've gotten stronger again."

"Maybe in a few more years, you'll be able to catch up to five-year-old me."

A black line appeared on Kakashi's forehead, "What do you mean 'a few more years to catch up to five-year-old you'?"

"And also… I told you to stop using my childhood chakra reserves as a unit of measurement."

Obito teased, "Well, I've already started using it. In the future, the standard energy unit for our chakra converters will be one 'Kaka'."

Kakashi was speechless, "Fine, do whatever you want."

At that moment, Obito suddenly sensed a Flying Thunder God mark appearing in his perception... near Amegakure.

He muttered, "Kakuzu is quite punctual."

Obito looked at Kakashi, "Kakashi, I have to go out for a bit. Cover for me."

With that, he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, and his entire figure vanished into thin air...

Kakashi watched Obito disappear like a ghost and couldn't help but complain, "Ever since he transplanted Hashirama's cells, he's been running around all the time. Now I even have to cover for him."

———

On a certain mountain near Amegakure, the infamous bounty hunter Kakuzu sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the Flying Thunder God plaque in his hand.

He showed no signs of impatience. After all, this was a 35.5 million ryo job. Up to now, he had only ever completed two jobs of this scale.

Besides, there were many rogue ninjas with bounties around the Land of Rain. On his way here, he had already killed two, earning an extra 400,000 ryo.

After completing this mission, he could eliminate a few more along the way and earn another 400,000.

Adding it all together, his total earnings from this trip would reach an astonishing 43.5 million ryo.

Kakuzu calculated each amount meticulously. The more he calculated, the more he felt his luck was soaring in recent days, and his eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

As for whether the fool who paid such a huge sum just to meet him might have ulterior motives?

Kakuzu wasn't worried about that at all.

He was a man who had once survived against Hashirama Senju himself. Compared to Hashirama, the ninjas of this era were nothing.

At that moment, the space around him suddenly distorted, and a figure wearing a black robe with red clouds and a mask appeared out of thin air.

Kakuzu's heart tightened, 'What a bizarre ability.'

He had never seen anything like it before.

Moreover, the chakra emanating from this masked man carried an ancient, chilling aura.

Kakuzu could even smell a scent from his own era.

He stood up cautiously, "Who are you? Are you the one who wanted to meet me?"

The masked man's voice was old and hoarse, "That's right. It is I who wished to meet you, Kakuzu, the one who once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage."

Kakuzu was startled, his expression turning serious as he looked at the masked man, "You know about that? Are you from my era?"

Although he was famous in the black market, very few people knew that he had attempted to assassinate the First Hokage.

The masked man chuckled a few times, "Enough guessing, Kakuzu. I am here to invite you to join an organization. I want to hire you as the organization's finance minister. This mission was your signing bonus."

"Finance minister?", Kakuzu was momentarily tempted but still shook his head, "The mission only required me to meet you. Now that I've seen you, the mission is complete. I will not join any organization."

The masked man said in a deep voice, "Don't reject me so quickly, Kakuzu. You no longer have a home. Wandering from place to place isn't pleasant, is it?"

He raised his hand, "Come, join us. The Akatsuki will treat you like family and comrades."

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